I have a confession to make.
“Forgive me father, for I have sinned. It has been about twenty plus years since my last confession, and it’s very likely I tried to make a pass at you for no other reason than it felt sassy.”
Just kidding, it’s not that kind of reveal, even though my Catholic school rearing steers me that way. I also picture Madonna belting out Like A Prayer while crosses burn in the background. Talk about a weird dichotomy. I blame my parents; they allowed me to listen to her devil music, which in hindsight explains so very much. P.S. I still love Madonna.
In any event, my earth shattering secret, or not so much, is I don’t like cooking during the work week. Gasp. I know, I know. I’m a food blogger and a healthy living one at that and yet I don’t want to hang out in the kitchen and get my cook on. Quick, somebody report me to the foodie police.
Here’s the thing, I don’t like to do much of anything Monday through Friday night. My brain and body shut down the moment my sneakered shoes step out of the office each day, and I turn into a braless creature who tucks her socks into her sweatpants, and only wants to eat ice cream direct from the carton while watching bad reality television. I wouldn’t mind a gorgeous salad either or a warm bowl of soup with a side of cheesy biscuits.
Actually, the food doesn’t matter so much. Sure, tasting good and being healthy are super important, but at the end of the day, it’s all about the time investment. I’m like a man slut, on the prowl for easy, and I don’t mean McDonalds, Burger King or any of the fast food goliaths. There’s easy, and then there’s dirty, and we’d do well to stay away from the latter.
All this to say today I’m sharing
Seven Simple Dinner Ideas for the Work Week
I recognize I’m giving more options than you’d need for a standard five day work week and it’s because I like flexibility, literally.
Let’s begin.
Kirsten’s Breakfast Salad: who doesn’t like breakfast for dinner? This is a combination of sautéed cabbage, red skinned potatoes and scrambled eggs. It comes together quickly and is incredibly filling.
Shortcut: roast the potatoes ahead of time and reheat them in the oven when you’re ready to eat.
Arman’s Parmesan Pesto Pancakes: despite them being pancakes, these savory babies are not breakfast food. In fact, I top mine with sour cream, tomatoes and chives for additional veggie loving, which pairs wonderfully with the zucchini inside.
Shortcut: use a store-bought pesto and prep the dry ingredients on the weekend so all you have to do is add the liquid and zucchini when it comes time to make them.
Super Stuffed Oven Baked Potato: a giant packed potato is easy and delicious and depending on your toppings, nutritious. It’s everything you want in a meal.
Shortcut: roast the potatoes in the oven on the weekend when you’re doing laundry or watching bad reality television so all you have to do is pop it into the oven for a quick reheat. While the potato is reheating, you can get your toppings ready.
Kirsten’s Fattoush Dip. The Hubby and I have actually shared this very same dip for dinner on more than one occasion. While it has all the pretense of an appetizer, it’s a meal in itself, without even turning on the stove.
Shortcut: sub the homemade hummus for a store-bought one, and from there it’s a few fast minutes of chopping.
Jenn’s Sweet Potato Chickpea Burgers: I eat these on a near weekly basis with a quick side of roasted broccoli, green beans, asparagus or even Brussels Sprouts.
Shortcut: make a double or even a triple batch and then freeze them. You’ll happily live off them for months. When it comes time to eat, it’s a simple trip to the oven. While they’re heating away, you can prep your side dish.
Homemade Vegetable Pizza: where sautéed veggies are covered in a pillows of delicious cheese, all on top of a whole wheat crust.
Shortcut: use store-bought pizza dough, and sauté your veggies ahead of time, so all you have to do is assemble when it comes to make it.
A Sexy Salad and Butternut Squash Cheddar Drop Biscuits: is anything but boring. In fact, with the right toppings, a salad can be incredibly satisfying, magically delicious and most importantly, easy. If you’re eating a bowl of greens, make sure to add some protein and fat in the form of cheese, eggs, beans, avocados, and nuts with an olive oil based dressing.
Shortcut: make the biscuits in mass quantities ahead of time and then freeze them. A simple trip to the oven will bring them to life while you focus your efforts on the salad. You can also make the hard-boiled eggs days before and have them at the ready.
At the end of the day, I really do want to eat well, I just don’t want to work for it, which is why these simple dinner ideas with shortcut hacks are week night life savers for me. Plus, it gives me more time to cocoon on the couch or prance around to Madonna.
Are you too tired to cook after work too? What are your simple dinner ideas? If you’ve got a post on this topics, please feel free to link it up in the comments below. The more, the merrier.
Super round-up, Meg! I’m with you about spending minimal amount of time in the kitchen on a weeknight- laborious meals just ain’t happening Monday to Friday if I can help it! Lately I’ve been taking batch cooking a bit more serious to make sure there’s always something in the fridge I can just heat up. Lately I’ve been loving roasted veggies (broccoli, kale, sweet potato are a few faves currently) mixed with grilled tofu and hummus…hands-on time is pretty minimal and I just let it cook while I’m in the middle of doing something else i.e. watching telly ;)!
