10 Easy Meal Recipes for Men With Little Time

Everyone seems to be busy these days. There’s no way to tell the world how to slow down, but you can make it easier for yourself. With easy meal recipes, you won’t spend too much time fretting or fussing over dinner after you’ve already had a long day. Also, you won’t have to worry about spending money on eating out every night. Try these recipes for a balanced, nourishing dinner when you have a busy week.

5 Healthy, Easy Meal Recipes to Follow

Easy meal recipes usually include ingredients that aren’t great for you. These recipes include wholesome and hearty foods to keep you feeling full while giving you the nutrition you need to get through your day.

1. Fall Chickpea Salad

Salads are some of the healthiest dishes you can make. In addition to this recipe being quick, it also packs a punch of protein thanks to all the chickpeas. Though it says “fall” in the name, you can enjoy it year-round. This salad and all of its fixings work great as a meal or even as a side dish split among you and a date while you await your entree. 

2. Skinny Alfredo

This recipe tastes like normal Fettuccine Alfredo with healthier changes. Greek yogurt can give you the same creamy taste without using too much heavy cream. You only need two pots for this recipe, and while it is a lot of uptime, you can have the finished meal ready in just ten minutes.

3. Vegetarian Baked Ziti

Vegetarians will rejoice upon seeing that this beloved recipe meets their dietary needs. Even meat-eaters will enjoy this meatless recipe since it’s so easy to make and is ready in just 30 minutes. If you want to boost the nutrition factor of this recipe, add in some vegetables like kale or spinach. Otherwise, enjoy this delicious and nutritious homemade pasta.

4. Grilled Chicken Burrito Bowl

When grilled chicken is involved, you know it’ll be a tasty recipe. This burrito bowl takes several healthy elements — protein, brown rice and Greek yogurt, to name a few — and dumps them in one neatly-arranged bowl. This meal is on the shorter end at just 30 minutes to prepare the recipe. Still, if you like appeasing your eyes before your stomach, you may find yourself spending time on the arrangement of your bowl.

5. Sriracha Lime Shrimp Tacos

Ready to spice up taco night? Making healthy choices in your daily life — such as swapping ground beef for shrimp or any other cooking oil for coconut oil — can help you feel nourished and energized. After making the sauce and cooking the shrimp, all you need to do is leave your ingredients out to fill your tacos. Then, you can clean up without a fuss.

5 Fast, Easy Meal Recipes to Follow

Because you know how valuable your time is, you can make all of these easy meal recipes in under ten minutes. You can still build these meals with healthy choices, but the main focus is that they’re fast to make and simple recipes to follow. Save these for a weeknight you’re feeling exceptionally tired.

1. Sausage and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

This recipe only requires one pot from start to finish. Even better, you only spend five of the 30 minutes actively working on this recipe. During the other 25 minutes, you can do something else. Using one pot preserves all the flavor of the Italian sausage, garlic, broccoli and tomatoes. 

2. Chicken Sausage and Veggie Skillet

What better way to get all of your nutrition than to pack it all into one skillet? This hearty meal could be great for someone who likes to eat more at dinnertime than at either of the other meals. It’s so simple, and you’ve probably created some variation of it already. 

3. Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp

You’ll only spend two minutes actively preparing this recipe. If you love a hint of citrus in your food, you’ll enjoy the bursting flavors that come with this dish. Once you practice it, it could be a good way to show off to family, friends or a date. You can pair this shrimp with rice to make an even more extravagant meal — while not adding on any cooking time.

4. One-Pot Chicken Chow Mein

Most one-pot recipes are simple and fast, and this chow mein is no exception. Just 30 minutes is all it takes to prepare delicious chow mein from your home. If you don’t like any of the vegetables included in the recipe, you can always substitute them for something nutritious that you do enjoy. 

5. Mediterranean Farro Salad

Sample a taste of the Mediterranean with this delicious salad. You can make it in under ten minutes, and it packs a nutritious punch. You’ll have a blast with all the flavors, such as salty olives and sharp feta cheese, all atop a bed of fresh, crispy greens. It’s the perfect meal to share with friends that takes low effort.

Try These Easy Meal Recipes on a Difficult Week

The great news about simple recipes is that they’re easy to make, even when you’re not feeling up to cooking. Just because you opt for a convenient meal doesn’t mean that you need to sacrifice your health. Prioritize making healthy and fast meals that can get you the nourishment you need while allowing you to enjoy the rest of your evening. Once you perfect some of these easy meal recipes, you can use them to show off for friends, family or a date — and they won’t even believe how easy the recipe is to follow.