Busy Weeks Ahead Call for Easy-To-Make Dinners!
Life is busy right now and it'll only get busier with the upcoming holiday season🤪 Here are simple recipes to ease the mental load of figuring out what to make for dinner during this hectic time!
Well, I’m sick. Last weekend I had food poisoning and that must have weakened my immune defenses because now I have a head cold. It’s not a major illness but it’s still a hassle because I need full energy for all I need to do right now and since sick days don’t exist in parenting, it’s going to take a while to get over this – I’m sure you’ve all been there and can relate!
The reason I feel pressure to be at full energy these days is because our calendar is getting so jammed as we start the mad dash to the end of the year… Halloween is less than 2 weeks away and then Thanksgiving comes quickly after, and it feels like people want to have their fall events and gatherings before Thanksgiving so that it’s not caught in the last couple of weeks in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. There are so many upcoming events for the kids’ schools (I have 3 kids at 2 different schools and there are class gatherings, presentations about upcoming programs, fundraising events, etc. for both schools). Plus there are kids’ sports practices, evening games, other after school activities, and of course there are holiday events. These are all fun things to be included in but the logistics are a lot! On top of that, I’m already having to think about winter break logistics – sign-ups for Winter Break Camp for my 5-year-old were this past Tuesday at 7am (he got a spot – yay!)!
One thing is clear – life is only going to get busier from now to the end of the year. So, let’s find ways to ease some of the everyday duties of parenting so we can focus on and be present for all those activities and events.
A major part of parenting work is figuring out what’s for dinner every night. Earlier this week on Instagram I shared 2 dinner recipes that go straight from the freezer to the slow cooker and many people thanked me for those easy ideas. The success of that post, plus knowing we’re all heading into the busiest season of the year (the end of the school year “Maycember” busyness is a close second to Fall chaos, but more on that when we get there…), gave me the idea to share family favorite recipes that are quick and easy to make to help get a homemade dinner on the table during these busy busy days and nights.
I add these recipes to our weekly dinner meal plan when I know I have limited time to make dinner that night and I don’t want to do an “I can’t even dinner” (chicken nuggets, mac n cheese, frozen dumplings, etc.). On busy weeks I try to mix in a couple homemade dinners with the “I can’t even dinners” and take out. The recipes I’m sharing are ones I often turn to when filling out the dinner meal plan for a busy week!
I hope these dinner ideas help you when you plan your dinners during this busy season, and I hope that you and your family enjoy them!
**SLOW COOKER HONEY SESAME CHICKEN**
You can quickly prepare this ahead of time and store in the freezer for up to 9 months - then you simply take the frozen marinated chicken straight from the freezer and put it right into a slow cooker when you’re ready to cook it
Type A Mom Tip: make sure to write the name of the recipe, the date you froze it, and the directions for when you take it out of the freezer on the bag so you know what to do! Serve on top of steamed rice in a bowl with steamed broccoli or in lettuce wraps
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken tenders (boneless, skinless)
1 cup honey
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds (optional – my kids don’t love so I omit)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon salt & 1 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
Place everything into a freezer Ziploc bag and mix around so that the chicken is completely covered in the marinade
Freeze for up to 9 months (or skip to putting it directly into slow cooker)
Take out of freezer and place all items into a slow cooker (no need to thaw first)
Cook on low for 8 hours
Take the chicken pieces out of the slow cooker and shred
Add chicken back to slow cooker to coat in the warm marinade and use a spoon to serve with sauce
**CORNFLAKE CHICKEN**
Easy to make chicken that is a bit different from plain roasted/baked chicken
Type A Mom Tip: kids love to help with rolling/pounding the cornflake bag!
Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 6 strips or 1 package chicken breast tenders (chicken tenders are much easier!)
