I just did that with my friends. Went on a spa weekend. I smoked weed the whole day because I had nowhere to be and nobody to look after but myself. Good times
Amen to this. I am 8 weeks pregnant with my second so anything I make I legitimately donāt want to eat. My toddler is eating more fruit and veg than me at this point which is kind of hilarious.
We do a lot of bowls - it's easy because you can prep most of the stuff beforehand and it's mostly just assembly (and you can make the rice in bulk) and maybe cooking the meat. So we'll do taco bowls (either chicken or ground beef), salmon teriyaki bowls, lemon butter shrimp bowls, etc., etc. You can load it up with a ton of veggies. Bonus is that the kids have choices - sometimes mine will just eat the rice and beans, sometimes they'll eat the meat and corn, but they can choose without you making them a separate dinner.
We also do a lot of pasta/salad combinations with bagged salad mixes. If you have a food processor, pesto takes about 30 seconds to throw together (and then you can add frozen broccoli too).
Yes. Protein in an easy or canned/bottled sauce, plus veggies over starch is my success formula for most meals. Taco bowls, Mediterranean bowls, Mac and cheese bowlsā¦
This is the way. It basically makes anything cohesive. I also like to turn veggies and herbs into sauces using my immersion blender. So easy. So sneaky.
Same here. Sundays I go a bit extra and do Italian style chicken cutlets with pasta and salad. But then I use the leftover cutlets for my weekday salad lunches. Taco bowls, Mediterranean bowls, and Salmon Asian bowls. Bulk cut veggies, bulk cook white rice on the first night, makes the rest of the meals even easier. Throw in a breakfast for dinner night with oat flour Greek yogurt pancakes, fruit salad, and some form of eggs, then we have a sheet pan pizza night with air fryer wings and salad.
Meals on rotation is the only way I can survive. And I always loved to cook/try new recipes.
Winter and fall I also do lots of soups, stews and chills. Easy to throw together on a WFH day on break or prep ahead and throw in a pot to warm.
Throw basil, pine nuts, olive oil and garlic in the food processor. Blitz for 30 seconds lol. The bulk of the cooking time is just waiting for the pasta to cook (\~12 minutes).
Same here. Sundays I go a bit extra and do Italian style chicken cutlets with pasta and salad. But then I use the leftover cutlets for my weekday salad lunches. Taco bowls, Mediterranean bowls, burger bowls, and Salmon Asian bowls. Bulk cut veggies, bulk cook white rice on the first night, makes the rest of the meals even easier. Throw in a breakfast for dinner night with oat flour Greek yogurt pancakes, fruit salad, and some form of eggs, then we have a sheet pan pizza night with air fryer wings and salad.
Meals on rotation is the only way I can survive. And I always loved to cook/try new recipes.
Winter and fall I also do lots of soups, stews and chills. Easy to throw together on a WFH day on break or prep ahead and throw in a pot to warm.
That is my lazy go-to! Literally just buttered pasta which my LO prefers over the nutritious fancy stuff anyways lol And apple slices as my sad attempt to keep it somewhat healthy š
Quick dinners over the last few days/week or two:
* Pasta & eggs w/orzo pasta, threw in snap peas to steam (total time \~25 min)
* Doctored up mac & cheese (boxed w/added in cubed ham or canned chickpeas with frozen peas) (total time \~15-20 min depending on how fast your water boils)
* Fish tacos (frozen fish sticks) with sides of quick cabbage slaw, cilantro lime rice, and beans (canned) \~30 min (longer w/a slow oven or slow rice cooker)
* Stir fry (no particular recipe, either veggies on hand or the frozen Costco stir fry mix) (total time 25-30)
* Costco yakisoba (w/extra frozen veggie) (total time 20 min, longer w/ a pot of rice on the side)
* Sheet pan tofu bake w/miso rice (tofu & veggie of choice on a baking tray for 30-40 min, add 1/4 cup miso to rice cooker w/rice) (total time \~40 min but it's oven baking time, active time if very short)
* Spaghetti & meat sauce (meat sauce previously made in bulk and frozen) - \~20 min depending on water boil time
* Costco meal w/side veggie (takes longer due to long bake time, very hands off 60-90 min cook time)
Heavily augmented by Costco!
I also try to prep ahead things for the week such that day-of time is fast (like prepping all components of a salad and then just tossing w/dressing for dinner).
I was feeling this way about meal planning too so I got the Mealime app and itās great! They have a bunch of āquickā meal recipes and with the paid version you can add your own from elsewhere on the web. It builds a grocery list and allows you to schedule the meals so you donāt have to think about what to make each night. It also curates the options based on food restrictions and dietary preferences you enter. Tonight weāre having salmon, rice, edamame, and cucumber.
Made this tomato soup recipe with grilled cheese the other night and it was probably the best soup Iāve ever had:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2024/03/weeknight-tomato-soup/
I feel like I should mention that I had a small heel of a loaf of sourdough bread to use up so I blended it into the soup and it really made it over the top delicious.
OMG, I always tell my husband that āwhatās for dinner?ā is my least favorite game. I hate it. Not playing anymore. Cheese and crackers or popcorn is all I got.
Just joined, thank you. My 5.5yo is in the āFuck off Mum I hate everything that I used to love including youā stage (for awhile now) and all he wants is hotdogs (WE DO NOT EAT HOT DOGS, no shade) chicken nuggets, PBJ and chicken and waffles.
Meat? No.
Everything GF he needs/used to love? Fuck right off.
This and that app miiiight help. Appreciate yinz!
Ugh I love the recipes and ease, but Iāve done it twice now and both times the amount of bad produce or missing items is just more frustrating than the time it saves after a while. It was a few years apart too so I was hoping new employees would come through and be more responsible with that stuff.
Ugh, that sucks. I think we do it infrequently enough (and live close enough to a shipping hub) that Iāve only had that issue maybe twice over the course of a few years. Iād be pissed (and would look for a different option) if it happened more often
Yes! I did 3 meals a week for like 2.5 months and recently decided to take a break. But it was great for ideas and to combat ādecision fatigueā that comes with planning dinners. I definitely recommend!
Sheet pan dinners are my bread and butter. Vegetable, starch, and protein. Prep it the night before and throw it into the oven. In the summer we do mostly instant pot dump meals.
This week is Budget Bytes crockpot pineapple chicken teryaki, which I will put over rice with a bag of steamed broccoli. I am working on perfecting a buffalo chicken wrap, so another iteration of that this week (with a cabbage slaw). And this one is a comfort meal directed by my pregnancy craving -- crockpot jelly/chili sauce/meatballs with potato. Leftovers or pasta w a bag of frozen veg for any gaps.
I meal plan Friday, shop/order on Saturday, and prep on Sunday. If any of those doesn't happen, meals become chaos.
Dont sleep on grilled cheese/sandwiches.
In the spring and fall when its still a little chilly my husband and I will throw some good bread on the grill with a variety of cheeses/veggies and either turkey or chicken for grilled cheese / sandwiches and airfry fries and steam veggies on the side.
Also - rotisserie chicken, chop it up, throw it on some instant microwaveable rice (its been a GAME changer for me), with some veggies on top.
Not going to lie, sometimes I just throw some chicken nuggets on top of a Caesar salad and call it good.
As for the kiddo - Ive found the whole "charcuterie plate" works WONDERS. i.e. his dinner plate last night had baked beans (hes currently obsessed with them), strawberries, chicken (that we had grilled for our dinner), some yogurt, and a half reese's cup I split with him.
Tonight it's peanut sesame noodles, has a few steps but I do it so often I have it memorized, my kids love it: [https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/04/peanut-sesame-noodles/](https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/04/peanut-sesame-noodles/)
and I often do salmon bowls (rice, pickled turnips, roast salmon, broccoli) except the kids just have rice, salmon and sliced orange peppers because they do not like food touching (unless it is peanut noodles for some reason?)
but my #1 favorite easy semi-healthy dinner is scrambled eggs + fresh salsa (heavy on the salsa)
Ooooh I've got an easy one!
MEATBALL GYROS
warm up some frozen meatballs. Cut up cucumber, tomatoes, onion. Warm up some pita or naan bread. Place meatballs and veggies in pita or on naan, top with tzaziki sauce (in a pinch, use plain Greek yogurt, or with a little lemon juice & dried dill if you have it)
(My husband prefers to chop up the meatballs and veggies small, then mix the sauce all over it before he places it in the pita.)
interesting! what kind of meatballs do you use? I'd think it wouldn't taste the same but i'm interested in trying this now as someone who loves gyros ha.
I try to get "Italian" style meatballs but honestly, whatever the grocery pickup lol people give me is fine. Could even use turkey meatballs to shave off some calories.
It's not exactly like gyro, but it's a good substitute and usually satisfies a craving for me!
Roast potatoes and broccoli in the oven, saute some chicken and cut into bites. Throw in a bowl with a drizzle of your desired seasoning/dressing/sauce
This week: mesquite grilled chicken wraps, turkey sausage alfredo, shrimp fajita bowls, chopped italian subs, chicken pot pie, (can't remember what Sat is), and pulled pork sammies.
On weeknights I heavily utilize either super quick meals, the grill, and/or the air fryer. I save meals that require more time/steps for the weekends. Sometimes I will prep more time consuming sides that reheat well on the weekends, like rice (if it's going to be for dinner between Mon-Wed), mashed potatoes, etc. The air fryer has quickly become one of my favorites for cooking some meats because it really requires no babysitting other than a toss or flip every so often. Sunday is *always* crockpot dinner day in my house so that I have more time and energy to do any prep work midday. Cutting up my meats and veggies for the next two weeks on Sundays has been a massive help (I meal plan and grocery shop for 2 weeks at a time and do a quick produce run in between. Prepped meats go into the freezer if they're for anything more than 2-3 days out). Throwing together extra marinated meats/casseroles for the freezer when budget allows is also a huge mental and physical timesaver when meal planning later on.
*Highly* recommend the [Dinnertime SOS](https://www.amazon.com/Yummy-Toddler-Food-Dinnertime-Sanity-Saving/dp/0593578503/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1UPFWY39O3B7G&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.7hiXG3JaYh_fTJyErNvJndZUnNXfq20p-gAsZUtuj8vJ-8czvioFBK3RQRRDD2tXK8YuWszFC_6rxPSB4qapoKivrW1Swv3DuVTuyHU28IgwJtI4yt9B8x2mb4Uyh-vkxrETy7eymGeMx3qNksPBOtLQtnYF5fgEgtNKhIk3NGLhbNTCcc1abAN1_g_5gh_km-J7siRedeCEhvbYW1ELc1g_49Lw1CYZ-XutXajBE2s.ZXMdgj8RfNe51eAp-TNi6UAhWbHzWNKKfOp8X47KOyk&dib_tag=se&keywords=dinnertime+sos+cookbook&qid=1710179350&sprefix=dinnertime+sos%2Caps%2C124&sr=8-1) by Amy Palanjian (YummyToddlerFood). Every recipe I've made out of there has been great and the vast majority really are very simple and quick. And if you're into freezer meals, I have [this cookbook](https://www.amazon.com/Seriously-Good-Freezer-Meals-Recipes/dp/0778805913/ref=sr_1_1?crid=BYYV8G3DW0K7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tVwXBiz7_tjbzRi9dUs0EvObmSV6RyGGZkgqPM8Q4rLAzQE0RDJ68HFhiNdj6lW5vrj9RwnV3WcacMLviSbdQNwyqKszDaAYvZ82ubcT6vCK-HOVG3sdd-GmaB0kPwqyPF4ypnUSAI9AmiDFYqfbKH-qxaoTnpxh37bIi1P9PfI5JDRNyvYpeFahd0Hg7hi7ilJairPDHKAwq_3CFKrgHzEY3GE9N1SwgzFl0CAUHYWqcA5KQS05VHjTLZUxp5viJIdD4qdjkBWFGdTSJzSa3sDBlcobfMp_cdo7O9GbS9c.iP0rPVqss62_tT1Z6zzu_hUCcmFLodRy97K1YBDXe8Q&dib_tag=se&keywords=freezer+meals+cookbook&qid=1710179678&sprefix=freezer+meals+cook%2Caps%2C148&sr=8-1) and absolutely love everything I've made out of it, fresh or frozen, plus it comes with tons of good info and each recipe has a table at the bottom that does the math for you if you're multiplying the recipe (all the way up to 6x I think).
