Dinner is Done: Simple Meal Plans

How many times has dinner time rolled around at your house with this question, “What’s for dinner?” If you are like me, it has happened more times than you would like to admit.

So, I created a some simple dinner plan ideas that can be put on the table regardless of whether or not you took the meat out to thaw.  It also requires very minimal ingredients.  Sometimes life calls for a simple dinner plan!  I try to always have the ingredients on hand to put these meals on the table when needed.

Here is my go to list of simple dinners for when you say, “Dinner is done!”

Please make sure each meal is throughly cooked.

Simple Oven Barbequed Chicken

Ingredients:

• Frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
• BBQ sauce of choice ( I used Sweet Baby Ray’s)
• Some type of cooking spray
• salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Spray a 13×9 inch casserole dish with the cooking spray.
• Place frozen chicken breasts in dish (I normally put in 1 breast for each preteen-adult)
• Cover chicken breasts with bbq sauce, add seasonings of choice
• Bake for 45 minutes
• Add in vegetables of your choice or a salad and enjoy

Pizza Muffins

Crockpot Meal – Chili Beans

Ingredients

• 2 cans of Hunts seasoned tomato sauce for chili
• 3 cans of chili beans
• 1 pound of ground beef (If frozen, you will need to thaw out using your microwave defrost setting so you can brown it before placing it in the crockpot.  You can also cook ahead of time and freeze.  You do not need to defrost ground beef if it is already cooked.  Just put it in the crockpot frozen.)
• Favorite toppings – cheese, sour cream, green onions, etc
• Baked potatoes (optional)

Directions

• Brown ground beef if not already done
• Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 4 hours
• Garnish with your favorite toppings
• Serve over baked potatoes for a stand alone meal

Last but not least, this one is an old simple favorite that my kids still ask for almost every week! It just requires the pasta of your choice or what your pantry has at the time and pasta sauce.  You can add a salad and a little cheese to the top for a simple yet pleasing meal and perfect for nights on the go!