Quick Dinners for Back-To-School
It’s that time of year again, everyone! Backpacks stuffed with brand-new notebooks and pens wait patiently by the front door and lunch boxes are retrieved from the back of pantries.
Many schedules are filled with back-to-school festivities and appointments right now. My own kids are heading to Junior High, High School, AND College, so I’m constantly running around town getting stuff ready for them. This means there’s less time than usual to meal prep and cook for the whole family.
I’m positive I’m not the only one running into this problem, so I decided to put together a list of some of my favorite dinner recipes that are simple and meant to save you time!
Here are twenty quick, easy, and delicious dinners for this hectic back-to-school season!
Unstuffed Bell Pepper Skillet
Filled with delicious flavors and nutrients, this quick skillet meal is a spin on the traditional stuffed pepper that you’ll LOVE. It only takes about thirty minutes to prepare, which can save valuable time! I suggest doubling the recipe so you have leftovers for future lunches and dinners.
3-Ingredient Crock Pot Pulled Chicken
This versatile, interchangeable, quick, and easy recipe is a perfect mix of tangy and sweet. You can add it to almost anything, including soups, salads, tacos, or the recipe of your choice, intensifying the delicious flavors! If you need a super quick meal, make a large pot of this pulled chicken to have on hand.
Turkey and Veggie Skillet Meal
We LOVE one-pan meals here at Clean Food Crush because it saves time, energy, and dishes! This skillet meal is one of my favorites because it’s filled with tasty and nutritious vegetables but is easily customizable so you can alter it for your family’s preferences.
Crock-Pot Sweet Potato + Quinoa Soup
This clean eating soup is wildly nutritious and simple to make. The best thing about crockpot meals, in my opinion, is you can throw everything together in the morning and then come home to a ready dinner that night! That way you won’t need to stress about what to cook for dinner and you’ll know you have something delicious and healthy waiting for you.
Quick & Easy Zucchini Beef Skillet
This SUPER QUICK Skillet Meal is precisely what you need on busy days when you don’t have time to cook an elaborate email. Just gather all those delicious, fresh vegetables, and you’ll have a fantastic dinner ready within twenty minutes.
Cauliflower Fried Rice Skillet
If you’re really pressed for time, then this recipe is the one for you! It takes no longer than fifteen minutes and is filled with veggies and bursting with flavor. And, did you know cauliflower is naturally high in fiber, antioxidants, and B-vitamins? Meaning it can protect against cancer, aid in weight loss, and help improve memory!
Crock Pot Mexican Casserole
Warm those bellies tonight with this tasty dinner idea! If you set the crockpot on low in the morning, everything will be ready when you get home. Or, put it on high, and it’ll be ready in 2-3 hours, which leaves you plenty of time to run errands or get some housework done. Then, when it’s dinner time, I promise you won’t be disappointed!
Baked Lemon Chicken and Veggies
A one-dish meal PERFECT for nights you’re entertaining guests, meal prepping, or a super easy and quick weeknight dinner! If you have a bigger family or if you want leftovers, I suggest doubling the recipe.
Crockpot or Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken
This creamy delight is one of my FAVORITES. It’s comfort food at its finest while still being nutritious and clean eating approved! Your kids will beg for seconds, and I have no doubt this will be a staple meal for your family soon enough!
Spicy Pumpkin Chili
It’s never too early to start enjoying some fantastic pumpkin meals, in my humble opinion! And the start of school means fall is just around the corner, so I’m enjoying pumpkin recipes again. This is one of our more popular meals at Clean Food Crush, and for great reason! It tastes INCREDIBLE and only takes about twenty-five minutes to prepare.
One-Sheet Pan Tomato Pesto Salmon
Thanks to our one-sheet pan method, this salmon recipe is super FAST to put together and even quicker for the clean-up-duty person. The meal can work as a quick dinner, meal prep, or lunch to send to school with your kids!
Crockpot Chicken with Peppers and Mushrooms
Another super-fast crockpot meal for your busier days! Get everything ready in the morning or even the night before, and let it cook all day while you’re running errands or working. Plus, mushrooms are health powerhouses with cancer-fighting properties and many B and D vitamins. Mushrooms are also immunity-boosters and can help lower cholesterol and relieve inflammation!
One Pan Honey Garlic Sausage + Veggies
This is a great one for the crazier days because it’s SO easy and fast to make. Plus, it’s a favorite amongst kids! They’ll love the delicious flavors, and you’ll love all the veggies they’re eating!
One Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
You can never have too many one-pan recipes, especially during busy seasons like these weeks of back-to-school chaos. This particular recipe is FANTASTIC for food prepping and to-go lunches in addition to quick dinners. And just look at those beautiful colors!
Firecracker Chicken
Want to spice up your dinner? The firecracker chicken recipe is the one for you! I hope your family loves it as much as mine does (we have to double and even triple the recipe because it disappears so fast and we love having leftovers!) Remember, you can make this as spicy or mild as you like; it all depends on the hot sauce you use. So, feel free to make it depending on your personal preferences!
Zucchini + Chicken Stir Fry
With this meal, you can be confident you’re getting something delicious and healthy! This is one of the easiest and fastest stir fry recipes we have (you can have it ready in 20 minutes or less!), and it’s LOADED with protein and veggies. And it’s excellent for meal prep since the leftovers taste even better the very next day!
Sheet Pan Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken
This chicken is crazy delicious with a tangy-lime flavor and sweet pineapple complimenting it! Try it on top of brown rice, and you’ve got a super simple meal everyone will love. It’s also filled with health benefits, many of which come straight from the pineapple, which is filled with nutrients, disease-fighting antioxidants, and anti-inflammation and immune-boosting properties.
Easy Roasted Veggies
Veggies are PHENOMENAL when roasted, and it’s super easy to do so! With the high heat, caramelization occurs, and those dark-browned crispy edges are an edible crunchy delight. Pair these with steak bites, delicious chicken, or quinoa and rice for a quick, easy, and incredible meal!
Crushed Garlic Butter Steak Bites
This meal prep and dinner recipe is just as flavorful as it is quick and easy! You can enjoy this on its own or add it to mixed veggies, quinoa, or cauliflower rice. The crushed garlic steak bites will surely be a winner for all the meat lovers in your family!
Creamy Broccoli Soup
This creamy broccoli soup is SO GOOD and full of delicious flavors. It’s not expensive or difficult to make and, as a plus, it’s dairy-free and gluten-free! Load it up with some nutrient-dense veggies, and before you know it, you’ll find yourself with a tasty and healthy meal!
Hopefully, this list eases some of that back-to-school stress for you!
I know this season can be overwhelming, and I want to do whatever I can to help. Eating clean and maintaining a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be a massive source of stress or forgotten when life gets crazy.
So, save a few and plan to make them on your less busy days, allowing left-overs for the nights you’re too busy to cook or for lunch the next day.
Let me know which dinner is your favorite in the comments below!
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