6-Minute Meals: My Go-To When Meal Prep Can Wait

Let’s be real, some nights, the energy is gone. 😔The dinner plan flies out the window, and all I want is to feed the crew something warm without settling in for an hour of fast paced kitchen warfare. That’s where my 6-minute meals come in. They’re fast, pantry-friendly, and just enough to hold everyone over until I can get back on track with meal prep the next day.

I’ll be sharing more of these little lifesavers now and then, but today I’m bringing you my ultimate “I’m tired and not feeling it” meal: grilled cheese and tomato soup, but with a twist that makes it even quicker and easier.

🍞 The Grilled Cheese Prep Hack

First, let’s talk sandwiches. I keep an extra loaf of bread in the fridge just for this. On a good day when I am meal-prepping, I take a few minutes to turn that loaf into sandwich packs: two slices of cheese between two slices of bread, stacked right back in the bread bag and twist-tied shut. That way, on a tired night, I just grab however many I need, no unwrapping (honestly, I don't buy individually wrapped cheese), no slicing, no fuss.

I preheat my electric griddle to medium, pop the sandwich preps in the microwave for 30–45 seconds (just until the cheese is soft and gooey), spray both sides with butter spray (faster and lower-cal than slathering with actual butter), or (If you really need your butter) 😏 melt a half stick in a bowl in the microwave and poor it across a cookie sheet as needed, then drop each sandwich into the buttered plate on both sides and toss them on the griddle. They get crispy while I move on to the soup. 

🍅 My 3-Minute Tomato Soup Shortcut

This one’s ridiculously simple. Into a small pot, I dump:

• 1 tiny can of tomato paste

• 1 standard can of diced tomatoes

• 1 diced tomato can’s worth of water

• A sprinkle of salt, pepper, and basil

• A couple eyeballed teaspoons of sugar (this is key to cutting the acidity and avoiding that heartburn flare-up!)

Stir it all up and heat over medium-high while the sandwiches finish browning. Tomatoes heat fast, so this takes maybe 2–3 minutes tops.

🍽️ Dinner. Done 😀

And just like that, I’m plating grilled cheese sandwiches with a warm bowl of soup on the side. Everyone’s happy, cleanup is minimal, and meal prep can wait until tomorrow.

Your Turn!

Do you have a go-to tired night meal? Let me know in the comments! And if you try this shortcut dinner, tag me or drop a pic, I’d love to see your spin on it. I’ll be posting more 6-minute meals soon, so stay tuned.

Happy hustling! 🍽️💛😉