Going from one child to two is not easy, in so many ways. Even though a newborn doesn’t get their own plate yet, having a second baby makes time for cooking even more limited. Even best-selling cookbook authors aren’t immune.


“I have never more understood the desire and need for short, simple meals,” tweeted Chrissy Teigen, who just recently welcomed her second child, baby Miles.

The Cravings author says that back when she had only Luna, she would look at a complex recipe and think, “ok…easier would be nice but I got this,” but with newborn Miles now in the picture, she cannot handle any recipe with more than five steps.

So what can tired parents do on those days when we don’t have the energy for a complicated recipe but don’t want to order pizza (even though you shouldn’t feel guilty if you do order some Dominos)?

Enter: Sheet pan meals.

“I am fascinated by ‘sheet pan meals’ right now – sides and main cooked on the same temp at the same time on the same pan. New York Times cooking has some of the best,” Teigen tweeted recently.

According to the Food Network, these one pan wonders allow you to “multitask while dinner practically makes itself in the oven.” Check out #sheetpandinner on Instagram if you need some inspo. Nigella Lawson recently ‘grammed a photo of a delicious looking Chicken and Pea Traybake (the British term for sheet pan dinner) and it looks amazing. It tastes amazing too, according to the Instagram comments.

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“I just made this for tonight’s dinner with mashed potato and it ticked all the boxes – delicious, easy and very few dishes to clean,” one mama wrote. “Even possible with a 4-month-old demanding most of my attention!”

Sounds like a win for a busy mama!

A lot of the recipes tagged in #sheetpandinner have chicken as the main, but there are plenty of veg-heavy recipes fit for this format too, like this vegetarian chili and biscuits combo. It is slightly more than five steps, though, so it might not pass the Teigen test. For something with only five steps, check out this Sheet-Pan Lemon Chicken and Potatoes recipe. It looks delicious and easy.

Sometimes, even the greatest cooks (and cookbook authors) just need a simple supper. It’s hard to get fancy when you’ve also got a little mouth that needs (near constant) feeding.

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