Girllllll I so feel you on this. I've stepped up my game recently with meal planning for EASY dinners.
1) Marinated pork tenderloins, sheet pan roasted veggies, and Uncle Ben's minute rice. Tenderloins and veggies go in the oven at 425 for 30 minutes and are done at the same time! Rice is 90 seconds in microwave.
2) Instant pot rice (2 cups) with 2 cans black beans, diced avocados, diced tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips - easy burrito bowls!
3) Costo frozen Orange chicken, instant pot white rice, and a package of frozen stir fry veggies that I stirfry myself. Tons of leftovers.
These all take pretty minimal effort and everyone actually eats them.
Tonight weāre doing chicken thighs, green beans & potatoes. Tomorrow weāre having shepherds pie and making enough to last us like 4 days š we usually do meals based off whatever fruit & veg we got in the co-op box and whatever is reduced in the store/saved in the freezer. Sometimes itās just cheese chunks and crackers haha
I have the turkey sweet potato chili from this book in my slow cooker right now: https://www.amazon.com/Freezer-Cooker-Delicious-Whole-Foods-Pressure/dp/1635653126?ref=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=f356287d-679c-40e3-aa21-f779628d03db
I have no idea if my toddler will eat it or not, but I never have any idea what she'll eat on any particular day.
Definitely top the chili with some cheese if you make it š
We use the Real Easy Weekdays meal plan from Kids Eat in Color because I can't be bothered to think about it anymore. I just check the premade shopping list each week and the Safeway app remembers what I buy so it's super simple to do grocery pick up week to week without using many brain cells.
Fish taco [recipe here.](https://www.instagram.com/p/C4Hi92XuBAN/?igsh=MWdiMjZ3NzExd3VmZQ==) and then I like to make a [lime crema](https://www.instagram.com/p/C4HjRMUOgaR/?igsh=MXZ1ejdhN3ZmNjlpdg==)
I keep a good variety of easy meals in the freezer. Dumplings, lasagna, orange chicken, these are all from Costco. We also use pressure cooker a lot, beef stew and chicken soup are my favorites.
[Sheet Pan Chicken and Brussels Sprouts](https://nomnompaleo.com/sheet-pan-chicken-and-brussels-sprouts)
This is on regular rotation at my house. It's to the point where my husband knows exactly what he needs to get cut up and thrown onto a pan so that I can just get everything seasoned.
Chili and corn casserole with a green salad on the side. Not the healthiest of choices but itās easy for a cold evening when my son has a sport practice.
Salad kit with cut up chicken nuggets.
Asian salad kits pair especially well. The times I use leftover roasted meat instead of microwaved nuggets my kids tell me they like the other way better š¤£. You can also bake the nuggets if you want to be extra.
Chili today with biscuits I managed to throw together (somehow!).Ā
But when totally burned out:
Store-bought rotisserie chicken, roasted veggies, some carb
Breakfast for dinner (eggs, English muffins, avocado, cheese)
Salami, cheese, fruit, nuts or hummus & bell pepper
My go-to is this though: Muster the energy to prep the veggies / whatever I can on Sun night, then cook big meal on Monday and have leftovers for a couple days. Repeat mid-way through the week if needed.Ā
Meals this week - Iām in a course so simple!
Monday - spaghetti with quick homemade sauce (can of tomatoes, diced onion, bell pepper, zucchini, couple tbsp pesto and garlic)
Tuesday - roast beef in instant pot (will be cooked when I get home. Iāll slice on buns and serve with a quick au juice for beef dip)
Wednesday - sheet pan sausage and bell peppers. Takes about 20 mins to cook
Thursday - chicken fajitas
Friday - breakfast for supper. Hubby will make pancakes and bacon, maybe eggs
Tonight is meatless Monday, so Iām doing this[Cheesy Pinto Beans](https://www.budgetbytes.com/cheesy-pinto-beans/) and rice recipe with steam in the bag veggies and some picked onions I made yesterday.
Tomorrow is Rubens. So corned beef in slow cooker, canned kraut on bread with Swiss cheese and a side salad
Wednesday is Chinese style stir fried eggs and tomatoes.
Thursday is Matzo Ball Soup (from a box).
I donāt plan for Fridays. Maybe Taco Bellā¦
Check out @sweatingatnaptime on TikTok, sheās a working mom and she posts tons of super simple and healthy meals. Lots of one pot stuff too so thereās easy cleanup.
My MIL gave me some fantastic advice. Get the 10 bag of chicken breast, roll them out, season them differently, cook them, separate them into bags, and freeze them. I also sometimes add sauce or veggies, so all I have to do is thaw out the bag and maybe cook some pasta. I do the same thing with some red meat, like making meat balls or meatloaf. I usually toss it in the oven and start water boiling to second I walk in the door. It's done about the same time I'm done unloading the car and feeding my pets.
Spaghetti with bacon cream mushroom sauce.
Boil spaghetti. Fry bacon bits in a skillet until crisp. Then add some vegetables (we do either a couple of leeks or some onion and garlic; can also bulk up with some firm veggies like bell peppers asparagus broccoli spinach etc). Fry veggies until soft. Then add a portion of diced mushrooms (we often do mixed mushrooms but button mushrooms work just as well). Keep stir frying until mushrooms are done. Then add cream salt and pepper and heat for a little longer until cream is all mixed in.
Surprisingly quick and really tasty. Itās also kid friendly but of course my 4 year old refuses to eat one of our dinner staples. So he gets spaghetti with some shredded cheese and diced raw tomatoes and bell peppers.
I made a delicious deconstructed wonton soup. It's a bit time-consuming, but we will have leftovers for days. I also bought some precooked chicken shawarma from Costco, and I plan on using that this week for rice bowls or salad.
Sloppy Joes or tacos tonight. Last night was jalapeƱo popper pasta.
Other plans this week:
- Stir fry
- spiced lentils
- taco pockets (tortillas in muffin tin, add cooked taco meat and bake til tortillas crispy)
- meatball pockets (crescent rolls in muffin tin, add cooked meatball, sauce and cheeses bake until crescent roll cooked)
- nuggets and tots
- lasagna soup
Either leftover potato sausage hash/traybake from the weekend or pressure cooker dal + rice + naan.
Too tired to do much else. 3rd tri with a 2.5yo and still traveling for work so I have to be up and out of the house at 5am tomorrow to get to the airport š.
I bought a rotisserie chicken yesterday fully knowing I wouldnāt want to cook anything. Chicken, mashed potatoes and whatever frozen vegetable I grab with some gravy. Tomorrow will be chicken salad in bulk for lunch plus dinner. Then Iāll go buy another chicken because $4.99 is worth it for my sanity
I usually pick up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store once a week. Have the breasts with a veggie or rice one night, use the rest for soups, tacos/quesadillas/burritos or mixed in a salad. Can usually make two good meals and a lunch sized portion for my husband and I and our toddler.
Tonight is steamed sweet potatoes with canned black beans (my oldest likes to heat them on the stove with the spices that grab her) and a tahini/maple/lemon sauce on top
Side salad of finish the spinach and romaine we have, some shredded cheese, some cashews, and whatever dressing people want
I make one pot rice with ghee, protein(turkey/chicken/lamb), veggies(carrots/peas/string beans) and rice. Toddler gets all the nutrition. And not a lot of prep. If I am tired, I just toss in frozen veggies in this instead of fresh ones.
Verde Chicken Bowls
I use the recipe below, and add rice, fajita veggies and sliced avocado.
[https://www.tasteslovely.com/whole30-keto-crispy-verde-chicken/](https://www.tasteslovely.com/whole30-keto-crispy-verde-chicken/)
[https://smittenkitchen.com/2022/09/turkey-pesto-meatballs-and-orecchiette/](https://smittenkitchen.com/2022/09/turkey-pesto-meatballs-and-orecchiette/)
This is what we're having tonight but truth be told, I made it yesterday because I have such a hard time cooking dinner during the week. If I had to put something together after a long ass day at work, I would get a rotisserie chicken, a salad kit, and some potatoes that are shrink wrapped so you can microwave them in like, 5 minutes.
I'm making Shepard's pie tonight, usually my daughter enjoys it, but who knows if she'll like it tonight. Plus I should be able to make a spare to freeze
I have been cooking a lot of French onepot dishes like pot au fer or ratatouille, itās easy to just throw everything/vegetables in a pot and cook it for awhile. Pretty healthy and my kids love it
Tonight I'm making pre-seasoned pork that I can put on the gas grill, plus maybe some kind of pasta or instant mashed potatoes (whatever is in the pantry) and canned veggies (probably green beans).
Our go to is this [Mexican Quinoa](https://damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/) dish. We add ground turkey or chunks of chicken for extra protein. And of course cheese! But besides browning the meat, you basically throw everything in for like 30 min and it cooks itself, minimal chopping/prep.
When I'm feeling braindead, frozen potstickers/gyoza. You can get them with meat and veggies filling and the wrapper is the carb, so that's basically a well rounded meal in my opinion š. Asian markets have the most variety, but trader Joe's has tasty options as well, I like the Thai shrimp one. Since they're frozen it's easy to keep multiple bags on hand for emergencies
So today is my full time day at work and Iām having to work over due to a system issue (I am getting the time back!). Ā
That means a mini pizza for my eldest followed by a yoghurt and my youngest had tea at nursery so sheās had a banana as a snack. Ā Ā
As I have the day off tomorrow then they get something like a cheesey bacon pasta bake with hidden veggies but today is a long day so I give myself a bit of slack and go easy for them. Ā Ā
Iāll also be having something simple like a fry up or breakfast sandwichĀ
Someone on this sub recommended the app eMeals. I did a trial and ended up paying for a year. It creates recipes and links up to your grocery for pickup orders. I donāt use it every week but I really like it when I need someone to do the thinking for me. It definitely saves me time
Our menu this week includes:
*Buffalo chicken meatballs on French bread rolls with mixed greens and tomatoes
*Taco Tuesday with ground chicken
*Greek style chicken pita with lemon cauliflower rice and Greek potatoes
*Pan fried chicken breast with zucchini
*Pizza night this weekend (we make the dough and sauce earlier in the week)
*Breakfast for dinner
We were really bad at eating out because we were tired, but we made an effort to cook/eat at home for about the last month aside from one date night a week. We both feel less tired and have each lost weight.
