Forget Cereal For Dinner: FIVE Quick & Satisfying Dinner Ideas For Any Night Of The Week!

Years ago I learned something that seemed really strange to me: some people eat cereal for dinner! {Shout out to my friend Jenny!}

 

As someone who rarely eats cereal even for breakfast {I grew up in Russia}, the idea of cold milk and dry cereal for dinner saddened me. I understand that we all have different tastes and that sometimes you are so tired when you get home from work that you really don't want to cook, but you can do better!

 

Trust me!

 

Below are FIVE ideas for a quick and satisfying dinner {unless you are a meat and potato dude or dudette} that take less than 20 minutes. Some of these will make perfect leftovers for lunch the next day!

 

Bulgur with raw beets, carrots and chickpeas. I made this salad last night after seeing Ellie Krieger's recipe on Washington Post. Yes, it takes 2 hours to cook bulgur if you are using the soaking method, but if you happen to have bulgur already cooked, you are in luck! If you don't, you can use leftover rice, or quinoa or even pasta. I eliminated mint from the recipe and added home-cooked chickpeas.

 

The salad gets better as it sits in the refrigerator as the lemon juice, olive oil and salt & pepper permeate the rest of the ingredients. The only thing I'd caution you about is this: if you are planning to bring the leftovers to work, don't add red onion!  



 

Broccoli salad. The inspiration for this quick dinner came from my aunt in Israel. Her version included blanched broccoli, vinegar/mayonnaise/honey dressing, cashews and dried cranberries. I opted for dried cherries, a bit of red onion and a dressing of mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar. Of course you can use any nut you like or even sunflower seeds! I used 3 broccoli crowns for one person and felt no guilt whatsoever.

Eggs!!! Seriously, eggs are one of my favorite ingredients for a quick dinner:
- egg salad with olives, herbs and tomatoes
- scrambled eggs mixed with cilantro and wrapped into a warm tortilla that has been slathered with hummus
- omelet
- shakshuka!!!
- poached eggs with toast

Tuna. I love, love, love canned white solid tuna. I usually get mine in water, but I know many people who are fans of tuna packed in oil. Choose whichever one you like. Of course you can make a simple tuna/mayonnaise/celery salad, but that's not my cup of tea. Below are a few of my favorites:
- tuna, hardboiled egg, leftover cooked rice, mayonnaise, white or red onion, salt & pepper
- tuna, olives, tomatoes, herbs, mayonnaise
- tuna, avocado, olive oil, lemon juice
- don't forget a tuna melt!

Picnic Dinner. This is a great way to have some fun: cheese, salami, pickled vegetables, hummus, guacamole, salsa, roasted eggplant, olives, crackers, wine, dark chocolate, dried fruit, more wine...you get the idea.

See?!?! There is a world beyond cereal for dinner.

Please share your ideas for a quick dinner in the comments.