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Sound familiar? Simple, easy and new dinner ideas during the busy school year are always a struggle for me, especially when it comes to making nutritious meals that everyone will enjoy. With that being said, check out this email from reader Breanna AND please share your ideas in the comments below…
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We make English muffin pizzas…kids love to top theirs. Top with your fav toppings. Bake in the oven 10-15 at 350.
Tuna noodle casserole…cook up elbow macaroni, drain, add can of cream of mushroom soup and can of tuna drained. Add a tbsp of butter and about 1/4 cup milk. Heat til warm. Top with plain potato chips.
Not exactly healthy meals but super easy!
Simple rush dinners 1. Chicken Alfredo w/ broccoli – even those nights I forget to defrost the chicken I just boil it up in some Italian seasoning, cook pasta any kind the kids pick, in defrost a bag of broccoli florets once everything’s cooked I shred chicken mix in a pot pasta chicken 2 jars Alfredo sauce and broccoli … Get everything in one bowl in bout 25min … 2. Tuna Noodles cream mushroom soup tuna cooked noodles 1can peas and cheddar cheese cubed, mix together with a season salt to taste bake 20 min @ 425 put croutons/ buttered bread/ or French onions on top 10 min and good to go … Kielbasa onions and peppers over white rice (can’t be made in 10 min!!!)
We make pizza burgers minus the meat. One package hamburger buns open face as the crust. Put a layer of pasta or pizza sauce. Add toppings. We use jarred chopped garlic mushroom and onion. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bottoms are crispy.
We also like easy tuna casserole. Cook one box of elbow noodles I one pot. In another one large can of cream of mushroom soup with 3/4 of a can of milk. When hot add a bag of shredded cheddar cheese. After the noodles are cooked drain and add one large can of tuna to the noodles. Then pour the soup mixture on top. That’s it dinner in 20 minutes.
Chicken tights cut about dime size. In a pan put some oil put chicken in it, season it, and stir for few minutes till done, add to it one chopped onion and two hot dogs cut also in small pieces. Then I add one cup water mixed with some gravy mix or spoon of pizza sauce. It will thicken in a few minutes.
In another baking pan layer bread slices, I use Italian or french bread and pure chicken over it and bake it for few minutes on bottom and few minutes under the broiler, if you like cheese you can shred some last couple of minutes.
We love this meal all together takes 20 minutes and requires no work or cooking skills , I also make it sometime with grind beef instead of chicken.
Chicken and broccoli braid. Pampered chef classic but still our go to!! 🙂 https://www.pamperedchef.com/recipe/Main+Dishes/Chicken+%26+Broccoli+Braid/10047
When I’m tired from work I take a few Panko breaded chicken breasts from Costco and put them on a foil layered sheet for 15. I turn them over and pour some Aldis jar pasta sauce over them and some of their Italian cheese and cook for the last 5 minutes or so.
I either serve them over pasta with the rest of the jar or even easier and less dishes I put them on French rolls for Parmesan chicken sandwiches. Toss the foil wash the sheet off and done.
Eggs Delmonico:
1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
4 English muffins, split and toasted
Paprika
In a 1 quart saucepan, heat soup over medium heat until hot and bubbly, approximately 3 minutes. Reduce heat and stir in cheese. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. Fold in chopped hard-boiled eggs and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Serve over toasted English muffins. Garnish with paprika.
For a quick chicken pot pie casserole, mix some prepared country or chicken gravy (I use gravy packets to make the gravy) with cooked & shredded pieces of chicken in a casserole dish. Dump in a can of drained mixed veggies and season to taste. Then top with a can of refrigerator biscuits and bake until the biscuits are browned.
pasta- any shape- cooked and mixed with defrosted frozen broccoli, sundried tomtoes, cooked mushrooms, any sausage you like, and jarred alfredo sauce, place in baking dish, top with mozzarella or provolone, and bake until hot.
a go-to that’s fast and EVERYONE loves in my house — brinner. just choose a few items from the following, whichever ones you have on hand:
Krusteaz pancakes, boxed or frozen hashbrowns, scrambled eggs, some cut-up fruit, or bacon, or fry up some sliced ham.
We eat a clean non processed lifestyle.
Here is a list of our normal meals.
Every week we try to add a new recipe.
