What are your best easy mid-week recipes for busy working parents?

It sure can be very difficult to squeeze in time for preparing meals in busy weekdays.
I know from experience that it becomes even more challenging when you have multigenerational family, few members are on certain food restrictions or you have kids of different ages to feed.
I usually do meal prepping and badge cooking on weekends to make my weekdays easier. BUT whenever I found myself in middle of such situation, here are few of my go to recipes that actually Save my Soul and enable me to feed my family with healthy meals.
1. Spanish omelet: stir fry potatoes and onions separately, let cool and add to eggs. Add spices and herbs and cook like omelet, kids and adults enjoy it alike. It can be eaten as it is or with bread.
2. Lentils and boiled rice: boil lentils with spices, once ready add fried onions, garlic and red chilies. I personally like mung lentils but red lentils also taste great. Serve it with boiled rice (both white and brown rice taste good with it).
3. Boiled eggs curry: it might sound strange but believe me it comes out really tasty. Stir fry boiled eggs and put aside. Use any curry powder to make a curry. I usually add sautéed onions, minced garlic, tomato paste and green chilies to make a curry. Once curry is ready, add boiled eggs to it and garnish with fresh coriander or any herbs of your choice. It tastes equally well with boiled pasta, boiled rice or naan bread.

Cooking for that many people is daunting, busy schedule or not! I'm actually working on an "I hate meal planning" project because, well, I hate meal planning! As much as I love cookbooks and planning for food, I just can't squeeze it into my busy schedule right now. I want my time involving food and meal planning to be actually cooking and eating (the best parts!). I have some core food tips that can hopefully help those who don't have hours to browse cookbooks and grocery shop.

- As previously mentioned, designate different days for different meals - always pasta on Mondays, Taco Tuesdays, etc.
- Buy and cook bulk proteins... i.e. instead of making one pork shoulder for one meal, cook 2-3x that amount and use the shredded pork for mult. meals throughout the week (pulled pork sandwiches, burritos, nachos, rice bowls, etc.)
- plan for 3-4 nights instead of 7, schedules rarely go as planned, you can eat leftovers, and sometimes you can order out
- when making casseroles or baked dishes like lasagna, make 2-3 extra and toss them in the freezer
- don't discount the really simple meals. As a chef, I often want to prepare these extravagant meals, but in reality, I'm the only one who really appreciates them. So instead, I can focus on one thing that can require a bit more effort and then serves some simple sides with it (for example, I grilled chicken the other night but served it with canned peaches and frozen peas that I knew the kids would eat without a fuss)

Some really simple meals that come together to mix things up are:
- Nachos
- "Fancy" grilled cheese (we love brie and apricot jam) with carrot fries (just baked carrot sticks!)
- make your own burritos
- using hot dog buns as "sub rolls" - make your own sub night (we did grilled chicken, lettuce, and tomato recently, that's it!)
- grilled protein and tater tots
- poke bowls (rice, salmon/shrimp, cucumber, mango, yummy mayo sauce (mayo+sriracha+honey))

Yikes! I can't imagine cooking for such a crew! One meal is enough to make me exhausted when I have a large family gathering!

My one daughter is a very busy working mother with a job with tremendous responsibility. She also is the cook in the family.

She has simplified her life by instituting a rather dull but easy schedule for meal prep. She designated each night of the week for one particular meal. For example, Tuesday is Taco Tuesday, and Wednesday is Pasta Wednesday. Friday is always pizza and a movie which is excellent for the end of the workweek. The kids look forward to it and don't complain.

To make simple meals, I suggest using a crockpot. You can cut up the food on the weekends and store it in the freezer or fridge until ready for use. You can also use these same prepped meals and throw them on cookie sheets for pan meals in the oven to give them a different spin.

I have found numerous tasty sauces that will spice up and change the flavor of your traditional meals. Carolina BBQ sauce is our favorite.

Hopefully, your kiddos will soon be old enough to help and perhaps they can each take over a night a week to cook a simple meal. There is nothing wrong with breakfast for supper or sandwiches and soup.

You and your husband are to be applauded -- 7 little ones can make for a large grocery bill, especially with rising food costs.

Growing up in a large family, I remember how my mom could make 2-3 meals from one main one. I've taken that to another level in my own cooking, making nutritious and, according to my family pretty good-tasting, meals out of leftovers.
Here are some of the most easiest ideas..

Cook a substantial pork roast, one with as much fat as possible, on a weekend. The first meal is usually the richest tasting, since it's freshly cooked. Trim all the fat off after you cook it, as leaving it on during cooking will help it stay moist. But, keep the fat in a separate container. A little gross, but put it a container you can't see through. : )

Soak half of the leftovers, and half the fat pieces, (laid on top of the meat) in MOJO Criollo, for 2 days with some sliced limes and oranges. Remove the fat after you have reheated it, preferably on the stovetop. Then use it in shredded pork quesadillas, with shredded cheeses, leafy greens, and mashed avocados. Serve with mandarin orange slices, and it's a quick meal, the older kids can help assemble.

For the second meal of pork leftovers, add BBQ sauce, and the other half of the fat, to it a day before you're ready to serve it. Again, place the fat on top of the meat, and then remove it after you reheat it. Doing this adds flavor and moisture during the reheating. Boil some sliced potatoes until they are just fork tender, then layer them in a large glass baking dish. Top with the BBQ pork, shredded cheese, scallions, and black olives, jalapeños, or other toppings your family likes. Bake for about 20 minutes on 350° F until heated through.

When we would make hamburgers on the weekend, we would make about four extra, including all the seasonings, and set aside for one of my kids most favorite recipes -- Plantation Supper. Here's the recipe...

1 small onion
3⁄4 cup milk
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 1⁄2 cups whole kernel corn, drained
8 ounces egg noodles, cooked
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash pepper

Add the raw hamburgers to a skillet, break up, and cook until just browned. Add in the onion, cook until tender, and the ground beef is fully cooked. Stir in the milk, soup, cream cheese and mix together until well blended. Add the remaining ingredients, and stir well. Cook until it's heated through.

This recipe makes a pretty big batch, so doubling it should feed a large family.

Happy eating!!

You are amazing to have 7 kids!! I struggle at times with 1! We don't have a large family but I have found with my workload and limited time, that ordering pre-planned meal kits are so useful. The menu is prepped for you with the fresh ingredients delivered weekly. We only order 3-4 meals for the midweek rush and it really helps reduce the stress of working out what to cook, going to the shops and the time with preparing as every meal takes about 20-30 mins to cook and my family loves the choices. And financially, it seems to work out about the same as if we went to the shops to prep for meals.