Quick and easy meal ideas for the you and the family this week

Busy lifestyle? I get it, me too. Don’t have the energy to make a big intricate meal, I feel you there. Which is why I have for you a list of quick and easy meals, that are cost effective, that are easy to whip up. Make extras for lunches or late nights when you are working late or have a laundry list of to dos.

Meal #1: Cucumber California Bowl

Love a good California roll? Me too. This was from a video (tagged below) that is currently trending. I am a huge sushi and poke bowl fan so I immediately wanted to try this. Here was my version of the recipe:

First, I sliced two cucumbers on my mandelin. I set mine to a 2 so they weren’t too thick but not too thin either.
I put about 1/2 cup of cucumbers in a mason jar, then topped it with 1/4 cup of crab salad that I bought from Winco
Next, I added half of an avocado chopped, about 1 TBSP of Yum Yum sauce, 1 TBSP of whipped cream cheese, 1 tsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of sushi sauce, a pinch of salt and sesame seeds
Put the lid of the mason jar on and shook for about 1-2 minutes, or until it was well mixed
I put everything in a bowl and topped it with a small drizzle of sushi sauce, sriracha and more sesame seeds

On the side: I made Ling Ling’s pork and veggie potstickers

SOOOOOO GOOD!! I highly highly recommend. I know imitation crab isn’t good for you, so I encourage you to look for some fresh crab or lobster.

Quick side note, I tried this recipe again but changed it even more. I put mango in it, and I HIGHLY recommend!

Here is the link to the original video where I found the recipe: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAY3NgPpm4Z/?igsh=N3Aza2E1bXo2dm5u

Meal #2: Honey Sriracha Cauliflower Bites

Need an idea for a simple dinner? Well, here is one!

Start by air frying or baking cauliflower tater tots (I get mine from Winco). I personally like to air fry them because I feel like they get extra crispy that way. I spray a little bit of avocado oil on them and cook them at 400*F for 10-12 minutes. I also recommend turning them halfway through and re-spraying them.
While those are cooking, make your sauce: 1/4 cup of hot honey, 1/8 cup of ketchup, as much sriracha as you desire (I put 2 TBSP in mine), 1 TBSP of lemon juice and a small dash of sweet chili sauce. Mix and put aside for when your cauliflower is done.
- Quick tip: if you want it spicier and don’t want that strong sriracha taste, try using gochujang sauce instead.
Once your cauliflower is done, you can then put them into the sauce, lightly coat them (I do small batches at a time, so they don’t get soggy).
Top them with sesame seeds and green onions

Serve with sweet potato fries, celery and carrot sticks. Or, brown or basmati rice (or whatever rice you prefer) and steamed broccoli.

Sorry, forgot to take a picture!

Meal #3: Tajin Parmesan “Quesoflips”

his week I decided to challenge myself to limit our groceries to only $200 for the week. Part of this challenge is that I only have what I purchased this week and the items in my fridge, freezer and pantry to use to make breakfast, lunch and dinners for my family and myself for the entire week.

I saw this recipe on Instagram and decided to give it a try. In her video, she uses left over pulled pork, I didn’t have any meat defrosted except two packages of ground beef and one package of ground turkey. So, I changed up the recipe just a bit to fit what I had on hand.

First, I started cooking up the ground beef and adding an entire packet of organic fajita seasoning.
- While this is cooking, I prep all my ingredients for the quesoflips (mini tortillas, queso fresco for my husband and I, mozzarella cheese for the kids, taco bell sauce or sauce of choice, parmesan cheese grated and tajin)
Once the meat is fully cooked, put it to the side. In a separate pan, cook butter or spray oil and cook one side of a tortilla, then flip.
On one side of the tortilla, add a sprinkle of cheese, meat, cheese and fold the other side of the tortilla in half (looks like a taco). Cook for about 1-2 minutes and then flip. When you flip, add parmesan and tajin on the side of the tortilla that was already cooked. Cook for about 1-2 minutes and then remove from heat.
On a plate lined with a paper towel, put the quesoflip down on the side that has the parmesan and tajin. I sprayed the other side of the tortilla with a small spritz of avocado oil and then sprinkled parmesan and tajin on it.
Serve immediately

Assembly and side: On the side I cooked a bag of mexican rice and added some fire roasted corn. I put that in a small bowl and put that on the plate. Next, I added two lime quarters, three queso flips, a small side of plain greek yogurt and three packets of taco bell sauce.

