10 Quick and Creative Meal Ideas for Busy Moms

Go-to meals on the fly

I have a confession to make. I’m a foodie! Not only am I a foodie, but it’s rubbing off on my children. My husband and I love exploring different cuisines, fusion dishes, and creative dining options. The sad part is that we can’t always indulge in that life with hectic schedules and a budget to stick to. In today’s post, I’m sharing 10 quick and creative meal ideas for busy moms.

Let’s address “foodie life”. According to Merriam Webster’s online dictionary a foodie is ” a person having an avid interest in the latest food fads”. For me, however, it’s not purely about fads but experiences.

I wonder if this creativity when it comes to diverse cuisines is linked to my love for traveling. I watch a lot of food vlogs on YouTube, y’all. Exploring diverse cuisines even if your not in that specific location has a way of allowing you to experience another’s culture. Something I absolutely love doing.

Kitchen Creativity

Getting creative in the kitchen is a great way to break up a mundane week, offer a quick boost of inspiration, and gets the whole family involved. Why, because new experiences bring you joy and excitement!

Even if you’re not a foodie, I encourage you to try new things, new techniques, and new varieties. I get it, theirs safety in our comfort zones. I encourage you to take baby steps along your kitchen creativity journey.

Quick and Creative Meal Ideas

Let’s talk about quick and creative meal ideas. I’ll emphasize quick because I know Career Mom life can get busy. We have a lot to juggle between family, activities, work, and life in general.

Quick meals don’t have to be boring. Here’s are 10 ideas that bring a creative touch to quick meals.

1) Seasonal Salads

Salads are one of the easiest dishes to get creative with. Here is my favorite toss and go salad.

Harvest salad:

• Roasted Onions
• Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes
• Sautéed or Roasted squash
• Mixed Greens Lettuce (bag from store)
• Topped with nuts
• Dressed with balsamic vinaigrette

2) Wraps

You can get really creative with wraps and you can make an assortment of pinwheels. Check out different types of cream cheese spreads at your local grocery store to add a bit of variety to your meals.

3) Sandwich Station

Sandwich stations are a lot of fun and a super quick to set up. Pull out an assortment of sandwich meats topping and condiments and your all set. Try to mix it up with different flavored chips.

Check these out. I’m not sure how they taste, but these look interesting and my daughter loves pickles.

For a healthier option, try Terra chips. I’ve had these before and they are delicious.

4) Creative Casseroles

Casseroles are super quick mix, bake, and eat three step meals. My hack is to use frozen vegetables to cut down on prep time. For casseroles with chicken, I use store purchased rotisserie chicken or meal prepped crock pot chicken.

5) Sauce it Up

Try different sauces when cooking to had a creative twist to main and side dishes. You can use pre-made or DIY mixes to add a different flavor and flair.

6 ) Copycat Takeout

Don’t spend your hard earned coins on takeout all of the time. Hop on Google and look up copycat recipes.

7) Stuffed Crescent Rolls

Crescent rolls are super affordable and you can literally roll anything up in it, for the most part. Depending on the age of your children this could be a very fun family night.

8) “Around the World” Theme Nights

I love “Taco Tuesday” but what about “Fusion Friday” or a variety of other themes. We’ve even had DIY sushi night. This was an absolute hit for the kids.

9) Tasty Toppings

Think Gremolata. I know it sounds fancy, but it’s an Italian recipe made from minced parsley, lemon juice and/or zest, and garlic. You can top fish, chicken, roasted veggies with this tasty topping for a creative twist.

Other options include:

• Pico de Gallo
• Mango Salsa
• Butter Crumb Topping
• Spice Blends

10) Mix and Match with Different Fruits and Vegetables

I love shopping at our local H-Mart. I find a ton of creative meal ideas when shopping. There I find a variety of fruits and vegetables from around the world. To me, it’s an amazing shopping experience. I’d also love to explore more Indian and African markets as well to broaden our food horizon and to add a bit more creativity to our meals.

What are some ways you add creativity to your family’s weekly meals?

Check out my post, Five Fall Meal Planning Tips – Career Mom Community for more meal ideas and tips!