1 Large Egg
1/4 cup Milk
3 Cups Cornflake Cereal (any brand - my kids like the honey corn flakes by Nature’s Path)
1 teaspoon salt & 1 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
Heat your oven to 400 degrees
Cover a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, then place a cooking rack on top of it
Whisk the egg and milk together in a large bowl
Put the Cornflakes into a large Ziploc bag, add in the salt and pepper, and seal the bag
Use a rolling pin to roll/pound the Cornflake bag until the flakes are almost a fine powder (this mixture coats the chicken so make it as smooth or crunchy as your family would like)
Pour that Cornflake mixture into a large bowl
Place your chicken tenders or sliced chicken one by one into the egg/milk mix, then into the corn flake mix making sure to coat all sides
Place each coated tender onto the prepared cooking rack/baking sheet
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, flipping over halfway (until the chicken is cooked through)
Wait for it to cool for a few minutes then serve! I usually serve with steamed veggies or peas (I always have frozen cut veggies and peas in the freezer to quickly steam – so easy!)
**TURKEY PASTA BAKE**
Delicious ground turkey, pasta, cheese and marinara dish with shredded zucchini is a family hit
Type A Mom Tip: prep two baking pans - one to eat that night and one to cool and then freeze for up to three months. Move from freezer to fridge the night before you’d like to eat to defrost then bring to room temperature and bake in the oven (make sure it’s frozen in aluminum or pottery because if it’s in glass it can’t go from freezer to oven because it could shatter) for 40 minutes at 375 until warmed through – you may want to cover loosely with foil so it doesn’t burn the top when warming through, and consider sprinkling with more cheese too!
Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey
1 box dried penne or elbow pasta
1 jar of marinara sauce (we like Rao’s because it has no added sugar)
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 zucchinis grated
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees
Prepare the pasta as directed (boil)
Cook the ground turkey in a pan using a wooden spoon to make sure it is in small pieces and is cooked through (no pink)
Add the jar of pasta sauce into the pan
Grate the zucchini and add to the pan
Mix the turkey, zucchini and sauce together on a low simmer
Pour the plain cooked pasta into a Pyrex/baking dish (or split between two dishes if freezing half)
Pour the turkey sauce mix on top of the pasta and combine/stir together
Add the mozzarella to the dish and combine/stir together
Sprinkle the parmesan across the top
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes OR store in the fridge until later that day and then bake for 40 minutes until warmed through OR freeze for up to 3 months (see above Type A Mom Tip)
**SIMPLE BEEF DINNER**
This is a super simple recipe that my kids love to eat, and that I love to make on a rushed night because it’s easy to make and doesn’t make a big mess!
Type A Mom Tip: serve with roasted veggies (buy precut broccoli and cauliflower, put onto baking sheet and mix with olive oil, salt, rosemary - I use rosemary from the spice jar and it works just as great as fresh - and roast in 400 degree oven for 30 min) and rice or pasta
Ingredients:
1 package beef stew pieces (get the size of package for the number of people you’re feeding)
Steak seasoning/rub or just salt & pepper
Directions:
Butter a frying pan on medium high
Put the beef pieces into a bowl and add the seasonings, mix to coat the beef
Place all the pieces into the frying pan and cook on medium, stirring with a wooden spoon
Keep watch for how pink they get and take out of the pan once they’re cooked to your liking - cut through to test them - they cook quickly and you don’t want to cook them too much or they can get chewy
Cut into bite size pieces before serving to kids so it’s easier for them to eat
**SLOW COOKER BEEF STEW**
Easy hands-off way to make beef stew when you need a hearty cozy meal - unlike many other meat slow cooker recipes this recipe doesn’t require you to sear meat ahead of putting it in the slow cooker!
Type A Mom Tip: serve on top of steamed rice in a bowl
Ingredients:
1 lb cut beef stew meat
1 cup diced tomatoes (from a can/box, not drained)
3 cups chicken broth (premade in can/box or make your own)
1 bay leaf
1 cup carrots cut bite size
1 cup sweet potatoes cut bite size (don’t need to peel)
1 cup frozen peas
salt & pepper as needed
Directions:
Place the beef stew meat, the diced tomatoes, the chicken broth, the carrots, the sweet potatoes and the bay leaf into the slow cooker
Stir everything together
Cook on low for 7-8 hours
Add frozen peas and stir
Cook another 30 minutes
Remove bay leaf before eating
I hope you have fun times ahead and that these recipes can be helpful when looking for ways to ease the work of making a homemade dinner!