A super easy, wholesome, shortcut side dish of grains and vegetables to make with dinner on a busy weeknight!

Sometimes we need a little help. A little ace in the hole to make dinner easy and fast.

Sure, I do mostly homemade and I plan ahead my family's meals, but I like a shortcut as much as the next person.

It’s almost reassuring, isn’t it, to have something in your fridge or freezer that makes dinner a breeze?

This is one of my favorite healthy go-to shortcuts.

The ingredient list is simple - a bag of those frozen mix from Trader Joe's and whatever other fresh or frozen veggies you want to toss in.

If you're on top of things and have extra rice/barley/quinoa in your freezer like I try to do, then you can make this yourself from scratch. Mix the grains and any veggies in a skillet and it's ready to go.

I've done that too. But I always have a bag of this on hand to be safe.

Plus, this covers my starch/grain and my veggies all in one easy side dish.

Of course, it’s not enough veggies for me on its own, so I like to bulk it up.

(If you're a veggie fanatic like me, check out this veggie lovers quiche and marinated veggie salad for some of our other faves.)

Here, I added a half bunch of asparagus and some frozen peas.

You also could use zucchini, peppers, corn or even small bits of broccoli or cauliflower.

It’s a clean out the veggie bin sort-of dinner, as well as a shortcut. Use what you've got on hand.

This recipe works as a vegetarian entree (serving 1-2 probably) but it also makes the perfect easy side dish to any type of grilled, sautéed or roasted protein - fish, chicken, steak, pork, etc.

Or pair it with some rotisserie chicken from the store - mix it right into the pan to heat it through and combine everything.

Serious shortcut heaven. And also still healthy, wholesome, real foods for your family. Score!

And it makes for a dinner you don’t have to think about. Sometimes that just hits the spot. (As do the leftovers for lunch the next day.)

Pull this out the next time you need a quick fix!

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn