I know the feeling. You are checking the calendar for this week thinking you won't be around for dinner because of football, band practice, meetings, etc... The list goes on and on! It's a fun but really busy season. If you are like us, you really do care about nutrition but you are also PRESSED for time. I've got a few ideas for you.

What I look for when planning for weekly meals:

• 30 minutes or less (or crockpot recipes)
• minimal (and available) ingredients
• family friendly
• protein focused
• minimal clean-up/ extra points for one pan meals

With that said, Here are a few we have been loving the last few weeks.

1. Cowboy Butter Meatballs - this is one I adapted and uses the Kinders "Cowboy Butter Seasoning." It really feels like a cozy treat and we love it over mashed potatoes. 

2. Aunt Jessie's Guiso (carne guisado)- Yall. This one is special and we usually plug in stew meat or chop up a chuck roast for this. This would also work in the crock pot. We love it in tortillas or over rice. 

3. Ground Beef Philly Cheesesteak Bowls- This is a recipe by Spoon Table... It takes ingredients you likely have in the fridge (minus maybe the bell pepper). Serve it over roasted potatoes or even throw a bag of sweet potato fries in the airfyer if you don't feel like chopping. 

4. Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff- This recipe calls for a chuck roast but to save time and effort just use our stew meat (its the same but we've done the cutting). While technically longer than 30 minutes, you can just cook up the noodles when you come in from work or practice. A fan favorite here. 

5. Sloppy Joe's - Here's another ground beef classic. We love it over toasted buns with some raw carrots, tater tots, or chips. 

Make Weeknight Dinners Easier with a Stocked Freezer.

All of these recipes include beef cuts that are found in our Back to School Freezer Fill package or even our Fall Family Box. Keeping a well-stocked freezer makes the weeknights so much easier.

If you have some family favorites, definitely send them and I'll share them-we could all use a little help. Have a great week!