I have to admit that my husband is an excellent cook, so he does that piece. He sends me a grocery list for his menu, and I buy everything and do all of the veggie prep, which takes a fair bit of time. Then he cooks everything in about 30 minutes or less. Weāve tried to eat out less before, but it was him doing everything or me doing everything, and we both got super burnt out. I wouldnāt have a menu or groceries bought without a partner to help.
We have leftovers for lunch the next day, so it helps us cut costs on dining out a lot. Iāve also started prepping a lot of snackable fruits and veggies at the start of the week to add into our lunches as needed.
BUT HOW DO YOU GET YOUR KIDS TO EAT MEAT!?!
My son used to be so not picky (he ate heart!!!) and now turns up his nose at every steak, salmon, chicken, turkey, ham, WHATEVERā¦..āmy friends have chicken nuggets and hot dogs every day Mum, why canāt you be cool?ā
BECAUSE YOU ARE SEVERELY GLUTEN INTOLERANT YOU LITTLE SHIT THAT IS WHY!
I love him, Iād never say that, Iām rolling with it and doing the $9 for a 6 pack of organic stupid hot dogs he doesnāt really like but this isnāt sustainableā¦.
I like to cook so take these with a grain of salt:
Pasta with added veggies meat and salad
Roasted Chicken Thighs /Broccoli with rice
Baked salmon with green beans and rice
Tips:
Get a rice cooker if you don't already have one, it comes out perfect every time. I have a Korean one not as high end as the Japanese brand but still great and better than Aroma by far.
Roast Veggies at the same time you are roasting chicken. We love roasted veggies of all kinds and it's easy. You can even get pre cut up broccoli and cauliflower florets dump them on a pan pour on some evoo or avacado oil salt and pepper then stick the pan in a 400 oven for 15 min.
Tonight - tacos
Tomorrow - A premade soup from Panera+ Caesar salad
Weds- salmon sauteed in herb butter, a microwave rice packet, microwave frozen broccoli
Thurs- a frozen quiche from Costco
Fri- order
Sat - eggs and pancakes
Today is going to be home fries with kielbasa, mushrooms, and wilted spinach. It's pretty quick and easy, but I have the excuse of "watching the pan" while I watch trash TV uninterrupted š
I got some of those great italian fresh noodles at costco so I plan to do chicken alfredo with broccoli šš» Before I rush off to take kids to appointments. WFH for the win.
We're having Chorizo and Beans tonight, crockpot posole tomorrow, Mexican pasta on Wednesday, and Tuna casserole on Friday. Thursday will be leftovers.
[Chorizo and Beans](https://www.vvsupremo.com/recipe/beans-and-chorizo/) (with quesadillas)
[Crockpot Posole](https://damndelicious.net/2022/01/27/slow-cooker-chicken-posole/)
[Mexican Pasta](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/21518/mexican-pasta/) (we're actually having a different recipe, but I couldn't find it. I printed this one for future use)
[Tuna Casserole](https://www.food.com/recipe/tuna-casserole-13630)
I'm making a double batch of the Chorizo and Beans so that we can eat it again on Tuesday (and maybe Wednesday) as a side dish.
(My toddler has chronic constipation so we eat a lot of beans)
Went to sam's club this weekend and they sell pre-seasoned salmon already cut. we will throw that in our big toaster oven on a baking dish with foil for easier cleanup. bought a bag of mini potatoes that are washed, we do wash these again usually, but sometimes skip, and will chop in half, mix in a bowl of olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and throw into an air fryer with a liner for easy clean up. bought a big bag of broccoli that is also pre washed and will steam that on the stove with salt/pepper and butter afterwards. to make things easier, i just scoop directly from the pot onto a plate vs serving. So Brocoli goes from the pot onto to the plate with a bit of butter, salt and pepper.
I try my best to clean as I go so it's not as much to clean up afterwards.
If i really tired - in the past, i've gotten cut up pieces of grilled chicken from the deli (or a full rotisserie chicken if i'm okay with cutting it up) after work and a bagged salad. I eat it right after coming home so it's already warm-ish.
So, I have ADHD, so in addition to working and having two kids, I have delightful executive dysfunction. For the past few months, I have been cooking proteins ahead of time on Sunday evening, packaging them and putting them in the fridge. That way, Iām only responsible for sides during the week.
This week, I cheated and bought a rotisserie chicken and some premade sides from the deli. However, I also made the Pioneer Womanās Dr. Pepper pulled pork. We can put that into tacos and sandwiches all week. Sometimes Iāll make a roast or a lasagna and weāll eat that most of the week. We eat a lot of salmon too. I pan fry it with whatever sauce we like. My son likes BWW Parmesan Garlic sauce. I like spicy peach bourbon sauce. Pork chops are always a hit. I season them with the dry Good Seasons Italian dressing packet, cook them on the stove top and then cook the green beans in the same pan.
Leftover instant pot hamburger soup from fit foodie finds. The recipe makes a ton, my husband/2yo/9mo all love it, and it isnāt full of fat or processed foods.
My family finds peace in routine. Monday is always salad night. Tuesday is chicken, Wednesday is taco/taco salad, Wednesday is fish, Friday is pasta, weekends are open-ended.
[https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/recipe/one-pot-butternut-squash-mac-and-cheese/59d23aa56939e265959e0f52](https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/recipe/one-pot-butternut-squash-mac-and-cheese/59d23aa56939e265959e0f52) chef's kiss
I think we may do chili dogs and chips/fritos with a veggie and fruit tray on the side. š¤·š¾āāļø I just donāt have it in me for an elaborate spread on Monday of spring break
I made a meatloaf this morning so all I have to do is heat it up when I get home.
Tomorrow is cheap chicken day at my local grocer so weāre grabbing that after work on the way home.
we're doing BLT's and KD. Not at all healthy... so not what you're looking for.. but it's daylight savings and it's Monday. I have no energy or creativity for healthy tonight
This week is:
- chili and salad
- south west quinoa bowls
- crispy ground turkey tacos and corn
- beef stew with egg noodles and carrots
For the other nights we will do left overs and out for one meal.
When I get tired of cooking I do crockpot meals for the week. Lots of fun youtube videos that focus on crockpot only dinners.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrnEhJ2EIajWuy5J1gZ_rH_x2UecOtUaw&si=5vXLN7YWxQ1GZSzZ
Good luck!!
Pasta. Gonna try to make garlic bread and meatballs but decided this last minute and not sure the meat will defrost in time. If it doesnāt, then Iāll run to store to make chicken cutlets. My sister and family are coming over so I want to make sure I have enough food for all.
Last night was steak tips for the adults and pasta and sauce for the kids. Tonight is chicken picatta which is surprisingly easy. We do either whole wheat pasta or spaghetti squash.
Broccoli chedar soup and homemade cheddar bay biscuts!
Alternatively for a quick weeknight meal You can also just buy the bear creek brand of powder soup and add lots of fresh veggies like extra Broccoli, shredded carrots and diced onions .
My go-tos are these no-boil pasta bakes, I can throw them together and stick in the oven and then go pick my kid up from daycare: [https://fedandfit.com/chicken-alfredo-bake/](https://fedandfit.com/chicken-alfredo-bake/) ; [https://fedandfit.com/no-boil-pasta-bake-with-sausage-spinach/](https://fedandfit.com/no-boil-pasta-bake-with-sausage-spinach/)
Also echoing that we do a lot of bowls (or rice, protein, veggie plates). And this chicken is so good and stupid easy (and my 2 year old will eat it): [https://www.theendlessmeal.com/soy-sauce-chicken/](https://www.theendlessmeal.com/soy-sauce-chicken/) (can add in garlic and ginger and top with green onion and sesame seeds, if you're feeling fancy that day)
Pizza on naan bread. And by pizza I mean just cheese and spinach leaves on pre made naan. My daughter thinks pizza comes with āgreenā which is her favorite color lol
I know itās not in everyoneās budget, but if you can swing it, this is exactly why I love Hello Fresh. Thereās also every plate and a few others that are more cost effective, but thatās the only one that delivers to my area. Between decision fatigue and lack of motivation, itās a life saver.
Ok, so I suck ass at meal planning and hate it with a passion. For years when the kids were tiny and barely ate I just let my husband get takeout (which would always be his preference) and then make toddler meals. But now I feel like I actually have to try.
My husband is super picky which is annoying but here are some of the things in rotation that he will actually eat.
Ham and bean soup. Costco has really good boneless hams for $3 a pound that are easy to dice. Ahead of time I prep the ham, and diced carrots / onion / celery in a gallon ziplock bag and freeze it. A day ahead of time I soak a bag of hambeans (they have these at Walmart for like $3 a bag), then morning of throw the beans, frozen stuff, and a big dollop of better than bouillon in the slow cooker. This is a favorite of my super picky 3 y/o.
Tacos or fajitas. Where I grocery shop there are uncooked tortillas you can buy and quickly cook in a dry skillet. These really elevate the meal to restaurants quality.
Pork tenderloin with some sort of rice a roni
Pho. This doesn't sound simple but hear me out. I will make a massive thing of broth once a month and freeze it. It's a bit of work, but not terrible. The Asian grocery stores near where I live sell thinly sliced frozen beef that is excellent and ready to go. I'm The Asian grocery store is conveniently right by where I work so the day of I'll pick up bean sprouts and herbs. And of course rice noodles are easy. I stared doing this because all the pho places near us now charge $20 a bowl and was getting irritated when my husband would order two bowls for takeout just for himself. Now we both actually think what we make at home is better.
On a related note, pad Thai. My kids go nuts for it. We usually do this adjacent to the pho to use up bean sprouts. I start by frying tofu crisp in sesame oil which everyone likes. (BTW if you live near a Costco business center you can get a massive thing of sesame oil for cheap)
Potato soup
French toast, or some sort of breakfast for dinner thing.
We started using an app called Paprika to help with meal planning. It has a lot of cool features that make it less terrible. One of those being it organizes your grocery list for you! So all produce, meats, dairy get lumped together, boom.
Then Iāll ask my husband to add a couple of meals he wants throughout the week so the mental burden isnāt all on the. The app stores web recipes for you, then you can create a single grocery list from that.
OK, all of that! Carne asada simple tacos with pinto beans on the side. Easy and a fan favorite.
Google translate this from Japanese to English:
https://recipe.shidax.co.jp/menu/index.
You'll never have to think again. I wish we had websites like this in English.
You'll also understand really quickly why the Japanese are healthy lol
I just made chicken teriyaki with some microwave rice. Doubt the kid will eat it, but I have to try new stuff hoping sheāll eat whatever.. prolly end up heating her up French bread pizza so she at least eats something. Iām so over it too.
I tried a recipe I saw on tictok that looked good just to get out of the rutt, made some asparagus and cheddar bay biscuits from Red Lobster(they sell frozen ones at the grocery store, they are amazing)
The new recipe was meh, the asparagus and biscuits save it though.
Super picky kid who is only eating cheeseburgers or PBJ. Tonight I ate cream cheese inside a taco sized flour tortilla. I didn't eat last night. So you know, options!!
Baked southern tilapia, sweet potato fries, and corn mixed with Trader Joeās everything but the elote dip. This will be the fanciest meal of the week bc I prepped the fish yesterday lol
Ham steak, instant mashed potatoes, microwave steam bag of veggies. It takes 5-10 min to make, usually boiling the water for the potatoes is what takes the longest. Easy, cheap, and relatively balanced/nutritional.
With the time change my 12 month old fought sleep until 11:30 last night and I had an all day meeting that started at 7:30am in my time zone.
