3 Quick & Easy Dinner Ideas for Busy Families

A busy schedule shouldn’t mean depriving yourself of delicious, healthy meals. These dinner ideas are not only easy to make, but healthy, too!

Right now, my little family consists of myself & my fiance. We both have busy work and social calendars, so we don’t always have time to cook extravagant dinners. As we both value the importance of eating meals together at home (especially healthy ones), we’ve made it a mission to come up with a few go-to dinners that are not only quick and easy to make, but still filling and nutritious. Check out these quick (and healthy!) dinner ideas for anyone on the go:

1. Spiralized Dinners
My friend gave me a spiralizer as a gift a few months ago, and it quickly became my new favorite kitchen gadget. What is it, you ask? It’s a manual machine that cuts vegetables into “noodles”, which allows you to enjoy pasta-like dishes without all the carbs. This Simple Chicken & Basil Pomodoro Zucchini Pasta recipe (pictured below) is one of my favorites.

Photo courtesy of Inspiralized.com

If the image alone doesn’t convince you to try spiralizing, I spoke with Ali Maffucci, the blogger behind Inspiralized and author of a cookbook by the same title, who explained “The best part about cooking dinner with a spiralizer is that it enables any level of cook to quickly whip up delicious, healthy and creative meals – spiralizing a vegetable takes less than a minute and the noodles are ready-to-cook (and some are ready-to-eat!) I recommend starting with zucchini noodles, if you’re new to spiralizing – it’s the most versatile vegetable with a very pasta-like consistency, especially when sauteed for a few minutes in a pan with some olive oil. Then, top those noodles with a healthy canned tomato sauce (always check your labels to avoid processed ingredients, like sugar) and you have a nutritious, delicious meal in under 10 minutes!”

2. Easy Protein & Veggie Combo
One of the easiest dinners I make at least twice a week consists of throwing a piece of chicken or fish on the George Foreman grill and cooking up some vegetables. I generally season any protein with a dash of sea salt and some black pepper, but feel free to add anything your heart desires. Another option is to slice lemons and place them on the meat before cooking so they soak up some of the flavor. Not only does this combination make for a very healthy dinner, but the protein will help keep you feeling full, so you don’t feel the need to reach for any late-night snacks.

Photo via PBS.org

3. Cozy Stew
Cook some lean, ground turkey in a little bit of olive oil and season to taste. When the turkey is almost done cooking, open up a can of lentil soup and let it slowly heat up on the stove. When the turkey is fully cooked, scoop some into the lentil soup for added protein and a filling, hearty meal. Feel free to top it off with a scoop of plain Greek yogurt, which is a healthy substitute for sour cream. (Tip: make double the amount of stew you plan on eating for dinner so you have leftovers the next day!) This meal is perfect for chilly months when you want to curl up with something warm & delicious.

Picture via BettyCrocker.com

What are some of your go-to quick & easy dinner ideas? Tweet us @coldwellbanker and let us know how you stay full & healthy!

Christian Montiel

Christian is the Senior Manager of Brand Media for Coldwell Banker Real Estate. In this role, he oversees social media for the brand as well as media planning for all national advertising campaigns. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, building LEGO sets and binging TV's latest hits. He currently resides in Miami, FL.