Quick and Easy Family Dinners

When my kids were younger the million dollar question every night was “What’s for dinner?” This task became more challenging as my girls became more involved in after school activities, specifically their competitive dance. We had dance class just about every night during the week and as you can imagine both girls had to be at different studios (in different towns) right around dinner-time.

I always felt that dinner was such an important part of the day for a family. It’s the time when everyone is together and can talk about the events of the day. For our family, it was when we shared our stories and had the most laughs. When dance workshops jeopardized our nightly dinner routine, I knew I had to improvise. My kids ate fast food every once in a while but I was not willing to be one of those moms that fed their family fast food 5 nights a week. I worked everyday so decided quick and easy family dinners would have to be our alternative. I used my crock pot A LOT and tried to prep as much as possible on the weekends, but unfortunately our weekends were just as busy with dance workshops. Here are a few of my quick and easy dinners that we were able to enjoy on those hectic nights.

Crock Pot Roast– Simply throw a roast in the crock pot in the morning. Add brown gravy and onion soup mix. You can also add cut up carrots and potatoes to make a full meal. Set on low before you leave for work in the morning and it is ready to go by the time you walk in the door.
Chicken, cheese, & broccoli– Sautee chicken breast in a pan(cut in pieces). Add mac and cheese and broccoli. Another complete meal in less than 30 minutes.
Frittata– Cut up and fry potatoes. Scramble eggs in a bowl (add salt & pepper). Once potatoes are done pour egg mixture over potatoes in frying pan. Cook on low until eggs are cooked. To cook the top quicker you can throw it in the oven if needed or flip into another pan.
BBQ Crock Pot Chicken– Put chicken breast in the crock pot and cover with BBQ sauce. Set on low before you leave the house in the morning and its ready when you get home.
Macaroni– I would make a big vat of homemade Italian sauce on Sunday and freeze little containers. Pop a container out of the freezer and boil macaroni while its defrosting.
Hamburgers & Hot dogs– Thrown right on the grill (or the George Forman when the grill was covered with snow). I threw tator tots or sweet potato fries in the oven as a nice side.
Pizza– Yes we ordered pizza once a week. I didn’t feel as guilty as fast food and it required NO preparation from me (plus pretty easy clean up)!