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Ever have one of those weeks when cooking just feels like too much work?
Girl, me too!
It just so happened that this week I found myself in one of those “I don’t feel like cooking” funks. I blame it partially on the fact that we have had abnormally cold weather for this time of year in California and the fact that the kids are so close to being done with school for the summer. (yay!)
But like most moms it’s hard to imagine a day without cooking let alone an entire week. That’s why having a little arsenal of easy no cook meals can be such a life saver on the days or weeks where you just don’t have the energy to turn on the stove.
When planning no cook meals I try to focus on meals that don’t really require a recipe. I want something easy and customizable (picky kids anyone?) without any extra work to make it happen.
So if you are like me and having one of those I don’t feel like cooking weeks this easier than easy no cook meal plan is just for you.
One of the BEST ways i’ve found to reduce my grocery spending is by utilizing ibotta for the things I had already planned on buying for the week. It’s completely free to download AND they give you $5! I have found that using ibotta has been a far better use of my time rather than searching for coupons. I’m always shocked to see how fast I end up accumulating cash and in 6 months I was able to save a whopping $400. For something that takes little effort I say thats a win!
So, what to make for dinner when you don’t want to cook?
1. BLT Sandwiches/Wraps
BLT’s are one of those classic easy no cook dinners that everyone seems to love. Even my pickiest child loves BLT’s although he does usually take out the tomatoes.
Technically you would probably end up having to cook up some bacon but usually I always keep a small amount of cooked bacon in the freezer for times like these. Just defrost and use. If you really wanted to keep this no cook you could always grab some precooked bacon like this Jimmy Dean bacon here.
To keep this meal no cook friendly we paired it with some potato chips for the kids and my husband and I had store bought potato salad that just so happened to be on sale.
2. Taco Salad
Taco salad is one of those recipes that is super customizable depending what’s on sale/what you have on hand. Every time I make this meal it always looks slightly different. I found this taco salad recipe many years ago and always use it for inspiration but never follow it to a T. No matter what you add or don’t add this is one of those meals that you just can’t mess up. It always tastes so good. Using a rotisserie chicken instead of ground beef (if you don’t already have some cooked up) also tastes amazing or you can omit the meat completely. You seriously just can’t go wrong!
3. Nacho’s (using the leftovers)
I’ve said this so many times before but leftovers are the best especially during a no cook week. For these nachos I used everything that was leftover from the taco salads and heated it through for a just a few minutes in the oven. This took absolutely no time what so ever and was even easier than going through the drive thru. My kids are obsessed with chips so anything that they can dip/layered on chips they are all for even if there were vegetables on it.
4. Chicken Avocado Salad
Although this recipe looks very similar to the others the taste is so very different. This meal is light and perfect on a summer day when you don’t want anything warm or heavy. I used a rotisserrie chicken but you could use leftover chicken from another recipe or make some on the spot. The original recipe was meant to be eaten with tortilla chips but I have cut bell peppers into “chips” and used that as well. The absolute BEST chips to be eaten with this recipe are these here, seriously so good.
5. Buffalo Chicken Wraps
For these buffalo chicken wraps I used the other part of the rotisserie chicken that I had for the previous recipe. I mixed some buffalo sauce into a bowl with the chicken and added the tomatoes, cheese, lettuce and ranch and called it a day. Since my kids would definitely not eat anything buffalo flavored I quickly made them some chicken quesadillas without the sauce. Easy peasy.
As you can see many of these recipes resemble each other with slight variations and tweaks. The best part about meal planning is you don’t have to come up with lavish and complicated meals every night to eat well. Doing a no cook week is a great way to reset and a get a break from cooking especially when you feel no motivation.
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