Being a working wife and mom can be difficult. Some weeks, schedules are busier than others with kids activities, work life nights, and working in and around partners schedules with drop offs and pick-ups. Even though everything is planned out, it is still always on our minds.
We might be also be thinking about “what are we going to have for dinner?” or better yet, “what did I plan to make for dinner and do I have the time to do it?” each night. Most of my recipes selections are on point with what I need, but some have been a bust, so here are 10 easy one pot family meals for busy nights that are healthy for the everyone to enjoy.
To help me find my life balance, I drastically improved my mental sanity by meal planning each week. I spend time looking up and finding recipes for my meal plan, but sometimes my plans are just to adventurous that what I intended it to be when I selected them!
Read: Save Money Weekly by Meal Planning!
For example, last week, I bought store ready fresh pizza dough…in my mind I thought that I could quickly and easily make homemade pizzas for my family for dinner… maybe 30 mins total time ready. But no, I was mistaken. It was a busy morning and I forgot to get the dough out of the fridge before I went to work so I took it out as soon as I got home but it was still ‘refrigerator cold’. I preheated the oven and let it sit on top so it would get to room temperature quicker. Once the oven was ready, the dough was ready for rolling. I didn’t realize that it would take me a solid 15 minutes to roll out the dough and at least another 15 minutes to get all of my toppings ready to go…another 30 minutes in the oven to then wait for it to cool down to eat. So my idea of what I actually thought was easy to go on paper, was in fact a very late dinner…and slightly stressful.
Read: 7 Day Family Dinner Meal Plan for Working Women
I won’t ever give up on cooking at night for my family as this is MY stress relief after work, but I have gone back into my meal planning archives and found my top 10 favorite one pot family meals for everyone to enjoy…recipes that are also easy and stress free for any working woman.
One Pot Chicken & Rice by Savory Tooth
This one pot chicken and rice recipe is the perfect weeknight dinner solution, easily incorporating any leftovers in one healthy and tasty dish.
Lemon Shrimp Pasta with Orzo and Asparagus by Well Plated
For your next busy weeknight, when dinnertime survival is on the line, try this fast, yummy Lemon Shrimp Pasta. Creamy, cheesy, and packed with splendid flavor, it’s my idea of “roughing it!”
One Pot Skillet Lasagna by the Recipe Rebel
This Healthier One Pot Skillet Lasagna is loaded with sneaky veggies, ground chicken or turkey, and a homemade tomato sauce making it an easy, healthy dinner that’s ready in 30 minutes! The family will never know!
One Pot BBQ Chicken Chili Mac by Recipe Rebel
This One Pot BBQ Chicken Chili Mac is the perfect meal in one! It’s loaded with protein, fiber, veggies and made in one skillet in 30 minutes! An easy, healthy weeknight meal!
Greek Chicken & Orzo Skillet One Pot Meal by Aunt Bee
I found this recipe in a cookbook my mother in law gave me and knew immediately I had to try it! I love everything in it (especially the feta cheese!) and the fact that it is made in 1 skillet, is just icing on the cake! This was SO delicious and the leftovers were even better the next day.
One Pot honey mustard chicken & potatoes by Cafe Delites
This honey mustard chicken & potatoes is all made in one pan! Succulent chicken thighs oven baked in the best honey mustard sauce makes an easy dinner.
ONE POT CHICKEN PARMESAN PASTA by the chunky chef
All the great chicken parmesan flavors, combined in one easy one pot pasta dish that’s ready in 30 minutes! Less dishes, but a meal with maximum flavor!
One Pot Red Beans & Rice by Southern Bite
This quick and easy Red Beans and Rice is ready in less than an hour and has all the great flavor of the slow cooked variety. The best part is it’s all done in one pot! I don’t know about you, but those types of recipes that don’t dirty up everything in the kitchen are my absolute favorites.
One Pot Creamy Chicken Pot Pie Noodles by Life Made Simple
The comfort of chicken pot pie without all of the work! This one-pot creamy chicken pot pie noodles are creamy, flavorful and best of all, filling!
One Pot Bacon Broccoli Alfredo by Six Sisters
Saving tons of time with this One Pot Bacon and Broccoli Alfredo. Only dirty one dish for your dinner tonight and enjoy a cheesy, creamy, and delicious homemade alfredo pasta.
I hope that this easy one pot family meals for busy nights (for real, actually easy!) helps you find make some easy weeknight dinners and reduces the stress! Let me know in the comments what some of your favorite go-to’s are!
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