Quick Dinner Ideas | Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Quick, tasty, nutritious dinners are the holy grail ... I think ... of mums the world over.

How do you get a dinner on the table quick that both you and the kids actually want to eat and which is at least vaguely healthy?

The most obvious trick is topping your freezer up with dinners you prepared earlier by bulk cooking or cooking double whenever you do cook, but there are some other great ways to serve scrummy ideas fast.

This is my list top 10 tips for quick dinners that I have compiled with the help of my fave foodie bloggers from the Mommy Archive ...

... and if you're looking for more quick dinner recipes do check out all the links at the bottom of the post and feel free to add your own ...

1. Use Up What You've Got

Using up leftovers is always a good strategy as most of it is already cooked.

Frittata ... like this yummy kale and mushroom one from The Domestic Lifestylist ... is one of my favourite quick lunches as you can throw in whatever you've got.

But if you plan ahead, like Woman in Real Life, you can get two great meals for the effort of cooking one which has got to be a quick win!

2. Throw It All In One Pot

Throwing it all in one pot is always a good recipe for a quick tasty meal.

I love one pot recipes like this cheesy chicken from A Peek Into My Paradise, ham casserole from With a Blast and garlic chicken & potatoes from Framed Frosting.

Sometimes they need longer in the pot but they save not only on faff but also washing up and there are loads of great "dump & forget it" one pot recipes so you're not hovering over the stove.

3. Throw It All In the Skillet

And if you don't want to throw it all in one pot you can throw it all in the skillet as in this scrummy skillet gnocchi with sundried tomatoes from Bear and Lion Mama ...

4. Throw It All In the Wok

And for quick meals you can of course throw it all in the wok as in this super tasty orange chicken, vegetable stir fry from The Pin Junkie ...

5. Toss Together a Salad

Salads are quick and there's absolute no reason for them to be dull ... I love this simple but stunning panzanella and tomato bread salad from The Chicken Chick ...

And check out this spectacular summer salad from Life After Empty Nest, chicken fajita salad from Tumbleweed Contessa and this gnocchi tuna salad from Mommys Pinkie Lip Gloss.

6. There's Always Pasta and It Doesn't Have to be Dull

I know, I know you can get a bit pastad out but it doesn't have to be dull and I think it's fine to cheat now and again by quickly jazzing up some bought stuffed pasta as Loris Culinary Creations does in this easy peasy tortellini recipe ...

7. Just Grill It!

Whether it's on the barbecue or under the grill, grilling is quick and can be super healthy as you don't have to soak everything in fat ... and as Loris Culinary Creations shows in these great steak and veg skewers you can very quickly grill a whole meal ...

8. Cheat's Pizza

We usually have a wodge of pizza dough in the freezer ready to go but if you don't you can whip up a pizza crust quickly like Turnips 2 Tangerines or cheat just a tad and make pizzas on English muffins or french bread as Day 2 Day Super Mom did in this yummy recipe ...

9. Old Standbys

There's a reason we all ate a lot of the same recipes when we were kids - it's because they ticked all the boxes for our mums of quick, tasty, healthy and great value.

And that's why mums ... and kids ... everywhere still love macaroni cheese as in this fab recipe from Oh Mrs Tucker

... and shepherd's pie as in this recipe from Green PBJs ... (although I have to quibble with her and say hers is strictly speaking cottage pie as it has beef in it, whilst shepherd's pie ... at least in England ... only has lamb in it) ...

10. Failing All Else Have a Smoothie

Failing all else when the kids have eaten but you haven't and you're just too exhausted to cook anything you can always stuff oats, nuts and huge quantities of green veg in a smoothie for a super healthy keep you going stand by like this one from A Life Unprocessed ...