{Another} Week of Easy Meals

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Life gets busy, but no matter how full life is, everyone still needs to eat! Let this plan help you quickly put together a week of easy meals without sacrificing your health or wallet!

Guest Post by Lisa Burns of This Pilgrim Life

I am excited for the opportunity to share another week of easy meals for those busier-than-normal weeks when quick and easy is a must! Last year I shared a plan for a week of meals that saw us through first trimester fatigue and full summer days.

I told Erin that I was putting together this second list of easy meals in part so my husband could have a ready plan for when our baby is born in a couple of months. Because unless we are camping, I am typically the cook in the family. So whenever I need to hand over the reins, I try to make it as easy as possible.

This meal plan is a win for everyone. More rest and recovery time for me, simple meals for him, and good, nourishing food for all.

Now I know that there are plenty of other times when we need easy meals. The reasons vary from family to family. For us, it’s most often nights when we have church or when I’m exhausted from running errands or after pool nights in the summer.

No matter what your family’s situation, it’s always a good idea to have a plan for easy meals ready to go when you need it.

The meals in this plan are foods families love– pizzas, tacos, soups, pasta. They are just simplified and made easier so each can be made in thirty minutes or less. The key is cooking a chicken at the beginning of the week and then portioning it out for each night’s meal.

If you have never roasted a chicken before, let me encourage you to give it a try!

Roasting a whole chicken can be both a time-saving and money-saving cooking skill. And it doesn’t have to be difficult! The method below only requires five minutes of prep time, and an hour of roasting time in the oven.

I rarely serve the chicken as is after I roast it. Usually we use the meat during the week for quick meals. {Check out this list of twenty meals you can make with roast chicken}.

Use this printable shopping list to help you gather the ingredients you will need!

Another Week of Easy Meals

Start By Roasting a Chicken

The first step in roasting your chicken is removing the giblets from the cavity of the chicken. Toss them or save them– whatever your preference happens to be.

Personally, I like to buy our whole chickens from The Fresh Market, in part for the quality of the meat, but also because when I buy a chicken from TFM, I do not need to worry about removing anything from the cavity of the chicken.

Place an oven-safe pan in your oven and preheat the oven and the pan to 450°.

While the oven is heating, drizzle the chicken all over with olive oil. Use your hands to spread the oil, then sprinkle the chicken with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. (It helps to put some salt and pepper in a small dish before you begin handling the chicken to prevent contaminating anything in your kitchen).

Carefully transfer the prepared chicken to the hot pan and return to the hot oven. Cook for 30 minutes at 450°. After 30 minutes, turn the oven off but leave the chicken in to cook for 30 more minutes.

The chicken is done after an hour, or when an instant-read thermometer reads 160° when inserted in the breast and 170° when inserted in the thigh.

If time allows, you can go ahead and portion out the chicken after it cools. Divide the chicken into two breasts, and two leg/thigh portions. (This video can help if you are new to the process).

If you’re pressed for time and energy, just keep it in the refrigerator to cut off a portion of chicken each night.

Important! Don’t forget to save the bones to make chicken broth!

Meal 1 : Tortellini with Chicken and Bacon

You will use one of the prepared chicken breasts for this meal.

I adapted a favorite recipe of mine for tortellini with shrimp and bacon. Instead of shrimp, I used the cooked chicken breast and also added spinach at the end.

The result was a delicious meal that came together fast. Comfort food in a bowl.

Meal 2 : Pesto Pizza with Mushrooms & Roasted Chicken and/or Buffalo Chicken Pizza

You will use a leg/thigh portion of the chicken for this meal.

This pesto pizza is one of my favorite pizzas to make. My kids love it and besides the fact that it tastes amazing, it’s also a great way to serve up a lot of greens in one meal. (Did you know you can use winter greens to make an amazing pesto sauce in your blender?)

For this meal plan, I substituted fresh mozzarella for the ricotta. You could really use either cheese, but since I usually make our own ricotta, it didn’t fit my thirty minute meal requirement.

In addition to the pesto pizza, I also made a buffalo chicken pizza. The buffalo chicken pizza is another favorite, using a blend of homemade ranch dressing and hot sauce, and then topped with chicken, cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese.

Make one, or make both, these pizzas are as delicious as they are easy to assemble.

Meal 3 : Soft Tacos with Fresh Avocado and Tomato Salsa

You will use the second chicken breast for this meal.

Shred the chicken and heat it in a pan with a quarter cup of water and about a tablespoon of taco seasoning. Keep warm.

Make the salsa by tossing together the following ingredients in a bowl:

• 2 avocados, chopped
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, chopped, (or about 1 heaping cup tomatoes)
• 1 cup queso fresco, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 small onion, minced
• juice from 1 lime
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt

Serve the tacos with corn tortillas, the prepared chicken, the fresh salsa, and sour cream.

Meal 4 : Chicken Soup with Easy Parmesan Breadsticks

You will use the second leg/thigh portion of the chicken for this meal.

Homemade soup is one my favorite things to make because it is so easy to make using whatever ingredients you have on hand. I had leftover rice in the refrigerator, so I made a version of this lemon chicken orzo soup with rice instead of orzo. I also used the half of the onion left from making the tacos earlier in the week.

If your family can eat bread, making a quick side of breadsticks is a great way to round out the meal. Salads would also make a good addition if you want something else to accompany the soup.

 

Meal 5

We often plan a night to use up leftovers in the refrigerator, and so I left the last night of the week to do just that. We had leftovers from each of these meals and chances are you will too.

If you find yourself at the end of the week without leftovers, maybe one of these other ideas will help:

• Breakfast for dinner
• Sheet pan nachos
• 50 scrumptious salad recipes
• 30-minute fried rice
• 15 real food weeknight meals

What is an easy meal you love to make on busy nights?