As promised, here’s a long list of our most used, easy dinner recipes! Some of them cost less to throw together, half of them involve rotisserie chicken (kidding, kinda) but all of them are simple. Keep ingredients on hand for a quick side salad, veggies + dip, apple sauce or sliced fruit (whatever your family prefers) or skip it all together. Either way I hope this frees you up for more Christmas and Holiday cheer and less stress this month!
FROM THE OVEN
- baked potatoes
- nachos
- loaded mediterranean street fries (to save time buy the tzatziki dip!)
- “pizza” frittata
- tuna melts (my kids prefer canned chicken over tuna usually)
- baked spaghetti (or here’s one from the archive!)
- turkey tetrazzini (sub turkey for rotisserie chicken?)
- costco mac and cheese, beechers frozen (also from costco), boxed or this homemade mac and cheese with a side salad
- roasted broccoli (+ other veggies), rice + rotisserie chicken
- cheesy baked gnocchi
- slow cooker apricot chicken (a crockpot option that’s really quick to throw together in the morning :)
FROM THE STOVETOP
- quesadillas (add refried black beans and avocado for more substance — or try this recipe!)
- ground beef tacos (with simple toppings) or taco bowls
- beef, bean and cheese burritos
- sloppy joes (here’s a good recipe…. haven’t had these in forever!)
- huevos rancheros
- frozen fried rice (add eggs!)
- thai peanut chicken noodles (making tonight!)
- chicken fajitas (use pre-prepped or frozen veggies to save time)
- pioneer woman’s beef + snow peas
- rigatoni with sausage, kale and beans
- any pasta :)
CHANGE OF PACE
- shared snack plate (charcuterie platter!)
- peanut butter + jelly
- cheerios
- smoothies, eggs + toast
- pancakes + sausage
- omelets
- sausage, cheddar, egg breakfast sandwich
- peanut butter, banana, chocolate protein shake + toast or waffles
SOUP + SANDWICHES
- easy ramen bowls (here’s a good recipe — adjust to taste/preferences)
- creamy tom yum ramen for my shrimp loving people but similar to ramen bowls
- french dip sandwiches (store-bought ingredients)
- chicken sandwiches with peppers (sub rotisserie chicken)
- mexican pork pie
- hungarian beef stew
- grilled cheese (try different combos like turkey-mozzarella-marinara or apple-ham-cheddar)
- tortellini + veggie soup (ozzie’s fave… i usually skip the parsley on this one)
- Toasted Ciabatta with Shrimp, Tarragon and Arugula
- mini meatball subs (or buy frozen meatballs)
- 5 minute buffalo chicken wraps (easy to adjust to any type of chicken wrap — caesar salad, avocado + ranch, etc.)
- my favorite salad
STORE-BOUGHT HEROS
- costco, beechers frozen (also from costco), boxed or this homemade mac and cheese with a side salad
- costco stuffed peppers
- costco flautas (with sour cream, avocados, salsa, etc.)
- frozen fried rice (we like the bags from trader joe’s)
- teriyaki chicken meatballs from costco (add rice and broccoli!)
- packaged mashed potatoes (we like the creamy mash, honest earth brand!) with rotisserie chicken + sliced fruit or a salad
- frozen stir-fry veggies
- chicken nuggets!
- raviolis or tortellinis + a jar of red sauce, white sauce or pesto
- french dip sandwiches (deli roast beef, cheese, ah jus packet, hoagie rolls or small rolls for sliders store-bought ingredients)
- meatball subs or sliders (frozen meatballs, jar of red sauce, cheese and rolls or hoagies) and a side salad
- frozen pot stickers with a side of rice and edamame
- costco kosher hot dogs!
Indoor dinner picnics? Yes please!
Oh and before I go, mostly as a reminder to myself because you guys are prob way better at multitasking, here’s a few things that make dinner prep go more smoothly:
- Start with a tidy kitchen and empty the dishwasher if clean
- Pretend I’m french and practice “mise en place” (MEEZ ahn plahs) — a french term for getting all of your ingredients out and prepped before you start cooking. Meals come together quickly and leaves time to tidy up as you go too!
- Set the kids up with an activity like making paper airplanes or snowflakes, playing flashlight tag (upstairs), stacking silo cups or watching one of the new fuller house episodes!
- Skip a step and purchase items that are already chopped, sliced or diced.
- OK, so I haven’t actually done this but it seems like a good idea — Set a timer and try to beat the clock… it works on kids and cooking shows (ha!) and might be a fun challenge. Does anyone actually successfully make recipes in the time that they say? Asking for…. me.
Now please dish on your go-to easy dinner recipes + tips!
xo, Rae
The pic of Poppy leaning on her brother’s shoulder…. Great ideas, going to try a couple!