Best go-to easy dinner
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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!
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3 ingredient marinara by Marcella hazen with pasta and premade meatballs
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Buy Caroline chambers “what to cook when you don’t feel like cooking”
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I love theme nights! Keeps my thoughts organized around planning and then we just swap out the protein, carb, veg, switch in new sauces, dips and seasonings to keep things not boring. Ie. Sunday: Italian (Chicken Alfredo - use rotisserie chicken, frozen broccoli, jarred sauce) Monday: Sheet pan - chicken sausage, variety of veggies and potatoes, toss in oo and pesto or a fun seasoning mix, switch it up and make it Mediterranean style with hummus and tzatziki for dipping, Tuesday: Tacos or quesadillas (use rest of rotessrie chicken) lots of toppings to mix and match, Wednesday: Asian stir fry with chicken or shrimp, mixed veg put over microwave jasmine rice jarred sauces, Thursday make your own pizza night or breakfast for dinner!
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Tortellini+pesto sauce. I add shredded chicken from the grocery store, mozzarella balls and tomatoes for the adults
