Are you a working mom who wants some easy meals under your belt?  Are you a stay-at-home mom who doesn’t have a bunch of time (or hands!) available to make dinner?  No matter your situation, we all want to have some easy meals at our disposal. Here are some meal ideas for you that are centered around hamburger. (See my other post on meal ideas involving chicken.)  Since many of these use browned beef, you could easily brown all the hamburger at the same time, reserving some for later use. Mess up 1 pan and get many meals out of it!

Meal Idea #1: Simple Macaroni and Beef with Cheese

Slightly Adapted from Michael Ruhlman 

Servings: 4-6 (easily)

Tip: This is very easy to pull together or to make on the weekend and then pop in the oven when ready to bake. If you do bake it straight from the frig, you’ll want to increase the baking time since it isn’t starting from room temperature. Check the source for instructions on freezing — this is very freezer friendly!

Ingredients:
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon canola oil
salt to taste
optional seasonings: black pepper, oregano, cumin, coriander, chopped garlic, hot smoked paprika, chilli powder—whatever you’re in the mood for
28 ounces can tomatoes, petite diced or crushed
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 box macaroni
1 cup each grated cheddar and mozzarella cheeses

Directions:
1. Cook the onions with the oil and a little salt.

2. Add the beef and cook it, breaking it up as you do. Add the seasonings that you’ve chosen.

3. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and cook for an hour.

4. Cook the macaroni in boiling water till it’s half done. Drain it and add it to the tomatoes.

5. Stir it into the sauce. Taste it. Add more salt and other seasonings as needed, and cover.

6. When it’s cooled and the pasta has absorbed the tomato juices, transfer it to a 9×13 baking dish and cover it with foil.

7. Bake in a 400 degree oven till it’s piping hot (about 45 minutes if it’s cold to room temperature). Just before you’re ready to eat, remove the foil, cover macaroni with the cheese and broil till it looks beautiful.

Meal Idea #2: Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti

Source: Plain Chicken 

Ingredients:
12 oz spaghetti
1 (28 ounce) jars prepared spaghetti sauce
1 lb lean ground beef
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/2 tsp minced)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

2. In a skillet, brown the ground beef until cooked through; drain fat and stir in spaghetti sauce. Set aside.

3. Cook spaghetti according to directions on packet. Drain and place cooked spaghetti in bowl.

4. Add cream cheese, Italian Seasoning and minced garlic to spaghetti. Stir until cream cheese is melted and the spaghetti is thoroughly coated.

5. Lightly grease a 9×13 pan. Spread a small amount of meat sauce in the bottom of the dish.

6. Put spaghetti on top of sauce and top with remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

7. Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.

Meal Idea #3: French Bread Pizza

Source: The Frugal Girl 

Tip: This is a recipe that isn’t really a recipe. It’s just a way of thinking of making pizza a little outside of the box. Pizza doesn’t have to be on pizza dough. You can make pizzas on top of other types of bread – including french bread, hamburger buns, hoagie buns or english muffins. In this way, it can be very easy to put different toppings on each person’s pizza.

Ingredients:
French bread loaves
Prepared tomato sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Pizza toppings like ground hamburger, pepperoni, green peppers, onion, mushroom

Directions:
1. Cut the French bread loaves in half lengthwise. Place on cookie sheet. Sometimes to add more toppings, I remove some of the bread inside to hollow it out a little bit. Don’t remove too much, otherwise it will get soggy.

2. Spread them with pizza sauce.

3. Sprinkle the pizzas with mozzarella cheese.

4. And add whatever toppings you like.

5. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the crust is crispy and the cheese is melted.

Meal Idea #4: Oven Baked Meatball Subs

Source: Home Cooking Memories 

Tip: If you cooked the meatballs the night or weekend before, you could just microwave the meatballs and sauce the day you want to prepare the meal, saving time.

Ingredients:
Sandwich rolls (cut with one side intact)
Cooked Meatballs (your favorite recipe or frozen, pre-made meatballs)
Pasta Sauce (homemade or jarred)
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:
1. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place your frozen cooked meatballs or homemade cooked meatballs in a large pot.
3. Cover with your pasta sauce. Gently fold the meatballs with the sauce.

4. Heat the meatballs and sauce on low-medium, stirring occasionally, until the meatballs are heated thoroughly.

5. Fill a roll with as many meatballs as you can fit (usually 4-5 meatballs, depends on size of meatballs and the size of the roll). Top with more pasta sauce from your pot.

6. Place filled sandwich rolls closely on baking sheet. Top each sandwich with shredded mozzarella cheese. You can put into a 9×13 pan if you need a smaller pan.

7. Bake until cheese is melted, hot, and bubbly.

Meal Idea #5: Taco Soup

Tip: This one is great for the crockpot! But it doesn’t take too long to heat up, so I tend to make it on the weekend, let it simmer for just a couple of hours in the crockpot, then reheat it on the week night that I want it.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 pkg taco seasonings
1 pkg dry Ranch seasonings
2 large cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can Rotel tomatoes, undrained
1 can each: black beans, pinto beans, whole kernel corn.
(optional) sour cream, Frito chips, cheese (I like Fritos!)

