Dinner ideas that are quick/low effort but not junk

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We've recently started a business which means we spend a lot of weekends travelling around the country (from either Wednesday or Thursday - Sunday typically) attending trade shows and country fairs etc.

We are both struggling to think of things to have on a Sunday night when we get home - we'll be working on the Sunday daytime, and will get back after the shops have closed at about 6ish or later.

When we get back, there's also lots of work to do (unhitching the trailer/unpacking bags/putting stock away etc) so want something we can just put in the oven or can be ready quickly.

I should add, we only have a small freezer so pre-making a lasagna or something isn't really an option, and we won't have chance in the day to go to a shop as we'll be working. We also don't want to rely on fast food and takeaways as stopping at the services with our trailer etc is a bit of a nightmare!

My current ideas are:

• Chicken burgers
• Ravioli pasta with a sauce
• Pizza and salad

Waitrose do great chicken katsu bites and I add these to katsu curry sauce, on rice, with a broccoli or bang bang cauliflower side

Pasta , peas or chopped broccoli boiled with the pasta , salmon fillets(microwave in 3 to 6 mins) and green pesto, from a jar, stirred through when drained and cooked. Parmesan cheese on top? Nourishing. 8-10 mins. Done.

Baked salmon with pasta and broccoli
Tray bakes - chicken / salmon / veg / herbs / tin of toms or some stock. Take longer to cook depending on on veg used - 45 mins)but you can have it all chopped in the morning then dump the bag into the oven to cook whilst you are unloading.

Oven risotto. Throw it all in, 20- 25 mins later take out and stir in the cheese and it’s done.

Our go to really quick and easy is spreading sliced tomato then tuna on a flat bread. Cover with grated cheese and bung in the oven long enough to melt the cheese. Serve with a handful of bagged salad.

Do you have an air fryer? Microwave?

I love this recipe, and its extra nice if you have frozen tuna steaks, whack some smoked paprika on and bung in the airfryer.

Kale, tomato and lemon zest one-pot spaghetti – Recipes – Anna Jones https://share.google/tatrilXL92Soskok9

Cook in advance and freeze or do something simple like spag bol or stir fry, they take 10 mins or less and contain loads of veg or maybe cook a chicken night before and boil frozen veggies or in warmer weather use salad

Packet of microwave Mexican rice, with a fried chopped chicken, pepper & onions in. Hot sauce poured over.

best dinner!

So many people here have clearly never worked and travelled for events from Weds-Sun! You don't have fresh salad or leftover veg knocking around if you come home knackered on Sunday night. There is zero chance of buying groceries in or around a convention centre if you're packing up your stand after closing time. Any mince you buy on Tuesday will have expired by Sunday and you are not thawing out a brick of frozen meat at 8pm while unpacking all your stock.

OP, you need to just stick with canned, jarred or easily thawed frozen stuff. We always have beef chilli, bolognese or soup in the freezer. Throw that in a pot and make the pasta or rice fresh. I buy cheese & sour cream earlier in the week and they obviously keep well in the fridge. Tuna and sweetcorn is a great combination and come from pantry tins that virtually never expire. I sometimes do a salad with tuna, sweetcorn, boiled egg and balsamic dressing or mayo. High protein, low carb. Veg is obviously good if you have some but not necessary. Frozen slices of sourdough bread can be placed directly into the pan to make cheese toasties. Just keep the heat low to thaw and then increase it slightly to toast. Breakfast for dinner is also healthy and low effort. Just keep a pack of bacon and some eggs in the fridge from earlier in the week and they're still be good on Sun.

Personally I would be tempted on high end frozen dinners cooked in microwave and some tinned or frozen veg

Honestly my go to for what we called a "dirty dinner" (something quick that can be thrown together in about 10 minutes) once a week is pasta with sauce a few veggies thrown in there and a butt load of cheese because I would rather suffer with my dairy intolerance than give that up . Super filling and tasty!