Don’t tell me you’re still relying on brain power for dinner ideas each night. If so, you’re in dire need of a quick and easy meals list! Keep on reading to find out why al(most) all moms need such a list on their fridge.

It’s no secret that almost everything you buy from the grocery store with an ingredient list contains questionable ingredients.

So what’s a mom to do? Swear off all processed foods and cook everything from scratch?

Well, that’s kind of sort of what I’ve done, but you really need to decide for yourself what you can realistically handle.

The important question is: If you start cooking every meal from scratch, will you be able to keep up with all the other daily tasks you have?

Maybe you just really want to make dinner from scratch most nights of the week, but you feel like there’s no time to even do that.

I get it.

Let’s take that idea and flip it on its head. How about asking: “Are there any healthier meals I could make that require less time to make?”

Now we’re onto something.

Still…

In my experience, it’s not enough to just think of some quick, healthy meals.

What happens when you come home from a crazy, busy day and you’re all frazzled? Will you be able to recall a healthy meal you thought up 3 months ago that you could make for dinner that night?

If you are like most moms, you can barely remember the name of your second born (joking, sorta 😉 ), let alone a healthy meal idea that you thought up 3 months ago.

Here’s what I suggest: You really should compile a list of quick and easy meals so you can refer to them at a moment’s notice.

Why All Moms Need a Quick and Easy Meals List

Still not convinced?

Are you a mom who:

• has trouble keeping track of daily tasks?
• goes shopping without a list, and then always complains that there is no food in the house?
• finds cooking to be overwhelming most of the time?

If you answered YES to any of the above questions, you could benefit greatly from a quick and easy meals list.

This List Frees Up Memory

If you have trouble keeping track of daily tasks, you’re likely bad at remembering things. Hey, no judgment here. I think most moms tend to be forgetful, including me.

Honestly, though, you’re the perfect candidate for keeping a quick and easy meals list on hand at all times because your brain power is probably toast come 4 in the afternoon. Right when you need to come up with a game plan for dinner.

Wouldn’t it be so nice to stop asking Google or Chat GPT every other day for quick and easy meal ideas?

I truly think you will be so glad you have your own curated list of meal ideas that you know you and your family loves.

This List Helps You Write Your Shopping List

The more I use my quick and easy meals list, the more I notice that I am buying most of the same ingredients week after week.

I could go into either Sam’s Club or Aldi and know almost exactly what items to buy even if I didn’t have a list with me. And that’s because the meals I make all utilize many of the same ingredients. We eat a whole foods diet and the only things that really change from week to week are the produce and meat selection. Almost everything else is practically the same!

So having a quick and easy meals list that works for your family will also help you come up with a simple shopping list each and every week.

This List Can Simplify Your Cooking Routine

And, finally, a quick and easy meals list is amazing for overwhelmed mamas because it can make cooking so much easier for her.

I remember being a young wife who was learning how to cook and I was trying a new recipe pretty much every night of the week…for years!

While that is a great way to learn how to cook a variety of foods, it’s not so great when you’re stressed and have no desire to cook.

The kind of meal a busy mom needs is one that she is familiar with and is pretty easy to throw together. Save the complicated meals for slower evenings when you’ve got plenty of time to cook.

But wait, there’s more…

In the end, the point of the list is to keep you out of the drive thru and from taking last minute grocery shopping trips.

Once you make your list, you can decide if these meals will show up on your weekly meal plan or not. If you know that at least a couple times a week you are eating out because you don’t have time to cook, consider adding a couple of these meals to your plan. It wouldn’t hurt to be realistic!

If you need help getting started with your list, make sure to check out my list of quick and easy meals. I might have different criteria than you, but you can easily take my ideas and change things up to suit your own tastes and needs.

You may find it helpful to have seasonal meal lists, especially if you tend to eat seasonally or change how you cook according to the weather. For example, you might tend to make more soup in the fall and winter and then switch over to salad in the spring and summer.

If you have a quick and easy meals list, would you mind leaving a comment and sharing your experience? And if you are about to start one, could you comment why you need one and what you’re hoping it can do for you? 

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Charlee Flaminio

I'm a mom of 3 on a journey to feed my family nourishing foods. Personally, I believe you can cook healthy food and still have time for your loved ones.

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