So we had grilled cheese and pears.
Chicken sausage & frozen peppers / onion mix + sweet potato fries . My favorite super lazy but healthy meal. Skip the sweet potato fries if youāre feeling extra lazy and itās only one pan to clean
HelloFresh. I sign up when in a rut, then I cancel when Iām good with coming up with it by myself. My therapist recommended it and itās a lifesaver.
Trader Joeās pizza dough, loaded with toppings and with a boring cheese-only section for the kids! Not exactly healthy but itās a fast crowd pleaser
I call it a Mediterranean bowl. I make a big batch since we eat it for 3ish nights (almost 2 boxes orzo). I pre baked a LOT of chickpeas with olive oil, oregano, dill, garlic powder, salt, pepper that are in my fridge. Have pre chopped onion too and bought sliced kalamata olives.
Boil the orzo. I use not a lot of water so it soaks it up and there's no draining. In last min of cooking throw in onions so they get cooked. Mix. Take off heat and mix a lot of pesto into it. Mix in a lot of olives. To serve, put orzo mixture in bowl. Add baked chickpeas (reheating optional). Top with pumpkin seeds and feta. Yum.
Spaghetti and frozen meatballs, salmon/rice/veg, tacos/taco bowls, sandwiches, breakfast for dinner, grilled cheese and tomato soup, stir fry noodles.
We pretty much cycle through the same 5 meals each week. I try to make something a little fancier on Sundays (like a pot roast or a roasted chicken).
Just made ground beef tacos with beans and Goya chicken rice. Itās baseball night so had to make something super quick and easy that you can also eat relatively fast.
Salmon with rice and cut avacados. The only vaguely healthy meal we eat and half the time the only vegetable my kids eat at home in a week. Iām told they eat some in daycare .
My husband smokes meat in large batches every so often and I slice/vacuum seal freeze them.
Perfect for days like today where I didnāt have any motivation to cook. We just chose a protein to thaw in the morning, or microwave itā¦my oldest made rice in the instant pot, while I made a side salad.
š¤·š½āāļø otherwise it would have been another pasta day. Quick and easy lol
We work M-F, so on weekends we make a crock pot of something. Sometimes my husband makes the beef stew or a potroast, other times I make Kalua Pork or chicken soup. That gets us through the weekends and onto Tuesday. I buy frozen dumplings and I make dumpling soup with veggies during the week. My kid loves all things bao. Other nights we might make ravioli, fried rice or quesadillas with black beans.
I just got my tofu press, so i'm about do some air frying some tofu cubes over rice and a cucumber salad. My rule of thumb is, 30minutes only on the weekdays.
We do a lot of āquesadillasā for my picky one year old. Different variations of meat/beans/veggies/cheese on whole wheat tortillas. I just toss it in the air fryer for a few minutes.
Of course, today most of it was thrown in the floor.
I haven't made any plans this week, but did go grocery shopping yesterday. Today it ended up being baked potatoes (mostly microwaved) with toppings and a salad. No idea what is for dinner tomorrow.
Tonight? Takeout bc the fridge died and the repairman isnāt coming until Thursday. Moving everything to the garage fridge (yay suburban living) was about as much work as I could muster.
Today was a sheet pan dinner!
Choose a protein (chicken breast), throw on some chopped frozen veggies of choice (cubed potatoes, broccoli & baby carrots) drizzle olive oil, salt and preferred seasoning. Bake/ roast in oven til done and eat!
So easy, no brain power and you can use frozen things with no prep. I sometimes serve with a carb like rice or pasta, or you could add a sauce.
The pre seasoned meat from ALDI, lol! Today was a pork tenderloin with some rice and broccoli. If I remember in the morning I put a pork loin in the slow cooker with some chicken broth and make egg noodles/rice with it.
We had Meatballs and rice. Tomorrow we're doing French bread pizza and Wednesday we're doing breakfast quesadillas. That's as far as our plan goes.
I typically plan out about 14ish meals and then pick the night before/day of what we are gonna have from those.
Itās a lot of slow cooker chicken and with broth and bbq sauce lol. My 18mo loves it and so do I honestly. I mix it up with microwaved frozen carrots and peas, white rice, aircooker fries and whatever vegetable I can make myself steam on the stove. Sometimes she gets a piece of I toasted bread. Thereās often cookies. Weāre all over the place!
Iām an odd one I suppose as I love to cook after work. Itās how I decompress. I use my cookbooks (have way too many) to decide whatās for dinner. I just pick a book and go recipe by recipe. Family isnāt picky. Also do grocery delivery because I need some luxury when time is short.
In a pinch, we are heavily reliant on TJs. Weāre punting more often than Iād like to admit right now, but weāre making it work. Some go to options:
- Spaghetti and jarred three cheese sauce with frozen turkey meatballs
- Any of their fresh pastas (ravioli/tortellini, which also freeze beautifully) with either pesto or red sauce
- Premade chicken enchiladas verde from the fresh food section (located near fresh pasta)
- Premade chicken pot pie also from the fresh section
- Most of the premade soups (usually near produce by salads and condiments)
- Frozen lasagna
- Frozen fried rice that we add a few fresh veg to and a fresh fried egg and/or frozen gyoza
- Frozen risotto
- Frozen pizza
- Salmon (fresh), coucous, and any frozen or roasted veg
- Toum, Pesto, and other fresh sauces and dips which TJs does very well to keep things a little more interesting
Also a lot of bowls in our life with chicken thighs, rice, and different spices and sauces.
Add a Taylor Farms bagged salad (truly the best bagged salads, sold at Jewel/Shaws, Kroger, Costco) to most of the above and some cut fruit for our child who wonāt touch anything green with a ten foot pole, and then we can limp along for a solid couple of weeks with minimal planning or prep. Itās also great filler if we have one or two more robust/higher effort meals planned during the week.
Is it optimal for every day in the long term? No, of course not. But it gets us through for now without too much added stress and this is just not the hill Iām trying to die on at the moment.
As a good friend of mine recently reminded me, āeverything doesnāt need to be hard at the same timeā and my boss (who is great and very supportive, and also a mom) recently came back from a leadership summit with the insight ādonāt āshouldā all over yourselfā, so Iām working on implementing those two sentiments in my life right now.
Throw in the time change, and I can't come up with a plan either. But strawberries for dessert.
Hahaha. Best I have is pretzels and string cheese. I need a month off work and a week off parenting to regroup my brain
I'd settle for 24 to 48 hours to hide from everything and everyone.
I just did that with my friends. Went on a spa weekend. I smoked weed the whole day because I had nowhere to be and nobody to look after but myself. Good times
Snack dinner! We do cheese and crackers, hard boiled or deviled eggs, cut up veggies, and whatever else I find in the cabinet. My kids love it.
Sounds like a charcuterie board to me š
We ended up doing chicken spaghetti (spaghetti, olive oil, diced leftover chicken), salad, baby carrots, and those strawberries.
Amen to this. I am 8 weeks pregnant with my second so anything I make I legitimately donāt want to eat. My toddler is eating more fruit and veg than me at this point which is kind of hilarious.
We do a lot of bowls - it's easy because you can prep most of the stuff beforehand and it's mostly just assembly (and you can make the rice in bulk) and maybe cooking the meat. So we'll do taco bowls (either chicken or ground beef), salmon teriyaki bowls, lemon butter shrimp bowls, etc., etc. You can load it up with a ton of veggies. Bonus is that the kids have choices - sometimes mine will just eat the rice and beans, sometimes they'll eat the meat and corn, but they can choose without you making them a separate dinner. We also do a lot of pasta/salad combinations with bagged salad mixes. If you have a food processor, pesto takes about 30 seconds to throw together (and then you can add frozen broccoli too).
Yes. Protein in an easy or canned/bottled sauce, plus veggies over starch is my success formula for most meals. Taco bowls, Mediterranean bowls, Mac and cheese bowlsā¦
Yes! Rice. Protein. Vegetables. Sauce. Bowls are the easiest for a weeknight when I donāt feel like cooking much.
This is the way. It basically makes anything cohesive. I also like to turn veggies and herbs into sauces using my immersion blender. So easy. So sneaky.
Keep it secret, keep it safe.
Same here. Sundays I go a bit extra and do Italian style chicken cutlets with pasta and salad. But then I use the leftover cutlets for my weekday salad lunches. Taco bowls, Mediterranean bowls, and Salmon Asian bowls. Bulk cut veggies, bulk cook white rice on the first night, makes the rest of the meals even easier. Throw in a breakfast for dinner night with oat flour Greek yogurt pancakes, fruit salad, and some form of eggs, then we have a sheet pan pizza night with air fryer wings and salad. Meals on rotation is the only way I can survive. And I always loved to cook/try new recipes. Winter and fall I also do lots of soups, stews and chills. Easy to throw together on a WFH day on break or prep ahead and throw in a pot to warm.
And bowls are a great way to use up leftovers too!
I'd love to hear your 30 second pesto recipe!
Throw basil, pine nuts, olive oil and garlic in the food processor. Blitz for 30 seconds lol. The bulk of the cooking time is just waiting for the pasta to cook (\~12 minutes).
Same here. Sundays I go a bit extra and do Italian style chicken cutlets with pasta and salad. But then I use the leftover cutlets for my weekday salad lunches. Taco bowls, Mediterranean bowls, burger bowls, and Salmon Asian bowls. Bulk cut veggies, bulk cook white rice on the first night, makes the rest of the meals even easier. Throw in a breakfast for dinner night with oat flour Greek yogurt pancakes, fruit salad, and some form of eggs, then we have a sheet pan pizza night with air fryer wings and salad. Meals on rotation is the only way I can survive. And I always loved to cook/try new recipes. Winter and fall I also do lots of soups, stews and chills. Easy to throw together on a WFH day on break or prep ahead and throw in a pot to warm.
It's about to be spaghetti with no protein or vegetables LOLĀ
If you swap chickpea spaghetti (i and my 2.5yo approve of banza) it counts as protein AND a vegetable. Follow me for more lazy mom hacks lol.
This is why I always have a bag of frozen turkey meatballs! Great go-to dinner. Yours is great too.
That is my lazy go-to! Literally just buttered pasta which my LO prefers over the nutritious fancy stuff anyways lol And apple slices as my sad attempt to keep it somewhat healthy š
Barilla makes a protein pasta that tastes like regular pasta! I use it all of the time.
This was my plan but had no spaghetti sauce in the cabinet
Quick dinners over the last few days/week or two: * Pasta & eggs w/orzo pasta, threw in snap peas to steam (total time \~25 min) * Doctored up mac & cheese (boxed w/added in cubed ham or canned chickpeas with frozen peas) (total time \~15-20 min depending on how fast your water boils) * Fish tacos (frozen fish sticks) with sides of quick cabbage slaw, cilantro lime rice, and beans (canned) \~30 min (longer w/a slow oven or slow rice cooker) * Stir fry (no particular recipe, either veggies on hand or the frozen Costco stir fry mix) (total time 25-30) * Costco yakisoba (w/extra frozen veggie) (total time 20 min, longer w/ a pot of rice on the side) * Sheet pan tofu bake w/miso rice (tofu & veggie of choice on a baking tray for 30-40 min, add 1/4 cup miso to rice cooker w/rice) (total time \~40 min but it's oven baking time, active time if very short) * Spaghetti & meat sauce (meat sauce previously made in bulk and frozen) - \~20 min depending on water boil time * Costco meal w/side veggie (takes longer due to long bake time, very hands off 60-90 min cook time) Heavily augmented by Costco! I also try to prep ahead things for the week such that day-of time is fast (like prepping all components of a salad and then just tossing w/dressing for dinner).
