The BEST Recipes For Busy Moms

Stop rushing and save some sanity with these recipes for busy moms! These easy, healthy recipes are made with SIMPLICITY in mind. Easy ingredients and easy instructions. They're exactly what busy moms need to feed their family fueling, healthy meals.

Making sure your family has healthy, nourishing food is a priority. But so is saving your sanity.

Trying to think up new dinner ideas or healthy snacks week after week can be both draining and overwhelming.

But there's a delicate balance between ultra-easy (hot dogs and mac and cheese!) and healthy. So here's a bit of both!

These busy mom recipes will help make cooking dinner and grabbing snacks a bit easier and faster.

All the recipes are broken up into categories so you can find what you're looking for, FAST.

Plus, all the busy mom recipes come with the perk of being dairy-free and gluten-free too!

So, scroll through these healthy recipes and I've no doubt you'll add a few favorite meals to your repertoire.

Slow Cooker Meals

Slow cooker meals save your butt when you need to walk in the door and have everything on the table!

Many people think the slow cooker is just for the winter months but that couldn't be further from the truth! Slow cooker meals are always good and I can't deny that I'm a huge fan.

• Slow cooker chicken teriyaki
• Crockpot Hawaiian chicken
• Slow cooker tuscan chicken
• Sweet potato spicy chorizo stew
• Slow cooker chicken alfredo
• Crockpot balsamic chicken
• Slow cooker cabbage rolls
• Slow cooker shredded beef
• Southwest chicken
• Slow cooker chicken pot pie
• Maple mustard pork loin

Dairy-Free Leftover Chicken Meals

Having leftover chicken in the fridge is gold.. but sometimes you get stuck with what to do with it!

These gluten-free dinner ideas can use rotisserie chicken or leftover grilled chicken from the night before. Regardless, the chicken already made helps dinner get on the table a bit faster!

• Tangy lemon noodle bowl
• Chicken fajita bowls
• Dairy-free chicken alfredo casserole
• Spinach artichoke chicken
• Low carb chicken salad
• Chicken and potato casserole
• Tahini chicken salad

No Bake Snacks For Busy Moms

I can't be the only mom who has bottomless pits for children, right?! Coming up with 84 snacks every day gets tiresome!

This is why I simply rotate through this list week after week. Choose two recipes and whip them up in no time! Great for picky eaters too- because so many are chocolate flavored hehe

• Cookie dough bites
• Puffed rice chocolate bar
• Peanut butter and jam protein balls
• Protein cookie dough
• Coffee protein chia pudding
• Chocolate coconut protein balls
• Vanilla protein bars
• Mint chocolate energy bars
• Chocolate coconut energy balls

Sheet Pan Dinner Ideas

No mess after a meal? yes please! Sheet pan dinners are one of my favorites because making dinner is so much easier knowing there's not a huge mess of pans afterward (well except for that pesky dinner table!)

• Sheet pan sausage and veggies
• One pan chicken and potatoes
• Sheet pan steak fajitas
• Sheet pan maple ginger chicken
• Sausage and potatoes
• Baked lemon chicken

Make-Ahead Breakfast Ideas

Mornings are a chaotic blend of trying to get out the door. Adding a healthy breakfast to the list makes it even worse. This is why on most mornings I rely on dairy-free, make-ahead breakfast recipes to keep life simple.

• Protein bagels
• Double chocolate protein baked oats
• Mini quiche
• Yogurt pancakes
• Chocolate chip protein muffins
• Lemon chia seed protein pudding
• Morning glory muffins
• Peanut butter baked protein oats
• Berry breakfast donuts

Healthy One-Pot Recipes

Though most one-pot recipes tend to be a pasta dish, this doesn't mean that they can't be healthy, dairy-free, and gluten-free! I promise the unicorn doesn't exist!

These dinner ideas are awesome for busy parents as everything just goes into one pot and cleanup is a little less. I also find that these are some of the best recipes for picky eaters because who doesn't love pasta!

• One pot chicken alfredo
• One pot sausage pasta
• Sausage and rice skillet
• Chorizo, rice skillet
• Sausage and peppers skillet dinner
• White chicken chili
• Italian keto chicken and rice
• Shrimp fried rice

Helpful Tips

Now, even with these wicked busy mom dinner ideas, it can still be a bit chaotic. So, here are a few tips to not only make life easier but also to make your kiddos enjoy things more:

• Whenever possible, chop veggies ahead of time. Roasted veggies are easy when the prep work is done!
• Like all meal prep gurus everywhere, I'm a huge fan of cook once eat twice. If you have to cook chicken, double it up so you have some for the next day! Rotisserie chicken is great but it's just as easy to double your batch.
• Stick to green veggies your kiddos like or hide them in sauces/smoothies etc. Spending the time to make them just to throw them out isn't worth it.
• Make a fun twist on your classics by just switching up the sauce, or the seasoning.
• Cook rice in bulk and keep some in the fridge. Reheating makes stir fry really easy!

Though you won't find a lot of hot dogs and pizza pockets on this list, you will find some family favorites that whip up quickly!

Shelby aka Mama Bear