All of the spring activities are starting up and the afternoons are just getting busier and busier. So dinner time needs to be fast, easy and of course delicious. So next week I am lining up five meals that are quick and easy to prepare and are tried and true with my family – there is no time right now to be experimenting with new recipes – save that for the weekend.
So grab your pen, paper or have a conversation with Alexa and and let’s make a shopping list for next week.
Top Image: Baked Steak and Egg Breakfast Tacos from The Cookie Rookie and Best Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken from Crunchy Creamy Sweet
I often forget how much my kids love Falafel night. This Falafel recipe from Modern Proper is so easy and so good. These little balls of yum come together in about 30 minutes. Serve DIY style with warm pita bread or naan, cucumbers, store bought hummus and a light green salad for a perfect #MeatlessMonday meal.
You will definitely need a food processor for making these falafel’s. I am only telling you this because my food processor didn’t survive my recent move and I had to get a new one. I highly recommend this Cuisinart 11-cup processor (affiliate) if you are in the market for a new one.
Related: More creative DIY dinner ideas
Everyone loves #TacoTuesday, and to make it even better this week I’m combining BFD (Breakfast for Dinner) with Taco night with these Baked Steak and Egg Breakfast Tacos from The Cookie Rookie. If you want to save a bit of time, I often grab pre-shredded rotisserie chicken near the deli in my local grocery store and sub it for the steak. Gets dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes.
Related: 7 more delicious breakfast taco ideas
Need a quick dump and go meal that only takes about 15 minutes? Check out this recipe for the Best Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken from Crunchy Creamy Sweet. Yes, you can buy a bottle of teriyaki sauce to save a little time, but I typically have all of the ingredients in my pantry so I just follow the recipe and make my own. I like to throw some edamame on top of the chicken for a bit added protein.
Related: A week’s worth of rotisserie chicken meal ideas
Thursdays tend to be the busiest around my house and we are never all sitting down to eat at the same time, so I need a meal that can can sit on the stove so people can feed themselves as they hit the house after all of the things. Once Upon A Chef’s recipe for Chili Mac is just that meal, and it is a tried and true favorite around here. I typically double this recipe because I am feeding large humans and it makes excellent leftovers for lunch and after-school snacks.
Related: Check out one of our favorites: Once Upon A Chef Weeknight/Weekend Cookbook
By Friday, I am usually just tired of all of the things and the instinct is to order pizza (or some form of take out), but that can tend to get expensive for all of the people I have to feed. Enter Easy French Bread Pizza from The View from Great Island. While you may be thinking “I don’t need a recipe for this”, you may be right, but also it’s nice sometimes to have a guide. I do love Sue’s baking tips and topping recommendations – I would have never to use banana peppers and anchovies!
