I had a realization this past year. I hate pretty much everything to do with cooking meals for my family. It’s not that I don’t like to cook, because I do, but I like it on my terms, and only when inspiration strikes!
Obviously this has changed through the years and the addition of three kids. Meal planning is draining…Culling through Pinterest overwhelms me. These days I mostly rely on my blogger friends and my real life friends to tell me what their kids will actually eat.
I decided to put this together for my fellow meal planners who struggle in this department. My goal is that I can take a peek at this each month for some inspiration. Then, I can use Pinterest or good ole Google to search out new recipes with a place to start versus heading into the great unknown.
Have fun!
JANUARY
January 2: National Buffet Day. In my book, this sounds like the perfect excuse to clean out the fridge and have a strolling buffet of all the random foods for dinner.
January 4: National Spaghetti Day. Nobody will complain with this meal!
January 6: National Bean Day. On a cold day, nothing sounds better than a bowl of chili with beans. Or perhaps some navy bean soup?
January 15: National Bagel Day. How about toasted bagel sandwiches with some hot soup?
January 19: National Popcorn Day. While popcorn may not work for an entire meal, it would be fab with a charcuterie board of proteins and more. What kid wouldn’t eat that?
January 20: National Cheese Day. Sounds like a great excuse for some delicious homemade mac and cheese!
January 26: Michigan’s Birthday. Purchase pre-made Michigan goodies, or maybe try your hand at some homemade pasties!
January 28: National Blueberry Pancake Day. Who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner? This could be delicious paired with some bacon and eggs.
January 31: National Hot Cocoa Day. Sounds like a fantastic after-dinner treat!
FEBRUARY
February 2: National Tater Tot Day. Serve as a side, like nachos with toppings, or perhaps in a casserole?
February 4: National Homemade Soup Day. A big ole pot of chicken noodle soup sounds great this time of year. Or try this simple egg drop ramen!
February 5: National Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. I mean, if this falls on a weekend, who wouldn’t want to participate? Throw some cereal as toppings on it and call it good 😉
February 7: National Fettuccine Alfredo Day. Great excuse for this always delicious pasta dish.
February 9: National Pizza Day. I think most parents can agree this is one that won’t fail!
February 13: National Tortellini Day. Can’t go wrong with those little puffs of pasta!
February 14: Valentine’s Day. Heart shaped alllll the things!
February 24: National Chili Day and National Tortilla Chip Day. Sounds like a great excuse to make nachos or chili!
MARCH
March 1: National Pancake Day. Again, breakfast for dinner is a surefire hit for any kid or kid at heart!
March 2: Read Across America Day. Maybe pair food with one of your family’s favorite stories? See ideas here.
March 6: National Frozen Food Day. Hey, sometimes easy wins and that’s OK. Grab some pot pies or a frozen lasagna and have zero guilt. {This is also Oreo day. Grab different flavors and taste test them for some fun!
March 7: National Cereal Day. Cereal for dinner? YES. It happens sometimes! At least you have an excuse on this day for letting it slide 😉
March 9: National Meatball Day. Spaghetti and meatballs or meatball subs? Easy peasy and sure to make every picky palette happy!
March 10: National Ranch Day. If you’re like our family, it probably won’t be hard to incorporate ranch into a meal. We love crock pot ranch pork chops here! Or you can celebrate Nintendo/Mario Day (MAR10…get it?) with pizza with mushrooms!
March 13: 313 aka Detroit Day! How many foods can you eat from Detroit? Coney dogs, Better Made chips, Faygo pop…Sounds like a fun excuse to load up on favorites!
March 17: St. Patrick’s Day…That means corned beef and cabbage! Guiness is optional.
March 19: National Poultry Day. Use this day to rock your favorite dish with chicken.
March 20: National Ravioli Day. This is such a fun one because there are so many varieties out there! You may even be able to nab shamrock shaped ones this time of year. It’s also National Corn Dog Day. Have fun!
March 21: National Crunchy Taco Day. Another one that has lots of opportunities to try a new variety you haven’t tried before!
