Five Easy Family Dinners We Actually Eat
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only share products I genuinely love and personally recommend.
I’ve mentioned before that I hate cooking.
I will say, though, that planning to share my hatred for cooking has actually made it a little easier to do. But regardless, it’s still not something I love. It’s just something that needs to happen so my family doesn’t… you know… starve.
Recently I tried outsourcing this task, and while it was nice not having to cook, I quickly realized I didn’t love not knowing what everything was made with. Either that, or there was never enough protein. Why is there never enough protein?
I don’t think we’re super protein-heavy people… but maybe we are? Or maybe I just know too much about nutrition to feel okay with half a chicken breast for dinner.
Why is there never enough protein?
Another reason I’ve realized I need to cook more is that Walter has really started eating.
I was on a work trip recently and he ate all of the steak from a meal I outsourced. The portion was supposed to feed two adults… and he finished it himself.
Needless to say, he’s definitely my son and enjoys eating his muscle food.
So with that said — what are our easy go-to dinners?
These are going to be so simple that you’ll probably think, “well… duh.” But the problem I’ve found is that sometimes the “duh” meals are the ones you forget about. So this is my reminder to you (and myself) that dinner doesn’t have to be complicated to taste good and keep everyone fed.
Since I hate cooking, you can expect me to use every shortcut possible.
Our oven, air fryer, and rice cooker are my best friends.
“Reno Bowls” (aka Salmon Rice Bowls)
Rice:
Jasmine rice in the rice cooker (~20 minutes)
Salmon:
Air fryer, straight from frozen
Veggies:
Frozen mix in a skillet — usually:
cauliflower rice
fire roasted corn
peas & carrots
mukimame
I usually throw some taco seasoning on them.
Sauce:
Low-fat mayo + sriracha
(I don’t mix them beforehand — they go straight from the fridge into the bowl and get mixed there.)
Extras:
Avocado if we have it (either fresh or the small ready-to-eat cups)
Total time: ~20 minutes
The salmon usually takes the longest, so I start that first and then the rice.
Enchiladas (Sam’s Club Shortcut)
For about $15 I grab a pan of chicken enchiladas from Sam’s Club. They have red or green sauce, but we usually get the red.
They go straight into the oven.
Sides:
Greek yogurt as our “sour cream” (we’ve done this for years for the extra protein)
Tortilla chips + Mexicali dip if we want something else with it
Total time: ~60 minutes
This tends to be more of a weekend meal for us since it takes a little longer.
Steaks + Rice + Veggies
The hardest part of this meal is honestly remembering to thaw the steaks.
Steaks:
Sear about 2 minutes per side, then finish in the oven in the same cast-iron pan for 10–15 minutes.
Both of my boys prefer their steaks pretty rare.
Rice:
I usually make Long Grain & Wild Rice (~25 minutes), so I try to plan around that timing.
Veggies:
Whatever we have — frozen or fresh.
If I’m using fresh broccoli, I toss it in the cast-iron with a little oil, salt, and pepper. Once it starts to change color, I add about ¼ cup of water and cover the pan so it can steam a bit.
Total time: ~40 minutes (including oven preheat and boiling water)
“Poor Man’s” Ramen Bowls
Protein:
1–2 lbs ground beef
Sometimes I add onion and garlic, or just seasoning.
Carbs:
Ramen noodles (the cheap kind works perfectly)
Veggies:
Frozen peas & carrots
Sauce:
Hoisin
Soy sauce
Sriracha
We keep everything separate and build our bowls, which is great if you’re tracking macros or want more or less of something.
Like the other meals, sauces that don’t need to be heated stay cold until they’re mixed into the bowl.
Pasta + Whatever Meat We Have
This is basically our “use whatever is in the fridge” meal.
Pasta:
Protein pasta (any kind)
Sauce:
Any red sauce
Protein:
Whatever meat we have — the other day I used thin sliced steak and cut it up.
If I don’t have cooked meat ready, I’ll:
thaw ground beef and season it (garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning), or
use pre-made chicken from Sam’s Club that I keep frozen.
Veggies:
Whatever is around — I recently used frozen cauliflower rice and peas & carrots.
Cook the meat, add the veggies, then stir in the sauce to warm it up. Pasta cooks separately, then everything gets combined.
Sometimes we’ll add sourdough bread on the side if we have it… but that’s not guaranteed in our house.
So those are our super simple go-to dinners.
Nothing fancy. Nothing complicated. Just meals that keep everyone fed without spending an hour in the kitchen.
Hopefully this helps someone else answer the daily question of: “What’s for dinner?”
