Quick Dinner Ideas for the Busy Fall Season

As we continue to transition into the busyness of school, holidays and sports, we find we are low on time and, potentially, the energy to make wholesome dinners.

My business not only makes and delivers wholesome meals to families throughout the Valley, but it also exists to educate and inspire people with cooking hacks and tips to save time, money and stress in the kitchen. 

If you find yourself lacking some dinner inspiration, here are a few tips and real meal ideas to motivate you:

1. If you don’t have a whole Sunday to dedicate to meal prepping (I certainly don’t), then I recommend making double meat or protein when I do make dinner. For example, if you’re making beef tacos one night, purchase and prep double the meat that night and set it aside for a ground beef stir fry later in the week. 

2. Make a menu plan for the week. I always sit down while watching a show on a Sunday night, after the kids have gone to bed, and I write down ideas for dinner that week. Then, I craft my grocery list accordingly, whether it’s pick-up or going to the store. I always have at least 2 nights/week that I don’t have to cook: one night is leftovers, and the other is our splurge or takeout night (thin crust pizza, anyone?). 

3. When I find I’m lacking ideas for the menu, I flip through a couple cookbooks or search “easy healthy dinners” on Pinterest. I don’t typically cook following a strict recipe, but rather get inspiration and ideas from doing this. 

4. Think protein first, then vegetable, then potentially another side when constructing a menu. It’s all about priorities. For example, chicken thighs, Parmesan-sprinkled broccoli and quinoa. 

5. Here’s a few meal ideas that my kids (5 & 10 years old) absolutely love time and time again: 

-Creamy chicken sausage, spinach, and bacon over pasta/cous cous or quinoa (recipe & picture below)

-Taco or Nacho Tuesday — sauté some ground beef or chicken and have a bunch of veggies available to top on some tortilla chips or wrap in a tortilla

-Ground beef or shaved steak stir fry with veggies and rice. I love adding a teriyaki flavored sauce to some ground beef or thinly sliced cheap steak and then adding stir fry veggies to it. Add jasmine or brown rice if desired. 

-Baked chicken thighs with roasted asparagus and potatoes. All you do is season some chicken, throw in the oven and then do the same to the veggies, and you’ve got yourself a wholesome dinner. 

EASY Creamy Chicken Sausage, Spinach, and Bacon Cous Cous

Serves 4-5 

Ingredients: 

-1 package chicken sausage (I love Trader Joe’s)

-1 block of Boursin cheese

-1 cup of chicken broth

-4 cups spinach

-3 strips of bacon

-1 cup of cous cous, quinoa, or a package of pasta

-1-2 T unsalted butter

-Heavy cream, if desired

-Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

Cut bacon into small pieces (I like to use scissors) and add to sauté pan until cooked through. Set cooked bacon aside.

Cut chicken sausage into bite-sized pieces. Add 1 tablespoon butter to pan (I LOVE this one) and melt. Add chicken sausage and brown. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth to the pan with chicken sausage. Add the spinach to the pan and cover until spinach has wilted. Uncover pan and add the Boursin cheese block and stir until melted. Add broth, cream, or butter to your sauce consistency liking. 

For the cous cous or pasta you choose, follow the directions on the box. I like to use chicken broth when cooking any cous cous or rice to lend a richer flavor vs. using water.

For serving, spoon cous cous onto plate, then add the creamy sausage mixture and top with bacon. 

Pro tip: I add a little bit of bacon or Parmesan cheese to vegetables, so that my kids will be sure to eat a lot of them!