Being a parent can be hard. Of course, that is not breaking news to anyone with a child, but it is still important to note. From having to leave work early to bring them to basketball practice to having to coordinate a ride home from school, there are a lot of challenges one can face as a parent; that includes planning out dinner for the week.
Now, cooking can be really enjoyable, so do not take this the wrong way. Still, after a long day of work and a long night of watching whatever activity your child is participating in, cooking dinner is the last thing you would want to do.
People do have the option to avoid cooking all around by going through the drive-thru at McDonalds, ordering a pizza, sitting down at the 99, and so on. By going with one of these routes, parents give themself and their kids a chance to sit down, eat, and relax, but going out to eat every single night of the week can cost a lot of money.
So, what’s the solution? Take a look below at these three great and easy family meals that won’t require you to stand over the stove for an hour:
Mac and Cheese
Mac and cheese is a classic and easy dinner for you and the whole family. It does get a little less easy if you want to make homemade mac and cheese, but when you go to the grocery store and pick up a box of Kraft or Velveeta, dinner can get a lot easier; making a box of Kraft mac and cheese takes just under 10 minutes.
Pizza Bagels
Pizza bagels are an easy way to save time while still getting food on the plates of your little ones. All you would really need is three ingredients: bagel, cheese, and tomato sauce. Once you have those, you can toss some sauce and cheese on top of a bagel, throw it in the oven, and wait a few minutes for it to be done. Viola! Pizza bagel!
Now, you may be saying to yourself, “why do that when I can just get pizza bagels from the freezer aisle?” If you prefer to do that, knock yourself out! Still, that doesn’t change the fact that making your own pizza bagels is more fun and a lot cheaper. Plus, you get the chance to use any spice packaging set when you make your own. A little basil and/or oregano can really add that extra element.
Chicken Nachos
Similar to pizza bagels, you only really need three ingredients to make chicken nachos: chicken, cheese, and tortilla chips. If you mix that combo together and throw it in the oven for somewhere between five and 10 minutes, you will have yourself a tray of beautiful nachos. But just because it only needs three ingredients does not mean you need to just use those ingredients! Adding salsa, jalapeños, sour cream, guacamole, et cetera can give your nachos that extra edge that will have your family clamoring for them every day of the week.