10 Meals in 30 Minutes or Less

The custom cabinets in your kitchen can be used to accommodate your busy lives – and the busy lives of your family. This is where the magic happens: where the meals that gather the family around are produced, which make memories to last a lifetime.

Yet one of the greatest hurdles about having a storage-friendly and versatile kitchen is the amount of work it takes to upkeep. Cleaning, dishes, and making sure nothing goes to waste or rots in the refrigerator can be a daunting task, especially families not on a consistent and regular schedule.

Here are some recipes for meals you can make when you’re pressed for time or totally forgot to plan dinner!

10 Meals in 30 Minutes or less:

Pull-Apart Ham & Cheese Sliders  via Buzzfeed

You will need:
1 package Hawaiian sweet rolls, sheet of 12 rolls left intact (not pulled apart)
8 slices deli ham
4 slices Swiss cheese
9 pickle slices (optional)
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Remove 3 buns on one end and cut the remaining 3×3 sheet of sweet rolls in half lengthwise. Arrange the bottom half into a square baking pan. Layer evenly with ham slices, then Swiss cheese, then pickles (optional). Cover with the top half of the sweet rolls.
3. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter and mustard, stirring until evenly mixed. Pour the butter mixture all over the top of the sandwiches. Bake for 20 minutes until the sweet rolls are golden brown and cheese is melted. Cut into individual sandwiches. Delish!
   
   Recipe by Alvin Zhou

 

Healthy, Quick & Easy Chicken Chicken Avocado  via Gimme Delicious

The title says it all! Just because a meal can be made quickly doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice nutrition!

You will need:

2 cups cooked shredded chicken
½ cup Mexican cheese blend ( or mozzarella)
1 avocado diced
2 tablespoons cilantro chopped
4 large tortillas
1 tablespoon oil

Instructions:

Mix the shredded chicken, cheese, cilantro, and the diced avocados.
Lay a tortilla flat on a plate and add ¼ of the mixture, form a roll. repeat the process for all four tortillas.
pour 1 tablespoon oil into a heated pan or griddle. Place all four tortillas on the pan and cook for 2 minutes on medium- high heat. Flip on the other side and cook for another minutes or until the the burritos are golden in color. Serve warm.
Burritos can be frozen cooked or uncooked for up to 3 months.

Bon Appetit!

 

Creamy 4-Cheese Spaghetti via Yellow Bliss Road

Because sometimes adults need their Mac-n-Cheese fix… and the kids will love it too!

You will need:

8 ounces spaghetti, uncooked
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1½ tablespoons minced garlic
½ cup freshly shredded Mozzarella
½ cup freshly shredded Parmesan Cheese
½ cup freshly shredded Romano Cheese
2 tablespoons whipped cream cheese
⅔ cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh, chopped flat-leaf parsley

Instructions:

Boil salted water in a 3-quart pot. Add spaghetti and cook for about 7-8 minutes, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.
In a 10-12 inch saute pan, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and stir, cooking for about a minute.
Add spaghetti, 1 cup of pasta water, cream cheese and heavy cream to the skillet. Bring to a boil and add shredded cheeses. Stir constantly until cheeses are melted and pasta is completely coated; about a minute. Reduce heat and continue to cook and stir until sauce is thickened and reduced; about 1-2 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.
Serve hot, and garnish with more fresh parsley and some fresh grated Parmesan, if desired.

YUM!

20 Minute Cashew Chicken via Chef Savvy

You will need:

1 pound chicken breast, cut into bite sized cubes
¼ cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon oil
4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
½ tablespoon rice wine vinegar
½ tablespoon light brown sugar
½ teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 cup unsalted raw cashews
green onions for garnish, if desired
sesame seeds for garnish, if desired

Directions:

Add chicken and cornstarch to a large ziplock bag and toss to coat the chicken.
Heat a large skillet or wok.
Add in cashews and saute until golden brown. Remove from pan.
Add oil to the same pan.
Add in chicken and sauté for 3-4 minutes to brown the chicken on the outside (the chicken will continue to cook in the sauce).
While the chicken is cooking add soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil and hoisin sauce to a medium bowl.
Add the sauce to the chicken and stir frequently. The sauce will thicken up pretty quickly. Add in red bell pepper and cook for 2-3 additional minutes.
Stir in cashews and serve immediately with green onions and sesame seeds for garnish, if desired.

15-Minute Easy Margherita Flatbread Pizza  via Let the Baking Begin Blog
Quick and easy. Remember that you don’t need every single topping – and add your own if desired (or if that’s all you have in your refrigerator!)