Khushboo recently posted…Why I stopped Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Program
That sounds delicious and easy which is the whole point.
I’m with you. I’m a batch cooker through and through.
Meghan recently posted…Seven Simple Dinner Ideas for the Work Week
You tuck your sweatpants into your socks? Ha ha ha. So awesome. Okay so I don’t have a single recipe to share because I can’t cook worth crap but I really like the idea of those sweet potato chickpea burgers! I’ll try ’em and see if we all survive. I bet my toddler would really like them too.
Suzy recently posted…Woozy Wednesday: There’s No Thinking Outside the Box
Those sweet potato burgers are among my favorites. Double the batch! Also they’re a little spicy so you might want to cut the hot peppers if need be for the toddler,
Meghan recently posted…Seven Simple Dinner Ideas for the Work Week
Meghan,
At some point I hope to add ‘pressure can half pints of beans so you’ve got beans ready to go’ but I’m not there yet. I’m staring at my pressure canner knowing that today is the day I’m christening it. I made a ham stock (with a leftover ham bone and a soup pack) on Monday, and today I will scrape off the fat and pop it in the trash just in time for garbage pick up, then boil the stock, put it in hot jars, and do something with a jiggling petcock.
I am not making this up.
Once the petcock is jiggling to my satisfaction (not too much, not too little) it’s a simple matter of timing–just like when we canned tomatoes.
Then I will have jars of stock. Chicken, beef, and vegetable stock will come long. I can only hope that these will help streamline meals.
Meantime, I could really go for some fattoush. The sunlight in the evening is making me crave it.
Thanks!
Kirsten recently posted…Mediterranean Chopped Salad Concept Recipe
Oops, I misunderstood the labels.
So, the petcock is the little thing with the opening at it’s tip that sticks up out of the lid of the canner.
Once the petcock is leaking continuously, I’ll slip the weighted gauge over the petcock. Then adjust the heat so that the weighted gauge jiggles satisfactorily.
Ahem.
Kirsten recently posted…Corned Beef, Cabbage and Dubliner Pizza
I don’t know what a petcock is but I might be aroused now. 🙂
Meghan recently posted…Seven Simple Dinner Ideas for the Work Week
Madonna is coming to Edmonton! You should come visit… except that you won’t be able to see her because her tickets sold out in like 15 minutes 😆 Craziness. And you know my lax approach to dinners and cooking in general… This is why I end up eating breakfast for dinner so often — I just can’t be bothered to whip up a fancier meal just for me. And i’m still bitter that I got screwed on the leftovers this past Sunday…
Amanda @ .running with spoons. recently posted…. flourless morning glory muffins .
This is why snack plates are a perfectly acceptable meal option.
Meghan recently posted…Seven Simple Dinner Ideas for the Work Week
Lol to Madonna and her devil music — explains SO much. And ps i still put on the immaculate collection, usually on airplanes. And yep im the same– nothing gets cooked during the week. I either go out, order in, pick up or cleverly make something* quick and easy (*I’m talking about cereal). I love this post — can you please organize all the other aspects of my life now please?
Charlotte @ Commitness to Fitness recently posted…The 30-Second Workout
The Immaculate Collection was one of my favorite CD’s growing up. I still love it and can recite most of the lyrics.
An organizer huh. I think I just found my new calling. I will be happy to organize your life. I accept payment in the form of cheese.
Meghan recently posted…Seven Simple Dinner Ideas for the Work Week
“life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone…… ” and then the gospel singers come out, that always made me sing and clap.
ok so now i get it. this is why i love you. Madonna. yup, that’s it.
so i was a total nerd as a kid, and would spend all my free time lip syncing and dancing to Material Girl and Like a Virgin. well, when i was 11 i decided to be bold and entered a small lip syncing contest… girl, i actually won! $20 for doing my little Material Girl thing in front of my super jealous and bitchy mean-girl peers. i made my costume out of old gymnastic leotards and cutup leg warmers… we were poor. like “poh” at that time. it was the best day of my freaking life back then. OMG can you imagine???? i will always love that woman, and her damn biceps. remember her movie “who’s that girl” ? that was on repeat in our VCR at home during the summer… yup total nerd over here.
i’m with ya on the weekly eat being no fuss what so ever. last night i heated up a box of soup. i made it fancy by adding frozen greens. and made sourdough toast. fancy!
You won! Now that is awesome. Please tell me you have a video or a picture of this. I need to see this.
I had toast the other night for dinner too with a side of reheated soup. Great minds think alike.
Meghan recently posted…Seven Simple Dinner Ideas for the Work Week
I need to start making stuffed baked potatoes. It’s one of those things I’ve been meaning to do for way too long and somehow keep forgetting. Every time I see one of yours I make a mental note, this time it needs to stick! Arman’s pancakes look amazing too.
Michele @ paleorunningmomma recently posted…A Day In the Life WIAW
Stuffed potatoes are so easy and customizeable too, which would be a huge plus with the kids. You can mix and max the toppings to their hearts content.
