Quick + Easy Back-To-School Meals
School is back in session and with it comes all the after school/extra curricular activities. That puts us moms into “busy season” where we need a quick and easy meal to feed the family between dance and soccer, homework and band practice! If you’re like me, I always find myself in a rut about three weeks into the school year and we eat the same 5 meals most nights and they get boring fast! Our team at Milk+Honey got together and compiled a list of our favorite quick and easy meals to help shake up your routine a bit, but still keep you running in and out the door quickly!
Taco Night
One of Maria’s favorites is Tacos! This is a great “make ahead” option and offers several meals from cooking just once!!!
“I make a massive batch of taco meat (like 3-5lbs at a time) and freeze it. Then, on taco night, I just heat the meat up on the stove, pop the crunchy taco shells in the oven for a few minutes, plop the sides on the table (lettuce, shredded cheese, salsa, etc.) and we can eat in literally 15 minutes. Note: THESE are my favorite taco shells. They are perfect for grain-free or corn-allergy folks, but more importantly, I think they're just delicious. I get them at my local Walmart.”
Meghan sent me this one - which is great for all you Instant Pot fans!!!
Pot pie over drop biscuits
Drop biscuit recipe: https://www.seriouseats.com/quick-easy-drop-biscuits-recipe
Ingredients for Pot Pie portion:
4 frozen or thawed boneless chicken thighs
3-4 cups of chicken bone broth
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp flour
Salt
Pepper
McCormick all purpose seasoning garlic herb black pepper and sea salt
I bag frozen veggies of your choice
Instant pot
Olive Oil or butter
1/2 cup Milk
Put 4 Frozen boneless chicken thighs into the instant pot with 1/2 cup to 1 cup chicken bone broth. Cook for 30 minutes on medium stew/meat setting. Quick release allows it to sit for 10 minutes and release any excess steam. (I never have time to wait. )
Take chicken out and it should be falling apart tender.
Remove the broth and set aside to use for the gravy part.
Add 2 Tbsp oil or Butter into the instant pot on medium sauté and heat until melted add 2 cloves minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
Add a few TBSP of flour into the pot and whisk into the butter or oil.
Then heat for about a minute.
Add the bone broth you set aside plus 2-3 more cups and whisk into the flour/butter mixture to create a gravy.
Add a little milk, probably about a 1/2 cup.
Add salt pepper and other seasonings to your taste.
Add a bag of frozen mixed veggies into the gravy and heat until tender and thawed.
Shred or pull the cooked chicken and add it back into the gravy mixture.
Make the biscuits and pour the pot pie gravy over top!
(I break one or two of the biscuits up In a bowl and pour the filling over top!)
Alaina sent me a couple recipes her family loves!
Aioli (pasta aglio e olio)
“This link is not the recipe I use. Mine is from my husband’s grandmother, but this one sounds equally delicious and kind of similar. I add basil to mine in addition, and if I have some frozen shrimp to cook up I add them sometimes too. Key things to remember: use the best olive oil you can get your hands on, use fresh garlic (I know pre packaged minced is easy, but the garlic makes this dish) and use real parmigiano or any good Italian “stinky cheese” (as my kids call it). “
Egg roll in a bowl
(She’s talked about this one many times and I’ve yet to try it, but it is currently on my list to try very soon!!!)
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. ground turkey breast (can substitute with ground chicken, ground beef, or ground pork)
1 sweet onion, diced
1 tablespoon sesame oil*
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic**
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ cup less sodium soy sauce
1 (16 ounce) bag coleslaw mix
½ cup grated or “matchstick” carrots
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce (optional, but recommended)
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground meat and cook, stirring, until no longer pink. Drain; return meat to skillet.
Add diced onion, sesame oil, and rice vinegar to the skillet. Cook, stirring, for a few more minutes (until onion is tender).
Add garlic, ginger, soy sauce, hoisin sauce (optional), coleslaw mix, and carrots to the skillet. Cook, stirring, for about 5-7 more minutes, or until cabbage is wilted.
Remove skillet from the heat. Stir in green onions and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
This last recipe is one my kids actually ask for pretty frequently. It comes from the cookbook SkinnyTaste Fast & Slow by Gina Homolka, which has been a favorite in my house and my kids actually like most of the meals I’ve made from it! Plus, they’re all healthy!!! (Seriously - go check it out!!!) All the meals are 30 minutes or less or crockpot/Instant Pot meals. This dish is one that I love because it’s so easy to throw together and my kids love it! It uses ingredients I typically keep in my house, so as long as I have drumsticks, I can throw this meal together and it’s ready when I get home! And if I forget to put it together before I leave the house, I just throw it in my Instant Pot and hit the “poultry” button! BOOM! We enjoy this served over rice with a side of green beans or broccoli (those frozen bags are a huge time saver!!!).
Maple Dijon Chicken
INGREDIENTS
8 skinless drumsticks
1/4 cup pure Maple syrup
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp garlic salt
Fresh cracked pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Season chicken with garlic salt and pepper and place in a slow cooker. Combine maple, balsamic, and Dijon in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour over the legs, making sure the chicken is covered. Set a 6-quart slow cooker to HIGH and cook for 4 hours, or until cooked through and tender.
BONUS: A team favorite quick and easy meal is breakfast - no recipe required. Scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits/toast/bagels, and any fruit we can scrounge up in the fridge!
You can also check out a previous blog we made recently.
Still looking for more ideas? Check out our Pinterest “Quick and Easy Meals” board.
I hope these ideas inspire you and help you out in the season of motherhood. What are your favorite quick and easy dinner ideas?
TERRI - GENERAL MANAGER AT MILK + HONEY JEWELRY