People are always on the search for quick weeknight meal ideas that are both easy and delicious. 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.
7. Simplify your weekly meal planning even further with eMeals, an online meal-planning tool that provides customized dinner ideas and grocery lists that are perfect for your individual diet and needs.
Here are a few recipes to jumpstart your planning:
One-pot
For your health
No-cook
Southern Cornbread Salad – Make the cornbread ahead or buy it.
Kid-friendly
Crowd Pleasers
Pork Chops with Bacon and Cheddar Grits
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
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.
Speedy sides
