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The below is a quick summary of what I discussed in the podcast episode.
For the full, tip-packed version, head on over and listen to the podcast!

Quick dinners are king, right? Having a few options which take close to nothing to prepare is essential in my opinion to saving your sanity when it comes to dinner time prep.

These dinners that I am going to walk you through require so little hands-on time that you will be forever grateful I’m sharing.

Let’s get this party started.

1. The whole chicken

If you’ve got a slow cooker, you don’t even need to check on it! If not, it’s still as easy to put together. All you need are a few spices to rub in (think paprika & cayenne pepper, cumin, allspice & coriander, oregano, thyme & garlic…), and into the oven or slow cooker it goes.
PS: If I’m feeling really lazy sometimes I don’t even mix the spices, I just literally take a teaspoon and I scatter them over the chicken. That’s it!

Now, I’m going to share another few options that you can make using chicken as a base protein.
You may have leftover chicken from your whole chicken, or you can make extra.
When I had a rectangular large slow cooker I used to cook two whole chickens at once. We used to eat one for dinner and the other I used to debone and freeze to use in other meals.
It’s easy to cook a batch of chicken at one go too. I love boneless, skinless chicken thighs. They’re so tender and they cook so quickly and you can batch cook a whole lot of that in either the slow cooker, or the air fryer, or the oven and then you have a whole batch of chicken ready to be used in different recipes.

Store-bought rotisserie chicken is a super option if you’re tight on time. Pick one up on your way home from work and use it in one of the recipes I’m going to share with you.

2. Tacos

My second second quick meal idea which can be made from the chicken you’ve just prepped are tacos. Tacos are such a winner! Everyone loves tacos. Your picky eaters can fix them to their heart’s content. You’re adding veggies or salad to make them colourful and nutritious. There are carbs in the tacos, there’s the protein from the chicken…so it’s pretty much a complete meal. Add on your favorite dressin or sauce (we actually love Greek yogurt!), and it’s a quick meal that you can put together with your eyes closed. AND everyone is happy.

3. Enchiladas

This is another speedy dinner you can make with your leftover or batch cooked chicken.
Enchiladas are so easy to make. All you have to do is take an oven dish, spread some ready-made salsa on the bottom of the dish and then add the individual tortilla wraps that have been wrapped close and you’ve filled with the chicken, some grated cheese, any veg you have on hand (I love bell peppers which I usually air fry really quickly), maybe a bit of onion, and a little bit of salsa.
Once they’re in the dish, you then pour the remaining salsa on top and add some more shredded cheddar or your favorite cheese and it’s done. Bake that in the oven and you’re good to go. I also love serving this with Greek yogurt on the side. You can do sour cream, but I find that Greek yogurt is great as it has less fat, and I can use up from what I have in the fridge, so I avoid wasting it.

4. Chicken burrito wraps

These can be made using the leftover or batch cooked chicken too. Roast some vegetables (or cook them in the air fryer), and make burrito wraps with the chicken, veg, some cheese, and some BBQ sauce or anything else you and your family fancy.
This is another great way to use up leftover vegetables. It’s also another customizable meal that’s just perfect for picky eaters.
PS: Be smart with your cooking time and maximise it. Make a double batch of veggies, and use half for this one, and half for the enchiladas. That’s 2 meals, sorted.

5. Chicken + veg + potato

This is so easy. And you can swap with any other protein too. Depending on how much time you have, you can opt for oven fries, or maybe making air fried potato wedges, or jacket potato, or even air frying baby potatoes, skin-on (massive time saver). I’ve already shared my tip to making veggies (batch!), and this applies here too. You can totally use frozen veg as well. I’d recommend you roast them, for best results. Picky eater tip: in my case my daughter won’t eat roast vegetables but I know that she likes carrot sticks, so I will chop up some fresh carrot sticks and add them to her dish. That way, everyone is getting a colourful plate.

6. Stuffed veal or pork shoulder

You can buy this ready-prepared from your local butcher. There are a variety of stuffings available too. Super simple – pop into your oven and roast, or, my preferred method of cooking, cook it in the slow cooker.

7. Veggie omlette

Super way to get your 5-a-day! Also excellent to reduce food waste and use up any extra veg you have in the fridge. I always chop extra veg when I am preparing some for a recipe. The omelette is one way I incorporate more of the good stuff. We have this for lunch sometimes too.
Adjust accordingly for picky eater. If it’s ham and cheese they prefer, go for it!

8. Pasta with pesto

I always keep a tub of fresh, organic basil pesto in the fridge, but you can also make your own in minutes! Here are a few ones I’ve tried: basil, rocket & walnut, almond & broccoli and avocado & sundried tomato, and a spinach, pine nut and Parmesan one which is gorgeous. This is one of the favorite recipes that we have inside The Dinner Plan and it’s been a hit since day one.

9. Ravioli

I am going to suggest another pasta dish you can never go wrong with: ravioli.
Super simple: classic ricotta ravioli topped with a store-bought tomato sauce like marinara sauce (plain or garlic infused tomato sauce – marinara is actually a fish-based sauce in the Mediterranean), and some grated Parmesan and fresh basil. Finish off with some sea sale and freshly grated black pepper and you’ve got yourself a stellar, quick dinner.

10. Steak ciabattas

My last meal idea from my 10 fabulous quick dinners is Steak Ciabattas.
All you need to do is just grill or pan fry some steak with some olive oil and salt and pepper, and maybe some garlic if you have time (you can use frozen, chopped garlic, so speedy!)
While it’s cooking,slice your ciabatta bread, or anyother bread of your choice. You can use baguettes, or a loaf, but I like ciabatta bread as it’s nice and meaty and crusty as well
When the steak is cooked, put it inside the ciabatta and top it with some fresh rocket leaves, Parmesan shavings and some freshly cracked black pepper and some sea salt. You can thank me later…

Not that you have my amazing list of 10 quick dinners which you can whip up really quickly, think about what an impact these quick meals together with batch cooking could have on your day-to-day.
Really try and imagine it: whipping up dinners in 10 to 15 minutes. Batch cooking once a week…all you need is a few extra minutes to double or triple a recipe – that’s it!
Then you’ll be able to enjoy multiple no-cook-days every single week.

Being smart about how to manage your time in the kitchen will give you access to more time to use as you please.
It will mean different things for all of us, and your extra time and the way you use it will change according to what season of life you’re in. It may mean more family time, more me time slower days, quality time with your better half, or just time to simply be. Maybe you’d like to go to the gym or go for a walk, or take up a hobby…or just make time for chores.

Try and at least opt for one of these quick dinners every week and see what a difference it will make for yourself.

Links mentioned in this episode

Free 7 day meal plan

If you’ve enjoyed this blog post you will love my free 7 Day Meal Plan!
It includes two batch cooking recipes which are excellent and so easy to make, as well as 2 other recipes that you can whip up in 10 to 15 minutes. They are different to the ones that I have shared here and you have the exact recipe to follow with the everything you need to get in and out of the kitchen fast.

It’s FREE and also includes a shopping list and a daily prep guide that you can follow so so that you know exactly what you need to do every single day to be prepared.
Go HERE to get your hands on it.