When your day just doesn’t go as planned or you simply don’t feel like cooking up a storm, here are four super easy “real food” dinners that can be whipped up in 15 minutes or less. That’s faster than the pizza delivery man. And most of these meals are made from ingredients with a decent shelf life that don’t have to be defrosted or prepared in advance. So if you pick up some of the suggested “items to have on-hand” the next time you’re at the store then you’ll be all set the next time you suddenly need to whip up a super quick wholesome dinner. Please also feel free to share your easy and fast “real food” dinner ideas in the comments below.
- Spaghetti with Sautéed Onion/Veggies
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Items to have on-hand:
- Dry organic whole-grain noodles – Look for a 1 or 2-ingredient organic pasta product that contains something like “organic whole durum wheat flour” and maybe “water” (avoid “semolina” because that is the refined version of whole durum wheat)
- Jar of organic spaghetti sauce – Eden Organic “no salt added” spaghetti sauce recommended (pictured)
- Olive oil or butter – For sauteing the veggies
- Onion - I always try to have onions in the house…they have a fairly long shelf life and can be used in so many different recipes
- Fresh (or frozen) organic vegetables – Some veggies that would nicely complement this dish are zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, and mushrooms
- Optional items – Freshly grated parmesan cheese, fresh or dried herbs for added flavoring of the sauce
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Simple directions:
1. Boil pasta according to package directions. Once the water is boiling most noodles take 7 – 10 minutes.
2. While noodles are boiling dice about a quarter of an onion. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil (or butter) in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat and add the onions.
3. While the onions are cooking dice/chop the veggies and add them to the pan with the onions. Turn the heat up to medium and sauté until veggies soften, about 5 – 7 minutes. If you are using frozen veggies heat them up according to package directions or throw them in the pan to defrost/cook.
4. Once the veggies are tender pour the jar of spaghetti sauce into the pan. Spend a few minutes warming up the sauce and then taste test to see if it needs anything else (like salt, pepper, or herbs).
5. Drain the noodles and divvy them up. Pour the veggies/sauce over top and garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese (if using).
- - Scrambled Eggs with Fruit (with Optional Greens and/or Sausage)
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Items to have on-hand:
- Eggs – I don’t know about you, but eggs are something I always try to have stocked since there are so many uses…also local, pastured and/or organic eggs are recommended.
- Organic Butter – For cooking the eggs
- Fresh or frozen organic fruit – Any fruit will work
- A whole-grain bread-like item – Anything could complete this meal including whole-wheat sandwich bread (to make toast), whole-grain crackers (like Ak-Mak, Triscuits, or Multiseed), or possibly some homemade whole-grain muffins or biscuits if you happen to have some around
- Optional items – Cheese, jelly (if making toast), kale or spinach, local pastured sausage
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Simple Directions:
1. If using the optional kale or spinach puree it in the blender along with the eggs. I usually figure two eggs per person. If you don’t have greens just crack open and scramble the eggs with a fork. Be sure to season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a medium sized sauté pan over medium-low heat and add a generous pat of butter. Once the butter has melted pour in the eggs. Let them sit for a few minutes before you start to “scramble” them.
3. While the eggs are cooking make the sausage (if using) according to package directions and toast the bread and chop/wash the fruit. If the fruit is frozen run it under warm water to help it defrost (or blend with other ingredients to make a smoothie).
4. Once the eggs are done all the way through sprinkle cheese on top (if using). Serve with the fruit, toast/crackers, and optional sausage.
- - Whole-Wheat Organic Boxed Mac & Cheese with Frozen Peas and Optional Bacon/Hot Dogs (just for the kids…or for the whole family if you are really in a pinch!)
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Items to have on-hand:
- Annie’s whole-wheat organic boxed macaroni and cheese (1 – 2 boxes) – There is only ONE variety of Annie’s mac and cheese that even comes close to fitting the real food bill (pictured) so be sure to analyze the options closely!
- Organic frozen peas – There should only be 1-ingredient listed on the bag…avoid frozen veggies that come with sauces/flavorings
- Optional – Organic grass-fed bacon or hot dogs
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Simple Directions:
1. Boil and make the macaroni by following the directions on the box.
2. If using bacon/hot dogs cook according to package directions. When done cooking chop/dice the meat.
3. Once the macaroni is done and the cheese sauce has been mixed in add the frozen peas (no need to defrost them). The frozen peas will simultaneously thaw while they also cool off the macaroni. Mix in the chopped bacon/hot dogs (if using).
