Guest post from Jessica Fisher of Good Cheap Eats:
I don’t think anyone sets out to have a crazy day; they just happen. Cars overheat, pipes burst, and dinner plans crash, and occasionally burn.
A comforting meal – and a home cooked one at that – can save the day, especially when that meal is a quick fix dinner. Yes! You can redeem the day!
Check out these five easy meals that can come to your rescue any night of the week:
1. Quesadillas
Cheese and tortillas offer such comfort, particularly when stuffed with your favorite fillings and dipped in your choice of salsa, sour cream, or guacamole.
While the classic cheese version is good enough on its own, consider tucking in chopped, cooked meats, sautéed vegetables, and your favorite cooked bean.
You can even veer off Mexico Way and fill your tortilla with other flavor profiles; Pizzadillas or melted Brie, turkey, and apricot jam work just as well.
2. Breakfast for dinner
I don’t know about your house, but the folks around here do a veritable happy dance when I serve pancakes, eggs, bacon, and hash browns for supper.
It’s so easy and everyone loves it. No wonder those hobbits planned a second breakfast on purpose!
3. Quick Chicken Saute
Bags of frozen chicken pieces are a must-have in my freezer. Not only can I pull out just the number of pieces I want, but they also cook quickly. Heat a little oil in a skillet; add the chicken and your favorite spice blend. In just a few minutes you’ve got a delicious protein to toss on salads, pasta, rice, or vegetables.
(It sounds too good to be true, but my husband raves when I make chicken this way. Ha! He thinks I’ve done something “special”, but little does he know that nothing could be easier!)
4. Soup
While it’s true that long-simmering soups can be rich in flavor, you don’t need to cook soup a long time to achieve equally delicious results. One of the extra beauties of Soup Night is that soup is very forgiving and can be made from whatever you have in the pantry or vegetable crisper. It’s a great way to use up leftovers, too.
5. Rice and Beans
Our family credits rice and beans for helping us get out of debt. It has also proven its worth as a delicious, quick fix dinner. I mean, Chipotle charges six bucks for one burrito bowl, right? You can feed the whole family for the same!
Dressed up with cheese, sauteed vegetables, and your favorite salsa or guacamole, it’s a great meal that fills you up in no time.
Hungry for more?
My cookbook, Good Cheap Eats Dinner in 30 Minutes or Less, holds over 100 easy dinner ideas that will help you beat the clock without breaking the bank. You can also grab the free month of meal plans and grocery lists that goes with it.
Jessica Fisher loves Jesus, European travel, a 52-year old carpenter, and the crazy life of mothering six kids. She is the author of four cookbooks and multiple to-do lists. You can find her sharing delicious ways to act your wage on Good Cheap Eats. For a peek into her homeschooling, globe-trotting, debt-free living life, check out her parenting blog, Life as Mom.