We’ve worked and we’ve wrapped and we’ve traveled and we’ve prepared and we’ve baked and we’ve cleaned. We made all the fun treats and the special dishes and the favorite meals. If you’re anything like me, you’ve enjoyed a wonderful Christmas holiday and from now until January 2, you simply want to sit back and enjoy a break.
Here’s what I want to do right now. I want to play all the new games we got for Christmas. I want to watch too many movies. I want to sit under a blanket and sip coffee. I want to relish the fact that my oldest is home from college and we are all together again for a few short days. I want to fully enjoy the fact that there are no Geometry lessons or English papers or school deadlines right now.
Take a Break After Christmas!
And as much as I love to cook, right now I do not want to cook. I most certainly do not want to clean my kitchen. These days are considered days of rest and I fully intend to find refreshment with my family right now.
Who else feels this way? Surely none of you are working on projects or cleaning or organizing while I talk smack with my family around a board game? Tell me you’re taking a break right now too!!!
Well, even though we certainly want to enjoy some downtime, it is a fact that we all still need to eat. So today, I’m posting 36 recipes that take just a few minutes to put together. Hooray for Simple Recipes! Hooray even bigger for Simple Meals, which takes all the brain work out of our menu planning, telling us what to make and what to buy, giving us permission to get out of the kitchen and enjoy our families!
36 Simple Recipes That Take Very Few Minutes to Make
- Simple Baked Salmon and Asparagus
- Simple Crock Pot Chicken Soup with a Kick
- Simple Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken Legs
- 20-Minute Taco Soup
- Simple Cheesy Baked Chicken
- Simple Bacon Ranch Chicken
- Simple Hawaiian Crock Pot Chicken
- Simple Last Minute Nacho Plate
- Simple Beanie Weanies
- Simple Crock Pot BBQ Spareribs
- Simple Pizza Chicken Bake
- Simple Italian Chicken and Green Bean Bake
- Last Minute Creamy Bacon Spaghetti
- Simple Hamburger Soup
- Simple Parmesan Broiled Fish
- Simple Overnight Saucy Crock Pot Chicken
- Simple 15-Minute Meal
- Simple Overnight Melt-in-Your-Mouth Beef Roast
- Simple 3-Cheese Crock Pot Pasta
- Simple Oven Fried Chicken
- Simple Honey Mustard Chicken Legs
- Simple Garlic Butter Shrimp
- Simple Crock Pot Shredded Ranch Chicken (for salad or tacos)
- Simple Crock Pot Pizza Casserole
- Simple Barbecue Beef Roast
- Simple Roasted Rotiserie Chicken
- Simple Green Chile Chicken
- Simple Tex-Mex Creamy Chicken
- Simple Waffle Omelets
- Simple Crock Pot Taco Pasta
- Simple Hawaiian Beef Roast
- Simple Crock Pot Creamy Stew Meat
- Simple Hashbrown Casserole (For Instant Pot, Crock Pot or Oven!)
- Simple Lasagna Casserole (For Instant Pot or Crock Pot)
- Simple Chili Mac
- Simple Garlic Parmesan Chicken Legs
Pick and choose from any of these great recipes. None of them require much effort. Making them with dirty very few dishes.
Enjoy your family and relish this time of rest!
Thank you for posting this! While we want to be hospitable at this time of year and share with our friends and family, it does get tiring after a while! You list of easy recipes is perfectly timed. :)
Just had to share an idea for a fast and simple meal. I was way behind schedule and determined not to eat black beans and rice (my go to when running late). We had some chicken tenders, green beans, and hash browns that all needed using up as I needed freezer space. Placed the chicken tenders in a 9×13 casserole dish, dumped the green beans on top of them, and topped everything off with the hash browns. Covered with foil, baked in a 375 degree oven about 45 minutes as everything was frozen. Then took the foil off and sprinkled with cheese for 15 more minutes. Wasn’t sure what I was going to find or whether or not we’d want to eat it. We now have a new favorite. Amazing how necessity was once again the mother of a great idea. Thank you for all the great recipes and ideas you give us. They helped inspire me to find a way to use what I had, Have a wonderful 2018.