Sometimes life gets busy and it is hard to find the time and energy to prepare meals at home. It becomes very easy to hit the drive thru, order pizza or whip up yet another meal of Kraft dinner and wieners!
Below are five go-to recipes for those busy times. All of these recipes are ready in less than 30 minutes and use ingredients that are either easy to shop for or are pantry staples such as… canola oil, mustard, maple syrup, chickpeas and spaghetti.
Planning and shopping ahead may seem like a time-consuming effort initially, but over the long run can help save time and money, reduce stress, and improve nutrition.
- Get organized: Stock your cupboards, fridge and freezer with basics that will help you pull together nutritious meals in a hurry. Check out this pantry list.
- Plan ahead: Choose three or four main dinner meals to have during the week and make a list of items needed. Choose the meals based on how long they take to make and then match the recipe to the amount of time you have each night. Buy all the ingredients you need ahead of time to avoid unnecessary trips to the store. Post the menu plan on the fridge so everyone knows what’s for dinner. Provide and share simple instructions or the recipe so that whomever gets home first can start the preparation or cooking.
- Make only one meal: No one has time to be a short order cook for different family members at different times.
- Share the tasks: Younger children can set the table, older kids can help with food preparation and everyone can help with the cleanup. Assign jobs ahead of time to share the load and so everyone knows what is expected of them.
- Make life interesting: Try a new recipe or new food occasionally. Ask family members to find and suggest recipes that they would like to try. Remember that variety is the spice of life!
- Find some healthy convenience foods: These will help speed up cooking and still taste great, such as frozen vegetables, pre-cut vegetables, spaghetti sauces, frozen ready-to-bake breads, canned fish…
To get you started, check out our 5 Dinner Recipes for When you are in a Rush recipe collection:
Spaghetti with Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes and Chickpeas
Healthy whole grain spaghetti is tossed with a robust sauce of balsamic roasted tomatoes and fibre-rich chickpeas. This easy to prepare dish is perfect for busy weeknights and is sure to please everyone at the table.
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Skillet Lemon Chicken with Herbs
Chicken breasts are quickly seared in a skillet then roasted with plenty of lemon and garlic to make a bright and flavourful dish. Be sure to spoon some of the delicious pan juices over the chicken when serving.
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Sheet Pan Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes and Asparagus
There’s a reason home cooks love sheet pan dinners. They are a terrific (and tasty!) solution to weeknight cooking, and with minimal fuss and cleanup – what’s not to love? Here, lean pork tenderloin is slathered in a maple Dijon sauce before being seared and roasted to juicy perfection. Snappy asparagus and sweet potato wedges roast on the same pan, soaking up some of those flavours in the process. Look for thick-cut asparagus to avoid overcooking.
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Creamy Beef, Mushrooms and Noodles
This is a healthier version of beef stroganoff.
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Creamy Beef, Mushrooms and Noodles