9 Quick & Easy Dinners + Tips!
Quick & Easy Dinners + Tips!
Are you looking for quick & easy dinners that the whole family will enjoy? Then look no further!
Here we share 9 quick & easy dinners + 6 tips to help you save extra time (and money) so you can spend more time at the table with your family.
Read on to learn how a little bit of planning and preparing can help save you time in the kitchen, as well as our favorite styles of preparing quick and easy dinners throughout the week!
Tips for quick and easy weeknight dinners:
1. Plan Ahead
Take 10 minutes out of your weekend to plan out your weeknight meals. While this sounds counterintuitive to spend time on your weekend, you’ll thank us later during the work week!
Planning takes the guesswork out of what you will be having each night and minimizes last-minute meal prep. Use a weekly calendar to write out your meals, and better yet, get your kids involved to help pick a meal for the week. This will also help build your grocery list - not only leading to money savings and decreased food waste, but also, no wandering around the house looking for that missing ingredient!
Looking to save even more time? Check out our done-for-you weekly Meal Plans complete with grocery lists and all!Â
2. Prep Ahead
After you grocery shop, rather than putting all of your produce away, take 30 minutes to wash, peel & chop your veggies; mince and chop garlic & herbs; zest & juice your lemons; and freeze (if using later in the week), or marinate your meats.
Prepping ahead leads to big-time savings on the "little things" when you dinner prep comes around during the work and school week.
3. Batch Cook
While putting together your Sunday night dinner, take the time to let chili, soup, or sauce simmer in the background. Having soup and chili on hand to quickly reheat during the week takes some time on the front end, but leads to saved time during the busy work or school week.Â
Looking to save even more time? Double the recipe and freeze half for use at a later time when you are not able to invest as much time in weekend-prep.
Our go-to quick & easy dinners that you can batch cook ahead of time:
Veggie soup is a little bit like magic. It takes just a few minutes to make a huge vat. Then you can eat it all week long!Â
This turkey chili in the crock pot is a perfect example of an easy, healthy, delicious meal. But, you can make this chili on the stove too!
A big bowl of creamy, dreamy Pumpkin soup is perfect next to a green salad as a main course.
4. Take out the Crockpot
While the "cook" time is not considered "quick" as most crockpot meals take 6-8 hours to roast & simmer, the prep time can be done in no time (it just takes a little planning and prep ahead of time)! Simmer your roast in a pan, throw in your (already chopped) veggies, herbs, and spices into the crockpot the morning before you head off to work or take the kids to school. Not only will you come home to a yummy smell, but a delicious dinner will also be awaiting you and your family when you get home.
Our go-to quick & easy dinners made in a crockpot:
Best Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup Recipe
Easy, healthy, and full of great Tex-Mex flavor, this slow cooker tortilla soup recipe is perfect for busy weeknights.
Crockpot Taco Tuesday Chicken with Zing
This crockpot chicken is perfect for tacos, wraps, salads, or on top of your Mexican Pizza!Â
5. Sheet Pan DinnersÂ
With your veggies already chopped and prepped from the weekend, and your meat pre-marinated waiting in the fridge to be cooked, all you need to do is preheat the oven. While your oven is preheating, throw your protein, veggie, and starch on a sheet pan and dinner will be ready in no time.
Better yet, by using only one sheet pan, that means less clean up and more time saved on your weeknight!
Our go-to quick & easy sheet pan dinners:
Lemon Dill Salmon & AsparagusÂ
A quick & easy dinner loaded with flavor, this one-pan Lemon Dill Salmon & Asparagus is a weekly go-to in our household! With only 5 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes of cook time your family will enjoy a Mediterranean Meal in no time.Â
6. Pantry staplesÂ
Keeping your pantry stocked with shelf-stable beans, legumes, brown rice, & whole grain pasta, and your freezer filled with frozen veggies can lead to a variety of last-minute dinner ideas.
At the end of the day, enjoying your meals with your family around the table is key.Â
Check out our collection of delicious meals from pantry staples including a family favorite: Mediterranean Pasta with Tuna and Peas.
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Recap on these quick and easy weeknight dinners and tips
While the above changes may seem unrealistic to make all at once, start with one or two changes to your weeknight meal prep routine to help save you time, and money! These small settle changes will become habit over time, leading to more time spent at the table over a healthy Mediterranean Diet style meal!