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24 Easy Family Meal Recipes

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People are always on the search for easy family meal recipes that still deliver delicious flavor. To keep your taste buds and your family happy, try meal planning! It’s a great way to plan out meals that your family will love and eliminate the post-work prep work. With Paula and her tasty recipes on your side, you can fit fun, flavorful meals into your busy schedule.

General meal planning tips:

1.     Choose recipes you can cook in one pot, supplement with store-bought items, or enjoy without any cooking. Bonus points if the recipe doesn’t require a lot of chopping or other active preparation.

2.     Complete any prep work that can be done ahead of time (chopping, grating, etc.) the night before.

3.     Consider make-ahead or slow-cooker recipes.

4.     Maintain a well-stocked pantry full of ingredients you feel comfortable using, such as dried spices, garlic, rice, or whatever your family enjoys.

5.     Don’t abandon your staples. Most hungry eaters won’t turn down a good steak, giant sandwich, or even breakfast for dinner.

6.     Plan your meals for the week, and create grocery lists based on each recipe. Then, schedule time each week to go grocery shopping, ensuring you aren’t missing a key ingredient come dinnertime.

Here are a few recipes to jumpstart your planning:

Recipes For your Health

Grilled Vegetables

Asian Chicken Salad

No-Cook Recipes

Southwestern Avocado and Black Bean Salad

Southern Cornbread Salad – Make the cornbread ahead or buy it.

Penny-Savers & Pantry Grabs

Stewed collard greens – Serve with instant rice or grits.

Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich

Paula’s Couscous Salad – Our Greek-inspired ingredients make a great combo, but use whatever vegetables, cheese, or olives you have!

Make-Ahead Recipes

Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole – Cook the component ingredients ahead, assemble (leaving out the topping), and cover; then top and bake at dinnertime!

Enchiladas – Assemble and freeze!

Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad  – Cut and marinate the vegetables ahead of time, and grill them quickly while you make the pasta.

Broccoli and Red Cabbage Slaw

Featured Recipes

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