Although meal time is not always stress-free in our house (reference the picky eaters posts), it is a time that we are all seated together, facing each other, without any distractions…except for the picky eaters! Make getting to the table together tonight simple with the easy dinner: foil packet meals.

My husband learned this as a Boy Scout and shared it with me. Now make it in our house on nights when we need a good meal in no time. 

Time spent eating together as a family makes us smarter, stronger, and happier according to research shared in A Parent’s Guide to School Choice. Let’s make dinner time happy tonight with this easy to prep, almost-no-clean up meal.

Roasted chicken and vegetables together text reads foil packer dinner recipes idea for a quick dinner idea.

Easy Dinner: Foil Packet Meals

 
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground or chopped meat
2 russet potatoes, or 4-6 red potatoes, roughly chopped
¼ C chopped onion
1 C vegetables of your choice (I have used baby carrots,
frozen veg medley, and/or chopped celery
Salt and pepper
Foil (to create packets)
 
Directions:

Prepare 4 pieces of aluminum foil.

Lay them flat on your counter.

Break apart meat with a wooden spoon, and divide into 4 parts.
 

Place one part of meat in the center of each piece of foil.

Sprinkle on about 1 T of onion, 1/3 of a potato, chopped, and ¼ C chopped vegetables, onto each foil sheet.

 Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, to taste, and wrap up packets by placing the two edges of foil together above the meat combination and folding the edges down to create a seal.  Fold up the sides of each foil sheet as well to close the packet.

Place the 4 packets on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350º preheated oven until the meat is cooked through.  This usually takes about 30-45 minutes, but check the meat before serving to be sure
it is well done. I usually open one packet after 30 minutes in the oven and add on cooking time by 5-10 minute intervals if needed.

 
This is such a simple meal with hardly any clean up.
Use ground turkey or chopped chicken if that is what you have. I scour the fridge for leftover vegetables and use up the little bits before opening a new package.
You can mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and then divide it into 4 parts spooning each part onto a sheet of foil if that works better for you.
 
For more recipe ideas and meal tips for getting the most out of your meaningful meals each night, check out The Power of Family Meals.
 
We are raising competent children and
emphasizing that family comes first, 
one family meal at a time!

 

 This post was featured in A Complete Guide for Stay-at-Home Moms: Recipes and Meal Planning Tips.

View all of the recipes shared HERE.

 
 
 

Potatoes and meat in a foil packet text reads foil packet dinner recipe idea that is an easy meal for moms to make.