Folks - with the school starting in driving nuts with cooking. Please suggest some easy to cook and clean dishes which are kids and adult friendly. Preferably one pot dishes or share your tips and tricks to make it happen?

Hire a part time cook.
We pay $30 per hour for an older lady, amazing cook and she comes cooks for us for 3-4 times a week (we freeze some food and get through 2-3 meals). She cleans up the kitchen too. We are a family of 4, with my wife working also.

Our go-to have been one-sheet pan meals - they are usually easy to prepare (even pre-prep nonetheless weekend), don’t take long to be ready to serve and please all ages.
Lots of variety (proteins/veggies) but also combinations/styles (Asian, Mediterranean, etc).
I can share a long list of the ones we have tried and saved in a family organizer app called cozy, but I usually just google „one sheet pan“ and add the items of what’s in the fridge into my search prompt.

My go-to meal plan during the week is this: 1-2 sheet pan meals, one slow cooker meal, and one meal with a rotisserie chicken.

Rotisserie chicken - I can do quick soups or stews during the fall and winter, or enchiladas, Mediterranean bowls, taco bowls, chicken salad sandwiches or wraps, etc., during the spring or summer. Basically the recipe is rotisserie chicken + assembling things or dumping everything into a pot.

Slow cooker - big fan of chilis, soups, stews, or shredded meat in a slow cooker. If it’s shredded meat (something like buffalo chicken or Mississippi beef), I’ll usually microwave some rice or some premade mashed potatoes from the grocery store (I live by wegmans and buy from their deli section), and then serve with either a salad or microwaveable bags of veggies.

Sheet pan - agree with EY1, sheet pan meals are easy and delicious. I like doing Italian sausage sandwiches, sheet pan pierogies or gnocchi with cooked chicken sausage and veggies, sheet pan Asian salmon, or even just protein + veggies (microwave some baked potatoes or rice on the side for a carb if needed). Another one-pan favorite is frittatas or tater tot casserole - easy with lots of protein.

All of these things can be deconstructed for a toddler, and can be assembled as needed for picky eaters.

These are some of our go to recipes during the week:
- https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/pasta-with-cherry-tomatoes/
- https://www.karissasvegankitchen.com/impossible-burger-meatloaf/#instructions
- https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/stuffed-peppers.html

We also get some of the Costco meals that only require heating and maybe a side (like buying buns for the pulled pork, or rice for the curries)

NYTimes salsa verde chicken is a go-to for our house. It’s really easy to prep ahead of time (ie you could literally measure out the spices and mix them with a jar of salsa and can of green chiles ahead of time) and only takes a few minutes in the Instant Pot. Add some toppings (we often do cabbage, pepitas, limes, avocado) and that’s an easy taco night. The leftovers reheat well too.

My family loves the Indian food from Costco, so easy to make and everyone eats without complaints

Burgers/ veggie kabobs on the grill
One pot chicken orzo lemon 🍋 baby tomatoes
Rotisserie chicken with Costco sides
Hearty chili or soup with crusty bread
Breakfast for dinner
Build your own rice bowls with protein and veggies

We bake lasagna and side dishes from Sam's club.

I remember that eggs and nuts are proteins and sometimes use accordingly if I didn’t remember to plan well. (I am not a good meal planner.). That being said, I used to be weird about a slow cooker because I didn’t grow up with one. But if I think ahead, I LOVE the slow cooker. It makes me feel happy the whole day that I have dinner covered and the family has enjoyed pretty much anything we’ve ever made in it. I have done a freezer meal class in the past and it worked out well. I’m hoping to do some on my own in the next month to have quick options when school starts.