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- Pizza Toast (or Bagels) with a Side of Raw Veggies
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Items to have on-hand:
- Whole-wheat sandwich bread (or bagels)
- Jar of organic pizza/pasta sauce: Eden Organic brand recommended
- Organic cheese: A block of mozzarella is recommended and if unopened will stay fresh for several weeks in the fridge (Avoid the pre-grated stuff because it has a powdery anti-caking additive)
- Raw veggies: Carrots, celery, cucumbers or bell peppers would all be tasty quick side items
- Optional: Freshly grated parmesan cheese (for the pizza), hummus or homemade ranch dip for the veggies
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Simple Directions:
1. Slice the bread/bagels and spread a tablespoon or two of the pizza/pasta sauce on the top. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and heat in the oven (or toaster oven) just until the cheese melts and starts to turn brown.
2. While the pizza toast is cooking wash/slice veggies and make dip (if using). When the pizza comes out of the oven top with grated parmesan cheese (if using).
Good ideas! I made spaghetti last night using an organic pasta sauce and whole wheat organic pasta. After reading your post, I’m going to double-check the ingredients on the brands we’re buying. Tacos are a quick meal for me every other week. I make whole wheat tortillas and refried beans on the weekend. On the crazy weeknight, all I do is brown the ground beef, add seasoning, and heat up the refried beans. We top them with organic salsa, onion, lettuce, sour cream (Daisy brand), and tomato. My son gobbles it up!
One of our “go to” meals is spaghetti also. The other one is Mexican bean dip- we use Lisa’s Mexican beans that have been frozen (or any other beans we have on hand), sautee up some frozen veggies (usually peppers and onions), add a little salsa and cheese and viola! My husband also likes to add some frozen chicken if we have it. Delish and super easy!
Hi Lisa!
First, let me say I love your blog–it’s completely changed our diet for the better!
Where do you get “real food” hot dogs and bacon that haven’t been doused in nitrates/nitrates? Even the ones that say “no nitrates or nitrites” contain cultured celery juice, which creates nitrates and nitrites. Basically, where can I get real hot dogs that aren’t loaded with carcinogens, don’t contain mechanically separated gross-ness (like turkey dogs), and don’t contain rat hair and excrement?
I would also like to know about the hot dogs.
If you have a Traders Joes near you they sell uncured, organic, grass fed hot dogs there for pretty cheap!
Not sure if you saw the other reply, but we’ve found both hot dogs and uncured bacon through local farms. I also occasionally buy Applegate Farms organic from the grocery store.
We’ve actually been able to find both hot dogs and uncured bacon from local farmers at our farmers’ market. I also occasionally buy Applegate organic when I am in a pinch.
This is a great post. I am always looking for quick dinners.
I find that Quinoa is a great grain to have on hand too. It cooks pretty fast, 12 minutes and then I just add some pesto, (homemade that I keep in the freezer), and frozen peas sprinkled with parmesan for a “risotto-like” dinner. Yummy.
I second the quinoa!!!
I will make a quick asian stirfry that cooks in like 10-15 minutes.
I cook up just a little organic chicken, add in peppers and onions, garlic and a little ginger and then some fresh pineapple and a good organic, preservative free soy/teriyaki sauce (Trader Joes has a good non-gmo, organic one available). I top that on TJ’s precooked brown rice…its very filling and yummy! It makes great leftovers as well!
Great ideas!
We make dutch babies, or puff pancakes a lot.
Heat oven to 425 and put in a 9X13 pan with half a stick of butter to melt.
Put 8 eggs, 2 cups milk, 2 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt in the blender and blend til blended.
Open oven, and if butter is melted, pour the mixture into the pan. Close the door and come back in 20 minutes or when the middle is set.
Cut into squares and serve with lemon juice and powdered sugar.
It also works with whole wheat flour, or rice flour and almond milk for my allergic kids.
Carrie,
Thanks for the recipe! I had a surplus of pumpkin purée from my garden, so I added 2 cups to recipe and I subed with vanilla almond milk. I also added a dash of cinnamon, all spice and nutmeg. Yummy! I will be making this again. Much appreciated!
Laura,
Did you adjust any of the other ingredients or just add the 2 c pumpkin with everything else as written? Thanks!
These are some great ideas! My family loves fajitas, so these are most often our go to meal. I keep some cooked frozen chicken on hand and add it to some frozen sauteed peppers and onions. Sautee in olive oil with some salt, pepper and a little chili powder. Add the frozen chicken when the veggies are almost done to warm it up. Wrap in a whole wheat tortilla shell with a little cheese, avocado, salsa, or what ever you have on hand.
