We’ve all had it happen to us. Those nights where we forgot to plan for dinner, ran out of time or didn’t have a chance to pick up groceries. While takeout is an option, it isn’t really that quick, easy or healthy. You have to figure out how long will it take to get your order. The choice between going to pick it up or wait for it to be delivered.
Instant dinners and fast food are high in salt, sugar, carbs and trans fats. Low in everything we need for a wholesome diet, namely vegetables and whole grains.
Here are three meals that truly take only 30 minutes to make. They are made with pantry staples so you can turn to them no matter what else is going on in your busy day. Best of all, they are SIMPLE. So you can take a deep breath at the end of a busy day and enjoy a healthy meal.
Dinner Idea 1: Super Nachos
Homemade nachos are a great way to sneak in extra vegetables and protein. The refried bean “sauce” is what makes these nachos super! It also is a great way of hiding all those extra vegetables.
1 green pepper
5 spring onions
1 red pepper
1 bag of corn chips
3 Roma tomatoes
1 can of refried beans
1 cup of water
2 to 3 cups of grated cheese
Salsa, guacamole and sour cream
Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
Finely slice the spring onions. Dice the peppers. Slice the Roma tomatoes in half. Remove the seeds, then dice the tomato flesh.
Spread the corn chips out on a rimmed baking sheet. Cover with the vegetables. Pop the baking sheet in the oven for 7 minutes, to lightly cook the vegetables, while you prepare the refried bean sauce.
Scrape the refried beans out into a bowl. Add 1 cup of boiling water and stir to mix thoroughly. It should be a thick, white sauce-like consistency. You may need to add more water, depending on the consistency of the refried beans.
Pull the corn chips out of the oven. Spread the refried bean sauce over the whole sheet. It doesn’t need to be in an even thin layer. The sauce softens the corn chips, so it’s actually nice to have some chips without the refried beans so they are crunchy.
Cover the whole baking tray in cheese. Pop the baking sheet under a broiler, and cook until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
Serve immediately with salsa, guacamole and sour cream.
Dinner Idea 2: Veggie-Packed Frittata
Though eggs are thought of as breakfast, there’s no reason not to make them for dinner! Packed with protein and quick to make, they are the perfect go-to dinner. Try fried egg sandwiches or scrambled eggs on toast with a salad.
This particular dish is a cross between a traditional frittata and a quiche. It skips the added milk so that it cooks up quicker. It’s a simplified version that makes it a perfect stress-free dinner.
1 small onion
8 eggs
1 red pepper
3⁄4 tsp salt
1 small zucchini
1 Tbsp butter
1⁄4 tsp ground black pepper
1⁄2 cup grated cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
Finely dice the onion and pepper. Grate or finely slice the zucchini. I find grated zucchini tends to disappear in dishes, making it more kid-friendly.
Heat the butter in a large, oven-safe frying pan. Add the vegetables and sauté for 5 minutes, until softened. Remove from the heat.
Beat the eggs, salt and pepper together in a small bowl.
Pour the eggs over top of the cooked vegetables, in the hot frying pan. Stir once to make sure everything is evenly mixed. Top with the grated cheese.
Place the frying pan in the oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the eggs are set. Serve immediately with slices of toast.
Carrot Almond Soup
When you’re juggling work and children, cooking dinner becomes a chore that takes away from spending time with your kids. This soup is the perfect solution for that. Why? Because there’s very little chopping. Seriously! Everything is pureed at the end, so there’s no need to slice or dice. Just quarter those onions and you’re done!
2 onions
6 carrots
2 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp bullion powder (or one cube)
5 cups of water
1 bunch each parsley and cilantro
1 cup ground almonds (almond meal)
1⁄2 tsp salt, to taste
Peel and quarter the onions. Roughly chop the carrots. Peel the garlic.
Place the vegetables in a soup pot with the water and bullion cube.
Wash the parsley and cilantro. Tear off about 1⁄4 cup of leaves for a garnish. Then put the whole bunch, stems and all, into the soup pot.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the carrots are soft, about 20 minutes.
Puree the soup (including the parsley and cilantro stems). I find this easiest with a stick blender, but you can do it by moving it to a regular blender in batches. Stir in the ground almonds and salt. Taste, and add more salt if needed.
Serve with a slice of buttered bread and a garnish of fresh parsley and cilantro.