Quick Meals for Busy Parents
You are busy. You have a busy job, busy kids, busy errands to run, and you don’t always have time to cook. This is where our article comes in! We will share with you easy quick meals to make when you’re short on time or energy. These recipes will be quick to prepare and offer the perfect balance of nutrients your family needs while also being healthy and delicious.
Tips on food preparation
- Make a list of all the ingredients you need before you go to the grocery store. This will save you time since your grocery list will be ready and waiting for you when you arrive.
- Prepare food in advance. Pack lunches, cut up veggies for salads or stir fry and make soups. This will save you time and energy in the morning or for busy nights when it’s tempting to order take-out.
- Cook a double batch of whatever you’re making, freeze one set for another night where your schedule doesn’t allow enough time to cook dinner. Having food on hand is always helpful, and a busy parent will always appreciate an easy meal to come home to.
- Have your kids help with prepping vegetables and measuring out spices and herbs. They’ll enjoy a sense of responsibility in the kitchen, and you won’t have to worry about what they’re doing while you try to cook.
- If your busy life leaves little time for meal planning, use an app like My Meal Pal, which will allow you to plan meals with ingredients that are already available at home or even pre-packaged meal kits from the grocery store.
- Remember to use leftovers from meals in quick dinners!
- Take advantage of frozen veggies and canned beans when they are on sale.
- Plan out a weekly menu in advance and write it down to save time.
Quick meals recipes
One Pan Roasted Lemon Garlic Butter Salmon
This is one of my favourite busy parent quick meals because it’s easy to prepare in advance and can be made with ingredients that you may already have on hand. It takes about 15 minutes to make the entire dish, which leaves plenty of time for other cooking or chores while dinner roasts away in the oven!
The salmon will turn out moist and flaky when cooked properly, thanks to a simple dry spice rub. The garlic adds tons of flavour without overpowering the mild flavours found naturally in raw salmon. And the butter: well there’s just no substitute!
Ingredients:
- two to three pounds of salmon fillets
- one lemon, zested and juiced
- four tablespoons of butter at room temperature
- six cloves of garlic, minced (approximately)
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions:
First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, mix the olive oil with the lemon juice in a small bowl, then spread it over both sides of each fillet. Sprinkle on some kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper before rubbing them onto the fish for an extra boost! Place all the seasoned pieces skin side down on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil that has been sprayed generously with cooking spray. Drizzle more melted butter atop each piece from a spoon. Cover your fish with foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets, or until it is opaque when poked.
Crockpot Beef and Bean Chilli
One option for having quick meals is chili – family’s favourite, and it’s easy to see why! You can make this recipe in the crockpot or on the stovetop. If you’re feeling ambitious, go for both! This hearty dish is loaded with beans that are high in protein. It also has plenty of vegetables, like onions, bell peppers, carrots, and celery which provide additional vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A (beta carotene), folic acid, potassium, and magnesium.
Ingredients:
- ½ pound ground beef
- one brown onion, chopped
- ½ red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- two carrots, peeled and finely grated or shredded
- one celery stalk, finely chopped
- two garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried coriander
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- one 15 ounces canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- one – 14.75 ounce can diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- two tablespoons chili powder
- a quarter teaspoon garlic powder
- salt (to taste) and pepper to taste
- (optional: Cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onion, or any other toppings you may like!)
Instructions:
Brown the ground beef over medium heat in a large pot. Add onion, peppers, carrots, and celery to the pan, stirring occasionally for about five minutes or until vegetables are soft. Stir in garlic, coriander, oregano, and beans, followed by tomatoes with their liquid and tomato paste. Add chili powder, salt (to taste), pepper to taste, and any other spices you like! Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low simmer covered for 45 minutes-60 minutes stirring every fifteen minutes so that nothing sticks on the bottom of your dish. The longer it cooks, the better! Enjoy this meal with tortilla chips or rice pilaf.
Instructions for a crockpot version:
Follow steps one and two from the above. Place in a crockpot, cover with liquid to half an inch below the bottom of your pot. Cook on low for six hours or until beans are tender, stirring every hour so that nothing sticks on the bottom of your dish!
Pasta With Creamy Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
- olive oil for sauteing the garlic and onion
- garlic cloves minced or pressed, two to three cloves depending on how much you like it
- half an onion chopped into small pieces
- two large cans of tomato sauce (whatever your favourite kind is) 32 oz each in total; just over four cups so that they are easy to measure out!
- one teaspoon of oregano, if desired, salt and pepper to taste
- optional ingredients include canned tomatoes with green chiles, anchovies, capers, or black olives. All optional but tasty choices! You can also experiment with different kinds of cheese, such as mozzarella, which will give it more of a “baked ziti” taste!
- spaghetti noodles of your choice
Instructions:
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or pot over medium heat on the stove, add garlic and onion to saute for about one minute until they are fragrant but not burnt. Add tomato sauce, oregano if desired as well as salt and pepper to taste. Depending on how much you want it to be spicy, add some crushed red peppers; this will make it especially good with mozzarella cheese, so try adding that next time if you’re into creamier sauces like I am! Next, mix in canned tomatoes with green chiles (if using them), anchovies capers, or black olives to liven up the flavour!
Add your favourite pasta to the sauce and cook it according to package instructions.
Grilled Chicken Salad With Avocado, Corn, Tomatoes, and Tortilla Chips
Ingredients:
- a bag of already chopped lettuce of your choice
- half a can or jar of black beans drained and rinsed
- grilled chicken that you have cooked in advance on the BBQ for about 20 minutes with some salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cumin to taste. You could also use canned rotisserie chicken if time is tight!
- fresh corn kernels boiled or grilled (I prefer grilled), cooled off then cut off the cob
- diced tomatoes from a can that are not seasoned, but it’s up to you how much sauce goes into this recipe; I like my salads dry, so just two tablespoons will do
- fresh avocado that has been peeled and sliced in half then cut into slices
- a jar of salsa to drizzle on top or some chopped cilantro as an alternative
Instructions:
Place the washed lettuce leaves at the bottom of your bowl; add salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you would like to use, such as garlic powder and cumin if using rotisserie chicken. Add black beans over the top, followed by corn kernels, diced tomatoes from a can (or fresh), avocados, which have been split in half lengthways, then roughly slice them before adding to salad. Drizzle it all with either store-bought salsa or my favourite homemade version, which is equal parts balsamic vinegar and lime juice, and a teaspoon of honey to sweeten the dressing. Add chicken and enjoy your meal!
It can be difficult for busy parents to find the time and energy to cook dinner every night, especially for large families. That’s why we put together quick meals tips on how you can make it easier for yourself. You don’t need a lot of skills or fancy ingredients- just some creativity, tasty recipes like those in this blog post, and a little patience. We hope that by following our advice, you will have more time with your family tonight!
Are you interested in other topics about spending your time with family members? Then check out family time category for some other fun ideas!