March 23: National Chip and Dip Day. How fun would it be to make a bunch of dips to have for dinner?
March 24: National Cheesesteak Day. Yum!
March 25: International Waffle Day. Brinner for the win!
March 26: National Spinach Day. OK, not a meal, but an extra healthy ingredient. Smoothies with spinach, spinach stuffed chicken, a veggie lasagna with spinach. Lots of great options!
APRIL
During April: Detroit Tiger’s Home Opener! Gather all the ballpark favorites from hot dogs to popcorn!
April 1: National Burrito Day. There are so many varieties out there…This could be fun!
April 2: National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. Pair some good ole PB&J with some healthy picnic foods and have an indoor or outdoor picnic.
April 7: World Health Day. Perhaps try eating as many nutritious items as you can on this day.
April 12: National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day. Grab some tomato soup and make this a no-fuss meal for the family.
April 16: National Eggs Benedict Day. This a fun one to change up brinner a bit!
April 20: Chinese Language Day. Sounds like a great excuse for some Chinese takeout.
April 23: National Picnic Day. Plan a picnic. If it’s raining, spread out a blanket on the floor and enjoy.
April 24: National Pigs In A Blanket Day. Do we really need an excuse to make these tasty morsels?!
April 26: National Pretzel Day. This could be really fun to make homemade hot pretzels and serve with different dipping sauces. Who says this can’t be dinner?
April 27: National Prime Rib Day. Have a fancy night in with all the delicious foods!
April 28: National Stop Food Waste Day. Use up leftovers or try a recipe using items you find in your fridge that may be close to expiration.
April 29: National Shrimp Scampi Day. Yum!
MAY
May 2: Harry Potter Day! For all the Potterheads of the world, this could be a great day to make a fun Potter-inspired meal.
May 4: Make a special meal for Star Wars Day. Here’s a great round-up of ideas.
May 5: Happy Cinco de Mayo! Sounds like a great excuse to support your favorite Mexican restaurant {not that most of us need an excuse}!
May 6: National Beverage Day. While it’s no meal, it could be fun to test different flavors of a particular beverage and compare. Think fruit juices, Faygo, or gatorade flavors.
May 10: National Shrimp Day. Shrimp cocktail for dinner is always a winner here…and easy too.
May 11: National Eat What You Want Day. No direction here…Just have fun!
May 13: International Hummus Day. Try to incorporate some hummus into a meal.
May 21: National Pizza Party Day. What are you waiting for? We don’t need much of an excuse to make this happen!
May 24: National Asparagus Day. Sounds like the perfect healthy side veggie to go with a main course.
May 28: National Hamburger Day. Time to grill!
Last Monday in May: Memorial Day. Bring on all the cookout and red, white and blue foods!
JUNE
June 3: National Egg Day. Consider visiting a local farm for some fresh eggs and making brinner.
June 4: National Cheese Day. A charcuterie board in the sunshine sounds perfect for this day, doesn’t it?
June 11: National Corn on the Cob Day. Perfect side dish, or get fancy and make Mexican-inspired corn, elote!
June 17: National Eat Your Veggies Day. This sounds like a great challenge…How many different types of veggies can you consume?
June 18: National Fishing Day. Head to a local lake for a fresh catch.
June 21: National Smoothie Day. Try a new flavor of smoothie! This is one of our favorites.
June 30: Social Media Day. How about trying one of these super simple TikTok recipes?
JULY
July 4: Time to make alllll of the red, white, and blue foods!
July 6: National Fried Chicken Day. This one will be delicious.
July 7: World Chocolate Day. Maybe not a meal, but definitely needs to be in the cards as a treat.
July 11: FREE Slurpee Day at 7-11. This is always a hit for an afternoon treat!
July 13: National French Fry Day. Perfect excuse to enjoy…Or, perhaps you could get fries from some of your favorite spots and compare?
July 14: National Mac and Cheese Day. Yum!
July 16: National Cherry Day. How many things can you make using cherries? Salads, cherry chicken, pie, anyone?
July 18: National Ice Cream Day. Celebrate with a sundae for a meal at some point during this day!
July 21: National Hot Dog Day. Get out the grill for a super simple meal.
July 24: National Drive-Thru Day. As if we need an excuse not to cook.
July 29: This is a big one…National Lasagna Day, National Chicken Wing Day and National Chili Dog Day. Take your pick.
July 31: National Avocado Day. A great excuse to find recipes involving guac!
August
August 3: National Watermelon Day. Seed spitting content for the kids? Could make dinner a bit more fun!
August 10: National S’mores Day. Time for a bonfire.
August 18: National Fajita Day. What will it be? Veggie, chicken, or steak?
August 19: National Potato Day. Grilled potatoes, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes…Lots of ideas! Add some bacon and broccoli and make a meal out of them.
August 24: National Waffle Day. Apparently there is two of these days during the year. I’m not complaining!
August 25: National Banana Split Day. When I was a kid, my mom would do this for dinner once in a blue moon. Definitely a favorite memory I have!
August 31: National Eat Outside Day. No recipe idea, but it sounds like a great day to plan a picnic at a nearby park!
September
First Monday in September: Celebrate Labor Day by grilling all your favorite foods as a summer send-off.
September 2: National Coconut Day. Make a recipe using coconut. Coconut shrimp and many Thai-inspired dishes come to mind.
September 3: National Lazy Mom Day. Honestly, I didn’t even know this was a thing…But I love an excuse to be lazy and let the family fend for themselves or have some cereal for dinner 😉
September 5: National Cheese Pizza Day. Again, a solid day to order take-out!
September 11: German Language Day. Love the idea of finding something authentically German to try making.
September 15: National Linguine Day. Try a new Italian dish using linguine as the main ingredient.
September 16: National Guacamole Day. Nachos and guac for dinner would be a dream come true.
September 18: National Cheeseburger Day. Break out the grill, or make some delicious sliders.
September 20: National Pepperoni Pizza Day. I mean, if you’re going to make me order pizza again during this back-to-school month…fine!
September 26: National Better Breakfast Day. Sounds like a wonderful day for some brinner!
October
October 1: World Vegetarian Day. Try a new veggie-friendly recipe.
October 4: Taco Day.
October 6: National Noodle Day.
October 8: Pierogi Day.
October 12: National Pulled Pork Day.
October 16: Sweetest Day. Sure, it’s a Hallmark holiday, but it’s still a fun day to work in some heart shared surprises!
October 17: National Pasta Day. An excuse for carbs? Yes, please!
October 21: Day of the Nachos. Yes, please!!!
October 25: National Greasy Foods Day. This sounds like a fun excuse for a delicious meal.
October 26: National Pumpkin Day. Try making a recipe using pumpkin.
October 29: National Oatmeal Day. A family favorite here is to take some plain oatmeal and have a variety of toppings to pick from.
October 31: Halloween is a great reason to make fun foods! Hot dog wrapped in crescent rolls make for the perfect mummy meal! Here’s more ideas.
November
November 1: National Calzone Day. These are always a hit!
November 3: National Sandwich Day. Sounds like the perfect excuse for a simple soup and sammy night!
November 6: National Nachos Day. This is always a fun way to eat dinner.
November 9: National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day. {The red bag chicken from Aldi is our favorite!}
November 16: National Fast Food Day. This day may be the exception to avoiding the drive-thru 😉
November 17: National Homemade Bread Day. Bake some simple bread to go with a delicious dinner.
November 28: National French Toast Day. Oven baked French toast is always a huge dinner hit here!
Last Thursday of November: Thanksgiving. So all the good traditional stuff!
Last Saturday of November or early December: Small Business Saturday. Celebrate this holiday by eating out or getting take-out from your favorite independent restaurant.
December
December 4: National Cookie Day. It’s not a meal, but a fun excuse to get together with those you love for some cookie decorating!
December 14: National Biscuits and Gravy Day. Easy to make and so so good!
December 30: National Bacon Day. Perfect day for some BLTs.
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