Best go-to easy dinner
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Rotisserie chicken and Caesar salad. Simple and easy. Or tacos!
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Chef here! Have found some fun ways to “fancify” the following while involving the kids in the kitchen. The more they make the more they want to try it. Key word “try” lol.
Tacos, taco bowls, lots of stir fries, sausage and peppers, smash burgers, burger bowls, salads w/ protein, grain bowls w/salmon or another protein and veg, pizza meatballs (ground chicken w/ parm, almond flour or panko, and Italian seasonings, covered in marinara and mozzarella), one pan dinners are a fave
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We do the taco skillet from Defined Dish cookbook often or for easy kids meal I’ll usually mix ground beef with a box of Goodles plant-based “Mac n cheese”. It’s become so challenging to feed my 3-year old these days since he’s so picky so this thread is giving me good ideas!
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Breakfast for dinner! Breakfast tacos, pancakes, bacon, chocolate milk for an “elevated” experience
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My easy peasy go-to meal is made in the crock pot. Place Chicken breasts with half a packet of taco seasoning and half a packet of ranch powder seasoning on top, with chicken broth around the base. Cook on low for 5-7 hours, shred and serve! My kids love eating just the chicken, and after a day or two, if there is still leftover chicken, put the meat inside tortillas and add sauce to make enchiladas! Easy 2-in-1 meal planning with very little effort.
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Turkey meatballs! I use 1 lb of ground turkey meat, a dash of salt and pepper, 1/2 C mozzarella cheese, 1 egg, and 1/4 C of Italian bread crumbs. Mix well and then brown all sides on a skillet (my personal rec!) or in a pan. Once brown, toss in the oven for 20 mins (I recommend flipping at the 10 min mark).
I usually serve over an easy orzo salad—orzo, lemon, salt + pepper (all to taste), one jar of sundried tomatoes with the oil, 1/4 chopped red onion (raw) and a handful of chopped artichokes. -
We love the defined dish but try to choose her recipes that don’t have 10,000 obscure ingredients.
This is a favorite-can control spice level for the various eaters in the house. Top with cheese, guacamole, sour cream, whatever! -
Breakfast for dinner— French toast, breakfast tacos, etc. Really in a pinch for time it’s quesadillas and a veggie!
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When I can I try to meal prep on Sunday and cook a lot of ground turkey or beef then throughout the week I’ll do different meals - quesadillas, spaghetti, brown rice/black bean/corn/meat bowls. Another favorite is turkey or chicken sausage on a sheet pan with the stir fry carrots/broccoli bag tossed in olive oil with Italian seasoning in the oven for 20 mins.
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Fajita Burritos!
Get some pre marinated fajita meat, cook it on the side, let it rest for 5 and cut against the grain. Roll it up in a tortilla with shredded cheese and fold the sides in halfway through, keep rolling. Put seam side down in a sauté pan with melted butter on medium and that will seal and crisp it. You can turn it over to crisp the other side or leave as is. Serve with lime rice and avo. Can slice up bell peppers and sauté them with evoo, salt , pepper and garlic powder until soft but still slightly crunchy. We do Mission GF tortillas -
We love the breakfast for dinner! I usually make a batch of shredded chicken in the instant pot and use that for quick quesadillas, tacos, fajita bowls, and enchiladas. Super quick and easy.
My kids also love ‘sparkle chicken’- I get plain chicken tenders, place them in Pyrex and add olive oil and just lightly sprinkle Italian bread crumbs and bake for 20-30 min. Add a side of veggies and some noodles and done! -
We made tacos tonight with ground beef. But chicken fried rice is my goto when I just cannot any longer. Trader Joe’s has a good one in the freezer section or can make from scratch
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Enchiladas are surprisingly easy, quick and can be healthy. Especially if you buy the enchilada sauce and use a rotisserie chicken. 20min tops and feels way more gourmet
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One pot chicken orzo from The Defined Dish. So easy and so good. Use boneless chicken thighs
https://thedefineddish.com/creamy-one-pot-lemon-feta-chicken-with-orzo/#wprm-recipe-container-22551 -
Bag salad from H-E-B, frozen breaded chicken breast from Costco heated in the air fryer. Multiple times per week.
Or salad and scrambled eggs with Parmesan if I don’t have the energy for the air fried.
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I make this all the time. You can use it for burrito bowls, tacos or quesadillas to get a few different meals out of it: https://www.skinnytaste.com/crock-pot-chicken-taco-chili-4-pts/
I also make this a lot. Make it easier by using a bag of carrots and dried herbs, basically shake and bake:
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/roast-chicken-and-carrots-with-mustard-and-thyme -
Healthy-ish chicken pot pie. So easy, my girlfriend who is a terrible cook gave the recipe to me. Everyone in my fam loves it which rarely happens
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Anything from this 10 minute recipe list!
https://keetowellness.com/2024/07/15/10-minute-high-protein-meals/
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It helps me to have a couple days with a set theme. We always do tacos on Tuesday, pizza on Fridays and my husband grills/smokes something on Sundays. So really I’m just planning Monday, Wednesday, Thursday.
A favorite easy recipe that the entire family enjoys below! Honey mustard chicken
https://www.budgetbytes.com/20-minute-honey-mustard-chicken/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR18hYdWbNqsCC3hzwDRhXLu6VYZSiw93hZ2WbxRuXIGYWeCQHRyYWezAYk_aem_SD6ApH0UyLd3QYAxmOYD5Q -
We do a ground beef hash a lot and my kids love it and it's almost all protein.
Ground Beef
Scrambled Eggs
Any type of veggie you have
Cheese
My husband and I ate salsa on oursOne pan, prob 10min max. Not gourmet but easy and healthy. Check Check!