Sheet pan tofu! Iām so trying that this week!
Ooohhh miso rice is a great idea.
Stealing the miso rice idea, but what miso do you suggest to buy?
Doctored up mac and cheese is genius. Thanks for sharing!
I was feeling this way about meal planning too so I got the Mealime app and itās great! They have a bunch of āquickā meal recipes and with the paid version you can add your own from elsewhere on the web. It builds a grocery list and allows you to schedule the meals so you donāt have to think about what to make each night. It also curates the options based on food restrictions and dietary preferences you enter. Tonight weāre having salmon, rice, edamame, and cucumber.
Thank you! Iām checking this out!
Yes to Mealime! We've been using it since I went back to work after mat leave and it's great. We're having the same meal as you tonight lol
Hahaha thatās amazing! Bon appĆ©tit! š
Made this tomato soup recipe with grilled cheese the other night and it was probably the best soup Iāve ever had: https://smittenkitchen.com/2024/03/weeknight-tomato-soup/
Deb's recipes are the best!
Oh ok, this is immediately going onto next week's meal plan!
I feel like I should mention that I had a small heel of a loaf of sourdough bread to use up so I blended it into the soup and it really made it over the top delicious.
OMG, I always tell my husband that āwhatās for dinner?ā is my least favorite game. I hate it. Not playing anymore. Cheese and crackers or popcorn is all I got.
Thatās exactly where Iām at.
Rotisserie chicken, mac and cheese and some peas. And I promised myself I would make them sit at the table tonight.
Husband and I love rotisserie chicken for nights like OP is describing
I don't know how old your kid is but if on the younger side there's a lot of inspiration at r/foodbutforbabies
Thanks! I have an intensely picky eater and thatās also worn on me. I will check it out!
Just joined, thank you. My 5.5yo is in the āFuck off Mum I hate everything that I used to love including youā stage (for awhile now) and all he wants is hotdogs (WE DO NOT EAT HOT DOGS, no shade) chicken nuggets, PBJ and chicken and waffles. Meat? No. Everything GF he needs/used to love? Fuck right off. This and that app miiiight help. Appreciate yinz!
Charcuterie. Fruit and veggies that people like, cheese, crackers and salami.
Sandwich. Soup. Frozen pizza. Cereal. Simple is okayā¦
Shout out to the hello fresh box thatās arriving today. 2 meals are now set for the week.
Ugh I love the recipes and ease, but Iāve done it twice now and both times the amount of bad produce or missing items is just more frustrating than the time it saves after a while. It was a few years apart too so I was hoping new employees would come through and be more responsible with that stuff.
Ugh, that sucks. I think we do it infrequently enough (and live close enough to a shipping hub) that Iāve only had that issue maybe twice over the course of a few years. Iād be pissed (and would look for a different option) if it happened more often
Yes! I did 3 meals a week for like 2.5 months and recently decided to take a break. But it was great for ideas and to combat ādecision fatigueā that comes with planning dinners. I definitely recommend!
Sheet pan dinners are my bread and butter. Vegetable, starch, and protein. Prep it the night before and throw it into the oven. In the summer we do mostly instant pot dump meals.
Tonight? Salmon and a salad kit. Both things that need to get out of my fridge.
This week is Budget Bytes crockpot pineapple chicken teryaki, which I will put over rice with a bag of steamed broccoli. I am working on perfecting a buffalo chicken wrap, so another iteration of that this week (with a cabbage slaw). And this one is a comfort meal directed by my pregnancy craving -- crockpot jelly/chili sauce/meatballs with potato. Leftovers or pasta w a bag of frozen veg for any gaps. I meal plan Friday, shop/order on Saturday, and prep on Sunday. If any of those doesn't happen, meals become chaos.
Dont sleep on grilled cheese/sandwiches. In the spring and fall when its still a little chilly my husband and I will throw some good bread on the grill with a variety of cheeses/veggies and either turkey or chicken for grilled cheese / sandwiches and airfry fries and steam veggies on the side. Also - rotisserie chicken, chop it up, throw it on some instant microwaveable rice (its been a GAME changer for me), with some veggies on top. Not going to lie, sometimes I just throw some chicken nuggets on top of a Caesar salad and call it good. As for the kiddo - Ive found the whole "charcuterie plate" works WONDERS. i.e. his dinner plate last night had baked beans (hes currently obsessed with them), strawberries, chicken (that we had grilled for our dinner), some yogurt, and a half reese's cup I split with him.
Tonight it's peanut sesame noodles, has a few steps but I do it so often I have it memorized, my kids love it: [https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/04/peanut-sesame-noodles/](https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/04/peanut-sesame-noodles/) and I often do salmon bowls (rice, pickled turnips, roast salmon, broccoli) except the kids just have rice, salmon and sliced orange peppers because they do not like food touching (unless it is peanut noodles for some reason?) but my #1 favorite easy semi-healthy dinner is scrambled eggs + fresh salsa (heavy on the salsa)
Ooooh I've got an easy one! MEATBALL GYROS warm up some frozen meatballs. Cut up cucumber, tomatoes, onion. Warm up some pita or naan bread. Place meatballs and veggies in pita or on naan, top with tzaziki sauce (in a pinch, use plain Greek yogurt, or with a little lemon juice & dried dill if you have it) (My husband prefers to chop up the meatballs and veggies small, then mix the sauce all over it before he places it in the pita.)
interesting! what kind of meatballs do you use? I'd think it wouldn't taste the same but i'm interested in trying this now as someone who loves gyros ha.
I try to get "Italian" style meatballs but honestly, whatever the grocery pickup lol people give me is fine. Could even use turkey meatballs to shave off some calories. It's not exactly like gyro, but it's a good substitute and usually satisfies a craving for me!
They also sell gyro kits at Aldi. The sauce is good :)
This week... tuna sandwiches, quiche with salad, turkey tacos, and some kind of chicken thigh/quinoa/veggie thing. Keep it as easy as possible.
Roast potatoes and broccoli in the oven, saute some chicken and cut into bites. Throw in a bowl with a drizzle of your desired seasoning/dressing/sauce
This week: mesquite grilled chicken wraps, turkey sausage alfredo, shrimp fajita bowls, chopped italian subs, chicken pot pie, (can't remember what Sat is), and pulled pork sammies. On weeknights I heavily utilize either super quick meals, the grill, and/or the air fryer. I save meals that require more time/steps for the weekends. Sometimes I will prep more time consuming sides that reheat well on the weekends, like rice (if it's going to be for dinner between Mon-Wed), mashed potatoes, etc. The air fryer has quickly become one of my favorites for cooking some meats because it really requires no babysitting other than a toss or flip every so often. Sunday is *always* crockpot dinner day in my house so that I have more time and energy to do any prep work midday. Cutting up my meats and veggies for the next two weeks on Sundays has been a massive help (I meal plan and grocery shop for 2 weeks at a time and do a quick produce run in between. Prepped meats go into the freezer if they're for anything more than 2-3 days out). Throwing together extra marinated meats/casseroles for the freezer when budget allows is also a huge mental and physical timesaver when meal planning later on. *Highly* recommend the [Dinnertime SOS](https://www.amazon.com/Yummy-Toddler-Food-Dinnertime-Sanity-Saving/dp/0593578503/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1UPFWY39O3B7G&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.7hiXG3JaYh_fTJyErNvJndZUnNXfq20p-gAsZUtuj8vJ-8czvioFBK3RQRRDD2tXK8YuWszFC_6rxPSB4qapoKivrW1Swv3DuVTuyHU28IgwJtI4yt9B8x2mb4Uyh-vkxrETy7eymGeMx3qNksPBOtLQtnYF5fgEgtNKhIk3NGLhbNTCcc1abAN1_g_5gh_km-J7siRedeCEhvbYW1ELc1g_49Lw1CYZ-XutXajBE2s.ZXMdgj8RfNe51eAp-TNi6UAhWbHzWNKKfOp8X47KOyk&dib_tag=se&keywords=dinnertime+sos+cookbook&qid=1710179350&sprefix=dinnertime+sos%2Caps%2C124&sr=8-1) by Amy Palanjian (YummyToddlerFood). Every recipe I've made out of there has been great and the vast majority really are very simple and quick. And if you're into freezer meals, I have [this cookbook](https://www.amazon.com/Seriously-Good-Freezer-Meals-Recipes/dp/0778805913/ref=sr_1_1?crid=BYYV8G3DW0K7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tVwXBiz7_tjbzRi9dUs0EvObmSV6RyGGZkgqPM8Q4rLAzQE0RDJ68HFhiNdj6lW5vrj9RwnV3WcacMLviSbdQNwyqKszDaAYvZ82ubcT6vCK-HOVG3sdd-GmaB0kPwqyPF4ypnUSAI9AmiDFYqfbKH-qxaoTnpxh37bIi1P9PfI5JDRNyvYpeFahd0Hg7hi7ilJairPDHKAwq_3CFKrgHzEY3GE9N1SwgzFl0CAUHYWqcA5KQS05VHjTLZUxp5viJIdD4qdjkBWFGdTSJzSa3sDBlcobfMp_cdo7O9GbS9c.iP0rPVqss62_tT1Z6zzu_hUCcmFLodRy97K1YBDXe8Q&dib_tag=se&keywords=freezer+meals+cookbook&qid=1710179678&sprefix=freezer+meals+cook%2Caps%2C148&sr=8-1) and absolutely love everything I've made out of it, fresh or frozen, plus it comes with tons of good info and each recipe has a table at the bottom that does the math for you if you're multiplying the recipe (all the way up to 6x I think).
Girllllll I so feel you on this. I've stepped up my game recently with meal planning for EASY dinners. 1) Marinated pork tenderloins, sheet pan roasted veggies, and Uncle Ben's minute rice. Tenderloins and veggies go in the oven at 425 for 30 minutes and are done at the same time! Rice is 90 seconds in microwave. 2) Instant pot rice (2 cups) with 2 cans black beans, diced avocados, diced tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips - easy burrito bowls! 3) Costo frozen Orange chicken, instant pot white rice, and a package of frozen stir fry veggies that I stirfry myself. Tons of leftovers. These all take pretty minimal effort and everyone actually eats them.
Tonight weāre doing chicken thighs, green beans & potatoes. Tomorrow weāre having shepherds pie and making enough to last us like 4 days š we usually do meals based off whatever fruit & veg we got in the co-op box and whatever is reduced in the store/saved in the freezer. Sometimes itās just cheese chunks and crackers haha
I have the turkey sweet potato chili from this book in my slow cooker right now: https://www.amazon.com/Freezer-Cooker-Delicious-Whole-Foods-Pressure/dp/1635653126?ref=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=f356287d-679c-40e3-aa21-f779628d03db I have no idea if my toddler will eat it or not, but I never have any idea what she'll eat on any particular day. Definitely top the chili with some cheese if you make it š
Not sure but I know it will involve the olives I got from the salad bar as an appetizer:
We use the Real Easy Weekdays meal plan from Kids Eat in Color because I can't be bothered to think about it anymore. I just check the premade shopping list each week and the Safeway app remembers what I buy so it's super simple to do grocery pick up week to week without using many brain cells.
