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Does the thought of cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a week stress you out? We hear you. Rather than fear the inevitable, take inspiration from the following handful of easy time-saving recipes. Most of this week’s picks start with pantry-friendly ingredients or store-bought shortcuts that are guaranteed to cut your active cooking time — perfect for those busy days and nights when you need it most.
Make mornings infinitely easier with a hearty breakfast in advance that feeds your whole family at the touch of a button on your slow cooker. Make a mayo-free, high-protein pasta salad to enjoy for lunch or dinner all week long. Use store-bought shortcuts for: easy weekday dinnersincluding two ridiculously simple chicken recipes that you want to add to your regular recipe rotation. And don’t forget to save space for a stunningly simple (non-baked) dessert for when you feel like something sweet, but don’t feel like turning on the oven.
All these recipes are shoppable, which means you can grab all of Walmart’s ingredients without leaving your home. †Walmart+ Members can also score free delivery on orders of $35 and above.) It doesn’t get much easier.
What to cook this week?
Make-Ahead Slow-Cooker Maple Oatmeal by Casey Barber
Make this slow cooker maple oatmeal right before bed, and wake up in the morning to the awakening aromas of warm cinnamon and maple syrup. Not a bad alarm clock, right? The only step left to do is arrange a self-serve bar filled with chopped nuts, dried fruit, brown sugar, toasted coconut, chocolate chips and more.
Chicken Chili Taquitos with Creamy Dipping Sauce by Casey Barber
Do yourself a favor and buy some rotisserie chicken to make this simple taquito filling even easier. Shred the chicken, stir with canned chili, cheese and salsa and spread on tortillas, then roll up tightly. Making them ahead of time will shorten the baking time by five minutes and store them in the fridge or freezer until ready to reheat.
Tuna Macaroni Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette by Carrie Parente
This mayo-free macaroni salad is packed with Mediterranean-inspired ingredients, including olives, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh basil, all blended with a tangy balsamic vinaigrette. Add a can of tuna (or two) for a high-protein lunch, dinner, or side dish. Plus, the flavors only get better when this salad is refrigerated.
One-pan Chicken and Wild Rice in Honey Mustard Sauce by Casey Barber
Wild rice can take over 40 minutes to cook from scratch, but this recipe calls for a clever shortcut that will cut your total cooking time in half: instant rice. Cover the parboiled rice with chicken breasts coated with honey and mustard, then add stock and spices and bring to a boil. Finish in the oven until the chicken is cooked through and enjoy this hearty weeknight stew.
No-Bake Cheesecake with Sweetened Condensed Milk by Carrie Parente
What’s better than a cheesecake? A no-bake cheesecake, that’s what. Make this creamy filling with cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and a little lemon juice and pour into a prepared (or homemade) graham cracker crust. Keep it in the freezer to set until you’re ready for something sweet.
