Easy Twenty-Minute Meals

With many families operating around a schedule, and not to mention a budget, it can often be difficult to arrange mealtimes. Because of such, more families are adopting the "fend for yourself" conduct for meals, but it doesn't have to be that way. We've got a few simple recipes here that are quick to make and don't require a lot of ingredients-which means they're also fairly cheap!

First up is an egg-based casserole dish kind of like a crust-less quiche. For this, you'll just need some eggs (2 eggs for each person you're serving), milk, salsa (to taste), chopped tomatoes (optional), jalapeno peppers (optional), chopped sandwich meat (ham and turkey work well, but you can also use cooked sausage meat), and grated cheddar cheese. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk (about 1/4 cup for every 4 eggs), and salsa. The milk works to keep the eggs fluffy and prevents your casserole from drying out, but you don't want the mixture to be too runny or it won't set up. Pour the egg mixture into a greased casserole dish or a ramekin if you're just cooking for yourself. Top with chopped tomatoes, jalapenos, meat, and cheese. Bake at 400 degrees F until golden brown and toothpick or fork inserted comes out clean.

Crepes are so easy to make and they're extremely flexible as to what you can put on them. You'll need a cup of flour, 2 eggs, half a cup of water, half a cup of milk, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Start by whisking together the flour and eggs, then gradually mix in the milk and water. Add butter and salt and continue to mix until the batter is smooth. Oil up a skillet and set it to medium heat. Pour the batter in the center of the skillet until it coats the base of the skillet-keep in mind that these should be thinner than pancakes, but not so thin that you have difficulty flipping them. When the bottom of the crepe has turned light golden brown, flip it over. When the crepe is done, transfer it to a plate and top with whatever you like. Traditionally, they are sprinkled with sugar and lemon juice and folded into quarters, but you can use anything: peanut butter, chopped fruit, chocolate spread, honey, butter & syrup, etc. A popular choice is to spread a thin layer of preserves on the crepe, fold it into quarters, then top with whipped cream. Yummy!

If you're looking for something a bit creamier, we have a quick three-ingredient recipe for chicken and broccoli alfredo. You'll need to get in a package of chicken and cheese tortellini, a jar of alfredo sauce, and a head of fresh broccoli. Frozen broccoli can be used, but it tends to dampen the flavor a bit. First, boil the pasta as per the directions on the packet. Empty the alfredo sauce into a medium-sized saucepan and wait for the tortellini to cook. While you're waiting, go ahead and cook the broccoli. You can either boil it (which causes a huge loss in flavor), or you can steam it. Once the tortellini is done, drain and rinse with warm water and add it to the pot with the alfredo. Set it to a medium heat and gently stir in the broccoli. Stir occasionally as the sauce heats up. Once it becomes hot, add salt and pepper to taste-even a bit of garlic salt if you like-then serve. A nice slice of French bread goes well with this if you have some on hand-but if not, buttered toast will do.

Now that you're equipped with these time-saving recipes, preparing a meal that the whole family can sit down to is a lot closer than you think.