Top 5 Quick and Easy Meals for Busy Moms

If you’re like me, your to-do list is always long and your time is always short. Feeding my family delicious, filling meals is one of my top priorities – but I don’t often have much time to get a hot meal on the table. Here is a short list of my go-to quick and easy meals to feed my large (and always hungry) family!

• Tacos or Taco Salad – this meal is a bonus as it is also budget friendly! You can try our favorite souped up version of a classic taco salad here – Dorito Taco Salad
• Chicken Broccoli Alfredo – Another budget friendly meal, this one takes 30 minutes or less if you use jared alfredo sauce. I pan fry cut up chicken in olive oil and add italian seasonings while the pasta is cooking. Add garlic bread and/or a salad if desired!
• Sloppy Joes – this one is Isaiah’s absolute favorite! I make my own sauce using ketchup as a base and add brown sugar and seasonings to taste (we like a sweet sauce). Make this even quicker by using a premade sloppy joe sauce. We like to top ours with white american cheese and have tater tots on the side.
• Apricot Chicken – this can be made either in the crockpot or on the stove top. Thaw frozen chicken and add a small bottle of catalina dressing, a jar of apricot preserves and a packet of dry onion soup mix. Serve over instant white rice and steam a veggie if preferred.
• Beef Manhattans – while this requires a bit of pre-planning, the actual time spent cooking is minimal. Prepare a beef pot roast using your favorite method (I like to start that in the crockpot in the morning). Once it’s cooked through and tender, prep a batch of mashed potatoes (instant or scratch both work perfectly). Shred your roast and add a jar or two of your favorite beef gravy. Place a slice of bread on plate, a serving of potatoes on top, then spoon a hefty portion of beef and gravy on top of it all. Simple and delicious – serve with a veggie of your choice!

Each of these meals are household favorites and we very rarely end up with leftovers (because we stuff ourselves). I try to always keep the ingredients stocked for these quick and easy meals so I can throw them together whenever I am crunched for time but don’t want to order take-out.

Looking for more quick and easy meals? Check out my list of Kid Friendly Breakfast ideas!