Happy Friday Reader!

We all have those nights when the clock says dinner time, but our energy says “takeout.”

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This week’s recipes are here to save you time and money — each one has around 20 minutes, many with less, of hands-on prep before the oven, slow cooker, or microwave takes over.

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Dinner gets done while you take a minute to breathe and connect with your favorite people.

​Bisquick Taco Pie, a Budget-friendly, Kid-friendly, Easy Recipe​

This is such a nostalgic recipe for me. We made this back in the 80s because it was what we could afford, and it tasted fantastic!

That's exactly why I still make it 40 years later. Bisquick Taco Pie (Impossible Taco Pie) is SO easy to make and everyone loves it.

Stretch one pound of ground beef to feed six hungry people and do it quickly! It's the perfect weeknight dinner.

We love serving it with Strawberry Cottage Cheese Salad and Green Beans.

Get the Easy Recipe: Bisquick Taco Pie (Impossible Taco Pie)​

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​Creamy Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas​

One of my family's all-time-favorite meals. They're just so delicious and take only 6 ingredients.

This recipe can be halved (click the 1/2 button in the recipe card) if you only want to make enough for one meal, but truthfully, I prep the sauce, shred the chicken and keep the tortillas and cheese at the ready in the fridge all week.

Doing that, anyone in my house can have one of these creamy, delicious, chickeny, comfort-food enchiladas, piping hot on a plate, in 1.5 minutes!

They make perfect lunches or dinners when everyone is on the go and eating at different times.

You can bake them in a pan for a family sit-down dinner, too. Serve them with 10-Minute Mexican Rice and a fresh House Salad for a meal that is company-worthy.

PRO TIME-SAVER TIP: Use rotisserie chicken for even faster prep-time.

Get the Easy Recipe: Creamy Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas​

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​Egg Roll Bowls | Dinner Hot on the Table in 25 Minutes!​

Pork is one of the most affordable meat options right now, and this quick and easy Egg Roll in a Bowl recipe is a nourishing meal with easy-to-love Asian flavors.

Using shortcut ideas like a bag of coleslaw mix means minimal prep work. You could even use frozen chopped onions instead of chopping your own.

This post walks you through exactly what order to prepare things so the whole meal comes together in under 30 minutes. Delicious, affordable AND easy — for a winning family meal.

Get the Easy Recipe: Egg Roll Bowls​

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​Lipton Onion Soup Meatloaf Recipe, 5-Ingredient Weeknight Dinner​

This is another recipe I started making 40+ years ago and it is still serving me (and my family) well today. The flavor is exceptional, leftovers reheat easily, and it only requires five everyday ingredients.

Serve this mouthwatering Lipton Onion Soup Meatloaf recipe with easy green beans and potatoes, cauliflower gratin, broccoli cauliflower salad or any of your favorite easy side dish recipes.

Get the Easy Recipe: Lipton Onion Soup Meatloaf​

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​Chicken and Rice Casserole, Creamy One-Pan Easy Recipe​

Comforting, creamy and cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole is SO easy to make and even the kids are going to love it!

You'll have it in the oven with only 10 minutes of prep-work and the recipe makes enough that there'll be leftovers for lunches.

It's cozy and homey and pairs perfectly with a Shirazi Salad, Best Easy Chickpea Salad, or Spinach Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette.

Get the Easy Recipe: Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole​

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​Slow Cooker Charro Beans Recipe (Pinto Beans)​

A big bowl of scrumptious comfort that is SO cheap to make and easy to prepare! This Charro Beans recipe is basically a tastebud-pleasing pinto bean soup.

It's a combination of dry beans, aromatic veggies and herbs and spices that develops so much flavor in the slow cooker.

These tasty beans can also be used to make delicious bean dips or refried beans, too. Add them to burritos or salads. It's a versatile recipe.

This time of year we love it as soup, dressed up with a little sour cream, pico de gallo and cheese if we have some on hand.

Serve slow cooker charro beans with crusty bread, like my easy Soda Bread, Easy Biscuits, and/or a simple Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette.

Affordable, filling, nutritious, plus you can prep it in minutes and let the crock pot do the heavy lifting. It's delicious!

