Your Favorite Family-Friendly (easy/quick) Meals

[Just Kate]

Basketball season is starting, which means that my days are becoming much busier, with less time at home. In the past, we ended up eating out a lot during this time period. But this year, I am focusing on paying off some debt and I’d like to keep the eating out at a minimum. 

Both kids are in activities, almost every evening of the day, so meal ideas that can sit and be available when the kid is ready to eat would be great. I prefer to eat low carb, but honestly, that hasn’t been happening lately. I think I need to focus on kinda-sorta-healthy and do my best this season. My kids are on the pickier side (the basketball playing teen boy is extremely picky) but I’m planning to just hope for the best. 

What are your family favorites? Any tips on making this season of life run smoothly? 

Just to add, dh works out of town most of the time and this is the first time that I’ve had both kids super-busy with activities. I also work part-time, so I’m trying to think of ways to keep my stress level down while enjoying watching my kids do what they love. 

ETA: I have a crockpot, an instapot, and a small air fryer available. Now what to put on them?

Edited November 3, 2018 by Just Kate

[HomeAgain]

Our past month has been spent using the crockpot for about half the meals.  With everyone on different shifts it was just easier.  On weekends, dh was making up about 3lbs of meatballs.  He'd cook them at night, then the next day I dumped them in the crockpot with a can of sauce.  The house could eat them on sub rolls or make up a bit of pasta, didn't matter.  They kept well.
When I cooked I preferred a different approach: either chili (we rotated through beef, chicken, and vegetarian), pulled roast/chicken/pork with sauce, soup (loaded potato is hearty and can sit in the crockpot or dutch oven), or something I could prep early and take care of in a few minutes at dinner time: tacos, lasagna, stir fry.  There were a lot of pre-packaged salads that made their way on to the table as an easy side.

[Carol in Cal.]

When I was growing up this would have meant a big casserole that you could prepare in advance and then pop in the oven when you got home--350 for half an hour would do it.

But most kids won't eat those combo meals anymore.  If yours will, though, I can give you a bunch of suggestions for make ahead meals that reheat well.  LMK.

Edited November 3, 2018 by Carol in Cal.

[AK_Mom4]

Burritos and wraps were our go-to during those years.  Package the fixings and let people build their own or prep them in advance for grab and go.  One of our favorites was sliced turkey (buy the breast and cook it yourself) with cheese. Also one that is good cold  is refried beans (instapot!) and veggie slices. 

[marbel]

I use the crockpot a lot for times like this.  Soups of all kinds. Chili. Beef stew or a chuck roast.  Pork shoulder. For something different than typical pulled pork, try Tony Luke's recipe. (Link is to Genius Kitchen.)  Focus on the easy pork part; don't worry about the broccoli rabe on crazy busy days.)  

Keep pasta sauce and pasta on hand.  

We always have refried beans, cheese, and tortillas around. If I have leftover steak or grilled chicken, that can go in quesadillas.

Oh! If the weather permits, grill a big pile of boneless chicken thighs, simply seasoned with salt and pepper. Use the leftovers in caesar salad, quesadillas, or just rewarming and eating with bbq sauce, buffalo wing sauce, or even plain.  Same with pork tenderloin, which can be sliced and eaten in quesadillas, in sandwiches.  Keep frozen vegetables around.

Another quick dinner here is chicken curry using a commercial simmer sauce, such as that from Aldi (my family's favorite), Trader Joe's, other. Boneless chicken, sauce, some cut-up vegetables. (I add green beans, cauliflower, spinach, either one or 2 or all 3, depending on what I have.  Cut up small and it disappears.) Takes 30 minutes to simmer but can be made ahead and reheated.  Rice in the instant pot takes 6 minutes cooking time plus of course the associated coming to pressure time. 

Instant pot zuppa toscana is good if you like Italian sausage.  google it; it's very popular.

ETA: my vegetarian daughter cooks some chickpeas in the curry simmer sauce.  Also, roasted chickpeas are delicious and easy: toss them in oil and seasonings and roast at 400 till they are crisp and cooked through, 15-20 minutes. 

ETA: I've been trying a lot of the recipe from Damn Delicious and they always work well. She has crockpot, instant pot, and meal planning ideas. 