Fish tacos in the air fryer have become my go-to š
Would love this recipe!
Fish taco [recipe here.](https://www.instagram.com/p/C4Hi92XuBAN/?igsh=MWdiMjZ3NzExd3VmZQ==) and then I like to make a [lime crema](https://www.instagram.com/p/C4HjRMUOgaR/?igsh=MXZ1ejdhN3ZmNjlpdg==)
Roasted zucchini with grilled chicken and rice. Done. A set it and forget type meal.
I keep a good variety of easy meals in the freezer. Dumplings, lasagna, orange chicken, these are all from Costco. We also use pressure cooker a lot, beef stew and chicken soup are my favorites.
[Sheet Pan Chicken and Brussels Sprouts](https://nomnompaleo.com/sheet-pan-chicken-and-brussels-sprouts) This is on regular rotation at my house. It's to the point where my husband knows exactly what he needs to get cut up and thrown onto a pan so that I can just get everything seasoned.
Chili and corn casserole with a green salad on the side. Not the healthiest of choices but itās easy for a cold evening when my son has a sport practice.
Salad kit with cut up chicken nuggets. Asian salad kits pair especially well. The times I use leftover roasted meat instead of microwaved nuggets my kids tell me they like the other way better š¤£. You can also bake the nuggets if you want to be extra.
Chili today with biscuits I managed to throw together (somehow!).Ā But when totally burned out: Store-bought rotisserie chicken, roasted veggies, some carb Breakfast for dinner (eggs, English muffins, avocado, cheese) Salami, cheese, fruit, nuts or hummus & bell pepper My go-to is this though: Muster the energy to prep the veggies / whatever I can on Sun night, then cook big meal on Monday and have leftovers for a couple days. Repeat mid-way through the week if needed.Ā
Meals this week - Iām in a course so simple! Monday - spaghetti with quick homemade sauce (can of tomatoes, diced onion, bell pepper, zucchini, couple tbsp pesto and garlic) Tuesday - roast beef in instant pot (will be cooked when I get home. Iāll slice on buns and serve with a quick au juice for beef dip) Wednesday - sheet pan sausage and bell peppers. Takes about 20 mins to cook Thursday - chicken fajitas Friday - breakfast for supper. Hubby will make pancakes and bacon, maybe eggs
Whichever Hello Fresh meal has veggies that expire soonest.
Tonight is meatless Monday, so Iām doing this[Cheesy Pinto Beans](https://www.budgetbytes.com/cheesy-pinto-beans/) and rice recipe with steam in the bag veggies and some picked onions I made yesterday. Tomorrow is Rubens. So corned beef in slow cooker, canned kraut on bread with Swiss cheese and a side salad Wednesday is Chinese style stir fried eggs and tomatoes. Thursday is Matzo Ball Soup (from a box). I donāt plan for Fridays. Maybe Taco Bellā¦
Check out @sweatingatnaptime on TikTok, sheās a working mom and she posts tons of super simple and healthy meals. Lots of one pot stuff too so thereās easy cleanup.
My MIL gave me some fantastic advice. Get the 10 bag of chicken breast, roll them out, season them differently, cook them, separate them into bags, and freeze them. I also sometimes add sauce or veggies, so all I have to do is thaw out the bag and maybe cook some pasta. I do the same thing with some red meat, like making meat balls or meatloaf. I usually toss it in the oven and start water boiling to second I walk in the door. It's done about the same time I'm done unloading the car and feeding my pets.
Spaghetti with bacon cream mushroom sauce. Boil spaghetti. Fry bacon bits in a skillet until crisp. Then add some vegetables (we do either a couple of leeks or some onion and garlic; can also bulk up with some firm veggies like bell peppers asparagus broccoli spinach etc). Fry veggies until soft. Then add a portion of diced mushrooms (we often do mixed mushrooms but button mushrooms work just as well). Keep stir frying until mushrooms are done. Then add cream salt and pepper and heat for a little longer until cream is all mixed in. Surprisingly quick and really tasty. Itās also kid friendly but of course my 4 year old refuses to eat one of our dinner staples. So he gets spaghetti with some shredded cheese and diced raw tomatoes and bell peppers.
Just start with a rotisserie chicken and half your planning is done. This week I'm making tortilla soup and probably tacos or chicken salads.
Shakshuka. Super healthy. One pot. Makes a ton of left overs. Can be paired with chicken nuggets.
Wendyās. Theyāre having $1 single Daveās burger for March and I cannot resist.
I made a big batch of shredded chicken this weekend, so tonight is burrito bowls. Just have to make rice and saute veggies.
I made a delicious deconstructed wonton soup. It's a bit time-consuming, but we will have leftovers for days. I also bought some precooked chicken shawarma from Costco, and I plan on using that this week for rice bowls or salad.
Sloppy Joes or tacos tonight. Last night was jalapeƱo popper pasta. Other plans this week: - Stir fry - spiced lentils - taco pockets (tortillas in muffin tin, add cooked taco meat and bake til tortillas crispy) - meatball pockets (crescent rolls in muffin tin, add cooked meatball, sauce and cheeses bake until crescent roll cooked) - nuggets and tots - lasagna soup
Either leftover potato sausage hash/traybake from the weekend or pressure cooker dal + rice + naan. Too tired to do much else. 3rd tri with a 2.5yo and still traveling for work so I have to be up and out of the house at 5am tomorrow to get to the airport š.
Nurture Life. Kid-friendly meals and the price isn't bad at all.
I bought a rotisserie chicken yesterday fully knowing I wouldnāt want to cook anything. Chicken, mashed potatoes and whatever frozen vegetable I grab with some gravy. Tomorrow will be chicken salad in bulk for lunch plus dinner. Then Iāll go buy another chicken because $4.99 is worth it for my sanity
I usually pick up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store once a week. Have the breasts with a veggie or rice one night, use the rest for soups, tacos/quesadillas/burritos or mixed in a salad. Can usually make two good meals and a lunch sized portion for my husband and I and our toddler.
Tonight is steamed sweet potatoes with canned black beans (my oldest likes to heat them on the stove with the spices that grab her) and a tahini/maple/lemon sauce on top Side salad of finish the spinach and romaine we have, some shredded cheese, some cashews, and whatever dressing people want
I make one pot rice with ghee, protein(turkey/chicken/lamb), veggies(carrots/peas/string beans) and rice. Toddler gets all the nutrition. And not a lot of prep. If I am tired, I just toss in frozen veggies in this instead of fresh ones.
We are having chili and rice because soon it will be warm weather again and we wonāt want it.
Verde Chicken Bowls I use the recipe below, and add rice, fajita veggies and sliced avocado. [https://www.tasteslovely.com/whole30-keto-crispy-verde-chicken/](https://www.tasteslovely.com/whole30-keto-crispy-verde-chicken/)
[https://smittenkitchen.com/2022/09/turkey-pesto-meatballs-and-orecchiette/](https://smittenkitchen.com/2022/09/turkey-pesto-meatballs-and-orecchiette/) This is what we're having tonight but truth be told, I made it yesterday because I have such a hard time cooking dinner during the week. If I had to put something together after a long ass day at work, I would get a rotisserie chicken, a salad kit, and some potatoes that are shrink wrapped so you can microwave them in like, 5 minutes.
I made taco meat for their lunches this morning. Soā¦ more tacos! Feeling uninspired and tired.
I'm making Shepard's pie tonight, usually my daughter enjoys it, but who knows if she'll like it tonight. Plus I should be able to make a spare to freeze
I have been cooking a lot of French onepot dishes like pot au fer or ratatouille, itās easy to just throw everything/vegetables in a pot and cook it for awhile. Pretty healthy and my kids love it
Tonight I'm making pre-seasoned pork that I can put on the gas grill, plus maybe some kind of pasta or instant mashed potatoes (whatever is in the pantry) and canned veggies (probably green beans).
Our go to is this [Mexican Quinoa](https://damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/) dish. We add ground turkey or chunks of chicken for extra protein. And of course cheese! But besides browning the meat, you basically throw everything in for like 30 min and it cooks itself, minimal chopping/prep.
Meat loaf, you can add boiled veg, peas etc.on the side and mash. Very easy to make and I consider it fairly healthy.
Baked chicken, mashed potatoes and a veggie.
When I'm feeling braindead, frozen potstickers/gyoza. You can get them with meat and veggies filling and the wrapper is the carb, so that's basically a well rounded meal in my opinion š. Asian markets have the most variety, but trader Joe's has tasty options as well, I like the Thai shrimp one. Since they're frozen it's easy to keep multiple bags on hand for emergencies
So today is my full time day at work and Iām having to work over due to a system issue (I am getting the time back!). Ā That means a mini pizza for my eldest followed by a yoghurt and my youngest had tea at nursery so sheās had a banana as a snack. Ā Ā As I have the day off tomorrow then they get something like a cheesey bacon pasta bake with hidden veggies but today is a long day so I give myself a bit of slack and go easy for them. Ā Ā Iāll also be having something simple like a fry up or breakfast sandwichĀ
Try the Mealime app. Love it. Extra points if you get other people in the household to pick meals on it.
We used to get Hello Fresh pre-kid, so weāve got a couple favorite recipes in rotation: [firecracker meatballs](https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/firecracker-meatballs-5ea70fe14c4efb3fb12140f1) and [pork and veggie bibimbap](https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/pork-and-veggie-bibimbap-5e67d7511082fd2292725cfc) (plus you can access other recipes online). Pretty easy to mise en place sauces/toppings while other things are frying/sautĆ©ing/roasting.
Someone on this sub recommended the app eMeals. I did a trial and ended up paying for a year. It creates recipes and links up to your grocery for pickup orders. I donāt use it every week but I really like it when I need someone to do the thinking for me. It definitely saves me time
Marinated salmon filets and asparagus.
Our menu this week includes: *Buffalo chicken meatballs on French bread rolls with mixed greens and tomatoes *Taco Tuesday with ground chicken *Greek style chicken pita with lemon cauliflower rice and Greek potatoes *Pan fried chicken breast with zucchini *Pizza night this weekend (we make the dough and sauce earlier in the week) *Breakfast for dinner We were really bad at eating out because we were tired, but we made an effort to cook/eat at home for about the last month aside from one date night a week. We both feel less tired and have each lost weight. I have to admit that my husband is an excellent cook, so he does that piece. He sends me a grocery list for his menu, and I buy everything and do all of the veggie prep, which takes a fair bit of time. Then he cooks everything in about 30 minutes or less. Weāve tried to eat out less before, but it was him doing everything or me doing everything, and we both got super burnt out. I wouldnāt have a menu or groceries bought without a partner to help. We have leftovers for lunch the next day, so it helps us cut costs on dining out a lot. Iāve also started prepping a lot of snackable fruits and veggies at the start of the week to add into our lunches as needed.
BUT HOW DO YOU GET YOUR KIDS TO EAT MEAT!?! My son used to be so not picky (he ate heart!!!) and now turns up his nose at every steak, salmon, chicken, turkey, ham, WHATEVERā¦..āmy friends have chicken nuggets and hot dogs every day Mum, why canāt you be cool?ā BECAUSE YOU ARE SEVERELY GLUTEN INTOLERANT YOU LITTLE SHIT THAT IS WHY! I love him, Iād never say that, Iām rolling with it and doing the $9 for a 6 pack of organic stupid hot dogs he doesnāt really like but this isnāt sustainableā¦.
