Help me help a friend

One of the quickest and easiest I have ever made: 1 pound of lean ground turkey browned in a large skillet, add 1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed) and 1 can of rotel tomatoes; serve over brown rice.

I have a CRAZY life too....its just a matter of planning ahead. I'm not as stressed as I used to be about having a traditional "meal" on the table like I used to be. As long as everyone gets healthy nutrition into their bodies...thats ALL that matters. (And hopefully we can eat it together at least a few times a week...LOL)
Anyway....I try to bake a bunch of chicken breasts on Sunday afternoon - the one day of the week that I usually tend to be home. And I put them in the fridge to use in a pinch throughout the week. You can chop it up and toss it in a salad, use it for a quick stir fry with rice, slice it and make panini's or sandwiches. The possibilities are endless. I find that it helps to have the "base" done and you can just whip something quick up from there. Beyond that, I try to keep things simple. There is nothing wrong with having a PB & J sandwich for dinner. Make it whole wheat bread, natural PB, low sugar preserves, and throw a few sliced fruits or veggies on the side. A glass of skim milk and you have a well rounded meal.

Busy life + simplified meal plans = happy mom

For super-quick recipes, I recommend anything out of Martha Stewart Everyday Food. Usually there's a section with a big Sunday meal and then meals you can make for the next few days using leftovers. There are also a ton of quick, usually healthy (I'm sure you can adjust for calorie count where you need to) meals.

I've used a ton of her recipes and I don't think any one of them has ever taken me more than 45 minutes.

The best part is that they're REAL food. No boxes, cans, etc. No processed foods. (Except for beans and tomatoes - who has time for that?)

They're the little mags that are usually at grocery checkouts. Highly recommended!!

The crock pot has been a life saver for me. I can thrown frozen meat and raw veggies in the crockpot in the morning with water and/or broth with spices, set it for 8 hours and it's ready when I get home from work. Plus they make crock pot liners so the clean up is a breeze. I just pull the liner out and throw it away and then it is so easy to wash.

OAMC.
Once A Month Cooking.
Choose your healthy meals, and then once a month do a cooking weekend where you buy your ingredients and prep them (chop, saute, etc) all at once and then the next day you assemble the recipes into freezer/oven safe containers.

If a monthly menu seems too daunting, try it once a week. I make our weeks meals on Sunday, including our bag lunches. It makes the day-to-day chaos a little less stressful.

I have bronchitis right now so I'm at my wits end trying to get food on the table for my family of 4. Yesterday I got out the crockpot - threw in a pound of chicken tenderloins, a couple cups of medium salsa, a couple cups of black beans, some long-grain/wild rice that were leftover in the fridge, half a bag (8oz?) of frozen corn, and cooked it on HIGH for 3hrs. Added some pepperjack cheese before serving. It was thick like mexican chili. Super easy.

Tell her to check out Crockpot365.blogspot.com

The crock is every busy mom's friend.