Edited November 3, 2018 by marbel

[Moonhawk]

Crockpot:

Chicken Tortilla Soup, Pot Roast with veggies, whole roast chicken, chili

Generally fast, or can be prepped ahead of time then just pulled out:

Taco salad (regular salad with taco meat on top, with chips and cheese), pasta (we have freezer packs of sauce, or you can use cans), stirfry (pre-cut meat and precut up produce packs for even faster doneness)

[Clemsondana]

We have several different ground beef-and-tomato based dishes - taco meat, sloppy joes, taco chili, regular chili, meatballs, etc.  I also do several slider sandwiches - small burgers, breakfast sandwiches (I cook the meat ahead of time and then just have to fix eggs and toast the buns).  Sometimes I do breakfast meat ahead of time and start grits in the crock pot and just add fruit.  I freeze stuffed potatoes that the kids can reheat as a side or as a main meal part.  We slow-cook meat in the oven in a dutch oven, although you could play around with different crock pot recipes - seasoning mix, cooked with onions, etc.  It can be served on a plate with sides, on a bun with carrot sticks, fruit, chips, etc, or with a grain (mine like couscous and quinoa) and something like roasted broccoli or green beans to make a 'bowl' meal.  I sometimes cook extras of meals and pack into divided plates, which I heat before heading out the door and pack in an insulated bag so that the kids can eat their individual meals in the car between activities and I eat during their practice (I remember one brutal stretch where the kids routinely ate between one kid's karate and another's basketball practice).   I know that some kids love eating fast food, and mine love their chick-fil-a, but on a daily basis they prefer homemade. The were so excited to have their divided plates with BBQ chicken, baked potatoes, and green beans!  Also, take advantage of convenience thinks like frozen chopped peppers and onions.  Most of the time I chop my own, but when things get crazy, I pay the extra - it's still cheaper than eating out, especially now that my older has entered the 'bottomless pit' stage.  

[umsami]

Spaghetti is always a favorite.  The BHG One Pot spaghetti is well loved (if you like ground beef).  

We do a ground beef, leftover rice, peppers dish that comes together easy and that everybody loves.

Also, instant pot.... instant pot beef stew, instant pot spaghetti or mac-n-cheese, instant pot beef and broccoli.

Chicken cooked with cut up peppers, packaged yellow rice mix, and pimento stuffed olives.

Breakfast for dinner.  Giant omelette, scrambled eggs, pancakes or waffles.

Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.

[happypamama]

Chicken — throw it in the instant pot with a little water, cook on manual for around 20 minutes. 

 

Drain the water and add a simmer sauce. The Prego Marsala sauce is really good. Serve with a green veggie, maybe a salad, and pasta. 

 

Or, don’t drain the water. Add rice, cook for a few minutes, add frozen veggies, cook for like two minutes, and then simmer until the water is gone before adding one of the Aldi Indian style simmer sauces.  I could eat their chicken tikka masala with green beans every day.

 

I’ve been throwing a lot of beef roasts in the slow cooker lately, with carrots, onions, mushrooms, maybe potatoes, plus a little beef broth and some seasoning.  So easy, so good.

[MEmama]

Enchiladas. It's a staple for us, especially when things get busy.

Lasagna would be similar. Just throw it together, bake and eat on an as-needed basis. 

Soups. Easy to make extra, leftovers are easy with a quesadilla or grilled cheese.

Tacos, burritos, etc. Just have the ingredients in the fridge or freezer and everyone can throw together whatever they like. It's as instant as food gets. 

Fritattas. Cold leftovers are a fave around here.

[Junie]

Our quick, low-effort meals:

pasta

tacos (I make the meat ahead of time)

cold-cut subs

roast beef sandwiches

chef salad

 

[marbel]

1 hour ago, MEmama said:

Enchiladas. It's a staple for us, especially when things get busy.

<snip>

We love enchiladas, but what a pain, softening the tortillas, filling and rolling.  How do you do it that it is an easy thing for you?  Please don't tell me it's really enchilada casserole, which I have tried but which will not fly in this house.

[MEmama]

9 minutes ago, marbel said:

We love enchiladas, but what a pain, softening the tortillas, filling and rolling.  How do you do it that it is an easy thing for you?  Please don't tell me it's really enchilada casserole, which I have tried but which will not fly in this house.