Weekly meal ideas
Chili
Pulled bbq pork crockpot
Baked chicken fingers
Chicken enchiladas
Chicken and broccoli casserole
Stew
Pork roast
Pot roast
Pork chops
Chicken stir fry with fried rice
Tacos
Fajitas -chicken , beef , or shrimp
Burgers (several different ways to mix it up)
Greek chicken pitas
Spaghetti
Meatloaf
Unprocessed hamburger helper
Skillet lasagna
Phillies
Mexican lasagna
Stuffed peppers
Sloppy joes
Stroganoff
Shepherd’s pie
Chicken and rice soup
Chicken noodle soup
Unstuffed egg roll
Gen tsao’s chicken
Orange chicken
Pizza
Oven fried almond chicken
Breakfast
Mac and cheese
Stuffed chicken (several mix and match)
Crock pot pork chops
Quesadillas
Pork tenderloin
Turkey sausage and biscuits
Honey mustard marinated chicken
Meatball subs
One pot chicken curry even my kids eat. Brown chicken and onion in little butter add diced potatoes, carrot, zucchini. 1 can of chicken broth, 2 tbsp curry powder, Salt and pepper, 4 tbsp ketchup. Put a lid on and simmer half hour or until potato cooked.
EASY Crockpot Sweet & Sour chicken
1pkg boneless skinless thighs
Carrots cut up
Onion cut up
(Salt pepper garlic to your liking)
1/2 can frozen lemonade
1/4 cup ketchup
3 tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup water or Apple cider vinegar
Place chicken, carrots, onions in slow cooker. Pour other ingredients on top. Cook low 6-8 or high 4-6 hrs. When finished, shred chicken in slow cooker. Make a cornstarch slurry with 2 tbsp cornstarch and 3 tbsp cold water. Stir into the crockpot.
Serve over rice. (My favorite is jasmine). Heat up some egg rolls and BOOM!
Creamed chicken and biscuits
1can cream of chicken soup
1/2 of rotisserie chicken shredded
1 cup milk
Any bag frozen veg ( I do peas or mix veg)
Biscuits
Mix soup and milk in pan on stove to warm. Add chicken and frozen veg and heat.
Serve over biscuits.
My mom used to make something called pizza casserole. It was simply a box of shells and cheese, prepared like the box directions. Then brown some ground beef, drain, and add pizza sauce. Put shells and cheese on the bottom of a casserole dish then layer the ground beef mixture on top. You can add cheese on top if you want but we often did not. Microwave or bake for a bit to blend flavors then eat. We loved this stuff!
Homemade Hamburger Helper. Hamburger (even if you forget to defrost) and ricearoni or pastaroni or Knorr sides. I have used leftover chicken too.
Seasoned baked chicken with salt, pepper, garlic and onion Seasoning, mixed vegetables, and a starch, i.e. mashed or roasted potatoes, macaroni, sweet potatoes, or whatevers on hand.
I always make extra when I am cooking and freeze some for later when I might not have the time for prep work before a meal. While this works great for stuff like lasagna, it can also be done with rice, quinoa, and beans…
When I need a quick meal for the family, I fire up the wok, toss in some frozen pre-cooked rice, frozen mixed vegetables, and cubed extra-firm tofu… in about five minutes, I have a hot meal ready that everyone (even the kids) loves. Season it with a little soy sauce, chopped garlic, and pepper.
Another quick family favorite are taco salads with seasoned beans and rice (or quinoa). Again, I have most of it already frozen (precooked dry beans in the crock pot, rice, and even the homemade guacamole).
Not only are these quick meals that everyone in our family enjoys, but they are inexpensive, healthy, and provide complete proteins without the use of animal products!
Veg Empanadas- https://myinsideworldout.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/veg-empanadas-recipe/
Veg Lettuce wrap- https://myinsideworldout.wordpress.com/2016/06/13/vegetarian-lettuce-wrap-recipe/
Diff Stuffed Tortillas from Leftovers- https://myinsideworldout.wordpress.com/2016/03/17/variety-stuff-tortillas-stuff-paratha-leftovers-recipe/
Enchiladas with cilantro avocado dressing – https://myinsideworldout.wordpress.com/2016/03/04/indomexican-recipe-homemade-chapati-enchiladas-with-avocado-cilantro-dressing/
Veg Spartichocke puff- https://myinsideworldout.wordpress.com/2016/02/11/indo-italian-veg-spartichoke-puff/
Eggplant permasen- https://myinsideworldout.wordpress.com/2015/12/16/eggplant-parmesan-no-egg/
Um…taco bell…
Spinach peas ( peasto) pasta – quick and healthy
Spinach-Peas pasta recipe / peasto pasta | Myinsideworldout
https://myinsideworldout.wordpress.com/2016/08/15/spinach-peas-pasta-recipe-peasto-pasta/