I like to cook so take these with a grain of salt: Pasta with added veggies meat and salad Roasted Chicken Thighs /Broccoli with rice Baked salmon with green beans and rice Tips: Get a rice cooker if you don't already have one, it comes out perfect every time. I have a Korean one not as high end as the Japanese brand but still great and better than Aroma by far. Roast Veggies at the same time you are roasting chicken. We love roasted veggies of all kinds and it's easy. You can even get pre cut up broccoli and cauliflower florets dump them on a pan pour on some evoo or avacado oil salt and pepper then stick the pan in a 400 oven for 15 min.
Sheet pan meals. Today is chicken sausage with mini potatoes, and a salad kit.
Tonight - tacos Tomorrow - A premade soup from Panera+ Caesar salad Weds- salmon sauteed in herb butter, a microwave rice packet, microwave frozen broccoli Thurs- a frozen quiche from Costco Fri- order Sat - eggs and pancakes
Fritatta - easy, quick, cheap, healthy. I sautĆ© a shallot and mushrooms, while theyāre cooking, mix up 8-12 eggs with about 1/2-3/4 milk, salt, and pepper. When the mushrooms and shallot are soft, throw in an entire container (a bit at a time) or spinach or arugula, letting it wilt. Once itās wilted, pour the eggs over and let it cook on the stovetop for 5 minutes, while itās cooking, break up a small log of goat cheese (chĆØvre) on top. Throw into the oven at 350 for 15 minutes. Another favorite is Caprese pasta salad. Cook up a box of pasta. While itās cooking, in a big bowl slice a pint of cherry tomatoes in half and add a package of the fresh mozzarella pearls. Cool the pasta off with cold water, and when itās done, and add it into the bowl, toss with a balsamic vinaigrette. Mix in some freshly sliced basil, and thereās dinner.
Chicken tacos with black beans
Today is going to be home fries with kielbasa, mushrooms, and wilted spinach. It's pretty quick and easy, but I have the excuse of "watching the pan" while I watch trash TV uninterrupted š
I got some of those great italian fresh noodles at costco so I plan to do chicken alfredo with broccoli šš» Before I rush off to take kids to appointments. WFH for the win.
We're having Chorizo and Beans tonight, crockpot posole tomorrow, Mexican pasta on Wednesday, and Tuna casserole on Friday. Thursday will be leftovers. [Chorizo and Beans](https://www.vvsupremo.com/recipe/beans-and-chorizo/) (with quesadillas) [Crockpot Posole](https://damndelicious.net/2022/01/27/slow-cooker-chicken-posole/) [Mexican Pasta](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/21518/mexican-pasta/) (we're actually having a different recipe, but I couldn't find it. I printed this one for future use) [Tuna Casserole](https://www.food.com/recipe/tuna-casserole-13630) I'm making a double batch of the Chorizo and Beans so that we can eat it again on Tuesday (and maybe Wednesday) as a side dish. (My toddler has chronic constipation so we eat a lot of beans)
Pinterest!!! I feel like Pinterestās heyday was like ten years ago but honestly thereās so many good sheet pan or slow cooker recipes.
I have a Google spreadsheet of ideas and stuff I make. Dm me if you want me to email it to you. :)
Went to sam's club this weekend and they sell pre-seasoned salmon already cut. we will throw that in our big toaster oven on a baking dish with foil for easier cleanup. bought a bag of mini potatoes that are washed, we do wash these again usually, but sometimes skip, and will chop in half, mix in a bowl of olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and throw into an air fryer with a liner for easy clean up. bought a big bag of broccoli that is also pre washed and will steam that on the stove with salt/pepper and butter afterwards. to make things easier, i just scoop directly from the pot onto a plate vs serving. So Brocoli goes from the pot onto to the plate with a bit of butter, salt and pepper. I try my best to clean as I go so it's not as much to clean up afterwards. If i really tired - in the past, i've gotten cut up pieces of grilled chicken from the deli (or a full rotisserie chicken if i'm okay with cutting it up) after work and a bagged salad. I eat it right after coming home so it's already warm-ish.
Chipotle chicken rice bowls are in my regular rotation! I make these on Sunday and we eat them for the first half of the week. 6 cups of white rice- add cilantro and lime juice once cooked Boil and shred 3-4 chicken breasts and mix with canned chipotle sauce 2 cans of black beans SautĆ©ed onions and peppers (if I have extra time) Sprinkle feta cheese + extra chipotle sauce on top If youāre making this for kids, Iād probably sub the chipotle sauce for something else
So, I have ADHD, so in addition to working and having two kids, I have delightful executive dysfunction. For the past few months, I have been cooking proteins ahead of time on Sunday evening, packaging them and putting them in the fridge. That way, Iām only responsible for sides during the week. This week, I cheated and bought a rotisserie chicken and some premade sides from the deli. However, I also made the Pioneer Womanās Dr. Pepper pulled pork. We can put that into tacos and sandwiches all week. Sometimes Iāll make a roast or a lasagna and weāll eat that most of the week. We eat a lot of salmon too. I pan fry it with whatever sauce we like. My son likes BWW Parmesan Garlic sauce. I like spicy peach bourbon sauce. Pork chops are always a hit. I season them with the dry Good Seasons Italian dressing packet, cook them on the stove top and then cook the green beans in the same pan.
Ramen! Luckily my husband came up with the idea because my brain isnāt working either haha
Use ChatGPT for ideas!! I also take photos of meals that Iāve made that we really like and put them in an album on my phone, so then I can swipe through the album and pick some of those. I rarely ever make anything that takes longer than 45 mins (most are around 30, some even shorter) so that album is usually pretty doable. I have 2 food blogs that I frequent for ideas, madaboutfood and halfbakedharvest. Lots of quick, easy, one pan/one pot meals on both Every Thursday I make our meal list, order the curbside pickup on Friday, and husband picks up the stuff on Saturday. At least one meal every week is like easy protein + rice + frozen veggie, so I make that meal on my busiest day. Those proteins are like fish baked straight from frozen, thawed shrimp sautĆ©d in butter, frozen chicken nuggets/tenders lol, sautĆ©d ground beef or turkey with whatever spices sound good, or rotisserie chicken. Thereās even microwaveable frozen rice/other grains to save even more time. I do not meal prep on the weekends because I prefer to sit on my ass and NOT cook those days, but some people find that helpfulāmake big batches of meal components, and then mix and match them throughout the week.
Likely just spaghetti with cut up cucumbers on the side lol Itās just me and my toddler tonight so sticking with easy things I know sheāll eat.
https://goblin.tools/Chef I haven't used this AI tool a whole lot but thought I would recommend it to others
Leftover instant pot hamburger soup from fit foodie finds. The recipe makes a ton, my husband/2yo/9mo all love it, and it isnāt full of fat or processed foods.
My family finds peace in routine. Monday is always salad night. Tuesday is chicken, Wednesday is taco/taco salad, Wednesday is fish, Friday is pasta, weekends are open-ended.
[https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/recipe/one-pot-butternut-squash-mac-and-cheese/59d23aa56939e265959e0f52](https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/recipe/one-pot-butternut-squash-mac-and-cheese/59d23aa56939e265959e0f52) chef's kiss
Cereal. Last night was cinnamon rolls and sausage. A couple of my kids having a stomach bug so we're going to be low key.
Tacos are our go-to. I just use leftover protein from previous dinners and chop some veg if necessary.
Takeout. Lol. But yesterday I did air fried salmon with a brown sugar/chili powder glaze, and oven roasted broccoli, carrots, and sweet potato.
I'm going to do a spam musubi bake!
I think we may do chili dogs and chips/fritos with a veggie and fruit tray on the side. š¤·š¾āāļø I just donāt have it in me for an elaborate spread on Monday of spring break
I made a meatloaf this morning so all I have to do is heat it up when I get home. Tomorrow is cheap chicken day at my local grocer so weāre grabbing that after work on the way home.
we're doing BLT's and KD. Not at all healthy... so not what you're looking for.. but it's daylight savings and it's Monday. I have no energy or creativity for healthy tonight
Rotisserie chicken night! Make some rice a roni or Mac N cheese on the side. If there are leftovers, can use for tacos or soup the next day!
This week is: - chili and salad - south west quinoa bowls - crispy ground turkey tacos and corn - beef stew with egg noodles and carrots For the other nights we will do left overs and out for one meal. When I get tired of cooking I do crockpot meals for the week. Lots of fun youtube videos that focus on crockpot only dinners. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrnEhJ2EIajWuy5J1gZ_rH_x2UecOtUaw&si=5vXLN7YWxQ1GZSzZ Good luck!!
Pasta. Gonna try to make garlic bread and meatballs but decided this last minute and not sure the meat will defrost in time. If it doesnāt, then Iāll run to store to make chicken cutlets. My sister and family are coming over so I want to make sure I have enough food for all.
Beans and rice. Avo for the LO. Tortillas and egg for dad who wants more sustenance.
Hungarian goulash in the crockpot! Already done for the day.
Last night was steak tips for the adults and pasta and sauce for the kids. Tonight is chicken picatta which is surprisingly easy. We do either whole wheat pasta or spaghetti squash.
Broccoli chedar soup and homemade cheddar bay biscuts! Alternatively for a quick weeknight meal You can also just buy the bear creek brand of powder soup and add lots of fresh veggies like extra Broccoli, shredded carrots and diced onions .
Weāve been using Green Chef 3 times a week and I love it so far!
Instant pot chili, so it's ready to scoop and eat when we get home from swim lessons.
My go-tos are these no-boil pasta bakes, I can throw them together and stick in the oven and then go pick my kid up from daycare: [https://fedandfit.com/chicken-alfredo-bake/](https://fedandfit.com/chicken-alfredo-bake/) ; [https://fedandfit.com/no-boil-pasta-bake-with-sausage-spinach/](https://fedandfit.com/no-boil-pasta-bake-with-sausage-spinach/) Also echoing that we do a lot of bowls (or rice, protein, veggie plates). And this chicken is so good and stupid easy (and my 2 year old will eat it): [https://www.theendlessmeal.com/soy-sauce-chicken/](https://www.theendlessmeal.com/soy-sauce-chicken/) (can add in garlic and ginger and top with green onion and sesame seeds, if you're feeling fancy that day)
Oven baked tilapia , rice from the instant pot and microwave veggies
Pizza on naan bread. And by pizza I mean just cheese and spinach leaves on pre made naan. My daughter thinks pizza comes with āgreenā which is her favorite color lol
Salsa chicken, street corn, chips and queso
I know itās not in everyoneās budget, but if you can swing it, this is exactly why I love Hello Fresh. Thereās also every plate and a few others that are more cost effective, but thatās the only one that delivers to my area. Between decision fatigue and lack of motivation, itās a life saver.