What's softening tortillas? 

It takes me about 10 minutes to throw a pan of enchiladas together. When I'm in a hurry I use frozen veggies. Turn oven to 425. Sauté  peppers and onions, tomatillos (I have a freezer full), maybe kale or whatever else I have lying around. While the veggies are cooking, spoon refried beans and sometimes rice, pumpkin or roasted sweet potatoes if I have leftovers into tortillas. Fill with the now-cooked veggies, roll, cover in sauce and grate some cheese on top. Bake 30-45 minutes, turning oven off part way through if in a super hurry and need to leave the house.

Easy peasy. :)

[marbel]

5 minutes ago, MEmama said:

What's softening tortillas? 

<snip>

I have never seen a recipe for enchiladas that doesn't involve softening the tortillas, usually by either heating them in a dry pan or with a little oil, dipping into the enchilada sauce, and then filling.   For example, this recipe from Simply Recipes, which is delicious!

I've got no problem with making the filings.  It's the tortillas.  Corn tortillas are a little stiff and crack/rip when being rolled. At least, by me. 

ETA: from the link:  

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

• Always soften tortillas first before attempting to roll them into enchiladas. If you are avoiding fat, you can soften the tortillas in a microwave, but I recommend lightly frying the tortillas in a little oil because the flavor will be so much better. We give an approach below on how to stack the tortillas while frying them to help distribute the oil so only a small amount is needed for each tortilla.

Edited November 4, 2018 by marbel

[MEmama]

1 minute ago, marbel said:

I have never seen a recipe for enchiladas that doesn't involve softening the tortillas, usually by either heating them in a dry pan or with a little oil, dipping into the enchilada sauce, and then filling.   For example, this recipe from Simply Recipes, which is delicious!

I've got no problem with making the filings.  It's the tortillas.  Corn tortillas are a little stiff and crack/rip when being rolled. At least, by me. 

Huh. I've never heard of doing that. I agree--that would be a pain! 

I'm using full corn tortillas right now because I'm doing a gluten free experiment and they do crack a little, but since they get smothered in sauce no one else can tell (nor would they care). Usually I use "soft corn" tortillas which use some wheat flour to make them soft and those don't crack at all. Neither way slows down my assembly line method, and that's the important part. Lol

[J-rap]

This was a favorite during busy children days:

Place chicken breasts (or legs or thighs -- up to 3 pounds) in a slow cooker.  Mix into it one regular-size bottle barbecue sauce, one cup Coke, and one sliced lemon.  (Kind of pick out the seeds after you slice it.)  Sometimes I also added a sliced onion.  Cook all day.  After it's done, cut chicken into smaller pieces -- not bite size, but for example, cut a breast into four pieces.  Serve over rice.

 

Edited November 4, 2018 by J-rap

[Acadie]

I made Tiffany King's 15-Minute Creamy Chicken Florentine Quesadillas tonight and everyone LOVED them, though it did take a little longer than 15 min.

https://eatathomecooks.com/15-minute-creamy-chicken-florentine-quesadillas/

Also placed a library hold on her book, Eat at Home Tonight: 101 Simple Busy-Family Recipes for Your Slow Cooker, Sheet Pan, Instant Pot and More, which has the greatest chapter titles ever--I Only Have 15 Minutes Tonight, Everyone Is on a Different Schedule Tonight, and I'm Out of the House and Won't Have Time to Cook Tonight. 

Normally I enjoy cooking but with teens heading in different directions I need more simple, high volume, healthy recipes, and I'm sure we'll find some more family faves on her website and in her book. My plan is to make a list of hits to rotate on busy evenings.

Amy

[Farrar]

To me the easy meals are...

1 Pasta and sauce (and frozen meatballs or leftover bits of whatever) and salad

2. Stuff on a sheet pan (like potatoes, a veggie, and some meat... tonight we had sausage, peppers and onions, and potatoes... but the other day we had chicken breasts, asperagus, and sweet potatoes...)

3. Stuff in the slow cooker (generally chili or bbq or sometimes chicken legs)

4. Stuff with roast chicken from the store

[rjand6more]

I have been scheduling Sheet Pan Chicken night after co op. I use frozen chicken tenders.  I always roast potatoes, but vary the other veg(brussel sprouts, green beans)

Few dishes after is a HUGE plus.

