WRAL: Go-To Recipes for Busy Moms

Weeknight dinners can be tough at our house. Between a full workday, sports activities and other commitments, mealtime can creep up on my husband and me. We have a habit of looking at each other around 5 p.m., shrugging our shoulders and asking, “What’s for dinner??” 

I’m not a Sunday meal prepper, and I’m not a crockpot or instapot mom. Those things take pre-planning, and full disclosure, I’m not so good at the planning. Plus, I never know on Monday what I’ll be in the mood to eat on Friday. People who meal plan well fascinate me for this reason alone.

I’ve tried to meal prep classes, explored crockpot recopies and even thought about buying an instapot to inspire proactive meal behaviors. Alas, I am what I am…last minute and deadline driven.

So, instead of trying to become something I’m not, I’ve accepted that we’re hitting the grocery store at 5 p.m. for a 6 p.m. dinner or cooking around whatever meat is already in our refrigerator. That’s why I have a short mental list of go-to weeknight recipes that support my lifestyle. Below, I’m sharing a few of the recipes we use when we’ve had enough PB&Js, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets and pizza. Bon appetit!