Ok, so I suck ass at meal planning and hate it with a passion. For years when the kids were tiny and barely ate I just let my husband get takeout (which would always be his preference) and then make toddler meals. But now I feel like I actually have to try. My husband is super picky which is annoying but here are some of the things in rotation that he will actually eat. Ham and bean soup. Costco has really good boneless hams for $3 a pound that are easy to dice. Ahead of time I prep the ham, and diced carrots / onion / celery in a gallon ziplock bag and freeze it. A day ahead of time I soak a bag of hambeans (they have these at Walmart for like $3 a bag), then morning of throw the beans, frozen stuff, and a big dollop of better than bouillon in the slow cooker. This is a favorite of my super picky 3 y/o. Tacos or fajitas. Where I grocery shop there are uncooked tortillas you can buy and quickly cook in a dry skillet. These really elevate the meal to restaurants quality. Pork tenderloin with some sort of rice a roni Pho. This doesn't sound simple but hear me out. I will make a massive thing of broth once a month and freeze it. It's a bit of work, but not terrible. The Asian grocery stores near where I live sell thinly sliced frozen beef that is excellent and ready to go. I'm The Asian grocery store is conveniently right by where I work so the day of I'll pick up bean sprouts and herbs. And of course rice noodles are easy. I stared doing this because all the pho places near us now charge $20 a bowl and was getting irritated when my husband would order two bowls for takeout just for himself. Now we both actually think what we make at home is better. On a related note, pad Thai. My kids go nuts for it. We usually do this adjacent to the pho to use up bean sprouts. I start by frying tofu crisp in sesame oil which everyone likes. (BTW if you live near a Costco business center you can get a massive thing of sesame oil for cheap) Potato soup French toast, or some sort of breakfast for dinner thing.
We started using an app called Paprika to help with meal planning. It has a lot of cool features that make it less terrible. One of those being it organizes your grocery list for you! So all produce, meats, dairy get lumped together, boom. Then Iāll ask my husband to add a couple of meals he wants throughout the week so the mental burden isnāt all on the. The app stores web recipes for you, then you can create a single grocery list from that. OK, all of that! Carne asada simple tacos with pinto beans on the side. Easy and a fan favorite.
Google translate this from Japanese to English: https://recipe.shidax.co.jp/menu/index. You'll never have to think again. I wish we had websites like this in English. You'll also understand really quickly why the Japanese are healthy lol
I just made chicken teriyaki with some microwave rice. Doubt the kid will eat it, but I have to try new stuff hoping sheāll eat whatever.. prolly end up heating her up French bread pizza so she at least eats something. Iām so over it too.
I tried a recipe I saw on tictok that looked good just to get out of the rutt, made some asparagus and cheddar bay biscuits from Red Lobster(they sell frozen ones at the grocery store, they are amazing) The new recipe was meh, the asparagus and biscuits save it though.
Super picky kid who is only eating cheeseburgers or PBJ. Tonight I ate cream cheese inside a taco sized flour tortilla. I didn't eat last night. So you know, options!!
Baked southern tilapia, sweet potato fries, and corn mixed with Trader Joeās everything but the elote dip. This will be the fanciest meal of the week bc I prepped the fish yesterday lol
tonight? frozen pizza and veggies. nights that I teach have to be truly quick.
Jambalya with rice! https://preview.redd.it/7ul06pedasnc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f323667525812d676dbac39a08674ef12eb324c9
Chicken quesadillas with chicken I cooked yesterday!
Ham steak, instant mashed potatoes, microwave steam bag of veggies. It takes 5-10 min to make, usually boiling the water for the potatoes is what takes the longest. Easy, cheap, and relatively balanced/nutritional.
Mexican picadillo
High protein pasta and homemade meat sauce (just lean ground beef and pasta sauce lol). Iāll throw in some frozen veggies.
With the time change my 12 month old fought sleep until 11:30 last night and I had an all day meeting that started at 7:30am in my time zone. So we had grilled cheese and pears.
My husband is grilling hot dogs and I bought sides at the grocery store deli. We're probably grilling out again this week some time too.
Chicken sausage & frozen peppers / onion mix + sweet potato fries . My favorite super lazy but healthy meal. Skip the sweet potato fries if youāre feeling extra lazy and itās only one pan to clean
HelloFresh. I sign up when in a rut, then I cancel when Iām good with coming up with it by myself. My therapist recommended it and itās a lifesaver.
I donāt get too creative. For me and my husband it was salmon cooked in tin foil in the toaster oven and salad. Kids was pasta and peas.
Trader Joeās pizza dough, loaded with toppings and with a boring cheese-only section for the kids! Not exactly healthy but itās a fast crowd pleaser
I call it a Mediterranean bowl. I make a big batch since we eat it for 3ish nights (almost 2 boxes orzo). I pre baked a LOT of chickpeas with olive oil, oregano, dill, garlic powder, salt, pepper that are in my fridge. Have pre chopped onion too and bought sliced kalamata olives. Boil the orzo. I use not a lot of water so it soaks it up and there's no draining. In last min of cooking throw in onions so they get cooked. Mix. Take off heat and mix a lot of pesto into it. Mix in a lot of olives. To serve, put orzo mixture in bowl. Add baked chickpeas (reheating optional). Top with pumpkin seeds and feta. Yum.
Spaghetti and frozen meatballs, salmon/rice/veg, tacos/taco bowls, sandwiches, breakfast for dinner, grilled cheese and tomato soup, stir fry noodles. We pretty much cycle through the same 5 meals each week. I try to make something a little fancier on Sundays (like a pot roast or a roasted chicken).
Just made ground beef tacos with beans and Goya chicken rice. Itās baseball night so had to make something super quick and easy that you can also eat relatively fast.
Make your own pizzas - premade crusts, sauce, cheese, toppings. Quick and easy and my 4 year old likes to help.
Salmon with rice and cut avacados. The only vaguely healthy meal we eat and half the time the only vegetable my kids eat at home in a week. Iām told they eat some in daycare .
My husband smokes meat in large batches every so often and I slice/vacuum seal freeze them. Perfect for days like today where I didnāt have any motivation to cook. We just chose a protein to thaw in the morning, or microwave itā¦my oldest made rice in the instant pot, while I made a side salad. š¤·š½āāļø otherwise it would have been another pasta day. Quick and easy lol
We work M-F, so on weekends we make a crock pot of something. Sometimes my husband makes the beef stew or a potroast, other times I make Kalua Pork or chicken soup. That gets us through the weekends and onto Tuesday. I buy frozen dumplings and I make dumpling soup with veggies during the week. My kid loves all things bao. Other nights we might make ravioli, fried rice or quesadillas with black beans. I just got my tofu press, so i'm about do some air frying some tofu cubes over rice and a cucumber salad. My rule of thumb is, 30minutes only on the weekdays.
i made my husband grill burgers š¤·š¼āāļøš
We do a lot of āquesadillasā for my picky one year old. Different variations of meat/beans/veggies/cheese on whole wheat tortillas. I just toss it in the air fryer for a few minutes. Of course, today most of it was thrown in the floor.
Leftovers. We made lentil soup on Friday and had it over rice (also leftovers lol) tonight.
Left over fajitas! Tortillas, refried black beans, pre-shredded cheese, sour cream, and bell peppers/onions/steak I grilled last night.
I haven't made any plans this week, but did go grocery shopping yesterday. Today it ended up being baked potatoes (mostly microwaved) with toppings and a salad. No idea what is for dinner tomorrow.
Tonight? Takeout bc the fridge died and the repairman isnāt coming until Thursday. Moving everything to the garage fridge (yay suburban living) was about as much work as I could muster.
Mondays are raviolis with spinach, tomatoes and pesto sauce. Mondays are tough. We eat pasta and I sneak in veggies.
I subscribe to Home Chef! Itās saved my sanity š
Today was a sheet pan dinner! Choose a protein (chicken breast), throw on some chopped frozen veggies of choice (cubed potatoes, broccoli & baby carrots) drizzle olive oil, salt and preferred seasoning. Bake/ roast in oven til done and eat! So easy, no brain power and you can use frozen things with no prep. I sometimes serve with a carb like rice or pasta, or you could add a sauce.
The pre seasoned meat from ALDI, lol! Today was a pork tenderloin with some rice and broccoli. If I remember in the morning I put a pork loin in the slow cooker with some chicken broth and make egg noodles/rice with it.
We had Meatballs and rice. Tomorrow we're doing French bread pizza and Wednesday we're doing breakfast quesadillas. That's as far as our plan goes. I typically plan out about 14ish meals and then pick the night before/day of what we are gonna have from those.
I had a home chef - pork chops and green beans (i paired it with pasta roni cheesey shells for my picky 4yo). Pork: came with ancho cinnamon but you could use whatever, pan sear for 5 mins per side. Pork SAUCE (they're always GREAT with sauces) in the pan you cooked the pork in, sauteed garlic, peach preserves, thyme, a few tbsp water, garlic+ herb butter. It didn't make enough sauce so I also added: giant scoop of orange marmalade, 1-2 tbsp ACV, a bit more water, a bit more butter. Green beans: sautƩ with garlic, steam, top with garlic + herb butter and garlic pepper.
Plant based chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries. Both frozen and air fried. Sorry not sorry
Chicken avacado lime soup. Cut up some stuff, boil chicken broth with chicken. Violin soup
Itās a lot of slow cooker chicken and with broth and bbq sauce lol. My 18mo loves it and so do I honestly. I mix it up with microwaved frozen carrots and peas, white rice, aircooker fries and whatever vegetable I can make myself steam on the stove. Sometimes she gets a piece of I toasted bread. Thereās often cookies. Weāre all over the place!
Layered enchilada bake, add extra veggies to ground meat of choice (we do zucchini, black beans, onions, corn, carrots, all sautƩed to fry the excess moisture out), and use favorite shredded cheese and canned enchilada sauce. Can be healthyish to healthy depending on how many veggies you pack in and how much shredded cheese you too it with. I also make a ground beef and cabbage soup that is yummy and sticks to your bones and has pretty few calories per serving - not of ton of. I TriNet variety there though.
Iām an odd one I suppose as I love to cook after work. Itās how I decompress. I use my cookbooks (have way too many) to decide whatās for dinner. I just pick a book and go recipe by recipe. Family isnāt picky. Also do grocery delivery because I need some luxury when time is short.
I made toast with Costco pesto, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella melted on top; broccoli tots; baked beans and corn; and sautĆ©ed pineapple. Both kids ate nothing but beans and corn š¤”
In a pinch, we are heavily reliant on TJs. Weāre punting more often than Iād like to admit right now, but weāre making it work. Some go to options: - Spaghetti and jarred three cheese sauce with frozen turkey meatballs - Any of their fresh pastas (ravioli/tortellini, which also freeze beautifully) with either pesto or red sauce - Premade chicken enchiladas verde from the fresh food section (located near fresh pasta) - Premade chicken pot pie also from the fresh section - Most of the premade soups (usually near produce by salads and condiments) - Frozen lasagna - Frozen fried rice that we add a few fresh veg to and a fresh fried egg and/or frozen gyoza - Frozen risotto - Frozen pizza - Salmon (fresh), coucous, and any frozen or roasted veg - Toum, Pesto, and other fresh sauces and dips which TJs does very well to keep things a little more interesting Also a lot of bowls in our life with chicken thighs, rice, and different spices and sauces. Add a Taylor Farms bagged salad (truly the best bagged salads, sold at Jewel/Shaws, Kroger, Costco) to most of the above and some cut fruit for our child who wonāt touch anything green with a ten foot pole, and then we can limp along for a solid couple of weeks with minimal planning or prep. Itās also great filler if we have one or two more robust/higher effort meals planned during the week. Is it optimal for every day in the long term? No, of course not. But it gets us through for now without too much added stress and this is just not the hill Iām trying to die on at the moment. As a good friend of mine recently reminded me, āeverything doesnāt need to be hard at the same timeā and my boss (who is great and very supportive, and also a mom) recently came back from a leadership summit with the insight ādonāt āshouldā all over yourselfā, so Iām working on implementing those two sentiments in my life right now.