I will be honest; I struggle in the different “mom roles” from chauffeuring around kids to keeping up with daily chores. I have little time for elaborate meal preparations.

On many weeknights, the kitchen becomes a race against the clock. With dinner looming, and my energy dwindling, the last thing I want is to spend hours in the kitchen.

Thanks to Costco for some of my favorite meal shortcuts that I want to share with you to make quick and easy meals, keeping meal prep and cook time to a minimum – around 15 minutes tops.

Because let’s face it, after a long day, even 30 minutes can feel like an eternity.

Join me as I share my favorite time-saving tips and meal combos for delicious meals that leave you more time to unwind and less time scrubbing pots and pans – woohoo!

Beef, green beans & roasted baby potatoes

This meal was a HIT with my entire family and that is saying a lot! It is rarely that I find a meal that everyone eats and cleans their plate. Plus, I am so happy to get in a good source of iron for my daughters that have low blood iron levels.

My son LOVED the sirloin and asked for seconds! Again, a growing teenage boy needs all the nutrients. The flavor of the sirloin is restaurant-worthy! It is so good!

The sirloin comes in two vacuum-sealed packages. I only used one package for this meal and saving the other one in the freezer for another meal.

I diced up the baby potatoes and placed in the air fryer for 10 minutes. After, I added a little butter and seasoned with everything but the bagel seasoning.

As for the green beans, I just boiled them in a pot on the stove and they were delicious with nothing on them. I could not believe how my kids ate them when they are not fans of canned green beans.

Chicken burgers, salad kit & fruit

So easy and delicious! The chicken burgers are flavored and are already cooked so you can heat them up in a couple of minutes and place on the whole grain bun (or whatever you prefer). The Amy Lu chicken burger provide a great source of protein at 18 grams per serving.

Any salad kit will do, this is a fun chopped salad kit from Target, Good & Gather Dill Pickle Chopped Salad Kit. I love the flavor and the crunch of the chips – genius!

Add any fruit you enjoy; the golden kiwis are a favorite at my house. And if you are not a fan of green kiwis, I would suggest trying the golden variety. They are not as tart as green variety. Plus, kiwis are high in fiber and have more vitamin C than an orange (oranges are great, too!)

Indian night!

This meal idea may not be super authentic, but it is fast, delicious, and packed with nutrients.

The chicken tenderloins are smaller than chicken breasts and cook quicker. I am using this simple Tandoori Dry Rub recipe. My family is not a fan of the saucy Indian-inspired chicken entrees and there are many options at Costco, but we have not found a product that is a winner.

The Madras lentils are a heat and eat side dish that is high in fiber and so flavorful. It is a hit or miss with the kids at our house, some say it kind of tastes like chili and I would agree, yum!

The organic jasmine rice is from Trader Joes and found in the frozen section. Heat in the microwave for 3 minutes and you will have happy kids!

And with the saucy lentils, the mini naan breads are great to dip up the sauce. Heat a bit and top with a little butter, so darn good!

Chicken nuggets, fries and salad kit

This is idea is probably one you have at your house when you don’t know what to make, but wanted to point out the Kirkland lightly breaded chicken breast chunks – they taste like Chick-fil-A!

Add the nuggets and fries in the air fryer for 10 minutes and kids are happy and fed!

Chicken sausage, veggies & roasted potatoes

You can add this on a sheet pan, BUT personally, I do not think the baby potatoes get as crispy as putting them in the air fryer for 10-minutes.

I end up sauteing the frozen veggie blend in a skillet and add some salt and pepper. Then add chopped chicken sausages for a protein boost.

The baby potatoes come in a large bag, so here is another meal idea. 😉

My kid love the roasted potatoes and they are so simple to make.

Gyro kit with tzatziki sauce, diced cucumbers and tomatoes

WOW! I adore this meal kit with cooked lamb, sauce, finely chopped veggies and feta cheese. The toppings make this kit exceptional!

Instead of going out to eat, save money with this easy and amazingly delicious meal! (Yes, I might be going overboard with all the exclamation points, but it is really that good).

Street tacos

I share this one quite often, but recently had a DM saying she finally tried the street tacos, so I thought, “Hey, let’s talk about it again!”

Again, the sauces in this kit bring this kit to exceptional standards! Cooked, seasoned chicken where you just have to heat and eat for an easy taco night.

I really enjoy the Avocado Mash in single-serving size containers. AND, each serving contains 4 grams of fiber! I was shocked to see this. Plus, I may not be the best at using up all the avocados before they go bad, so even though it may be more expensive to buy single serving containers than fresh avocados, I know I keep cut down on my food waste.

I love having them at lunch with tortilla chips, almost a daily must-have item!

Add whatever type of veggies or fresh salsa with this kit for a wholesome meal idea.

Easy go-to meals to SAVE when time is crunched!

I hope you have enjoyed this post because I absolutely love sharing simple meal ideas that save you time and provide a good amount of nutrition for the family! Happy kid eaters = happy mom!

Be sure to check out the Daily Dietitian podcast for more meal ideas and helpful wellness tips!