I love, love, love quick dinners! When you have kids, especially in school and involved in activities, time escapes you. They come home, have a few chores, have home work, and need to be somewhere. In my case it is usually two of my kids needed in different places at different times on the same day. Then there is the dilemma of dinner. Do you cook at 1 p.m. and heat everything up to scarf it down as quickly as possible after school? OR do you cook at 9:30 while trying to get everyone bathed an in bed before midnight.
Crock pot dinners are awesome, but sometimes you just want more options.
To get everything going even quicker prep as much a you can beforehand. Sometimes I chop everything the night before or morning of. It takes very little time, but cuts out what seems like hours from the actual dinner prep. You can still have yummy marinated foods and do a quick dinner. Just get it mixed up and marinating the night before or morning of also. I actually freeze my meats with the marinade on them and then they spend all day thawing and marinating at the same time.
Get everything you will need out at once. Even measuring cups, bowls and pants. This eliminates several trips back and forth grabbing items. While everything is cooking you can put it all back and do a quick clean up, eliminating an overly dirty kitchen.
These are just main dinners, I will work on quick sides next and get them up a.s.a.p
Hamburger pockets
Prep 10 minutes
cook 15 minutes
1 lb ground beef
1/2 small white or yellow onion
1 tbs worcestershire
2 tbs mustard
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tubes pillsbury biscuit dough, use pillsbury! they work best!
4 oz block cheddar, cut into 16 rectangles
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
pickle spears * optional for serving
*This is a do ahead*
*morning of or night before brown hamburger with onion, drain and cool completely.*
To meat and onions add ketchup, worcestershire, mustard and stir to combine. Open biscuits and flatten each on out, slightly. Add 1 tbs of mixture and 1 piece of cheese to each biscuit and fold the biscuit over itself, making a half circle. crimp the edges with a fork to seal.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until tops are golden. Serve with pickle spears.
Sriracha honey shrimp & asparagus
Prep time 5-6 minutes
cook time 16-18
1 lb asparagus
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined.
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tbs minced garlic
3 tbs honey
1 tbs minced ginger
1 tbs paprika
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbs parsley
1 cup cherry tomatoes
4 tbs parmesan
3 tbs butter, sliced thin
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375
Cut woody stems off asparagus. Best trick is to bend them and they will snap naturally where the woody stem ends.
After trimming place them on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tbs olive oil, 1 tbs minced garlic, and about 1 tsp salt and pepper each. Bake for 6-8 minutes.
Meanwhile whisk sriracha, ginger, garlic, honey, paprika, pepper flakes, and parsley. Mix and add shrimp. Toss to coat.
Remove pan with asparagus from the oven and push them to one side. Add shrimp to the middle of the pan in a single layer, and add the cherry tomatoes on the other side of the shrimp. Sprinkle asparagus and tomatoes with parmesan and place 1 pat of butter on the tomatoes and the remaining butter on the shrimp. Put pan back in the oven and bake 10 more minutes.
Crescent bites
prep 10
cook 15
4 string cheese sticks
1 pack crescent rolls
1 package pepperoni
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp parsley flakes
2 tbs butter
1 tbs parmesan, grated
marinara, for dipping
Preheat oven to 375
melt butter and mix in garlic powder, parmesan, and parsley flakes.
Unroll crescents and separate. Cut string cheese in half making 8 pieces.
To each crescent add pepperoni. Make sure they cover the whole crescent. It will descend from about 2 to 3 on the widest part down to 1 pepperoni on the tip. Place a string cheese piece at the top and then roll them up. Starting at the widest point, to the tip. Place on sprayed baking sheet.
Brush with butter mixture and bake for 12-15 minutes.
Sprinkle with parmesan after cooking if you like. Heat marinara in a microwave safe bowl for 2-3 minutes and use for dipping.
Balsamic honey pork chops
Prep time 10 minutes
cook time 15
*prep the night before
1 lb pork chops
1/4 cup balsamic
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup blackberry jam
2 tbs dijon mustard
1 tbs sriracha
1 tbs soy
1 tbs minced garlic
1 tbs oil
Mix jam, vinegar, honey, mustard, sriracha, soy and garlic and place into a zip bag. Add pork chops and marinate in the fridge overnight or all day.
