10 genius weeknight cooking hacks you need to try

AOL's Lifestyle Collective partnered with SmartMade™ to create these posts! Enjoy!

After a long day, making a nutritious meal from scratch can easily be pushed down on the to-do list, and reaching for something quick can seem like the only solution. Luckily, quick doesn't have to mean junk food.

Grabbing a balanced frozen meal is one great way to save time and still feel good about what you are eating and serving to your family. SmartMade meals are ready in just a few minutes and are inspired by real home cooking techniques, plus they utilize smart ingredient swaps (think quinoa instead of white rice)!

Similarly, members of the Lifestyle Collective tried swapping out ingredients in their favorite recipes for smarter options and loved the results! Whether these food bloggers were crafting a homemade curry or a delicious pasta dish for their families, they switched out one or two traditional ingredients for smart swaps and were able to whip up their favorite meals in no time.

Check out the slideshow above to see what creative smart swaps members of the Lifestyle Collective made, and try them at home!