5 Quick and Easy Dinners to Fuel Your Week

And they're delicious, too.

By
Micah Siva, RD
Micah Siva
Micah Siva, RD
Micah Siva is a trained chef, registered dietitian, recipe writer, and food photographer, specializing in modern Jewish cuisine. She runs Nosh with Micah, her personal blog.
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Published July 21, 2025
Micah Siva
Cooked chicken drumsticks served on a white plate

Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

On top of working, being a mom, and trying to organize my family’s affairs, I’m training for the New York City Marathon. As training ramps up over the next few weeks, what I fuel with becomes increasingly important. It means I’m focusing on a lot of carbohydrates and protein, and hearty meals that keep my never-ending hunger satiated. If you’ve ever done long-distance running, you’ll know that you become a bottomless pit come dinnertime.

Here are the five dinners I'm making this week to keep me and my family go, go, going.

  • 2-Ingredient Creamy Beans

    bowl of creamy pesto beans

    Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

    If you find yourself at my house, you’ll find a jar of pesto in the fridge, dozens of cans of beans in the cupboard, and a hunk of crusty sourdough on the counter. Because I do my long runs on Sundays, Monday comes around and I’m insatiable. I need dinner on the table ASAP. I’m making these hearty beans and serving with a healthy drizzle of olive oil, a mountain of parmesan, and a big piece of sourdough bread.

  • 5-Ingredient Zucchini Pasta

    5-ingredient lemony zucchini pasta in a bowl garnished with basil

    Simply Recipes / Grace Elkus

    I grew up in a cottage cheese family, served at brunch, breakfast, lunch, and snack time. I love how creamy it makes my pasta dishes (I even add it to my smoothies!). For the simplest, cheesy pasta (did I mention that I’m all about carbs these days?). I’m going to use up some of my farmer’s market zucchini in this recipe for a one -ot meal that I’ll reheat for lunch the following day.

  • Mustard-Baked Chicken

    Mustard-herb chicken on a platter

    Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe

    Recipe developer Megan O. Steintrager says, "I discovered this simple mustard-herb chicken recipe years ago when I found myself with half a bottle of yellow mustard leftover from Fourth of July hot dogs, some chicken, and not much else in my kitchen. I Googled 'yellow mustard chicken' and came across the Tangy Mustard-Herb Roasted Chicken on French's website. The dish was not only incredibly easy, it was also totally delicious."

  • Quick and Easy Jerk Salmon

    Grilled salmon fillet with fresh salad and a lemon wedge served on a plate

    Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel

    This salmon is bursting with flavor but takes just 10 minutes to cook thanks to a trip under the broiler. Recipe developer Sara Bir says, "Check your salmon every minute after the first three minutes of broiling. Some broilers are turbo-broilers, while others seem to take forever."

    Continue to 5 of 5 below

  • Cold Cucumber Soup

    Cucumber Soup

    Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

    My neighbors are growing cucumbers, and they’ve totally taken over their garden. I’m a terrible gardener, so I rely on my neighbor’s skills to fill my fridge (don’t worry, I give them leftovers!). I’m going to use up some of their unwieldy cucumbers by making a cold cucumber soup, perfect for hot summers in Chicago. This recipe is reminiscent of tzatziki, made with yogurt, dill, cucumber, olive oil, and a dash of rice vinegar. I’ll serve this with a simple green salad filled with chickpeas as well as a grilled chicken for a well-rounded meal.

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