{"id":1221,"date":"2023-08-28T13:26:31","date_gmt":"2023-08-28T13:26:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/?p=1221"},"modified":"2023-08-28T19:27:05","modified_gmt":"2023-08-28T19:27:05","slug":"7-quick-and-easy-meal-ideas-to-try-entering-the-busy-fall-months-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplestartnutrition.com\/?p=1221","title":{"rendered":"7 Quick and Easy Meal Ideas to Try Entering the Busy Fall Months, Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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7 Quick and Easy Meal Ideas to Try Entering the Busy Fall Months, Part 1<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Vacations are winding down (boo!) and fall is right around the corner!\u00a0 I woke up this morning with windows open and the crisp air flowing inside.\u00a0 How pleasant, right? Or is it just a reminder that a new school year is starting so soon, soccer and football practices are in action and it\u2019s time to get back into work mode.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

With all that being said, the window of time to prepare, cook and eat your meal has become much smaller!\u00a0 So how do we do it all and enjoy a balanced meal?\u00a0 We got you covered with two blogs on quick and easy meal ideas with some additional tips to help you out.\u00a0 Here is part 1!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Dinner #1: Barbecue\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

Just because summer is over does not mean that we have to stop grilling outside. If anything this is the best time to fire up the grill and enjoy some fresh crisp air!\u00a0 Grilling is a fast cooking method to cook your whole meal and makes cleaning up super quick and easy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Try marinating chicken in Italian salad dressing or BBQ sauce. If you forgot to marinate the morning of or night before, simply just season with spices of your choice.\u00a0 In my house, we like pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.\u00a0 Chicken breast typically takes about 25 minutes to cook on the grill (<\/span>or till 165 degrees<\/span><\/a>) so this dinner at most will take you is 30 minutes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

While the chicken is cooking on the grill, this is your chance to chop up some vegetables – peppers, onions, tomatoes, or anything that you like!\u00a0 Simply spray your foil with cooking spray, place the vegetables in the foil, season, and close them up to make a little foil pouch.\u00a0 That pouch can cook for about 10 minutes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

While that is all doing its thing, throw some minute rice in the microwave and boom done!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Dinner under 30 minutes with a protein, starch and vegetable.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

P.S: if you missed our previous blog on ways to make grilling easier, check it out by <\/span>clicking here<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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Dinner #2: Slow Cooker<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The <\/span>slow cooker or Crockpot<\/span><\/a> does the work for you while you\u2019re running around all day to work, school and\/or the store.\u00a0 This is the perfect spot to make <\/span>chili<\/span><\/a>, where you throw everything in one pot and let the slow cooker do the work and you just eat it!\u00a0 You also can use it to cook chicken or pork to shred and use in another recipe.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Here is one of my favorites to make and that I\u2019m actually making tonight! My chicken is currently cooking while I\u2019m writing and then right before I assemble the meal, I\u2019ll shred up the chicken.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Feel free to give it a shot or search for other slow cooker or Crockpot recipes out there.\u00a0 There are a ton!\u00a0 I even have a whole cookbook just on recipes to make in the slow cooker!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\"enchilada<\/p>

Dinner #3: Sheet Pan Meal\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

Sheet pan recipes are another quick and easy option that pretty much means your protein, starch and veggie are all cooked on 1 sheet (or 2 if you need more room) and are all cooked in the oven at the same time.\u00a0 Sheet pan meals are awesome because you can do other things while it cooks like empty the dishwasher or pack your lunch for tomorrow.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

My favorite sheet pan meal is salmon, potatoes and broccoli.\u00a0 Potatoes are diced up (the smaller you cut them the less time they will take to cook!), seasoned with salt and pepper, drizzled with olive oil, and cooked for about 30 minutes.\u00a0 At about the 20 minute mark, I\u2019ll add the salmon (with some lemon slices on top for flavor) and the broccoli (also with salt and pepper and drizzled with olive oil).\u00a0 If you need this meal cooked even quicker, instead of potatoes as your starch try rice or pasta.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Here are some great recipes to check out and try:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>