Hellobee Boards

I like to make things in batches, portion out and freeze. I'll make things like chicken cutlets or boneless thighs, baked ziti, stews, chili, etc. Slow cookers are great for doing stuff too.

-frozen pizza
-chicken pot pies
-fish sticks and fries (need more fish sticks, love it as a quick meal)

I always have at least 2 boxes of fresh cheese tortellini and a container of pesto in the freezer. If I am feeling fancy, I will add tomatoes, spinach, and/or shredded chicken.

We also always have quesadilla makings on hand. Sometimes it's just cheese, but I sometimes add cilantro, black beans, onion, tomatoes, some type of meat... depending on what we have.

Other go-tos: Frozen gyoza from Trader Joe's, Annie's mac and cheese, breakfast for dinner, grilled cheese + soup.

@polkadots: This...we looooove breakfast for dinner, and that's always a good "I don't know what to have tonight" dinner without having to thaw out much.

Stir fry is super quick. Costco sells a frozen veggie mix that's really good. So I will put on a pot of rice and while that is cooking sautée the veggies. Often times I will throw in whatever fresh veg I have as well and spices of course. You could easily add chicken, although we mostly eat vegetarian so I just add some cashews for extra protein.

Another option is Mexican. I always have tostadas in the pantry and refried beans in the freezer (I cook the dried ones in bulk but you could do canned instead). Then making toppings is quick- chop up veggie, guac, hot sauce, whatever you like. I put everything out on the table so we make our own and my toddler loves it!

I recently discovered chicken bruschetta. It's essentially a casserole. Cooked cubed chicken, diced tomatoes, box of chicken stuffing mix or croutons, Italian seasoning and mozzerela cheese. Mix, bake and serve. I just added this to my dinner rotation.

I like to make a big batch of meatloaf and cook it in muffin tins then freeze. They are the perfect portion size, and can be heated up in the oven in 25 mins or so, the perfect amount of time to make some rice or a salad or stream veggies to go along with it.

@T.H.O.U.: Sorry I just saw your question now! My preference is to buy the Whole Foods brand, but I will buy the Butoni brand at the regular grocery store if that is where I am going. My favorites are the 3- or 4-cheese tortellini or the spinach and cheese ravioli. Barillo also makes a pretty good dried 3-cheese tortellini that is sold in the same aisle as the regular dried pasta.

The key to making it flavorful (and not too bland) is to use good pesto. My favorite is actually the Kirklands brand from Coscto (I portion it out into those little Gladware containers and freeze them so I can always have some on hand), but the Whole Foods brand is also very good. I do NOT like the Butoni brand pesto. I add a tiny bit of whole milk, and sometimes will add roasted or sundried tomatoes, spinach, leftover grilled or roasted chicken... That's a total weeknight staple in my house.