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Have a busy week ahead with not much time to cook. Looking for easy dinner recipes? I got you. As a busy mom myself, I thought it would be helpful to share with you this list of dinner ideas. These easy meal ideas are a collection of some of our favorite recipes we have made over the last 2 weeks – straight from my weekly meal plan. From slow cooker dinners to sheet pan meals, you will be sure to find something your whole family will love.
What Should I Cook For Dinner Tonight?
I don’t know about you but not knowing what to cook for dinner is one of those things that just adds stress to my day. I’ve noticed the weeks when I skip meal planning I find myself at the grocery store way more often than I need to be. Not only is it not so good for my budget but I’m also not making the best choices I could be had I spent a little time meal planning. So if you are like me and find yourself in a dinner rut you can reference this list of easy recipes for some meal inspiration.
BBQ Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich
If you are looking for a unique twist to a classic favorite then this BBQ chicken grilled cheese sandwich is a perfect choice.
With only a handful of ingredients, this meal is super quick to throw together and is perfect for those busy weeknights.
To make things easier on myself I decided to cook the chicken breasts ahead of time in the slow cooker alongside the BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, onions, garlic, and paprika for a few hours.
Once done the chicken breasts will become super tender and are then easy to shred with a fork. Another great way to make this would be to shred a rotisserie chicken for an almost no cook option on nights when you don’t have a lot of time.
Once the chicken is done and it is time to assemble the sandwich you want to make sure you are using a thick piece of bread to avoid it getting soggy. My personal favorite is sourdough.
Next, you will want to create a garlic butter mixture to spread onto your bread. I buttered and browned both sides of the bread before adding my chicken and cheddar cheese on top. I really like the flavor and the crunch it gives when you butter and brown both sides.
Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs
These grilled teriyaki chicken kabobs are a delicious yet healthy dinner idea that even your picky eaters will devour. Yes, even kids!
A few things that make this recipe worth mentioning is that there are only 4 ingredients needed. I can’t tell you how excited I get when I can find realistic healthy recipes that utilize pantry staples.
To start off I used boneless skinless chicken breasts that I cut into bite-sized pieces. Next time I might even try a different meat such as steak or kielbasa.
I decided to marinate my chicken breasts overnight in the teriyaki sauce to give them the best possible flavor but it would be totally fine to marinate them for a few hours prior to dinner time too.
The best part of this dinner is definitely the pineapple chunks. The sweetness of the pineapple with the savoriness of the chicken makes for the perfect kabob. I also believe this is the not-so-secret ingredient to getting your kids to not only eat it but come back for more.
For the veggies, I used a few different varieties of bell peppers. My favorites are yellow and orange because they are on the bit sweeter side. You could really add any veggies you want. Red onions and baby potatoes would equally be as good especially if you were pairing them with something like steak.
Once my chicken, pineapple, and veggies were ready to go I assembled them on a kabob stick alternating between all the ingredients. I brushed them with some more teriyaki sauce and stuck them in the oven on my favorite oven grill pan.
This turned out to be another delicious recipe.
Taco Stuffed Potatoes
These taco stuffed potatoes are another easy weeknight dinner that requires very little meal prep. TOTAL WIN!
I started off by baking a few russet potatoes in the oven. Sweet potatoes would be really yummy too. If you are short on time you could also bake them much faster in the microwave or air fryer.
After your baked potatoes are done cooking you will need to brown a pound of ground beef or turkey with your favorite taco seasoning. This could either be homemade or from a packet.
Once that is complete you are essentially done. You can now customize your taco potato however you like. I used shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, green onions, and jalapenos. A few more topping ideas for your taco potatoes could include hot sauce, nacho cheese, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, etc. The sky really is the limit with this one.
Meatball Bombs
Garlic butter topped biscuits filled with marinara, cheese, and a meatball what could go wrong? These meatball bombs were definitely a little slice of comfort food heaven.
I began by thawing out my frozen meatballs ahead of time so that they would heat quickly in the oven. Once thawed I opened 2 packages of refrigerated biscuits (my personal favorite is the buttermilk)
I rolled out each biscuit enough so that it could fit a meatball comfortably inside. My meatballs were a little on the small size so I was able to fit 2 meatballs per biscuit. Because I used two cans of biscuits I was almost able to use an entire bag of frozen meatballs.
Once you fill your meatballs inside of your biscuits you’ll want to add some marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese before closing them up.
Be careful not to add too much sauce because they can become a bit heavy and soggy. I decided to add my marinara sauce on the side for dipping as opposed to adding it to the biscuit because I am not a fan of soggy bread.
You then will top your biscuit with garlic butter and pop them in the oven. I served this with a side of caesar salad.
Taco Pizza
Forget french bread pizzas. This taco pizza was an easy and simple meal that would be a great addition to your weekly meal plan.
As you can see I almost always have some sort of taco recipe on my list because I always seem to have those sorts of ingredients on hand.
This taco pizza recipe really can’t get any easier. All you need is a basic pizza crust that is precooked ( I used Pillsbury) and whatever taco toppings your heart desires.
I decided to make my taco pizza layered in a way that’s similar to a 7 layer dip. I took my Pillsbury pizza crust and cooked it according to the package instructions.
Once the pizza crust comes out of the oven you a ready to assemble. No further baking is required.
For the first layer, I added sour cream, I then added a layer of guacamole. On top of that, I added a layer of refried beans. I then topped it with a layer of cooked ground beef, shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, and diced tomatoes. It came out absolutely perfect and was a huge hit amongst everyone.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
If you’re looking for delicious and crispy restaurant style chicken wings that take literal minutes then this recipe is a must-try.
I used fresh chicken wings but you could also use frozen ones. You then drizzle olive oil over your chicken wings among a few other seasonings such as salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, and onion powder.
Once your chicken wings are tossed with olive oil and your desired seasonings place them in your air fryer.
Mine took about 15 minutes in total. After your chicken wings are cooked you can toss them in any sauce you prefer. I used franks buffalo sauce. I served it with a bunch of fun side dishes for a fun Sunday night dinner.