Everyone wants to eat organic, but it can get expensive fast, especially for families. In this article, a natural foods chef and working mom shares three easy-to-make, organic weeknight meals you can make in under 30 minutes that the whole family will love.

It always costs more to eat organic, but lately, it seems to cost a lot more!

Yet, for many health-conscious families, buying organic or mostly organic is a non-negotiable, which means getting creative in the kitchen.

For our family of four, this means we cook at home a lot, meal-plan, batch-cook, and keep recipes simple, kid- and grown-up-friendly, and mostly organic.

Here are three of our favorite fast, affordable, and nutrient-dense organic meals that can be whipped up in 30 minutes or less and customized for special dietary needs, like gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, or vegan.

Recipe 1: Quick Glazed Organic Pasture-Raised Lamb or Beef Meatballs with Lemony Rice & Deconstructed Greek Salad

Lamb meatballs? For kids? Surprisingly, yes. My kids love these, and so has every child who’s come to our house for supper on meatball night. If lamb’s too pricey or you’re just not sure your family will go for it, beef makes a fine alternative, or you can sub a vegan meatball alternative (link to recipe below).

These mighty mini meatballs come together super quickly, require few ingredients, and cook up fast in the air fryer or oven, then finish in a skillet with just two ingredients.

Paired with lemony rice and a deconstructed Greek salad (so everyone can choose their favorite veggies), this makes a quick weeknight meal feel elevated, flavorful, and downright special.

The Glazed Meatballs

The spices in these meatballs are subtle, kid-approved, and go great with the simple glaze. However, you can always reduce the amount or adjust seasoning to suit your family’s needs.

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground pastured lamb or beef
  • Vegan option at the end of this ingredient list
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon sumac or the zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• A squirt of ketchup, a good drizzle of pomegranate molasses*, or about a tablespoon of tomato paste
• Optional: 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, cilantro, or parsley (if green stuff makes your kids turn up their noses, omit)
• Honey
• The juice of 1-2 lemons

*For a vegan option, check out this recipe from The Mediterranean Dish—they’re delish and can be glazed using the honey lemon juice method listed here.

How to Make:

1. Combine the ground meat, breadcrumbs, spices, ketchup, pomegranate molasses, tomato paste, and optional fresh herbs in, thenowl and mix with cleacombine.
2. Roll into mini meatballs, about the size of a fresh cherry.
   1. Making them small allows them to cook quickly.
3. Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees.
4. Air-fry the meatballs for about 7 minutes, shaking halfway through.
5. Transfer to a large skillet set on medium-high heat.
6. Pour the juice of 1-2 lemons directly over the meatballs, and drizzle a generous amount of honey on top.
7. Stir gently until the honey and lemon juice form a syrupy glaze. This takes about 5-7 minutes, depending on your pan and stove.
8. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

*Pomegranate molasses may sound fancy, but it’s not super expensive and can be bought online or in Lebanese or Middle Eastern markets. It also tastes great drizzled over the meatballs as a final flourish. I’ve even used unspiced elderberry syrup in a pinch as a substitute, and my kids loved it!

Lemony Rice

Serves 4-6 with potential leftovers

This rice is so easy to make, and ultra-fast in the Instant Pot. Chicken bone broth, veggie broth, or stock is optional, but it adds nice flavor. If you prefer whole grain, brown basmati rice works great and cooks in about 20 minutes in the Instant Pot. Quinoa is delicious, too.

Ingredients:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cups organic white basmati rice, rinsed well
• 1 1/2 cups organic chicken bone broth, veggie broth, or water with half a teaspoon salt
• The zest of 2 lemons
• Juice of 1-2 lemons
• Feta cheese (optional)

How to Make

1. Heat a pot or small pot over medium heat and add the olive oil.
2. Add the diced onions and cook until translucent.
3. Add the rice and sauté for 2-3 minutes with the onions.
4. Add the broth and lemon zest.
5. Cook for 3 minutes in the Instant Pot, or cook on the stovetop, or according to package directions.
   1. Tip: For faster stovetop cooking, heat the broth before adding
6. Manually release pressure on the Instant Pot (omit this step for stovetop). Remove lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
7. Add the juice of 1 lemon, taste, and add extra lemon juice if desired.
8. Crumble on some feta cheese (optional) or vegan feta, and serve hot.