Directions:
1. Brown meat and onion. Drain. Add seasonings.

2. Drain beans and corn. Add to meat along with tomatoes.

3. Simmer until well blended and hot.

4. Add a bit of cheddar cheese, sour cream or Fritos when serving.

What are your favorite, easy weeknight meals?

This Whole Wheat Linguine with Arugula and Edamame recipe (from 12 Best Foods Cookbook) is the perfect easy weeknight meal. Bonus: it’s vegetarian and inexpensive to whip up.

>> Get the recipe on The Nest

Plus, more from The Bump:

Easy, No-Cook Meal Ideas

Nutritious Dinner Ideas for Pregnant Women

Amazing Fall Recipes from Skinnytaste

If you’re craving comfort food, it doesn’t get any better than Baked Tortellini. Cheese tortellini, breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Need we say more?

>> Get the recipe on The Nest

Plus, more from The Bump:

10 Pregnancy Superfoods

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In need of new snack ideas to satisfy those pregnancy cravings? Here are some healthy, easy-to-make recipes from our sister site The Nest.

Plus, more from The Bump:

Checklist: Daily Pregnancy Nutrition

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We’re all about delicious comfort food for fall, and this Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage and Toasted Hazelnuts from The Nest Magazine is one of our favorites. There’s just something about the combination of pumpkin ravioli and sage that makes us want to curl up in front of a fireplace with lots of cozy blankets.

Get the recipe at The Nest >>

Plus, more from The Bump:

9 Need-to-Have Trends for Fall

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To me, a parent’s best tool for creating healthy meals for their family is a grill. Almost anything can be made on a grill including pizza, fruits and even pound cake (yes really!). With only a short time left before the cold weather comes, this is an excellent time to take advantage of your grill and make a delicious family meal on it.

I enjoy growing a lot of our own fruits and vegetables right in our backyard. This summer we have gotten an overwhelming amount of tomatoes, and just about anything caprese — caprese salad, caprese pizza — has become a big hit with my kids. I just recently surprised them with this delicious caprese chicken. I love that I was able to make a deliciously healthy dinner in just a few minutes with tomatoes we grew in our garden. And the kids helped too!

Ingredients:

1 pound of fresh chicken tenders
1 container of whole milk mozzarella
2 large tomatoes
1/4 cup of basil
Salt
Pepper
Optional balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Sprinkle salt and pepper on chicken tenders.
2. Grill one side of the chicken tenders for about 5 minutes, or until 1/2 way cooked.
3. Then flip the chicken using a metal spatula.
4. After flipping the chicken, top the chicken with tomatoes, basil and cheese.
5. Grill on low heat for approximately 5-10 minutes.
6. Serve with a fresh green salad.

What are your favorite healthy meals to serve to your kids?

Need a break from the boring turkey on white?  This Greek Veggie Panini is filled (literally) with flavors and nutrients. Get the whole family involved – set out the ingredients and let everyone build their own creation.

Get the recipe at The Nest >>

Tell us, what are your favorite sandwiches?

Plus more from The Bump:

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Need to beat the heat this weekend? These Yogurt Ice Pops with Berries are a healthy, delicious must-try. The best part? You only need five ingredients to make them–all of which you most likely already have in your refrigerator.

Get the recipe at The Nest >>

Tell us, what snacks help you stay cool in the summer?

Plus, more from The Bump:

7 Healthy Pregnancy Meal Ideas

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Is there anything better than relaxing outside in the summertime with a cold drink in your hand? This Strawberry Lemonade recipe is one of our favorites for serving at outdoor parties–both kids and adults love it (plus, if you’re pregnant, it makes a great mocktail!).

Get the recipe at The Nest!

Plus, more from The Bump:

7 Healthy Meal Ideas for Pregnancy

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We recently came across this DIY frozen fruit pop recipe on Pinterest from the blog SkinnyTaste.com. These pops are a healthy and simple summer treat for your little ones (and you!). “My one-year-old probably had as much fun playing with them as she did eating them,” says SkinnyTaste.com blogger Gina.

To make the pops,

“Combine diced fruit in a bowl and fill each 5 ounce cup with fruit. Add 1 tbsp of juice and insert craft sticks into each cup (they easily stay in place because of all the fruit). Place in the freezer a few hours until firm. To remove the pops from the cups, run under warm water a few seconds. Enjoy!”

Get the full recipe at SkinnyTaste.com here.

Tell us, what are your favorite summer snacks?
Plus, more treats from The Bump:

Chocolate Chip Gender Reveal Cookies

No-Guilt Raspberry Turnovers

Peanut-Butter-Chocolate-Chip Energy Bars