Budget bytes is one of my go tos for easy/quick/cheap recipe ideas. Most of them are 15-30 minutes total including cooking time. Beyond that I’m big on just throwing starch/protein/veg in a bowl and baking it a meal. Some examples of the latter: couscous cooked in broth, lentils, peas; pasta, avocado, tomatoes, Parmesan; rice, pan-friend shrimp or salmon, raw carrots, peanut sauce; toast, fried or scrambled eggs, tomatoes; chickpeas, tomatoes, raw onions (optional; I have them my kids don’t), feta, drizzle of olive oil in a pita; tofu and broccoli stir fry on rice. I also make cauldrons of any stew-like substance on the weekends sometimes and freeze most of it, so things like spaghetti sauce, beef stew, split pea soup, curry, etc are as quick as defrosting.

My best suggestion is setting theme nights so you don't have to devote mental energy to this task. I also tend to get faster when I make things repeatedly. Here is what I do. Kids are 4 and 6.

Sunday: double batch of a meal that takes more effort: homemade pasta sauce, chicken and dumplings, soup, fish on the grill, kebabs with rice and salad, enchiladas

Monday: fish - we usually do a sheet pan salmon or cod recipe with roasted veggies

I like this -- https://cafedelites.com/sheet-pan-garlic-butter-baked-salmon/

Also very good -- https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020454-one-pan-roasted-fish-with-cherry-tomatoes

Tuesday: Taco Tuesday - I will make ground beef or turkey and whatever taco shell the kids want. Will generally throw it over a salad for me and DH.

Wednesday: We run around a lot on Wednesday so I usually do pasta or the leftovers from Sunday.

Thursday: Breakfast for dinner

Friday: Take out or make your own pizzas

What are your favorite dinners that involve very minimal (15-20 min) prep?

Included the time because sometimes people post things that involve 30-45 min prep, which is totally fine but I’m looking more for the dinners you make when you’re a tired working mom of two young kids. I like cooking a lot and like making a fresh meal for the kids (meals that repurpose leftovers are also great!). Would appreciate variety and inspiration.