Do you like to meal plan? Have you ever meal planned or have you thought about doing it and never really have done it? I grew up with a mom who just did it every week and I always thought that was what everyone did. But, I have learned that it isn't something everyone knows how to do or actually takes the time to do. And, honestly, it's pretty easy when you get into the habit of doing it. Today I'm not going to teach you how to meal plan because I've shared how to do that many times before - just check out here and here. Today I want to share some easy meals that I have personally made and use to make meal planning easier.
It's my goal to try to have a different meal everyday of the month - although, I'll admit that sometimes that doesn't happen, we wind up having just left-overs, or I just make a theme for that night of the week - like "Taco Tuesdays" or something easy! Meal planning doesn't have to be difficult, but planning ahead will save you tons of time and money! These are meals that are simple and don't require a ton of ingredients - or are ingredients that are used often enough to keep on hand. I've put the link to my Pinterest pin, so that you can easily repin it and use the recipe when you're ready:
1. Taco Seasoning - I love this because I can use all organic spices and whip it up in about 5 minutes. I triple the recipe and keep it with my spices in a small mason jar. I also use it for making chicken or steak fajitas instead of buying store bought packets.
2. Stuffed Peppers - I don't use all the different meats, just ground beef to make it easier. My kids have learned to love bell peppers, so this is a fun meal.
3. Korean Beef - this is so easy and fast. You may have to buy sesame oil but if you cook any asian food, it's an oil that you'll like use many times.
4. Oven Roasted Sausage and Peppers - The recipe for this is ON the pin as the website is no longer there. But, it's another easy and quick meal. Sensing a pattern?
5. One Pot Pasta - I have really gotten into "one pot" meals. I picked up a nice cast iron pot at Marshall's {similar to THIS} for under $50 and use it all the time for these types of meals.
6. One Pot Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff - another great, easy on pot meal!
7. One Pot Goulash - I threw this together one night when I forgot to buy one of the ingredient to another meal I planned {oops!}. It was another easy one, but this makes a LOT so you might want to cut in half!
8. Steak Stir Fry - we also love stir fries, they require a little more prep time, so I usually do these on nights I have a little more time.
9. Slow Cooker Chicken - this is a great way to cook a whole chicken. I know it's faster and easier to get a store bought one, but if you are like me and want something that is organic and pasture fed, it's an easier way to make a "rotisserie" chicken in the crock pot. Just make sure you put the crockpot on HIGH, unlike how I put mine on LOW and it wasn't cooked by dinnertime! Ooops!
10. Slow Cooker Sweet and Tangy Meatballs - this is the ultimate easy. Three ingredients!! I add some Trader Joe's organic Jasmine rice that cooks in the microwave in 3 minutes to serve and top the meatballs and sauce on the rice in a bowl.
11. Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken - Another easy crockpot meal.
12. Organic Crockpot Chili - this one is easy to make an actual organic, good for you chili for a cool evening. Just made it for dinner last night!
13. Crockpot Baked Potatoes - Here's an easy one to use as a side dish OR as the main dish for a quick meal.
14. Slow Cooker Meatloaf - this is a FAVORITE and so yummy! I think it is better than cooking it in the oven!
15. Crockpot Jambalaya - not a ton of ingredients and pretty easy, too!
As you can see, I like one pot and crockpot meals the most. Honestly, I'm not a super fancy chef. I like to cook, but I just don't have the time most nights to do anything more complicated, and that's okay! I have a lot more ideas on my Organized Dinner and Organized Crockpot Pinterest Boards if you want to follow me on there or check out things I've pinned. My favorite crock pot is this one and I really like a cast iron enameled {3-5 quart} pot best for many of these easy meals. What is your favorite EASY meal for meal planning?
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I do meal plan, but thanks for the recipes, it will add a couple of different meals to my list next month.
ReplyDeleteMy FAVORITE meal planning tip is when freezing ground beef (or really anything) make it as flat as possible and press out all the air. Once frozen, items stack better and seem to avoid freezer burn. Also, if you fail to preplan and need dinner in a hurry, the flattened ground beef will thaw right in the pan. Another one I love is to prep two portions of whatever I'm making and freeze the second one for later.
ReplyDeleteI think all of those ideas are grand and I am printing some for future use!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing these great sounding recipes, Becky! I usually do plan meals, at least try to have the ingredients for a few different meals in the house. Lately it has become even more important. I am going through chemotherapy right now and need to have meals planned that are easy for my hubby to prepare when I simply haven't the energy to do it myself. He's much better with power tools than kitchen utensils, but he is trying really hard!
ReplyDeleteyay thank you for these!
ReplyDeleteXO Ellen from Ask Away
www.askawayblog.com