15 Fun (& Unique) Meal Themes

Are you looking for Meal Themes or Food Themes? Many clients face frustrations with infinite dinner possibilities. They wonder, “how can we simplify this?” We get it; dinner decisions can be overwhelming. However, meal themes or food themes can help, especially when tired and faced with infinite recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and blogs. 

Get ready for 15 fun (and unique) meal themes with Andrea, Registered Dietitian!

Today, I’ll be sharing my 15 Fun and Unique Meal Themes to inspire you in the kitchen. These ideas will help you narrow down the various dinner possibilities and end the “what’s for dinner” dilemma once and for all.

What are Meal Themes?

A Meal Theme (or Food Theme) is a tool to spark culinary inspiration and brainstorm ideas of what to cook. Picking a Meal Theme narrows possible dinner ideas and inspires creativity within a “food category” (such as Indian, Italian, Taco Tuesday, etc.).

Benefits of Meal Themes:

• They help you narrow down possibilities of what to cook (for example – taco night). 
• They allow family involvement in decision making.
• Themes add opportunity to explore new foods and familiar favourites.  
• They lower pressure to come up with unique dinner ideas every night. 
• Themes help designate days of the week (i.e., Meatless Monday, Easy Meal Friday) which saves you from planning themes daily or weekly.

Top 15 Meal Themes:

1. Mexican Night

A good old fashioned Mexican fiesta might be my absolute favourite! It’s always fun and super versatile because a lot of Mexican cooking uses the same ingredients in different ways – cheese, salsa, lettuce, chicken/beef/beans, tortilla. Ask your family what they would like – you can see examples of dishes in this category below. Family members can be encouraged to search online, or you can give your own options!

Meal Themes: Chicken/black bean fajitas, quesadilla, tacos, taco/fajita bowl, enchiladas, Mexican rice with spicy chicken, nachos, guacamole with chips (or anything dippable)!

2. Meatless Mondays

Not surprisingly, Meatless Monday is trendy on social media right now! This fad is especially popular in light of rising food costs and environmental awareness. With Meatless Mondays, people have fun cooking meals with vegetarian protein alternatives like tofu, lentils, and chickpeas instead of traditional meat options. Also, many enjoy including fish or eggs in their Meatless Monday to add more protein options. Play around with what protein options work for you to find your favourite combinations! Here are some ideas…

Additional meal themes: Vegetarian Chili, Black Bean Burritos/Quesadillas, Grilled Cheese, Tofu Stir-Fry, Lemon Ginger Red Lentil Soup, Greek Quinoa Salad, Buddha Bowls, Shrimp Risotto.

3. Simple Sandwich (Saturdays/Sundays)

Simplify your life with sandwiches! The infinite possibilities and low hassle prep of sandwiches make them the perfect option when you’re low on time. Additionally, they give you the flexibility to use different types of protein and switch up your choice of bread (wraps, naan, pita, whole grain crackers, etc).

Note: I recommend keeping a variety of whole-grain wraps, English muffins and high-fibre bread in the freezer. You can also use cool ingredients like sauces, different veggie toppings, a variety of cheeses, and flavour boosters like spices/herbs and citrus (lemons or limes) to spice up your sandwiches. 

Additional meal themes: 2-minute tuna salad on a wrap with grated cheese, tomatoes and lettuce. Salmon salad sandwich or fresh roll, meatball sandwich, turkey sandwich, grilled cheese, tuna melt, cold cut submarine sandwich, or Chicken Caesar in pita.

4. Fish Fridays

Enjoy a fish-themed day! You have so many options to include – anything from salmon to sushi to shrimp. Dive deep into the ocean for this one. 

Additional meal themes: Maple Glazed Salmon, 5-Ingredient Dijon Garlic Salmon, Pan fried sole almondine, shrimp pasta/risotto/stir-fry/soup.  Tuna melt, Salmon Fresh Rolls, fish tacos, Maple Dijon Garlic Salmon, Thyme Panko Sole. 

5. Taco Tuesdays

Now this is similar to your Mexican theme except exclusive to tacos. Keep in mind that any category can inspire a separate theme. For tacos, I love making them on Tuesdays because it’s simply fun. Plus, I look forward to the variety! For example, swap out the protein choice, try a spicy mayo and use little corn tortillas or wheat tortillas. Include veggies, or you could do a homemade guacamole and pico de gallo or salsa.

Additional meal themes: Fish tacos, ground beef tacos, spicy chicken tacos, shrimp taco, black bean and/or refried bean tacos.

6. Build-Your-Own Pizza

Who doesn’t love pizza? Why not include a pizza night into your weekly meal schedule? Homemade pizza will always beat going out for take-out in terms of the taste, cost, and of course the overall nutrient value. Use naan bread for a quick dough option, have new ingredients like veggies or olives, chicken, different types of cheese, or perhaps a balsamic glaze to add variety. 

Additional related Food Themes?

How about Speedy Naan Pizzas, Chickpea flour mini pizzas, Pineapple, Black Olive & Spicy Salami Pizza, English muffin pizza, or store-bought pizza you add fresh or frozen veggies to.

7. Entrée Salads

Last year, I did a blog on How to Build Summer Salads. This was a fun topic because it encouraged people to think outside the green salad box and bump up the nutrition with carbs and protein to make a filling MEAL! Be sure to also add ingredients that add interest – like seeds, fruit, meat, beans, herbs, etc.

Additional meal themes: Cobb salad, tuna salad, chicken caesar salad with pita wedges, Buddha Bowls, Mexican quinoa salad, Greek Lentil Salad or Chickpea Potato Salad.

