If you’re like most families, busyness is something that is familiar and challenging at the same time. Finding a way to balance and juggle all of the tasks on your to-do list can be daunting, mainly if your family includes a few children. Often, one of the first things to fall by the wayside when our schedules get crowded is nutrition.
Ensuring that you and your family are well fed doesn’t have to take a lot of time. It’s possible to provide a healthy, nutritious meal in just a few minutes.
Drawing a blank when thinking about what you could cook for dinner? Here are four easy meals to make for busy families:
1. One-Pot Mushroom Spinach Artichoke Pasta
What’s easier than cooking an entire meal in one pot? With this delicious recipe, you’ll be serving up some delicious, wholesome food and cut down on your clean up time. All you need is a big pot, a short list of ingredients, and about 25 minutes. In a large pot over medium heat, add the fettuccine, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, garlic, onion, basil, thyme, and red pepper to 4 ½ cups of water. Bring everything to a boil and let it simmer uncovered until your pasta is cooked through. Then, stir in spinach, parmesan, and butter. You’ll have a delicious pasta dish that will have your busy family more than ready to take a break from the bustle.
2. Crock-Pot Tuscan Garlic Chicken
One of your secret weapons to combat your busy schedule is your crockpot, and this Tuscan Garlic Chicken is the perfect dish to utilize that forgotten kitchen tool. Chicken thighs, heavy cream, chicken broth, parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and seasoning go in. A delicious, hearty meal for a busy family comes out. The secret here is sauteeing your spices and seasonings before adding them to the crockpot.
3. Sheet pan Chicken Fried Rice
This entire meal is prepared and served up on a sheet pan. Cube and bake your chicken at 400-degrees for ten minutes, then add pre-cooked rice, peas, carrots, and soy sauce. While everything bakes, scramble a few eggs on the stove. Assemble everything on the sheet pan, top with green onions, and dish out portions to your busy family. This entire meal is quicker than takeout.
4. Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Soup
For this recipe, we’re going back to the crockpot. Add your chicken, spices, and other accouterments to the crockpot and let everything cook through. Before serving, pull your chicken from the pot and shred it using two forks. Return the chicken to the cooker, stir in your pasta, and garnish with extra parmesan and parsley.
For the nights where you might not have fifteen minutes to prepare a meal yourself, reach for the West End Fresh Salad in your fridge. Our pimento and chicken salad are quick options for a nutritious snack for you and your family.