Five Weeknight Meal Ideas

Here are five easy weeknight meal ideas that you can make in 30 minutes or less! Each one of these meals features a protein, a vegetable, and starch.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Alexia Foods. The opinions and text are all mine.

Who else has a hard time getting dinner on the table on weekdays? I would love to hear what your biggest issues are. One of my issues is that I don’t prepare ahead of time. My kids come home from school, we get busy and suddenly it is 5:30 and I have no idea what to make for dinner.

So, today I am sharing five easy weeknight meal ideas that you can make in 30 minutes or less! Each one of these easy weeknight meal ideas features a protein, a vegetable, and an Alexia Foods product. The steak dinner was the favorite of the females in my family and Zack’s favorite meal was the Italian Sloppy Joes.

Bacon Cheeseburgers

The first of the easy weeknight meal ideas is for Bacon Cheeseburgers with Sweet Potato Fries.

Ingredients:

• Alexia Sweet Potato Fries with Sea Salt
• Hamburger patties
• Hamburger buns
• Fully cooked bacon
• Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Sliced cheese
• Bagged chopped salad

Alexia Sweet Potato Fries with Sea Salt have a carefully balanced sweet and savory flavor of sweet potatoes together with a hint of sea salt make this Alexia favorite a new everyday fry.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Bake the sweet potato fries for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking. While they are in the oven, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Butter the hamburger buns and toast them for a minute or two.

Set the toasted hamburger buns aside and fry the hamburger patties in a skillet. Top them with a slice of cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and bacon. Serve the bacon cheeseburgers with the sweet potato fries and the chopped salad.

Italian Sloppy Joes

The second of the easy weeknight meal ideas is for Italian Sloppy Joes with Alexia Smart Classics Straight Cut Fries.

Ingredients:

• Alexia Smart Classics Straight Cut Fries
• 1 pound ground hamburger
• Mozzarella cheese slices
• Hamburger buns
• 1 1/2 cups pizza sauce
• Parmesan with garlic and Italian spices
• Spring mix salad

Alexia Smart Classics Straight Cut Fries are 98% fat free with 0 grams of trans fat and 100 calories per serving.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bake the fries for 10 minutes, stir and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Spray the fries with cooking spray and sprinkle them with the Parmesan cheese mixture. Stir to coat. Bake for another 5-7 minutes.

While the fries are cooking, brown the hamburger. Drain the excess fat and then mix in the pizza sauce. Split 8 hamburger buns and spoon the hamburger mixture over bun halves.

Top with a slice of mozzarella cheese. When the fries come out of the oven, toast the cheese under the broiler for a minute or two. Serve the Italian Sloppy Joes with the Parmesan fries and a spring mix salad.

Hot Dogs

The third of the easy weeknight meal ideas is for Hot Dogs with Alexia Onion Rings.

Ingredients:

• Alexia Onion Rings with Panko Breading and Sea Salt
• 100% Beef Franks
• Hot dog buns
• Broccoli

Alexia Onion Rings with Panko Breading and Sea Salt are made with sweet Spanish onions and a delicate, all-natural Japanese style breading that gives these onion rings a light, crispy texture bursting with flavor.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the onion rings for 15-18 minutes, turning halfway through cooking. While the onion rings are baking, steam the broccoli and heat the beef franks.

Serve the hot dogs with the onion rings, steamed broccoli and hot dog condiments like ketchup, mustard, onions, and relish.

Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich

The fourth of the easy weeknight meal ideas is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with Alexia Crinkle Cut Fries.

Ingredients:

• Alexia Smart Classics Crinkle Cut Fries
• Sliced ham
• Sliced cheese
• Bread
• Carrots
• Celery

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bake the fries for 25 minutes, turning halfway through. While the fries are baking, make the grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. Layer ham and cheese between two slices of bread.

Butter the outsides of the bread and toast in a skillet over medium heat. Peel the carrots and then cut the carrots and celery into sticks. Serve the grilled ham and cheese sandwiches with the crinkle cut fries and veggie sticks.

Steak with Asparagus

The fifth of the easy weeknight meal ideas is my favorite! It is steak with Alexia Seasoned Waffle Cut Fries.

Ingredients:

• Alexia Seasoned Waffle Cut Fries
• New York Strip Steaks
• Asparagus
• Olive Oil
• Sea Salt
• Black Pepper
• Optional: Butter and Garlic & Herb seasoning

Alexia Seasoned Waffle Cut Fries are lightly seasoned with a blend of sea salt, pepper, onion and garlic to create an all-natural distinctive taste unlike anything you’ll find in your usual fry.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake the waffle fries for 28-33 minutes, turning halfway through cooking. Trim the asparagus ends. Rinse the asparagus and pat dry. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Stir to coat and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Bake in oven for about 10 minutes.

While the waffle fries and asparagus are in the oven, make your steaks! Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Drizzle both sides of the steak with olive oil and rub with sea salt and black pepper.

Once the skillet is hot, add the steak. Cook for about 7 minutes, turning after each minute. Optional: during the last 2 minutes, top each side with a little butter and a sprinkle of garlic and herb seasoning. Place steak on a plate and allow it to rest for 2 minutes. Serve with waffle fries and asparagus.

What’s your favorite easy weeknight meal ideas?

Alexia Foods products include frozen potatoes, appetizers, bread, and side dishes with real ingredients that serve-up exceptional taste. Each of Alexia’s gourmet products are made with premium, natural ingredients and creative flavor combinations, making them the perfect complement to any meal.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Alexia Foods. The opinions and text are all mine.