Also, Arman’s pancakes are the bomb. Anything with pesto makes me happy.
Meghan recently posted…Seven Simple Dinner Ideas for the Work Week
I am really simple when it comes to dinner and meal planning, even when I am not working in an office/full time….I love stuffed baked potatoes and that’s something I eat several nights a week!
meredth @Cookie ChRUNicles recently posted…Reader Questions Answered!
We go through a lot of potatoes here too, and I love I.
Meghan recently posted…Seven Simple Dinner Ideas for the Work Week
I am 100% with you on not wanting to cook during the work week. And since I don’t have to cook for anyone else, lately I’ve just been doing the food prep and tupperware thing, eggs, salads, or breakfast for dinner. It just makes life easier.
Sam @ Better With Sprinkles recently posted…So I’m Running Half Marathon.
It does make life easier, and I’m right there with you on eating for one. Although I usually make enough for the masses when I prep so I can send some back to school with the Hubby and keep a little for myself. 🙂
Meghan recently posted…Seven Simple Dinner Ideas for the Work Week
I actually just stopped writing about food for the most part because I was like, aint nobody wanna see me microwave a hot pocket.
For real though, I’m trying to do exactly what you’re saying in this post – keep it simple during the week so I can eat well but not get stressed out.
Sara recently posted…clam bakes and trips to the cape.
Simple is best when you’re got a lot on your plate. Who wants food to be a stressor? Not me, so I say embrace those spuds. 🙂
Meghan recently posted…Seven Simple Dinner Ideas for the Work Week
Love this! These are all such great ideas. And you know what? I totally agree with you. When I was doing my internship, I would do most of my food prep on weekends because when I got home from a long day at 7 pm, all I wanted to do was eat and crash on the couch. I need to get back into doing food prep again once I start my new job! I also want to make heavy use of my slow cooker.
Chelsea @ Chelsea’s Healthy Kitchen recently posted…Miso Edamame Dip
I bet you are super excited to start the new gig!!!
I need to do more with my slow cooker too. Why am I not using that regularly? Dammit, that needs to change.
I had squash for dinner tonight and thought of you.
Meghan recently posted…Seven Simple Dinner Ideas for the Work Week
If you’re getting arrested by the foodie police, then I guess I am too. I’m guilty of turning into a braless creature who does NOT love the idea of cooking after a long day of work or being out of the house either. No shame. And these are some good ideas! The sauteed breakfast salad listed is particularly interesting.
Kaylin @ Enticing Healthy Eating recently posted…Apple Potato Hash with Granola Topping
The foodie police are going to haul us away. Oh no!
The breakfast salad is my new favorite way to eat cabbage. It’s also tastes fantastic and feeds a small army.
Meghan recently posted…Seven Simple Dinner Ideas for the Work Week
What lies you tell. You don’t eat those veggie burgers with veggies. You ate them with cheese AND a bun. How unhealthy of you. 😉
Arman @ thebigmansworld recently posted…What I Ate Wednesday Link Party #214
Of course I eat them with cheese and a bun. Duh! Is there any other way? Also, do not call my buns or cheese unhealthy, Judas!
Meghan recently posted…Seven Simple Dinner Ideas for the Work Week
Ooh that Fattoush Dip looks awesome. The boyfriend and I enjoy snacky wine parties for 2 on the weekends and that would be a lovely addition.
My go-to weekday meals are pretty simple. I always have a huge batch of Chipotle Black Bean Burgers from Iowa Girl Eats in my freezer at all times, as well as other random freezer meals I’ve stocked up on (currently: eggplant parm). Salmon tacos and enormous salads are also easy favorites. (PS- that veggie pizza totally reminded me of garlic naan pizza and made me very nostalgic. Time for a recreation at home I think)
Yes, yes, I love the dip. Seriously I can’t wait for summer tomatoes to make it again. I eat it almost weekly in the summer. There’s something so simple and yet spectacular about it.
I must try these Black Bean Burgers.
Meghan recently posted…Seven Simple Dinner Ideas for the Work Week
This is great – I always have so much more time to cook and bake on the weekends, so make-ahead meals are a must! Especially excited to try those sweet potato chickpea burgers…
Alyssa @ RenaissanceRunnerGirl recently posted…Miniature Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cake
Those sweet potato chickpea burgers are my favorite. I start to freak out when my reserves run low.
Meghan recently posted…Currently: March 2015
Some very good options– thanks for introducing me to Arman’s waffles and Kirsten’s hummus. I would point out that you are still cooking a lot more than the average person does, even if some of your prep (logically) occurs on the weekend. You are doing a great job of keeping it healthy.
Mary @ Fit and Fed recently posted…2015 Pacific Coast Adult Sectionals Part I
It’s definitely not take out that’s for sure. : Some cooking is involved, although I try to keep it mostly minimal during the week. Then again, there are nights where a bowl of cereal with a side of toast happen.
Thanks Mary.
Meghan recently posted…Currently: March 2015