What's For Dinner!?!

Uh oh... It’s 4pm. And you just looked up at the clock. You day has been filled with entertaining children, working, running errands and cleaning the house. You’ve probably even forgotten to eat. BUT, the hubby will be home in just about an hour and he’ll be hungry! What do you do!?!?

I put together a small list of a few go-to meals for us here in this household. I will not promise that they are “healthy” or “clean”, but I always try to cook pretty well anyway. And hey, these meals get us to the next day, and maybe TOMORROW I can spend hours mulling over a healthy meal (yeah right).

Here’s my list of fast, easy, “get me to the end of the day” meals, that also make my hubby happy.

DISCLAIMER: These are not my photos. I used Pinterest photos, because when I am out of time and trying to get some food on the table, who remembers to take pictures? But believe me, mine are just as pretty :). 

Meat and Potato Burritos: 

  I don’t eat potatoes. I don’t like them and they feel like empty carbs to me. Except sweet potatoes. Yum. But my husband LOVES them. I threw this together on a whim one night when I had very few ingredients and a hungry husband. IT WORKED.

Ingredients:

Olive Oil

3-5 medium sized potatoes

1lb ground beef, thawed

salt and pepper

6-8 tortillas

shredded cheese

Dice potatoes into small pieces. I usually use more potatoes to make this meal stretch further because my hubby loves to take these to work the next day. In large skillet, heat olive oil (2 tbsp? I don’t know, I don’t measure) and add potatoes. Let cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes (stirring occasionally) until potatoes begin to soften. Add ground beef. Mix together and let cook another 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper- as much as you feel like. Again, I don’t measure. Remove from heat when meat is fully browned. Take a tortilla and warm both sides on stove burner. Add meat and potato mixture to tortilla, sprinkle cheese on top, roll up and DONE.

You could add anything to these that you wanted to. Since I was lazy and out of ingredients, this did the trick for us. I admit, I don't usually eat these, but it's only because I don't like potatoes! The sacrifices we make for our spouses...

Chicken, Green Bean, and Potato Bake: 

 This is one of my favorite meals! It’s so easy, and it feels filling and healthy to me. The original recipe called for small red potatoes, but since I don’t like them, I changed it to sweet potatoes. Adjust it for your family.

Ingredients:

4-6 chicken breasts

1 bag frozen green beans

2-3 sweet potatoes

1 stick butter (or a few tbsp. of EVOO)

1 packet of Italian Seasoning (or just salt and pepper)

Preheat oven to 350. Using 9x13 pan (or larger for more servings), line chicken breasts down the center of the pan.  Cut sweet potatoes to desired size and line down the side of chicken. Add bag of frozen green beans to other side. Melt stick of butter in microwave and pour over entire dish (or drizzle with olive oil- your choice). Add packet of seasoning over entire dish, covering chicken, sweet potatoes and green beans (or just salt and pepper- or any other seasoning you like). Bake in oven for 1 hour, and then EAT!

I have switched this recipe around a few times to accommodate what I had on hand, who was coming over, etc. I have even upped the temperature of the oven and cooked for less time- you can’t really mess this one up, and it comes out so good! Plus, it’s everything in one dish!

 

Taco Salad:

 Need I say more? One of these easiest meals. It’s what’s for dinner tonight.

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef (or ground turkey)

1 packet of taco seasoning (or make your own here)

Shredded lettuce

shredded cheese

ANYTHING YOU WANT (tomatoes, black beans, olives, avocado, salsa, cucumber, bell peppers, quinoa, spanish rice, chips, etc.)

In large skillet, follow directions on taco seasoning and prepare ground beef. While it is cooking, slice and chop whatever veggies you have. Arrange everything so everyone can pass by and fill their plates as they desire. DONE!

Southwest Chicken Wraps:

  This one is a great way to get rid of your leftovers and make a yummy burrito. I love to make a huge crock pot of chicken one day, shred it all, and then keep it in the freezer for meals like this.

1 cup cooked rice

1 cup cooked, shredded chicken (or other leftover meat, like shredded pork or beef)

1 can black beans, drained

1 onion (white, red, green...whatever you have!)

1/2 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Shredded cheese

Sour cream (optional)

6  tortillas

Using a skillet or grill pan, turn stove on to medium heat. In large mixing bowl, mix together rice, chicken, beans, onion, and seasonings. Make sure it coats everything well. Line mixture down the middle of a tortilla, sprinkle some cheese over it, and a dollop of sour cream. I always use the sour cream because it makes the burrito so creamy! Sometimes I smother it on the tortilla first, so it’s not just a clump of it. Roll tortilla, folding or leaving ends open (doesn’t really matter). Place SEAM DOWN on grill pan (this will keep it from opening). Cook for a few minutes until there are grill marks or tortilla has browned a bit. Repeat on opposite side. When burritos are finished, they should be a tad crunchy and hot!

 

Spinach-Artichoke Chicken:  

There are lots of different recipes for this. Here’s the original recipe, which is more homemade. I didn’t have time or ingredients, so I took the easy way out- I had an extra container of dip in my fridge that was going to go bad soon! So I threw this together. It was good!

Ingredients:

4-6 chicken breasts

1 container of spinach/artichoke dip

shredded parmesan

Heat oven to 375. Spray 9x13 pan with olive oil. Put thawed chicken into pan, making sure they are thin enough (filet if needed).  Cover chicken with mixture, whether homemade or store bought. Bake for 30-45 minutes. Serve with a salad or a yummy veggie!

And these are just my top 5 for fast dinners. We know that everyone has hot dogs or pizza or eats out occasionally on ‘those’ nights. Maybe these will help you get through a rough day or feed the family before it’s grocery shopping time!