Have you ever had such a busy week that you didn’t even have time to fix dinner? Of course, we all have. Having dinner for your family is one of those essential things you have to do, but it can be a really stressful evening if you have to fix an elaborate dinner before tons of evening activities. Sometimes, you just need some quick dinners to get you through the week. Most of us just cave in and hit the fast food drive-thru. I know. I do that too. It feels like such a waste of money and really, how fast is that fast food? Sometimes I sit in the line and think I could have made dinner in the same amount of time.
Today, I want to give you some easy, 30 minute meal ideas. Also, most of these meals take very few ingredients, so it’s a good way to save money. A lot of them can easily be used as leftovers the next day, especially chicken and hamburger. You might even want to have an occasional meatless night by fixing some type of pasta. You could even save more time by fixing part of the meal the evening before, especially if the following evening is full of activities away from home and you just barely have time to get everyone fed and out the door. For the super-organized, try fixing two similar meals at once and then you’ve got dinner ready for the next two nights. If your family really likes some of these, add them to your regular month of menus, especially on weeknights. So, here are some ideas to get you started:
1) Tacos
2) Nachos (you can use ingredients from taco night, but make nachos for a change)
3) Homemade pizza
4) Spaghetti, side salad
5) Chicken alfredo, side salad
6) Hamburgers with lettuce, tomato, onion, and one side item
7) Large salad with grilled chicken or steak, and rolls
8) Chicken tenders, baked sweet potato fries, and a vegetable
9) Bbq sandwiches (pork cooked in slow-cooker), instant mac and cheese, and a veggie
10) Baked tilapia fish, rice, and a vegetable
11) Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup
12) Chef salad (made with deli lunchmeat, boiled eggs, shredded cheese), and breadsticks
13) Breakfast dinner: Omelets and toast or scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, and toast
14) Bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches with cottage cheese on the side
15) Fried pork tenderloin sandwiches with a side item
16) Grilled shrimp, grilled pineapple, grilled zucchini, rice
17) Greek salad with romaine, tomato, cucumber, olives, red onion, feta cheese
18) Deli roasted chicken, microwave baked potatoes, vegetable, rolls
19) Chicken thighs (boneless), cooked in slow cooker, noodles, and a vegetable
20) Stir-fry chicken or beef, rice, stir-fry vegetable
That’s 20 easy meal ideas that take about 30 minutes to prepare. That’s enough quick dinners for a month of weeknights. You might want to mix it up so that you only have red meat no more than twice a week and seafood a couple times a week. Maybe have a meatless meal once a week. Just have variety and keep it balanced. Easy, economical, healthy meals is what we all want. Now enjoy your meals and enjoy your evenings!
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