Weeknight Meal Ideas

[BirdOfWar]

Something like this on the Swedish meatballs?

https://therecipecritic.com/the-best-swedish-meatballs/

Yes, something very similar to that if not that exact recipe. This mentioned serving it with noodles but I prefer it with mashed potatoes.

When I get bored and hungry as work I'll start searching for new stuff we can try for dinner. My wife really loves it......not at all.

 

[Dandy]

Like Sloppy Joe's? Like pasta? You have to try this. Sloppy Joe Skillet.
https://www.aspicyperspective.com/one-pot-sloppy-joe-noodle-skillet/

 

[cyfan92]

Technically possible for me but we tend to put stuff in in the morning and then set it to do "warm" after the 8-9 hours.

Try this. Mrs. cyfan loves to make this. Probably the most filling soup I've ever had and super cheap since you're not buying meat. 21 grams of protein and 20 grams of fiber

https://minimalistbaker.com/1-pot-everyday-lentil-soup/

 

[Dandy]

@cowgirl836 Our toddler loves grilled cheese. You can switch it up between a tortilla or bread. Same thing two ways. Super easy.

 

[BuffettClone]

you gotta give us your list! Unless it's only frozen pizza and cereal every night. Which, no judgement, I just already have those!

Its not much of a list but here goes,

Mac n cheese
spaghetti
breakfast (pancakes, eggs, bacon, etc)
grilled cheese
fish sticks
chicken nuggets
burgers and hotdogs
frozen pizza

Every once in a while we'll "amp it up" and do meatloaf, lasagna, country fried chicken/steak, ham and potato soup

 

[VeloClone]

@cowgirl836 Our toddler loves grilled cheese. You can switch it up between a tortilla or bread. Same thing two ways. Super easy.

Yeah, we do quesedillas occasionally. Kids love them and they can ask for chicken, tomatoes or other adds in them.

 

[CycloneSarah]

Breakfast for dinner! Eggs and toast, egg sandwiches, pancakes, waffles...
Chicken taco bowls in Instant Pot - no prep, just throw everything in

I don't have many suggestions since I've delegated meal planning to my husband because I run into the same road block of never being able to think of different meals...and he does all the cooking.

 

[VeloClone]

When we have a "movie night" we will do popcorn, apple slices, sliced cheddar cheese, and peppercorn or plain Triscuit with basil leaf, tomato slice and shredded cheese - baked until the cheese is melted. Nice snack like meal kids can eat in front of a movie without making a terrible mess that you can't just vacuum up.

 

[oldman]

Never actually had Hamburger Helper though it reminds me I had a homemade version I wanted to try. What are Hobos?

They are a mixture of fried ground hamburger (or turkey, pork) shredded hash browns, frozen mixed veggies, etc,cheddar cheese, wrapped in tin foil and thrown on the grill.

 

[throwittoblythe]

BBQ chicken in the crock pot. Drop a few chicken breasts in the crock pot in the morning with some chicken stock (water works too). Let it cook for 8 or so hours during the day. When you get home, shred and add BBQ sauce of your choice. We usually have those broccoli bags from Green Giant that you poke holes in and nuke to steam them. Put some meat on a bun and you're golden. If you want to get fancy you could bake some fries or something

 

[Dandy]

Yeah, we do quesedillas occasionally. Kids love them and they can ask for chicken, tomatoes or other adds in them.

Cheese and black beans inside, avocado on top. So easy, pretty healthy (compared to fast food).

 

[VeloClone]

Hy-Vee or Cub whole roasted chicken. Serve with salad, canned (or fresh veggies) and au gratin potatoes. You can make the boxed kind (Idahoan for example) with just a couple of minutes of prep and some oven time.

 

[srjclone]

I made spicy shrimp tacos the other night that took probably 20-25 minutes, prep to completion. They were delicious and can be eaten in a salad, as the entree, etc..

• 20 medium shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• squeeze of lime optional
  
  Mix the ingredients in a bowl, then place shrimp in the sauce and mix. Cover and Let stand in the fridge for 10 minutes, could be up to over night if you want to prep for next day. Throw on a skillet or pan for 5-8 minutes, depending on how you like your shrimp.
  
  Place in tortilla with other taco ingredients you like, and your done.

 

[VeloClone]

Brown hamburger or ground turkey in a skillet. When browned pour off any grease, reduce heat to low and cover with a layer of diced tomatoes. Cover completely with sliced Velveeta and cover until fully melted. Plate and serve over a bed of white, brown or jasmine rice.

 

[srjclone]

A bit longer to make, but the prep is simple. One of our favorites

https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/stuffed-peppers/63e29e18-903e-467c-aec5-fba4ce3a138f

 

[ZB4CY]

Old El Paso Taco kit. No, it's not the best tacos you can eat, but it's quick and easy.

InstantPot spaghetti and meatballs. We use the WallyWorld frozen meatballs, put them on the bottom of the pot. Pour in a jar of spaghetti sauce to cover the meatballs. Put in the spaghetti (I break in half). Pour in water (fill the empty spaghetti sauce jar). Cook on high for half the time the spaghetti says to cook for. Boom, done.

I’d eat tacos every night if my wife would let me.

 

[cmjh10]

Crock pot
Instapot
Grill

No recipes, outside of my pork chops, but all are relatively quick and simple ways to make meals.

 

[cmjh10]

I’d eat tacos every night if my wife would let me.

I see what you did there

 

[EnhancedFujita]

One of our favorites that is super easy is to do spaghetti in our instant pot. You can cook it all in one pot, just brown the meat with onions and garlic, dump in sauce and water, put in the noodles, and then set it to cook under pressure for 9 minutes.

We also do chicken quesadillas, pancakes, and avocado bacon grilled cheese on a pretty frequent basis.

I recently got a sous vide stick and have been doing steaks and stuff on weekends. Supposedly you can let it run all day like a slow cooker too, but I've not tried that yet.

 

[SCyclone]

Can vouch that the Beef Stroganoff version of Hamburger Helper is really good. Try it sometime, @cowgirl836 - I think you'd like it.

Here are some of our go-tos on week nites:
Summertime, we grill tons of stuff - Iowa chops, steak, brats, chicken kebabs, burgers, salmon, chicken breasts, you name it. I fix a garden salad and we skip the starches.
Chili
Lotsa Mozza frozen pizza (best frozen I've ever had, bar none)
BLT's
We have breakfast suppers occasionally, too - especially when we end up with lots of eggs, since we have several farm fresh suppliers
Beef or pork roast in the crockpot (that's more of a fall and winter thing tho)
Pork cutlets (the vixen's specialty!)
Spaghetti
Once in awhile I'll splurge and buy a Bell's Mills ham and the vixen slow cooks it in the oven all day. Then I make some mashed potatoes and she makes gravy, plus a veggie of some sort.
I like to saute some chicken breast and cut it up over a bed of lettuce, add shredded cheese, sunflower seeds, bacon bits, maybe a little minced onion, and my favorite dressing.