Deconstructed Greek Salad

Serves 4-6 

If your family loves Greek salad, no need to deconstruct; just throw it all together, dress, & enjoy. For those with more selective eaters, serve this on a big platter so everyone can choose their favorite veggies & dips.

Ingredients:

• 1 large organic English cucumber, cut into rounds
• 1 large organic red or orange bell pepper, cut into slices
• A big pile of organic cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• A big pile of kalamata, Greek, or your family’s favorite olives
• Optional: A pile of pickled red onions or onions rubbed with salt and lemon juice
• A nice block of traditional or vegan feta cheese, chunked
• A bottle of your favorite Greek dressing, or whatever dressings your family enjoys

How to Make:

• Place everything on a large platter with the dressing or dips in the middle and serve.

Read more: 3 Flavor-Packed Recipes You Won’t Believe Are Vegan

Recipe 2: Elevated breakfast for dinner: Organic oatmeal pancakes, sausage sweet potato hash, and fruit salad

It’s a rare family that doesn’t enjoy breakfast for dinner. However, in our house, it has to be hearty, healthy, and weeknight-easy, which is where this spread wins!

Packed with fiber, flavor, nutrients, protein, and natural sweetness, this breakfast for dinner menu is sure to please everyone in the house.

The Pancakes

Makes around 20 pancakes, depending on what type of boxed mix you use.

These cook quickly, thanks to using premade pancake mix. However, you need to allow time for the oats to soak up the yogurt, kefir, or buttermilk, so plan to do that the night before the morning of.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic oats
• 1 cup yogurt, buttermilk, or kefir
• A bag or box of your favorite organic pancake mix (gluten-free is fine)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

How to Make:

Pre-soak the oats:

1. The night before or the morning of, combine the organic oats with yogurt, kefir, or buttermilk athem nd let soak overnight or all day.
   1. They need to soak for at least an hour, so if you forget, just start soaking ASAP.

Make the Pancakes

1. Add a box or bag of your favorite organic pancake mix directly to the oats and stir gently to combine.
2. Cook until the tops are set, then add bananas, fruit, or chocolate chips if desired.
3. Flip and finish cooking.
4. Keep warm in the oven on very low heat.

Sweet Potato and Sausage Hash

Serves 4-6

This yummy hash is a meal in itself and can be made with either sweet potatoes or white potatoes, whatever you have leftover. You can also make it with frozen hash browns if you don’t have leftovers.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 teaspoons olive oil, butter, ghee, or coconut oil
  • Note: If you’re using a fatty sausage, you can omit the extra oil or butter
• A package of your favorite organic meat- or plant-based sausages (a savory, sagey flavor is nice for this recipe, but go with what your family enjoys)
  • Use links, patties, or bulk sausage, it all works. If using links or patties, chop into bite-size pieces
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large bell pepper, diced
• 3 leftover baked sweet potatoes, steamed potatoes, or baked white potatoes, diced
  • Option: Use a bag of frozen organic sweet or white potato hash browns instead
• Garlic powder
• Salt
• Paprika
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Organic sour cream, vegan sour cream, or Greek yogurt (optional)
• Green onions & cilantro for garnish (optional)

How to Make:

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the olive oil, butter, ghee, or coconut oil until it dances on the pan.
2. Add your sausage and brown for a few minutes, or until mostly cooked through.
3. Add the onion and bell pepper, and sauté another 3 minutes.
4. Add the diced cooked potatoes and spices, and mix in until everything’s coated.
5. Smash it all down, and increase the heat to medium-high.
6. Let cook until the potatoes begin to caramelize a bit, 4-5 minutes, without burning.
7. Flip everything over as best you can, and repeat.
8. Serve hot with optional sour cream or Greek yogurt, green onions, and cilantro.

Fruit Salad

The fruit salad can be a combination of whatever three to five organic fruits are in season and available.

I like making it colorful by adding something red (strawberries or raspberries), something green (grapes or kiwis), something purple (blueberries or red grapes), something white (apples or bananas), and something yellow or orange (peaches or pineapple).

To elevate it, try adding the juice of 1 lemon with a nice drizzle of raw honey and mix.

