Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas

WonTaunTaun
WonTaunTaun Posts: 87 Member
in Recipes
I'm a wife, mother, and have a full time job. I don't get off of work until 6:30pm and still have to come home and cook dinner before bath and bedtime for our 10month old. I also work out at night. Because of the crazy schedule our dinners usually consist of quick meals like Velveeta skillets, hot dogs, frozen pizza ... you know the routine. :P I would really like some quick, budget friendly, filling, healthy dinner ideas.

Replies

  • marthamae813
    marthamae813 Posts: 70 Member
    Use your crock pot. Grill up some chicken before you go to work, so when you get home you can have it on salad or wraps. Stir frys are pretty quick and you could cook the rice or noodles before hand.

    PS I love me some Velvetta meals :(
  • oct11mama
    oct11mama Posts: 1
    I'm a mama with a busy 6 month old boy. You should check out Fresh 20 - it's a meal planning service. My weekly grocery shop takes me about 20 minutes & I always have healthy leftovers for lunches for the hubby and myself. Bonus....the recipes are pretty much all on here, so it's easy to add to your daily meals.
  • gabegrammy
    gabegrammy Posts: 147 Member
    crock pot whole chicken
    roll 5 or 6 potatoes in foil place on bottom of crock pot
    season a whole chicken (frozen is fine) any way you want
    i use salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, and oregeno
    place on top of potatoes breast side down
    cook on high 6 to 8 hours (thaw)
    8 to 10 hours (frozen)
    i serve with broccoli and salad.
  • WonTaunTaun
    WonTaunTaun Posts: 87 Member
    Thanks all! My poor ole' crock pot has been tucked away in my pantry and forgotten about. Sounds like it's time to bring it back out. Best part is I don't even have to worry about cooking when I get home. :bigsmile:

    I will certainly check out the Fresh 20. This sounds intriguing.

    I love Velveeta meals, too! They aren't too bad if you just stick to one serving (which is a cup). However, taste wise I have a hard time doing this. Lol.
  • nicola1141
    nicola1141 Posts: 613 Member
    My weeknight meals that I rotate through (and yes, I know these aren't perfect, but they're better than what we used to eat, and they're still quick):

    Salmon (dab with olive oil, season, maybe add some teriyaki sauce, cut up some broccoli, tomatos, throw it all in a foil pouch, bake for 1/2 hour)
    Multigrain breaded tilapia with broccoli or baby carrots
    Blue Menu (Canadian brand of healthier versions) chicken strips and fries/smiley faces and salad
    Spaghetti and meat sauce (meat sauce pre-made on the weekend)
    turkey burgers (ground turkey, salsa, an egg white and (optional) bread crumbs)
    seafood (usually scallops) pasta (with just some olive oil, garlic, seasoning and the water from the scallops package)
  • hammomh
    hammomh Posts: 43 Member
    Stir Fry. Easiest quickest dinner ever. Throw in all the veg and meat you like, splash on some soy sauce, fishsauce, lime, chilli, what ever is to your taste and there you go :)

    Tonight, my dinner will be Beef and Pak Choi, takes 5 mins prep and 5 mins to cook :)
  • _kannnd
    _kannnd Posts: 247 Member
    Crock pots are great. You can cook a lot during the day while at work, and then freeze part of it for dinner at a later time.

    You could also try cooking up some staples on Sundays, like chicken or pork, and then keeping it in the fridge. That way when you get home, you could just steam some veggies or something quickly to eat with it.
  • ChangingAmanda
    ChangingAmanda Posts: 486 Member
    Crock Pot meals are great. If you're on Pinterest, there are tons of pins for meals including ones that you mix up a head of time, freeze, and throw in the pot when you want to use it.

    Also, you could prep a couple casseroles over the weekend and freeze. Set it out to thaw in the AM and pop in the oven when you get home. If you have an oven that has a pre-heat timer, use it so that the oven is warm when you get home and saves you time.
  • bugnbeansmom
    bugnbeansmom Posts: 292 Member
    Crock pots are great as mentioned. You could also do some make ahead meals on Sunday and just pull them out to reheat/finish cooking them. You could also try to grill more in the summer. It is about the only time my husband helps with the cooking so we are getting more done in less time.

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