I don’t know about you, but when it comes to dinner time around this house, I prefer my meals to be easy. I have to cook for six people in an extremely crazy household, so the quicker I can get dinner on the table, the better. It can be hard, sometimes, wanting to succumb to the easiest routes, like fast food, or highly processed microwave meals. Two minutes and you’re done, right? Wham, bam, thank you ma’am. I want real food, though. Simple ingredients, tasty meals. Easy, fast, delicious.

It’s not hard, really, to create a meal in 30 minutes. The hardest task, however, is finding a proper balance of proteins, starches, and vegetables. Lately I’ve been enjoying adding Alexia Foods frozen potatoes to my dinners, because they are all-natural and made with premium ingredients, so they serve up an excellent taste, making them the perfect complement to any meal! I thought I would share some ideas for a few easy weeknight meals, to help get your creative dinner juices flowing. Delicious is just 30 minutes away.

1| Thickburger with Grilled Zucchini Squash and Alexia Onion Rings with Panko Breading and Sea Salt

You guys know I love me a good thickburger or two, and you can love them too, especially since they cook so quickly. Heat a grill pan to medium-high and cook a seasoned patty for 3 minutes on one side, flip, then cook for another 3 minutes for medium rare, or 6-8 for well done. Throw the sliced zucchini squash on the pan when the burger is done and grill for 2 minutes per side. The onion rings only take about 15 minutes in the oven, so the whole meal comes together super fast!

2| Loaded Waffle Fry Nachos

An amazingly easy and tasty tower of awesome, bake some Alexia Seasoned Waffle Cut Fries and top with cheese, black beans, taco-seasoned beef, corn, peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and sour cream. Throw some cilantro on there, and dunk them in a bowl of fresh salsa. So easy. So filling. So delicious. You won’t miss chips, I promise.

3| Soup, Sandwich, and Alexia Sweet Potato Fries with Sea Salt

This one is pretty much the all-American meal combo, am I right? Pair a hearty, meaty sandwich with a broth-y, vegetable-rich soup, and add a side of easily the best sweet potato fries outside of a restaurant and you’ll be dining on delicious in just 20 minutes! Seriously, it is so hard to find a great sweet potato fry, but Alexia nailed their recipe; these babies are seasoned perfectly and bake up nice and crisp. I love these fries.

4| Chicken Souvlaki with Greek Salad and Alexia Smart Classics Straight Cut Fries

It is a well-documented fact that I adore Greek food. One of my most popular recipes is my Greek Salad and Dressing, which was inspired by my favorite Greek restaurant here in San Antonio. Crazy thing, though, is that since I’ve moved back, I have yet to visit my favorite place. Sad, I know. Wah. I would normally get the standard meal which was a salad, gyro sandwich, and fries, but if you know anything about gyros, you know they take way more than 3o minutes to make. So I went with some chicken souvlaki, which is seasoned chicken skewers. I dressed them up with a bit of lemon, kosher salt, cracked pepper, garlic and oregano, then grilled them for about 4 minutes per side. So yummy. And these fries are 98% fat free and only 100 calories per serving, so I don’t feel very guilty about a little indulgence.

5| BBQ Pulled Chicken with Salad and Alexia Sweet Potato Fries

Have you ever stuffed your sandwich with fries? If not, you are seriously missing out. Seriously. This recipe takes the longest time, the full 30 minutes. But that’s simply so you can bake the chicken until it’s done. To reduce cooking time, I like to pound out my chicken so it’s nice and thin, then it usually only takes 15-20 minutes to cook completely. Use a couple of forks to shred the meat, then slather in your favorite BBQ sauce (I like mine slightly sweet). Throw a heaping pile on a bun and slap a palm-full of fries on top, add the top bun, and devour. You will love the flavor combo, and the difference in texture. I like to bake my fries a little longer for this recipe so they are extra crispy. I’m getting hungry now. How about you? Pick up Alexia frozen sides at natural, club, grocery, and mass retail stores across the country, and be sure to check them out on Facebook and Pinterest!

Alexia frozen sides are a delicious addition to any weeknight meal! They are that little something extra to help create a balanced meal with real ingredients and an exceptional taste!

Sign up for the Alexia Club 350 newsletter to be the first to hear about new products & promotions, get recipes and tips from other members and even contribute your own ideas!

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