Entree Lifestyle

5 Busy Night Meals, 5 Minutes of Prep Time (or less) for around $5/ meal, with Shopping List

Don’t let hectic schedules prevent you from making family meal-time a reality. Learn how I created a 5-day meal plan that takes minimal prep time and is budget and family friendly with thanks to The Coca-Cola Company for providing compensation for this blog post. All opinions expressed are my own.

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I am a huge proponent of cooking healthy, home-made meals for my family! I think it’s a great way for me to provide my family nourishment for the body and soul while all coming together for a wholesome meal! BUT THEN….life happens! Some weeks are just so hectic and busy that preparing and cleaning up from a meal seems like an impossible task.

So in an effort to keep my sanity as well as my commitment to providing healthy meals on busy days, I came up with 5 busy night meals that take 5 minutes or less to prepare and cost around $5/ meal.

To make life simple, I bought everything I needed for the whole week at Walmart. I started by buying a whole rotisserie chicken from the deli which I cut up and put into freezer bags for 3 separate meals. While I was in the Deli department I also picked up a fresh Marketside “All-American Grinder” Deli Sandwich and Marketside Pepperoni “take ‘n bake” pizza. These will be part of my meal plan, with the added bonus that they help me earn extra MyCokeRewards Points (more to come on that)!

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5 Day Meal Plan

Day 1: Marketside Deli Sandwich, chips and carrot sticks:

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I always like to plan an easy meal on the day I go shopping, so I picked out a delicious Deli Sandwich that was large enough to cut into sections for the whole family to share. I got some chips and carrot sticks to go with it, and made it a meal!

Because that really didn’t take any prep time, I used my 5 minutes on this day to slice the rotisserie chicken. I am sure if I had taken more time (and had more skill) I could have easily gotten more meat off of the bones. But, even still it gave me more then enough chicken for the 3 meals I had planned for it.

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Day 2: Chicken Taco Salad:

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For this easy “build your own” taco salad, I layered tortilla chips, chopped romain lettuce, shredded rotisserie chicken, canned/ drained black beans, canned/ drained corn, avocado slices, salsa and any other topping! I chopped the veggies, pulled a bag of chicken out of the fridge, and was done!

Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas :

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for this meal I took a tortilla and sprinkled on some shredded cheese. Then topped with shredded rotisserie chicken, baby spinach leaves and a second tortilla. You can choose to microwave just until the cheese is melted, but I chose to grill in a frying pan on medium heat for about 45 seconds each side (for some extra crunch). I cut each quesadilla into quarters and dinner was served.

Day 4: Chicken Cesar Pasta Salad:

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This simple recipe was quick to put together “wow-ed” the family. It’s great cold, so you can make it ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge ready for meal time. To prepare simply cook 1 box of penne pasta (according to details on the box). Drain and mix in 1 1/2cup of Cesar Salad dressing, 2 cups chopped romain lettuce, 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken. Top with grated parmesan cheese. Serve and enjoy

Day 5: Pizza and Movie Night

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After a busy week, I am ready to relax and unwind when Friday finally rolls around. This is when I pulled out the Marketside “take ‘n bake” Pepperoni Pizza for a pizza and movie night. Because it is still hot here in Northern California, we tried cooking the pizza outside on the grill. It was delicious! The crust was the perfect combination of crispy crunch and soft dough. I loved every bite!

After dinner, my kids settled down for a movie night. At the moment, if you buy any of one of Walmart’s effortless meals (Marketside Deli Sanwiches, Marketside Rotisserie Chicken, or Marketside take ‘n bake pizza) plus a Bottle of Coca Cola Soda, you can receive 10 bonus MyCokeRewards. These points can be saved and used for awesome prizes.

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Because I had purchased the 3 Marketside effortless meals, I also bought some Coca-Cola Brand Sodas to take advance of this promo. I pulled them out during our pizza and movie night and my kids enjoyed popcorn and soda! It was a great reward for us all for making it through a busy week!

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If you have a busy week coming up, stop by Walmart and plan ahead for some easy effortless meals that allow you to still stay committed to family dinner time even in the most hectic of weeks!

5 Day Meal Plan Shopping List:

1 Marketside Rotisserie Chicken
1 Marketside Deli Sandwich
1 Marketside Take ‘n Bake Pizza
3 2-Liter Bottles Coca-Cola
Carrot sticks
Chips
Tortilla chips
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 avacado
Romain lettuce
Salsa
tortillas
Shredded cheese
Fresh Baby spinach
Penne pasta
Cesar dressing
Parmesan cheese

About the author

Emily Buys

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