When life is busy, and dinner is that extra task that sends you over the edge.
You don’t need us to tell you that life can be busy, chaotic, and stressful. It is a beautiful mess that we have been gifted with, and sometimes our day-to-day feels like we are balancing on our toes and juggling too much at once. You can be working, organizing kids sporting and school events, keeping your house organized, walking the dog, then suddenly it’s dinner time and you have one more insurmountable task for the day.
We see you, we understand you, because we ARE you. I asked members of our team, busy with families of their own, what their favorite dinner go to recipes are that are quick, cheap, and easy when they are feeling tired & don’t want to cook a big meal. Don’t worry, I am not one for gatekeeping, I shared them below!
Dinner ideas from our team!
Breakfast Casserole from Brittany Baily at B100
Brittany was incredible and gave me a ton of great ideas. Believe me, if you are still in a dinner rut after this, she’s your go-to gal. Out of the ones she sent, though, this was my favorite. Something about having breakfast for dinner makes me feel like I am breaking the rules that don’t actually exist.
Brittany uses 1 bag of frozen hashbrowns, 1 can of cream of chicken, milk (or cream), 6 eggs, 1 French onion soup packet (or ranch dressing season packet), salt and pepper, and any kinds of veggies or proteins you have on hand! Putting it together is quick and easy, after you beat your eggs, stir in the rest of your ingredients and bake until the eggs are cooked, normally around 45 minutes to an hour (we do recommend to cook any proteins first before you add them to the mixture).
Lazy Enchiladas (Frozen Taquito Casserole) From Zach Miller at Froggy 102.7
This one sounds super yummy, and I love how it takes a frozen snack and translates it into a delicious meal everyone will love!
There are only 5 simple ingredients! 1 (20 pack) frozen taquitos, 1 (16oz) can refried beans, 1 (19oz) can enchilada sauce, 2 cups shredded cheese, and sour cream (for serving).
The instructions are even easier. Preheat your oven to 400° F and grease a 9×13 baking dish, scoop the refried beans into the bottom of your dish and spread them out evenly with the back of a large spoon. Place the frozen taquitos in a single layer over the refried beans, (Zach recommends placing four of them in the opposite direction in order to cover as much surface as possible), pour the enchilada sauce over top and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the dish, sprinkle with shredded cheese, and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Enjoy with sour cream and anything else you’d like such as shredded lettuce, fresh tomato, guacamole, jalapeños, etc.
BBQ chicken Flatbreads from Melissa Verhoeve at B100 & Froggy
The ingredients list is short and simple, most of it are normal household ingredients or quick cheap grabs from the grocery store. All you need is flatbread (pre-cooked), block of colby or mild cheddar cheese (pre-shredded works fine too!), Chicken (raw or frozen, you preference of breaded or not), BBQ sauce, chives, and ranch dressing.
To make you preheat your oven to 375*, cook your chicken thoroughly & chop up into smaller pieces (cook according to instructions if frozen), shred your cheese (if blocked), spread your BBQ sauce on your flatbread, spread your cooked chicken, & top with cheese. To finish you put your flatbread back in the oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted, add some chives & desired ranch to the top & enjoy!
One-Pan Chicken & Veggie Rice Bowls from Amber Smith at B100
You can throw this one together in 30 minutes and it serves a family of 4!
Ingredients: 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into small bite size pieces), 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste, 1 cup uncooked instant rice, 2 cups low sodium chicken broth, 2 cups frozen mixed veggies (Amber recommends the Normandy blend from Costco)
Instructions: In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook 5-7 minutes until brown and cooked through. Stir in rice and broth and frozen veggies. Bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 12 minutes until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Fluff the rice, and serve. Amber also recommends to add teriyaki sauce!
Chicken & Dumplings from Rebekah Swingler at My Deals Michiana
I won’t lie, I found this recipe on TikTok and I never realized that chicken & dumplings could be so simple. Plus, it checks all the boxes, veggies, protein, carbs, and kid approved. Also, did you know that you could buy shredded rotisserie chicken at any grocery store that sells rotisserie chicken? It takes SO MUCH work out of my cooking. Winner, winner, chicken (and dumplings) dinner.
Ingredients: 1 box of chicken broth, 1 can of cream of “something” soup (I love chicken & herb, however, us Midwesterners usually have our own cream of whatever soup somewhere in our pantry), 1lb of cooked & shredded rotisserie chicken, 1lb bag of frozen mixed veggies, salt, pepper, and garlic and onion powder to taste, and 1 can of canned biscuit dough (like Pilbusry).
Instructions: On a big pot under medium/low heat, mix together your chicken broth and cream of soup. Dump in your chicken and veggies and let it sit until it comes to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Then you can take your biscuit dough and cut it into pieces, however big you desire, strait into the simmering pot (extra hint, I just take my kitchen scissors and cut them up over the pot, you don’t even have to get out a knife and cutting board.) Let it simmer until the biscuit dough is cooked, only about 5-10 minutes.
Of course, we are never one to judge. If cooking still feels like a burden, be the take out hero! Check out our deals for some amazing dinner options!
We hope you gained some inspiration from our team! If you have a favorite dinner that you like to make on the go, drop it in the comments! We would love to hear about it!