The holidays are fast approaching, sending your already jam-packed schedule into extra overdrive. Despite the increasing lack of time you are suffering, your family still needs to eat (and so do you!). Semi-homemade expert and host of Food Network’s Money Saving Meals Sandra Lee, a very busy lady herself, shares three quick-to-fix recipes from her recently released cookbook Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Weeknight Wonders.

Easy weeknight recipes

Included with Sandra Lee’s weeknight meals are her favorite go-to products that make her semi-homemade recipes so delicious. 

Chicken Jerkabobs

Prep 15 minutes
Marinate 1 hour
Grill 10 minutes
Makes 12 servings

Put chicken in the marinade before you head off in the morning and all you’ll have to do is fire up the grill and have your kids thread the skewers when it’s dinner time.

Ingredients:
2 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1-1⁄2 inch pieces
1⁄4 cup orange juice, Minute Maid
1⁄4 cup honey, Sue Bee
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons Jamaican jerk seasoning, The Spice Hunter
1 tablespoon dark rum, Meyers (optional)
1 red bell pepper, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 package (8-ounce) mushrooms, trimmed
2 small red onions, cut into sixths, leaving root end intact

Directions:
1. Place chicken in a large zip-lock bag and add the orange juice, honey, oil, jerk seasoning, and rum. Squeeze out air and seal. Gently massage bag to combine ingredients. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 hours (or longer).

2. Soak 10-inch wooden skewers in water for at least 1 hour or use steel skewers. Set up the grill for direct cooking over high heat. Oil grate when ready to start cooking.

3. Remove chicken from the marinade and discard marinade. Thread chicken, peppers, mushrooms and onions onto skewers. Place skewers on hot oiled grill. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes per side or until chicken is no longer pink and internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.

Salmon Sushi Bites

Prep 15 minutes
Cook 5 minutes
Makes 24 bites

Sushi isn’t as challenging to make as you may think. For a light meal or even a prequel to a late dinner, these satisfying little sushi bites will take the edge off your hunger. Plus, they are just fun to eat.

Ingredients:
1-1⁄2 cups instant rice, Uncle Ben’s
1-1⁄2 cups water
1-1⁄2 teaspoons rice vinegar, Marukan
1 tablespoon sugar, Domino/C&H
3⁄4 teaspoon salt-free all-purpose seasoning, McCormick
Pinch salt
3 packages (4 ounces each) sliced smoked salmon, Three Star
Soy sauce, Kikkoman
Sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, over high heat, bring rice and water to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Stir in vinegar, sugar, seasoning, and salt.

2. On a cutting board, separate slices of salmon and cut into 1-1⁄2-inch strips. Place 2 teaspoons of rice at one end of each salmon strip. Roll up tightly.

3. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional). Serve sushi bites with soy sauce for dipping.

Pineapple Sweet Potato Kabobs

Prep 15 minutes
Bake 30 minutes
Makes 18 kabobs

For the vegetarians in the house, these impressive kabobs are bursting with flavor. Finely ground hazelnuts and goat cheese provide protein and a yummy complementing texture to the tender sweet potatoes and juicy pineapple. This is one of those meals you can toss in the oven before you sit down to make holiday gift lists or plan the holiday menus.

Ingredients:
1⁄4 cup brown sugar, Domino/C&H
1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, McCormick
1 teaspoon salt-free lemon-pepper seasoning, The Spice Hunter
1 package (8-ounce) cut sweet potatoes, Earth Exotic
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 package (8-ounce) pineapple chunks, cut in half diagonally for 18 pieces, Ready Pac
6 tablespoons hazelnuts
3 tablespoons soft chèvre cheese, Silver Goat

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, nutmeg, and lemon-pepper seasoning. Place sweet potatoes on baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat.

3. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of seasoning mixture over sweet potatoes and toss until thoroughly coated. Place sweet potatoes on one half of the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.

4. Add pineapple to the other half of the baking sheet and sprinkle with remaining seasoning mixture. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender and the pineapple is warm. Cool on a wire rack.

5. In a food processor, process hazelnuts to fine crumbs and pour into a pie plate. Shape 1⁄2 teaspoon of cheese into a ball and roll in hazelnuts. Repeat to make 18 cheese balls.

6. On 18 wooden toothpicks, thread pineapple, cheese and sweet potatoes.