We don’t buy boxed mac-and-cheese anymore. I adapted this recipe from smittenkitchen.com. Boil fuscilli pasta. The last minute of boiling, you can add chopped, fresh asparagus. Drain the pasta, but reserve a tiny bit of the water. Crumble up goat cheese on top. (Use your eye to measure. Start small and add.) The goat cheese will melt and form a sauce. Season with salt and pepper, and shred parmesean on top. It’s so easy!
We don’t use packaged Mac and Cheese Either. To make a sauce you just add a tablespoon or so of butter in a pot, add some flour once melted. Once mixed add in milk. Stir the sauce until it thickens. Once it’s thicken then added in some cheese (I used mozzerella). Then add the sauce onto your macaroni noodles.
As someone who goes to school full time and works part time I would love to see more posts just like this. I’m trying to eat better but it’s really hard when I barely have the time to eat! If you have the time I would love to see a meal plan made up of quick recipes like your 10 day pledges.
I always keep pesto and chicken in the freezer. You can add quinoa or pasta and any type of vegetable out there. This is super fast with or without the chicken. Pizza’s are always quick too. It takes only minutes to make a quick pizza crust, add some pesto, veggies and cheese!
Great ideas! For pasta nights in my house we sub zucchini and spaghetti squash in place of pasta. I use a potato peeler on a zucchini and lightly steam it or cut a spaghetti squash in half and cook each half in the microwave.
love it! these are my exact 4 go to meals in a pinch, haha!! only instead of pizza toast, we usually have pizzadillas
We love to do the pizza’s. I do ours on naan I get in the freezer dept and the boys love it because it looks a lot like a pizza and they get to create it themselves. I always make extra meatballs and have some in the freezer and make that one of the toppings besides veggies and things. Also my little guy LOVES corndogs so I to get the natural ones and will cut them up and put them in corn muffins. Just a little cornbread that I whip up and put both the batter and hotdogs in muffins and you have decent corndogs. He LOVES them.
MMMMM, another quick breakfast I have been doing is whole wheat toast, with avocado/crushed red pepper mash and an egg on top…. with a side of fruit…. SO yummy!
I would not call bacon, hot dogs and Mac and cheese from a box “real food.” Bacon has little nutritional value and uberprocessed boxes Mac and cheese does not become “real” because it has an organic label on it. It’s still powdered cheese.
Hi Julia. I think the point of these suggestions is that they are good in a “pinch”…not to be used all of the time as part of a whole food diet, but, something quick that could be thrown together on nights you don’t have time to cook and are probably healthier alternatives to ordering something like restaurant pizza. Hope that helps to clarify it a bit. Jill
We have a few favorite quick meals…
One is fried rice. We saute whatever veggies we have on hand, usually broccoli, carrots, zucchini and then frozen peas and corn (or just frozen veggies if you are short on time!). Then we add leftover rice, and soy sauce. You can beef it up with leftover chicken or an egg or two but many times we just eat it without either of those.
Another is a just leftover rice, black beans, salsa all put in a bowl together and stuck in the microwave until it is warm and then adding shredded cheese as soon as it is out, which melts and makes it really yummy!
We also make quesadillas a lot. Depending on how we are feeling we do just cheese and whole wheat tortillas (Garden of Eatin brand with only 5 ingredients). Other times we add chicken or black beans, shredded carrots or shredded zucchini.
And many times on Sunday nights we eat stove top popped popcorn with a little salt with smoothies (yogurt, frozen bananas, frozen blueberries or strawberries), veggies sticks, cheese slices, and other finger food we can think of!
I’m loving all of this information! I’m trying to revamp my family into being more healthy. There are so many great ideas here. I’ve been going crazy with reading so much, but I can now come here and get the information I need!
I, for one, love Annie’s mac and cheese. I can pronounce all of the ingredients and I don’t feel badly feeding it to my kids upon occasion. I don’t even use the organic. Such a rebel.
“Such a rebel.” LOL
A meal we call “haystacks” organic corn tortilla chips smothered with organic baked beans and cheese, lettuce, tomato, pineapple, sour cream and any other veggies we have on hand. Fast and so delicious!!
[...] tastes SO MUCH better (at least in my opinion). To be honest, I can’t even hardly eat the boxed stuff anymore because the taste of the powdered cheese just doesn’t cut it for me like it did in [...]
[...] shortcuts I think every parent would appreciate. First of all, consider some of the meals on my super quick real food dinner list for those busy weeknights. Secondly, leftovers, leftovers, leftovers! If you are already making [...]