Get the Easy Recipe: Crock Pot Charro Beans​

A Bonus Easy Sweet Treat

​Easy Chocolate No-Bake Cookies​

When our kids were small, my sister and I indulged in these little morsels of chocolate satisfaction OFTEN! lol They are cheap to make with just a handful of everyday pantry and fridge ingredients. You can make them in literally minutes, and it doesn't hurt that they're absolutely delectable! You'll love them!

Get the Easy Recipe: Chocolate No-Bake Cookies​

You'll be so pleased when you plan a week of affordable, quick-to-prep recipes for the week ahead. These delicious meals deliver on flavor and budget-friendly nutrition.

Have a wonderfully blessed weekend filled with fun and laughter, Friend! I hope you get to share it with the people you love most, preparing and sharing delectable food together. And I hope someone else sneaks in and does your dishes! Hugs!

What's For Dinner?

This is the part of the newsletter where I share recipe ideas from some of my best blogging friends and myself to inspire you with what's for dinner at our houses this week. That gives you seven days worth of new recipes to inspire you for your own delicious meal plan. Enjoy!

• ​Slow Cooker Cheese Steak Tortellini from Laura at Little House Big Alaska
• ​Aglio Olio e Peroncino from Gen at Two Cloves Kitchen
• ​Tuna Casserole with Cream of Mushroom Soup from Glenda​
• ​Hidden Vegetable Mac and Cheese from Rupali at Caramel and Spice
• ​Chicken and Penne with Vodka Sauce from Sue at Sula and Spice
• ​Weeknight Chicken Spaghetti from Lori at A Reinvented Mom
• ​Instant Pot Chicken Mac and Cheese from Kristin at Dizzy Busy and Hungry

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Tools to Make Easy Affordable Dinners

These are Amazon and Walmart affiliate links to some of my favorite kitchen tools and ingredients for making flavorful everyday meals with ingredients already in the pantry. I may earn commissions on qualifying purchases. You can read my affiliate disclosure here.

• I have multiples of these Glass Deep Dish Pie Plates. They are great for making Taco Pie, Apple Pie and lots of the tasty desserts you'll be making over the holidays.
• This is my pricey Cuisinart Food Processor, but it is a workhorse and the best large-capacity one I've ever used. I do LOVE it and it will last the rest of my lifetime. I also own the more affordable Ninja BN801 Professional Plus Kitchen System with Auto-iQ (Blender Food Processor Combo). It comes with a high-speed blender, two smoothie blender cups and a food processor. I have owned and used it for nearly 15 years and LOVE it to this day. But the food processor in this system is more like a small blender. It doesn't come with grating or slicing blades. And so, a few years ago, I added the Cusinart Food Processor to my kitchen. I still love both and use them often.
• ​My First Crock Pot - 7 qts, so it can hold enough for a crowd. It features a removable crock, making it easy to clean. Simple controls, easy to use and affordable. Still my favorite even though I own fancier ones. This gets used every week!
• ​My 2nd Crock Pot - You laugh, but I've pared back a lot! I used to own nine! My second is a big 8-qt work horse with a digital display that is OLD and isn't even made any more. If I had to replace it, I would be getting this 8-qt manual that's just like my first crock pot, only bigger! P.S. You will be living your best life over the holidays if you have two slow cookers. Just saying'! They free up so much oven and stovetop space.
• ​My 3rd Crock Pot - It's official. I've added a new member to the collection. I've apparently given away too many of my original crock pots, and lately I have found myself yearning for just one more to keep multiple recipes going at once. I mean what does a girl do when she is making refried beans, delectable southwest chicken and creamed corn all at the same time? lol This beauty is an 8-qt giant that can handle anything I throw at her. And she was cheap, as crock pots go.
• My Deep Dish 9x13 Ceramic Baking Pan is perfect for casseroles, Magic Cookie Bars, cakes and more.​
• ​The Pyrex ​Mixing Bowls I use daily. Of course, they're great for stirring together the ingredients for a recipe. But, they're also perfect for storing leftovers and even for serving things like this scrumptious Broccoli Cauliflower Salad. Another great feature is that they come with lids, so leftovers can easily go straight to the fridge.

Visit my Amazon Storefront to explore more of the tools and ingredients I love cooking with at home.