Last week my four year old wound up in the hospital. It was just complications from a stomach bug, and nothing more serious, but it threw my week for a loop. I’m still playing catch up even though she’s feeling better now.
Even when your family is in crisis mode, you still need to eat. Thankfully I had some quick meals to turn to.
We all have seasons, or even just certain days of the week that are busier than others. Freezer cooking can be helpful but there will be times when you need to whip something up and have it on the table in 15 minutes flat. Keeping a list of these meals handy, and ingredients can be a budget saver if it keeps your family away from the drive through.
And I’m serious. Make a list a tape it to the inside of a cupboard door, so when you’re in a rush you don’t have to think too hard and be tempted to call the pizza place down the street.
So here are 15 easy meals to get you started, Lord willing I’ll have 15 more to share with you next month.
Easy Meals
1) Grilled Cheese
You can cook grilled cheese in the oven, but the quickest way to do it is in a well greased pan on your stove top. †But before you start thinking grilled cheese needs to be boring, here are a few fabulous way to mix things up:
- Bacon Grilled Cheese: Simply add bacon, boom!
- Cream Cheese Grilled Cheese: If you’ve never made grilled cheese this way, you must try it. †It’s fabulous.
- Lasagna Grilled Cheese: Ricotta is the secret to this recipe from Eat Better Spend Less. It is on my *Must Try* list.
2) Loose Hamburgers
Now, here’s the thing, you could make “regular” hamburger patties and grill them up. †But when going for speed †just brown ground beef with normal hamburger type seasoning in a pan. †Serve it on hamburger or †hot dog buns with normal hamburger fixings.
3) Sloppy Nachos
Brown hamburger meat in a pan, add sloppy joe sauce. †Serve over tortilla chips, then melt your favorite cheese on top. †My husband likes his with mustard.
4) Spaghetti
Ideally you would †have some wonderful homemade meat sauce in your freezer, but the stuff from a jar works just fine too. †I prefer Prego’s Meat Flavored sauce, it’s dairy and soy free, making it one of the few ones everyone in my family can eat. †Or, you can whip up this quick Pasta Carbonara sauce.
5) Pasta Salad
When I make a pasta salad I just rinse the pasta after it’s cooked in very cold water, then add shredded or canned chicken, cooled, cooked corn (just run it under cold water if you need it to cool faster), some mayonnaise, and Italian dressing to taste. †You could also use pesto sauce or another favorite salad dressing. †Other great add ins are tomatoes, radishes, green peppers, onions, or really anything else that sounds good. †For some more inspiration check out this recipe for bow tie, tuna salad.
6) Club Sandwiches
Whether you decide to make it a triple decker, or not is up to you. †A club just needs turkey (or chicken), bacon, lettuce and tomato with some mayonnaise. †Toast the bread and you’re done. †Another option, if you have picky eaters is to simply put the sandwich fixings on the table and let your kids make their own sandwiches.
7) BLT Sandwiches
I think my husband could live on BLT’s. †Bacon, lettuce, and tomato, with some mayonnaise on bread. † It’s actually a great recipe if you’re running out of other ingredients in your fridge.
8) Chicken Fajitas
A quick way to make chicken fajitas is to simply heat up some shredded rotisserie chicken in salsa, then serve with sauteed peppers over tortillas. †If you don’t have precooked chicken though it’s possible to pull everything together in 15 minutes (really). †Just follow the steps in this recipe.
9) Chicken Wraps
I personally love wraps, and there are so many things you can throw in them to make them sensational. †Start with chicken and your favorite salad dressing. †Throw in some lettuce and maybe some other veggies for crunch. If you’re looking for an out of the box recipe check out this berrilicious wrap.
10) Greek Salad
Feta cheese, banana peppers, black olives, tomatoes, and of course some killer Greek dressing are what make a bed of lettuce a stellar Greek salad. †Surprisingly some of the best Greek dressing can be found at local food service restaurants, at very economical (albeit bulk) prices.
11) Eggs, Toast, and Fried Ham
Prepare eggs how your family likes them, and simply fry some ham lunch meat for a few seconds on each side. It’s a quick way to get breakfast on the table.
12) Refrigerator Fried Rice
If you have leftover veggies or meat try making a stir-fry. Cook some minute rice then stir-fry the rice veggies, and meat in a large skillet with Italian dressing or soy sauce.
13) Tacos
Brown ground beef with chili powder, salt, pepper, and garlic. †Serve in taco shells with cheese, salsa, and lettuce. †No fuss.
14) Caprese Salad
I LOVE caprese salad, and it’s so simple to make. †Slice some tomatoes, slice some cheese and combine it with fresh basil. Top it with olive oil and some red wine vinegar, or even just some Italian dressing. †It might not be a favorite for the kids, but it comes together so fast you could make them one of the other meals on the list.
15) Leftovers
Seriously, just leftovers. Try making new side dish to go with them, but don’t over think it.
Now it’s your turn. If you have any 15 minute meal ideas I’d love to hear them. Let me know in the comments.
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KMLogan
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