For the kids, I took small snack bags that I had and I cut them in half. Inside the snack bags, I added some cinnamon twists that I got from Sprouts (SOOOO AMAZING BY THE WAY), an apple sauce, and three taco bell sauce packets. I put the little snack bag on the plate along with two queso flips. I also served some chips and salsa on the side (not shown on the picture).

Here is the original recipe post from Anne Fisher: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAcRFamMEII/?igsh=MXM1aGRyNHgyOHpmNw==

Meal#4: Hawaiian Chicken Fried Rice Bowl

is recipe I found on Instagram by Makayla Thomas. Following my challenge of only using what is in my fridge, pantry and freezer, I altered the recipe just a bit. Below you find the link to the original recipe.

First, cook your rice (I used a jasmine ginger rice)
- Next add equal parts of cooked cauliflower rice
While your rice is cooking, prep your chicken. Cut it up into small parts and cook it in a medium-high heated pan with avocado oil. Add salt, pepper, ground ginger, cayenne and a dash of teriyaki sauce
Next, cook your veggies: I used frozen peas and carrots. Once they are done cooking, add three beaten eggs to the pan. Once the eggs are scrambled and cooked, add them to the veggies.
Add your veggie egg mix to the rice. Next, prep your sauce:
- 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
- 2 TBSP soy sauce
- 2 TBSP hot honey
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- pepper
Add your sauce to your rice mix. Add your chicken and serve
Top your bowl with a small drizzle of teriyaki and yum yum sauce and sesame seeds

Original recipe by Makayla Thomas: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAjyfcgyYOd/?igsh=a2h1cGw4NHYzdHky

Meal #5: Margarita Pizza and Teriyaki Chicken Wings

or the pizza:

I had a cauliflower crust out in the freezer from Trader Joes. I let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before applying the toppings.
On top: pizza sauce, mozzarella pearls and shredded mozzarella cheese, sliced tomato (I used a large slicing tomato), chopped fresh basil and Italian seasoning
Baked it for 11 minutes and then drizzled on some balsamic glaze

For the wings:

I cooked the chicken wings in avocado oil for about 19-20 minutes and then took them out of the oil. I patted them dry and then put them in the air fryer for about 5 minutes to get a little more crispy
Once they were done cooking, I put them in a bowl with teriyaki sauce and tossed them (I personally like tossing them when they are hot)

Easy and delicious dinner for two!

Meal #6: Spicy Cajun Salad

I needed a quick and easy dinner because I ended up getting home late last night. I also wanted to something on the lighter side because it was a little later than I typically eat dinner. So, what easier and lighter than a salad?!

Here is how I made it:

I started by air frying the Real Good Chicken (we get ours at Costco)
While the chicken is cooking, build your salad with lettuce of choice (I like the shredded iceberg lettuce), freshly grated pepperjack cheese, pickled jalapenos from a jar, and bacon (I didn’t have any actual bacon, so I used some bacon bits). Once your chicken is nice and crispy, take it out and season it on both sides with cajun seasoning.
Drizzle on some creamy salsa dressing and enjoy!

Meal #7: Simple shrimp and clams in pasta

Start by washing your shrimp in cold water. Next, wash your clams (I used canned clams)
Make your pasta of choice (I used gluten free fettuccini pasta noodles)
While your pasta is cooking, make the sauce for your shrimp and clams:
- 1/2 cup of white wine
- the juice of one lemon
- salt and pepper, garlic powder and red pepper flakes
Cook your shrimp and clams in the sauce
Once the noodles are done, drain all but 2 TBSP of pasta water. Add alfredo sauce to the noodles. And serve!
Assembly: add pasta, shrimp and clams on top of the pasta, and top with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper