The Struggle Is Real
Does anyone else find themselves wondering how people come up with all their meal plans? Most people eat three meals a day, or at the very least two and maybe a snack somewhere in there. After a while it can be a challenge to come up with meal ideas. This is especially true if you don’t want to eat the same exact thing day in and day out. Add in the complication of the chaos and busyness of life and that’s even tougher. Now you have to come up with meals that are quick to pull together, tasty, and at least somewhat nutritionally valuable. I have a few go-to meals I have come up with over the years, especially for those extra busy days. Keep reading for my six quick and easy meal ideas for nights you don’t know what to make.
Who Has Time For Food?!
In today’s world, it seems there’s never a free moment. If you aren’t working at your job, then you’re caring for the house, your family, or have other commitments, such as a homeschool coop or church event, or perhaps your children are involved in every sport known to man, so you are at every game. Whatever the reason we seem to be going and going all the time, so when it comes to meals, especially meals with some nutritional value, it can be overwhelming to figure out what to make.
Let’s face it, having to prepare food for every meal every day can be daunting. I have often wondered how on earth people do it with ease. I finally figured out that meals don’t have to be nearly as stressful as I’ve made them all my life.
One thing I learned to do is utilize simple week-by-week meal planning. If you are interested in how I meal plan check out that blog post here. Outside of meal planning, I have my super easy quick go-to meals. I also have a laundry list of other meals that maybe aren’t as quick and easy but are fan favorites in my household that I’ve become good at making.
Knowing where your strengths and weaknesses lie in the kitchen can be super helpful. I can guarantee that even if your meal-making speed is pretty much that of a good old-fashioned PB&J (which honestly who doesn’t love that!?) these recipes won’t disappoint.
Truly Quick, Easy, and Minimal Ingredients Meals
Too many times have I seen a website boasting easy, quick weeknight meals only to find the ingredient list incredibly long and the directions confusing. Maybe those blogs are made for a professional chef to have an easy meal night, but they aren’t easy for me! My quick and easy meals are so simple that I am not giving recipes but instead ideas and options. This is because these are so easy to follow and customize to the specifics for you and your family that you don’t need full recipes.
If you want six quick and easy meals that are actually easy and that will please the entire family then here are my go-tos:
Six Quick and Easy Meals
1. Quesadillas
In my household, we switch things up from the typical thought of quesadillas. We, of course, use tortillas but we spread bean dip on both sides. Naturally, we add cheese to our quesadillas. We usually stick to cheddar or a mexican cheese mix but there are a whole lot more options out there to try if you want to mix things up. If you have someone in your household who’s big on protein (more than the bean dip provides) then adding chicken even from a rotisserie chicken is cheap, quick, easy, filling, and relatively nutritious. Toss the quesadilla onto a skillet on the stove and that’s it. Throw in a side of chips and salsa, guacamole, or queso and you’ve got a Tex-Mex dinner for the whole family to enjoy that took about 10 minutes to prepare.
2. Grilled cheese and tomato soup
This isn’t a new recipe by any means but like my quesadillas, I have a few tips to make this a more exciting meal. First of all, you can’t go wrong with this classic on a cold night or a night when you are just craving comfort food, but spice it up a bit. Use a mix of cheeses like sharp cheddar or Gruyère. Adding a little garlic and even shredded cheese to the delicious buttery exterior adds a unique flavor and texture that is so tasty.
As far as tomato soup goes, this is a make-or-break for me. I prefer creamy tomato soup. If you can find the La Madeleine Tomato Basil Soup at your local grocery store or if the restaurant is nearby this is my absolute favorite! This soup is by far what makes this meal so much more elevated to me, and you can always find a jar of it in my pantry. My daughter is also obsessed with it. As a side note, if you finish your sandwich and still want to enjoy the soup with a little extra something, grab some crackers and use the soup as a dip it is oh so delicious.
3. Chicken salad
Make a fresh salad by chopping up a head of lettuce and adding your favorite toppings. I like to meal prep shredded chicken most weeks. Shredded chicken is great to add to almost any quick and simple meal like salad. Sprucing up your salad with shredded cheese, add croutons or delicious crunchy onions, and your favorite salad dressing. My personal favorite dressing is Caesar. I found a Caesar salad dressing I love! It makes me feel like I’m eating a Caesar salad at a restaurant instead of at home – the salad is that good!
If you are looking for a fantastic shredded chicken recipe check this one out from The Magical Slowcooker. It is beyond my favorite shredded chicken recipe. The chicken has great flavor on its own but blends well thrown into any other recipe like casseroles, soups, or salads. Plus, this chicken recipe makes the most tender fall-apart chicken I’ve found. One note, I only add one tablespoon of butter instead of the two the recipe calls for. In my opinion, the chicken is still delicious and tender without the extra butter.
4. Pizza
If you really need a speedy dinner then a salad like above with a classic frozen or premade pizza is a winner. If you want to add a twist to pizza night and opt for a healthier version then make your own. You can either make your own crust (it comes together so quick!) or buy a premade crust. Add pizza sauce, I like Rao’s since it’s sugar-free, add your cheese of choice and toppings and it can be done baking in just a few short minutes. For an even more fun and tasty twist use French bread as your crust it’s a big crowd-pleaser. You can simply cut individual French breads in half lengthwise, add a little sauce, cheese, and your toppings of choice, but I love a little dried basil and oregano or even a little garlic.
5. Tortellini
This is an incredibly easy meal to make. By using store-bought tortellini and pasta sauce (again Rao’s is great especially because it’s sugar-free) this meal can come together very quickly in a pinch. You can even add the shredded chicken you meal prepped from the above chicken salad dinner idea or purchase tortellini that has protein (more than the cheese) already premade like beef and spinach tortellini. Add a side salad or veggie and this is a satiating meal that only took a few minutes to make.
6. Stir-fry
This one can be as easy or as complicated as you want to make it. You can make stir fry from scratch but this takes time making the sauce and cutting up the veggies and meat. If you want to make this into an easy quick night meal like we often do, it is so simple! Most grocery stores have precut stir fry meat, you can also usually find frozen Asian veggie medley, and they even have premade stir fry sauce that is actually really tasty.
Simply heat the veggies in the microwave, cook the meat in a skillet, then mix everything together with the sauce in that same skillet. Serve it over rice which you can microwave in a quick batch or cook a larger amount in your instant pot. Either way you decide to serve the stir-fry it’s a simple, cheap, easy, and filling meal.
Easy Peasy
None of these recipe ideas is original or anything out of the box, but it can be hard to find truly simple recipes online. With today’s fast-paced world and the high cost of groceries, these are nice to have in your recipe arsenal for those nights you just can’t be bothered to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Plus as a bonus, even the pickiest eaters will appreciate these meals so they are crowd pleasers.
If you are looking to meal plan so you don’t have to worry about a quick and easy meal night check out my blog post here where I provide tips and tricks on how I meal plan. If you are looking for some new recipes to try check out the recipes section of the blog. New recipes are constantly being added. If the quick and easy meals appeal to you because they are also relatively inexpensive then also take a look at my blog post where I give advice on how to cut down on the cost of your grocery bill.