8. Batch-Cooking

Do you have easy meal options in your freezer? Batch cooking allows you to make meal extras for planned leftovers. Consequently, freezer meals save time when you are too busy to cook a fresh meal. I often heat up a freezer meal for a quick lunch/dinner when low on time or energy.

To set yourself up for freezer meal success, plan a night to batch cook. For instance, I love having tomato sauce and meatballs and a one-pot meal like chili. Additionally, these meals all freeze well for leftovers.  

Additional meal themes:  Chili, lasagna, stuffed shells, Grandma’s Meatballs. I am a fan of homemade frozen tomato sauce.

NOTE: If you are unaware of what’s lurking in your freezer, try out my Freezer Inventory! It’s a simple system that works and leaves you feeling very organized and free of stress.

9. Breakfast for Dinner

I absolutely love eggs and breakfast foods because they are super convenient, economical, and fast to prepare. Switch up your protein source and use eggs for your dinner protein! There are 6 grams of protein in an egg and read here if you are unsure if you should skip the yolk. Looking how to hard boil eggs to perfection? Click here! Finally, click here if you’re looking for filling breakfast ideas (many options which include eggs).

Additional meal themes:  Lentil and Kale shakshouka, fried egg sandwich, avocado toast, omelette, Grandma’s quiche. Hard boiled eggs to perfection with toast, chickpea salad with eggs.

10. Italian Night

Of course, this one is fun and always a crowd-pleaser. Gnocchi or penne or spaghetti or macaroni….the possibilities are endless. There are 350 different pasta shapes. There are also infinite different sauces. You can add a protein to the sauce like my Spicy Sausage Penne.

Meal Themes: Gnocchi, spicy sausage penne, pasta bake, risotto, veal sandwich, pizza, pesto bow tie pasta with green peas and chicken. Eggplant parmesan, spaghetti and meatballs.

11. Oh-So-Easy!

A client and I made up this meal theme category, and we both loved it! Talk about lowering the intimidation factor. The theme for this night of the week is to cook something that is super easy and of course delicious. 

Additional meal themes: Grilled cheese, a fried egg sandwich with side salad or veggies. Perogies with plain Greek yogurt. Peanut butter and jam sandwich or toast. Roasted Chickpeas. Other easy options include cereal for dinner, baked beans, naan and hummus, chicken finger wraps, charcuterie dinner with crackers, cheese, veggies, and fruit. 

12. Stir-Fry or Curry Night 

Many love stir-fries because they offer flexibility to use up veggies on hand. I am a big curry fan and used to find them intimidating. However, store-bought green and red curry pastes can simply be added to coconut milk to get a great curry. I also recommend you stock your pantry with whole grain options like rice, quinoa or bulgur – this way, you can always choose an option that suits you.

Additional meal themes: Chinese Fried rice with edamame, Green curry, Pad Thai, Cashew Chicken, etc. 

13. Burger Night

I absolutely love a good burger! Whether they’re beef or chicken, burgers have so much flavour and flexibility to add your preferred toppings and sauces. Additionally, you can also top them with a scrumptious salad to bump up your veggies. To make dinner even easier, you can pre-make your burger patties and freeze them or buy them pre-made. Finally, you can add flexibility by the type of burger (see examples below).

You’re sure to enjoy our Sriracha Jalapeno Burger recipe for this meal themed night!

Additional meal themes: Chicken burger, beef burger, veggie burger. Add some new toppings – go with it! Have fun. Without a doubt, themed meals made at home are going to be healthier alternatives to eating out. 

14. Family Favourites

Let’s all get some nostalgia going here! What do you remember as a childhood favourite? Let this inspire your meal. Food naturally brings back emotions from childhood, from important events in our lives, and from times with family and friends. Why not choose a meal that brings the warm and fuzzies?

Additional meal themes: I am thinking Grandma’s meatloaf is on the list or my mom’s Penne a la vodka. Or childhood Sloppy Joes! Balance your meal as mentioned in the new Canada’s Food Guide. Mac and Cheese, Rosemary Roasted potatoes or Spicy chicken could also fall in this category; whatever makes you feel excited.

15. Soup Night

To end our list of meal themes, we have soup! Thankfully, this popular comfort food is also a meal option that freezes well. Make a double soup batch and thaw it for those busy nights to add to your meal. The possibilities are endless and versatile to use up leftover veggies in fridge or freezer.

Additional meal themes: French onion soup, Red lentil soup, Indian curry soup with red lentils and Mom’s Minestrone soup. Ramen bowls or Pho are also fun and allow versatility to use up veggies on hand.

Meal Themes Planner (BONUS)

As a bonus for our lovely readers, we have a clickable planner where you can choose your meal themes and specify what you’d love to make. You can see a blank one to fill out below, followed by an example of mine. 

Andrea’s Sample Meal Themes Planner

Bottom Line on Meal Themes:

Deciding what’s for dinner does not have to be a dilemma. Hope my 15 Favourite Meal Themes blog reduces dinner decision fatigue and helps you come up with new and familiar ideas. Remember that cooking at home is a powerful strategy to improve overall nutrition, boost veggie intake and increase dietary fibre. Cooking, as opposed to eating out, also generally reduces calorie, salt and saturated fat intake. Lastly, start where you are today and make meals as simple as necessary so they are feasible in your schedule.

Now’s your turn! What are your favourite meal themes? Furthermore, how do they inspire your cooking? Any new themes you’re wanting to try! I am really wanting to try a Greek theme!