Heat oil to medium high. Add chops and cook 5 minutes per side. Flip then cook 3-5 minutes. Add marinade to the skillet and cook chops in it until sauce is boiling and thickened.
Chipotle lime salmon
prep time 10
cook time 15
2 pound salmon filet
2 tbs oil
2 tbs lime juice
1 chile from can of chipotle in adobo
2 tsp adobo sauce
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
preheat oven to 400
Mash chile in a bowl with a fork until pretty smushed. Add everything but salt and pepper and salmon to a bowl and mix. Smear spread over salmon and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place on a baking sheet and sprayed piece of parchment paper.
Cook for 12-15 minutes.
buffalo chicken burgers
prep time 10 mins
cook time 12-15
1 1/2 lbs ground chicken
1/4 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup celery, fine diced
2 tbs mined red onion
1/4 cup buffalo hot sauce + sauce for basting
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles *optional
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
3 tbs ranch or blue cheese dressing
4 hamburger buns
slaw for topping *optional
Mix chicken, breadcrumbs, carrot, celery, salt, pepper, red onion, buffalo sauce and blue cheese crumbles. Do not over mix.
Form into 4 patties.
Oil a grill or add 2 tbs oil to a skillet and heat to medium high heat.
cook 6-8 minutes per side. Baste with sauce before first flip, and before removing from grill.
Serve on a bun with ranch or blue cheese dressing and slaw.
Grill or toast buns for even more flavor!
Skillet Chicken & spinach parmesan
4 thin chicken breast
1 tbs salt and pepper
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbs parsley flakes
4 tbs olive oil
1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
2 cups chopped spinach
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
Season chicken with 1 1/2 tbs salt and pepper
Combine panko, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley flakes and parmesan.
Press chicken into panko mixture coating each side.
Heat a skillet with 2-3 tbs oil to medium high. Cook chicken for 6 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add 1 cup sauce to the pan and heat through. Lay chicken on top and then top with a couple spoons of sauce, 1/4 cup of and 2 tbs mozzarella. per breast. Place a lid over and cook until cheese is melted.
*if using frozen spinach microwave for 1-2 minutes & squeeze out excess water.
Eat as is or serve over pasta.
BBQ chicken pizza
1 lb store bought or home made pizza dough, you can use pillsbury pizza dough, just use the thin one.
corn meal and flour for dusting
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1 cup diced rotisserie chicken
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup sliced red onion
1/4 cup sliced banana peppers
preheat oven to 500
Roll out dough onto a lightly floured surface. You want it about 12 inches by 1/4 inch.
Flip a baking sheet and use the bottom for baking. Sprinkle liberally wth cornmeal and place dough on top.
Mix chicken with 1/4 cup of bbq sauce. Spread remaining sauce over dough. Leaving a 1/2 inch boarder. Add on cheese, chicken, red onion, and banana peppers.
bake 10-12 minutes, rotate pan halfway through.
Slice and serve!
Lemon butter skillet chicken
4 thin chicken breast
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp lemon pepper
1/3 cup butter
1 sliced lemon, thin slices
2 tbs lemon juice
Serve with rice or pilaf
Place chicken between plastic wrap and lightly pound out, making the chicken even. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and lemon pepper.
Dredge in flour and shake off the excess.
In large skillet melt butter over medium high heat. Cook chicken 3-5 minutes per side. Remove from skillet. Add lemon slices and cook them 2-3 minutes, turning once. Add chicken breast back to the pan. Drizzle with lemon juice and cook 3-5 minutes more.
Shrimp & zucchini lo mein
1 package lo mein
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs butter
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 small zucchini, cut into half moons
1 tbs minced garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 eggs, beaten
1 tbs brown sugar
1 1/2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs sriracha
3 sliced green onions
Cook noodles in a large pot of heavily salted water for 4-5 minutes then drain.
Mix sriracha, sugar, and soy in a bowl.
melt butter in a large skillet over med low heat. Add red pepper flakes to butter and then whisk in eggs. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer eggs to a plate. Add 1 tbs oil to skillet and bump heat to medium high. Add shrimp and cook 2-4 minutes, flipping as they cook. Remove from skillet. Increase heat to high and add zucchini and remaining oil. Stir fry until slightly charred, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 45 seconds. add in drained noodles, eggs, shrimp and sauce. Cook on low for 3-5 minutes, tossing everything together. Top with green onions at serving.
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