Read more: Bedtime Mocktail Series Roundup: Alcohol-Free Recipes for Dry January

Recipe 3: Simple Build-Your-Own Sheet Pan Veggie Pasta Bar

Pasta is typically a winner for families, great for a meatless Monday meal, and can be customized in endless ways.

Here, we pair a variety of roasted veggies with two different pasta sauce options and pasta shapes, so everyone can create their own masterpiece. And if you have carnivores in the mix, you can easily add grilled chicken, shrimp, or meatballs.

Kids not a big fan of roasted veggies? Then serve some raw options, like grape tomatoes, peppers, and thawed frozen peas.

Serve with a simple salad, and dinner’s done.

This recipe serves at least 4-6, typically with leftovers.

Roasted Veggie Ingredients:

• A medley of your family’s favorite organic roasted veggies, such as carrots, leeks, artichokes, onions, fennel, eggplant, and bell peppers, chopped into bite-sized chunks
• Olive oil
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

Choose two Pastas:

• 2 boxes of your family’s favorite organic pasta, such as spaghetti, capellini, rigatoni, penne, or macaroni

Choose two Sauces:

Get creative, take some help from the store, and serve what your family likes, some options include:

• Organic marinara
• Organic vodka sauce
• Pesto
• Alfredo
• Vegan alfredo
• Caesar dressing (weird, but good)
• Brown butter, garlic, and sage (brown the butter, add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, add fresh torn sage leaves, and serve)
• Cheese sauce
• Melted butter & parmesan cheese
• Olive oil, pecorino, and black pepper added directly to the pasta

Optional proteins:

• Marinated chickpeas (these can be roasted with the veggies)
• Try chickpea or lentil pastas
• Grilled chicken
• Plant-based meats
• Meatballs
• Shrimp
• Meat sauce
• Cubed mozzarella or feta

How to Make:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. On a large sheet pan, toss the vegetables in olive oil, salt, garlic, and pepper.
3. Roast until tender and caramelized. Since you cut them into bite-sized pieces, this should only take about 15-20 minutes.

While the veggies are roasting, prepare the pasta according to package directions. When done, toss in a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking. 

Tip: If you have a dual-insert pasta pot with a strainer, keep a little hot water in the bottom after draining, and cover, to keep the pasta warm.

Heat the sauces, if needed.

To serve, line up a buffet with the two pastas, the roasted veggies, and the sauces, and let everyone create their own pasta bowl.

Nice extras for the buffet include: Parmesan cheese, pitted olives and/or capers, fresh minced basil, and red pepper flakes (for the grownups).

A Few Tips On Keeping Organic Affordable

Organics typically cost more, but there are opportunities for savings. Here are a few helpful tips:

• Meal plan. This is the single best way to save money on food (organic or not), period, because it reduces food waste, last-minute takeout orders or grocery store runs, and saves time.
• Shop the sales and shop around.
• Try frozen veggies; when roasted, they often taste just as good as fresh.
• Buy meat in bulk from a local farm. Not all small farms are certified organic, but many apply the same principles and raise their animals on grass, so just ask.
• Shop price clubs for deals on bulk organic foods like pasta (including bean and legume-based varieties, like Banza), pasta sauces, whole grains, meats, bread, cheese, gluten-free pantry staples, fresh and frozen produce, pastured butter, dairy products, and cooking oils.
• Try more meatless meals. They’re almost always cheaper than meat-based meals and are generally healthier for you and the planet.
• Grow your own herbs in the warmer months. Culinary herbs are super easy to grow, even in a window box, and can be frozen as pesto or in ice cube trays for the winter.
• Consider joining a CSA for discounts on weekly organic produce boxes, meats, dairy, and more.
• Invest in a deep freezer so you can take advantage of bulk buys and have extra storage for batch-cooking.
• For families or those who like to put up food, organic food co-ops, like Azure Standard, offer a great option for saving big on bulk items (think 25-pound bags of rice, popcorn, beans, pantry staples, oats, big jars of honey, and cases of frozen food). You have to pick it up at a drop location, but it can save you big bucks throughout the year.
• Make peace with imperfection. Eating 100% organic isn’t always possible, so instead, focus on what really matters. For our family, this means avoiding The Dirty Dozen, genetically modified foods, conventional factory-farmed meats, and dairy products.

Read more: Our Favorite No-Cook Summer Recipes

Have feedback on our story? Email [email protected] to let us know what you think! 

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