Easy Meal Ideas For Busy Parents

Nowadays many parents are busier than ever. In addition to most families being two-working parent families, children seem to be involved in more and more extra activities. For many parents it makes that fast food drive through look really good. How else are you supposed to feed kids quickly? The answer lies in some forward planning when it comes to quick and easy meal ideas, planning and a little help from easy home cooking of course . We have listed below a few quick and easy meal ideas and time saving cooking tips for busy parents.

1) Roast chicken

- Roast chicken? Really, Doesn’t that take hours to cook?? yes it can of course. but, if you box clever, you can slice the chicken through the middle and roast it in around half the time. Have you also considered buying a pre-cooked chicken from the deli counter at the supermarket? The best thing about making a roast chicken is that the yummy leftovers can be used to make chicken salad or scrummy sandwiches for lunch, and many other easy meal ideas. You can also very easily use the leftovers to make a chicken curry or a casserole the next day for dinner.
#2

Lasagna

- This one is definitely one of those make-ahead easy meal ideas, however, lasagna always tastes better reheated (like a lot of home cooked food ) and it can provide enough food for two days dinners. When mealtime arrives, simply warm up the lasagna and prepare a quick salad. You have a well-rounded meal packed with goodness & nutrients. Use whole grain lasagna noodles if you can to provide even more fibre.

#3

Rice cooker meals

- Did you know you can steam rice, chicken and chopped vegetables all at the same time? It’s true. Use your rice cooker to make many of your favourite easy meal ideas. In fact, there’s an entire cookbook written by Roger Ebert of movie critic fame on how to make meals in your rice cooker. Check it out here

#4

Use your slow cooke

r for many of your easy meal ideas – You can cook a chicken in your slow cooker. You can also use it to make casseroles, stews, soups and all sorts of tasty family meals. If you’re pressed for time in the mornings,  prepare it ready for the pot the previous night. Add the prepared items to the slow cooker in the morning and set it to cook while you’re away at work. When you come home, your dinner is ready and waiting for you and your family to enjoy.

#5

Burgers

- Burgers are one of our favourite easy meal ideas, When you buy your minced beef, turkey or even pork at the butchers or supermarket, take it home and press it into burgers. Freeze the burgers. When it’s time for dinner, all you have to do is pop the frozen burgers on the barbecue or under a hot grill or griddle pan.   While the burgers are cooking you can make a Quick & Easy salad with shop bought leaves and some ready washed cherry tomatoes and a tub of ready made coleslaw. Dinner in less than ten minutes. Serve the burgers on wholemeal rolls to provide even more fibre.

Plan your easy home cooking meals for the week and shop according to your list. Try to add in a few make-ahead items. Use your slow cooker and rice steamers to make easy meals ideas while you’re busy doing other things. Take advantage of pre-prepared foods when it makes sense. It’s not always easy to feed a family when you’re pushed for time. A little thought and forward preparation can make it a whole lot easier. Share your Easy meal idea recipes with us Here for others to enjoy.