Ingredients:

1 naan bread (pita bread works too)
3 pieces of sliced to 1/3- 1/2 inch thickness fresh mozzarella cheese
1 tomato, sliced as thin as possible
5-6 leaves basil
3 cloves garlic, pressed;  or 1 tsp dry garlic powder
1.5 Tbsp Olive oil
1.5 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Press fresh garlic and mix with oil.
Brush the flatbread with oil & garlic with half the mixture. Place in preheated to 350F oven for 5 minutes to crisp up.
Remove from oven and place 3 slices of cheese on top of the flatbread, sprinkle with salt & pepper, then place thinly sliced tomatoes on top and repeat with a sprinkling of salt & pepper. Place back in the oven for another 5 minutes, plus extra 2-3 minutes on broil. Watch the bread closely, if it’s too dark before 2-3 minutes remove it from the oven immediately.
Meanwhile mix the remaining oil & garlic with the balsamic vinegar, stirring until a smooth emulsion forms.
Chop the basil leaves.
Once flatbread pizza is baked and the edges are golden in color, remove from the oven, drizzle with however much of the balsamic vinegar mixture you would like, sprinkle with basil leaves, slice and serve and enjoy!

 

Easy Lo Mein via DamnDelicious

The easiest Lo Mein to make – in 15 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients:
8 ounces lo mein egg noodles*  Coupons
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 carrot, julienned
1/2 cup snow peas
3 cups baby spinach

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce, or more, to taste
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha, or more, to taste

 

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, ginger and Sriracha; set aside.
In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package instructions; drain well.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add garlic, mushrooms, bell pepper and carrot. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in snow peas and spinach until the spinach has wilted, about 2-3 minutes.
Stir in egg noodles and soy sauce mixture, and gently toss to combine.
Serve immediately. Voila!

 

Buffalo Style Pork Chops  via The Iron You

Ingredients:
(Serves 4)

2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons hot sauce (I used Frank’s Red Hot)
4 (½ to ¾-inch thick) center-cut pork loin chops (about 10oz each)
4 thin slices mozzarella cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Season each pork chop with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large skillet (I like to use my cast iron skillet but any will do) over medium-high heat.
Add 2 tablespoons of hot sauce and stir to combine.
Add pork chops and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
Remove from the heat and transfer the pork chops along with the juices to a baking sheet (or leave is the cast iron skillet if you’re using one). Top each pork chop with remaining hot sauce and a slice of mozzarella cheese.
Place under the broiler on high for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly.
Serve hot!

 

Skinny Sweet & Spicy Salmon via SkinnyMom

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Yield: 4 servings
Serving size: 1 salmon fillet

Ingredients:
Four, 4-ounce fresh salmon fillets
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon
black pepper
Optional*:
2 cups cooked brown rice
*Optional ingredients are not included in the nutritional calculations.

Instructions:

In a shallow dish, combine honey and 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and lightly brush onto each salmon fillet, flesh side up.
In another shallow dish, combine brown sugar, chili powder, salt, pepper and cumin to make the dry rub. Using your hands, rub mixture onto the flesh sides of the salmon fillets.
Heat a large iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. When hot, add salmon fillets skin side down and immediately reduce heat to medium-low. (If you have a splatter guard, I recommend placing it on top at this time.)
Pan-sear salmon for 7 minutes, flip and fry for an additional 1-2 minutes or until center reads 145º F. (Cooking times might vary depending on the thickness of each fillet.) Remove from heat and serve each fillet on(optional) ½ cup brown rice.

 

Rosemary Citrus Shrimp Tacos via Melanie Makes 

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined and tails removed
12.4 ounces Robert Rothschild Farm Rosemary Citrus & Pepper Sauce
8 flour tortillas
8-1/2 ounces fresh cole slaw mix
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1 yellow pepper, cut into strips
1 avocado, sliced

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add shrimp in a single layer and cook for two minutes until pink.
Flip shrimp and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until shrimp is pink and flesh is opaque.
Stir in 1 cup of Rosemary Citrus & Pepper Sauce and warm through. Remove from heat.
Assemble tacos by topping a tortilla with coleslaw, pepper strips, avocado slices and shrimp.
Top with additional Rosemary Citrus & Pepper Sauce, if desired.

 

 

20 Minute Skillet Chicken Fajitas  via The Iron You

Ingredients:
Serves 4

1 lb / 453 gr chicken breast, sliced into thin strips
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (or parsley)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon fine grain salt, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Juice of half lime
2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 onion, sliced thin

Directions:

In a large bowl combine chicken, cilantro, oregano, chili powder, sweet paprika, cumin, garlic, and salt. Toss until chicken is coated and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the peppers in a single layer. Try to get them a little charred underneath before you move them around. Once they’ve begun to brown, add sliced onion, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Wait again for some color to develop before you move them.
When peppers are nicely charred in spots and onions have softened and sweetened, scrape mixture onto a plate to clear the skillet.
Return skillet to the burner and heat remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
When sizzling, spread chicken strips in as much of a single layer as you can. Wait until they brown underneath to move them. Saute’ strips, regularly pausing so that they can get some color, until cooked through, about 6 minutes.
Add pepper mixture to the skillet along with the lime juice.
Heat again until everything is sizzling.
Sprinkle with a bit of chopped fresh cilantro and serve immediately.