What to Eat When You Don't Know What to Eat: 60 Meal Ideas, from a Dietitian
Written by Isabel Vasquez Larson RD, LDN
We’ve all been there—staring at the fridge, pilfering through the pantry, and still at a loss for what to eat.
Sometimes deciding what to eat is the straw that broke the camel’s back when it comes to decision fatigue (we hear about it from our clients all the time). In that case, you may get in a rut of eating the same things over and over again or resorting to takeout more than you’d like.
That’s why we’re sharing a roundup of 60 meal ideas—breakfast, lunch, and dinner options included! Consider this your go-to list for when you don’t know what you want to eat. Print it out and stick it on your fridge for easy reference or save the link on your phone. Your future self with thank you!
What to Eat for Breakfast
Breakfast can easily get repetitive, but there are tons of breakfast options out there if we take the time to brainstorm.
Good news! As dietitians, it’s kind of our thing to brainstorm nutritious meals, so we’ve done the work for you. Here are a bunch of breakfast ideas for sweet and savory food lovers alike:
Yogurt parfait (yogurt, fruit, granola, nuts, and seeds)
Egg muffins (essentially egg omelets made in a muffin pan that can easily be frozen and reheated)
Toast with peanut butter and banana
Avocado and egg toast
Smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel with onion
Turkey and cheese panini
Smoothie bowl
Chia pudding with nut butter and fruit
Overnight oats
Hot oatmeal topped with fruit and nuts
Frozen protein waffles or pancakes with fresh fruit
Oatmeal bake
Tofu scramble
Quinoa breakfast bowl
Huevos rancheros
Apple and goat cheese toast
Dinner leftovers (some people don’t consider this a viable breakfast option, but it can be a game changer!)
Farina with fruit
What to Eat for Lunch
When they first come to us, lots of our clients report skipping lunch, partly because they’re at a loss for what to pack or quickly prep that’ll keep them full.
Here are some tasty ideas to mix it up for lunch and restore your interest in food:
Tuna salad sandwich with a side of veggies and hummus
Hearty snack box (e.g. hard-boiled eggs, cheese, crackers, apple slices, peanut butter)
Microwavable rice and beans with avocado
Pasta salad
Naan pizza
Bean and cheese quesadilla with salsa
Chili
Salad kit with tuna or beans
Taco salad
Turkey and cheese wrap
Chicken Caesar wrap
Southwest salad
Mediterranean sandwich (with hummus, veggies, olives, feta)
Avocado chickpea salad with tortilla chips
Burrito bowl
Canned soup with rice or pasta
Ramen noodles with egg and veggies
Caprese sandwich
Grain bowl
What to Eat for Dinner
If nothing sounds good for dinner, it may be because you’re cooking the same things over and over again.
When you can’t figure out what sounds good for dinner, here are 20 ideas:
Slow cooker chicken tinga
Air-fryer fish tacos
Ground beef or turkey burrito bowl
Veggie naan pizza
Pollo guisado with rice and beans
Breakfast for dinner
Salmon with rice and veggies
Lentil soup with tortillas
Shrimp fajitas
Chicken and veggie fried rice
Veggie burgers with sweet potato fries
Sardines in tomato sauce over rice
Roasted pork loin with potatoes and veggies
Sushi
Air fried fish with potatoes and veggies
Greek-style pita sandwiches
Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Boxed mac and cheese with frozen broccoli
How to Decide What to Eat When You Don’t Know What to Eat
Use the Three T’s
What are the three T’s, you ask? They are taste, temperature, and texture.
When you’re at a loss for what to eat, reflect on the three T’s to narrow down the kind of food that sounds best.
What taste or flavor are you in the mood for? Do you want something sweet, sour, salty, bitter, or savory?
Consider the temperature of the food you want. Would something cold sound best? Or do you want something warm?
Lastly, determine the texture you’d like—crunchy, crispy, creamy, chewy, tough, smooth, drinkable?
Our clients often share that they’ve never thought of food this way, but it’s a game changer for deciding on a meal that sounds truly satisfying.
Practice Gentle Nutrition
Gentle nutrition is a non-diet approach to nutrition that incorporates pleasure, satisfaction, and health. It’s about making food choices that honor your taste preferences AND your health rather than forcing yourself to ignore your hunger and stick to a strict meal plan.
Everyone’s needs will vary, but it’s generally helpful to incorporate a source of carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber at meals.
Each of these food groups offers different health benefits and nutrients. Plus, combining them helps promote balanced blood sugars, stable energy levels, and satiety.
This is yet another strategy to help build a meal for yourself when your brain is drawing a blank. Maybe you have leftover chicken in the fridge that you’d like to use up. That’s a source of protein, so add carbs, healthy fat, and fiber for a complete meal.
Embrace Convenience Foods
Some of our clients have come to realize that they’re at a loss for what to eat because they’ve set the bar so high for themselves—expecting every meal to be a euphoric experience. In reality, sometimes when you don’t know what to eat, what you really need is convenient options.
Staying nourished might mean that sometimes you eat because you know your body needs food, even when you aren’t able to cook a beautiful meal from scratch. Enter: convenience foods. They have a lot of stigma, but they can be a huge asset to your pantry.
Convenience foods that can help when you don’t know what to eat include:
Pre-chopped fruit and veggies
Frozen fruit and veggies
Pre-prepped overnight oats
Pre-marinated meat
Flavored yogurt
Canned beans
Microwavable rice and beans
Ramen noodles
Boxed mac and cheese
Frozen pancakes or waffles
Frozen meals or appetizers (Yes, I’m talking about Trader Joe’s!)
Adding these foods to your grocery list helps ensure that even when you don’t feel like cooking an elaborate meal, you can still eat something.
Final Thoughts
Trying to decide what to eat when you don't know what to eat can be frustrating. Having fresh meal ideas can help. So can destigmatizing convenience foods, practicing gentle nutrition, and using the three T’s to decide on something satisfying.
Don’t be afraid to stray from your regular meal rotation and explore new meal ideas that could restore your interest in food.
And if you could use more support, consider working with our team of Latina dietitians for 1:1 nutrition counseling sessions covered by many major insurance plans.
For education on how to ADD nutrition to your favorite Latine cultural dishes, make peace with food, and focus on your health without dieting, join our nutrition library for just $27/month.
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