This is a favorite:

Garlic butter Sheet Pan Chicken

 

[Selkie]

1 hour ago, marbel said:

I have never seen a recipe for enchiladas that doesn't involve softening the tortillas, usually by either heating them in a dry pan or with a little oil, dipping into the enchilada sauce, and then filling.   For example, this recipe from Simply Recipes, which is delicious!

I've got no problem with making the filings.  It's the tortillas.  Corn tortillas are a little stiff and crack/rip when being rolled. At least, by me. 

ETA: from the link:  

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

• Always soften tortillas first before attempting to roll them into enchiladas. If you are avoiding fat, you can soften the tortillas in a microwave, but I recommend lightly frying the tortillas in a little oil because the flavor will be so much better. We give an approach below on how to stack the tortillas while frying them to help distribute the oil so only a small amount is needed for each tortilla.

I microwave tortillas to soften them up and it works great - just throw a stack of them in the microwave for a minute or so. It's so much quicker and I like to avoid using oil.

[Tanaqui]

Simple, fast meals?

Baked potatoes with broccoli and bacon (and often another vegetable on the side, like frozen green beans)

Chili from the freezer

Pasta with vegetables instead of sauce - usually this means bell peppers, summer squash, basil, and spinach, all sauteed with some bacon, ham, or pancetta

Ravioli with sauce (actually it's tortellini, but whatever)

Ants climb a tree - this is easy and fast only because a supermarket near me sells the glass noodles and the bean paste, otherwise not so much. Surprisingly popular!

Fish tacos, fish is frozen

Leftover chicken quesadillas

Lentils and rice with roasted cauliflower and raita, and maybe some aloo saag. (If I want to make this very fast I pick up the rice from the local Chinese place, because we eat brown rice and it takes 40 minutes)

Spanish tortilla, which is really a potato and onion omelette.

Honey chicken using leftover chicken

Chicken paprikash using leftover chicken

Hamburgers made at home

Breakfast for dinner

"God, kids, we have tons of leftovers in the fridge PLUS soup in the pantry PLUS pasta and eggs and everything you need to feed yourselves, you're old enough to cook or starve. I'm going to bed. Don't bug me. Well, if you don't like those options there's always dog food...!" For some reason, this one only gets pulled out when I have a huge migraine or am otherwise under the weather. The kids don't seem to like it....

Edited November 4, 2018 by Tanaqui

[Just Kate]

OP here...what great suggestions!!! Thank you all so much. I am making a list and sorting them by method (crockpot, oven, etc). I’ve found a few new recipe websites. Yay!!!

[moonflower]

16 hours ago, Farrar said:

To me the easy meals are...

1 Pasta and sauce (and frozen meatballs or leftover bits of whatever) and salad

2. Stuff on a sheet pan (like potatoes, a veggie, and some meat... tonight we had sausage, peppers and onions, and potatoes... but the other day we had chicken breasts, asperagus, and sweet potatoes...)

3. Stuff in the slow cooker (generally chili or bbq or sometimes chicken legs)

4. Stuff with roast chicken from the store

 

Yup, I like "Stuff on a sheet pan."

This is probably 75% of our meals.  sometimes we use two sheet pans.  Because all I ever use to season anything is salt and maybe garlic, I just toss the whole lot in olive oil and salt, roast until it looks pretty done.  Sometimes I do fish and potatoes and veg.  Sometimes I do garlic bread on one pan and fish and veg on another pan.  

[alisoncooks]

If you google "sheet pan meals" you'll get tons of ideas. I just saved a dozen because I'm looking for ways to include more veggies and we like roasted veggies. (We eat too many carbs and I'm trying to cut down...)

For us, quick is usually something thrown in the crock pot. Meatballs + sauce, cooked on high for a couple of hours and served with Bob Evans mashed potatoes. Or my kids' favorite: noodles with Parmesan, served with a side of chickpeas (because I require a protein and they like most variety of canned bean, but garbanzo/chickpeas are their favorite).

How about pre-made salad bar stuff: hardboiled eggs, deli meat, cheese, etc, plus a bunch of precut veggies.