Dinner Ideas When You Have No Time To Cook

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It was during the first week we were home from the hospital with Zoey that Rob and I somehow managed to cook real dinners each night. We were so proud of ourselves for actually eating nutritiously and actually cooking in the midst of the newborn phase. We did not even need to break into our pre-baby freezer meal stash for a few weeks. There were even a few times when Rob was back at work that I was able to get dinner mostly on the table when he had to work late.

Fast forward to our current state of affairs with two full time jobs and an active, wants to “help” in the kitchen toddler. Our newborn days of calmly cooking just do not happen as often anymore, especially on bath night. While we still get a nutritious dinner on the table, and cook most nights, we are finding ourselves more often than not with very limited time in our evenings to spend in the kitchen.

Add in the fact that we are adding to our family with our second baby due in June, and I am sure cooking will be even more of a limited thing. While we did just get an Instant Pot and are spending the next few weeks learning how to use it, there are still those nights when a quick meal is going to have to be the answer.

While I do meal plan on most weekends and do a bit of meal prep when I can throughout the week, these dinner ideas when we have no time to cook are the go to strategies we use around the house when meal planning and meal prep either failed, or did not happen.

Bake some chicken and vegetables

I am a huge fan of throwing some seasoned chicken and vegetables into a pan and throwing it in the oven. Within 25 minutes it is done and easily paired with a side salad, some pasta, or a bit of rice. This is a great one because you can get other stuff accomplished while it is cooking. 

Quesadillas

What is more delicious than cheese, tortillas, and avocado? Not much. I like to load my quesadillas with vegetables like peppers, onions, and tomatoes.

Use a rotisserie chicken

This pre-made protein is so versatile! Whether you eat it as is with a side salad, make it into sandwiches, or have it as a Lightened Up Chicken Salad, you will not go hungry.

Make a casserole

Like a chicken bake, a casserole is also simple to throw to together. If you opt to add rice to your casserole, I recommend having some microwavable rice on hand to throw in so you do not have to wait for your rice to cook on the stove top or Instant Pot.

Wraps or Sandwiches

We have been on a serious burrito and sandwich kick over the last few months. We basically put anything in them and call it good. My favorite is a bit of leftover meat (if there is any), some lettuce, tomato, cheese, and toasted bread with stone ground mustard. The best.

Soup and salad

Check your pantry for some soup, or throw some chicken broth, veggies, and pasta into a pot for a one pot dinner. Quick and easy dinner done. Do not have time to make a salad? Then opt for some grilled cheese!

Make a snack plate

I always joke with Rob that my favorite way to eat is to have a bunch of random things on a plate. Put together a snack plate that includes your major food groups with items like nuts and seeds, carrot sticks, cucumber slices, tomatoes, toasted bread (cut into triangles to feel fancier), sliced cheese, and whole wheat crackers. A budget cheese board is always a win in our house as well. 

Raid your freezer

You know that dish you batch cooked a few weeks ago? Well this is the perfect time to use it! If you do not have anything batch cooked, there is no shame in having what Rob and I have dubbed a “little kid dinner” of chicken nuggets and pasta. Get some freezer meal ideas here.

Brinner to the rescue

Scrambled eggs and sauteed veggies coming right up! Even better if you planned ahead and meal prepped a few eggs or burritos. Tap into those freezer items. 

Loaded nachos

There are a few things besides pasta we are guaranteed to have on hand in our house in any given day. Tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and salsa. If we have some tomatoes, avocado, or meat leftovers, then loaded nachos come in for the win.

Veggie-full pasta

We love our pasta around here and regularly make it for a meal. We pretty much dump in all the vegetables we can find in our freezer in a saute pan and then top it with a bit of sauce or butter and cheese.

Vegetarian Southwest Quinoa Dinner Dip

This easy to make meal (literally open some cans), is a family favorite and usually makes enough to feed us for a few days. I highly recommend this one.

If you can manage any one of these meals on your busiest nights in place of either skipping dinner when you are hungry or just picking up take out, then you are doing really well!

Want to take the stress out of meal planning and not worry about running out of time to cook? Get your FREE Meal Planning Guide here to make dinner a more pleasant experience and to save money on your grocery bill. I am giving you all my tips and tricks for how we keep our food budget low and still put healthy meals on the table.