Back to School in the Kitchen: Easy Recipes We Love and Use Weekly
This summer, although so much fun was super busy! We are typically pretty good with keeping a weekly meal plan, but this summer just threw us for a loop!We tried really hard to stick to a schedule, order groceries regularly (yay Instacart!), and make dinner in the evenings but there were just some weeks and nights that got away from us! With daylight being longer and the weather being nice, we always found ourselves out and about, which just made it easier to make quick sandwiches, or even just grab something while we were out!But-with the school year back in full swing we are back on our meal planning train and honestly I love it! We have this chalkboard hanging in our kitchen and have rally loved having it. Not only does it look great, but it also serves as a reminder what our plan is for the week! It's a cute way to be organized, isn't it?Being primarily a fashion blog, I don't share too much on this subject, but any time I talk about our dinners, meal plans, etc. I always get an overwhelming amount of questions about what we're making, sharing the recipe, etc. so I figured I would share with you all. Also I should say, don't expect anything gourmet-haha! We like to keep things super easy.
Image and recipe via I Wash You Dry
We have grown to love our instantpot since we got it last Christmas-we use it pretty much one or two times a week, on average. From corn on the cob (so much better than stovetop), hard boiling eggs, its the best!I don't know what it is about spaghetti in the isntantpot, but the noodles come out so much fluffier than cooking them in boiling water! With this particular recipe, we sometimes swap out the meatballs for ground beef (you could even do ground turkey) and make a meat sauce.Ryan found this recipe and we have used it over and over again-really easy to prepare, easy to cleanup and delicious!
I love this one because you can add and takeaway from it if you like. We typically make as is (sometimes if I am in charge of making it I don't put in as much salsa as the recipe calls for though...shhhhh!).This is another quick, easy to prepare meal. Prep time is under 10 mins and cook time is usually around 20 minutes. What I love about the overall cook time when an Instantpot is involved is that once it starts cooking you don't have to do anything else to prep. We usually take this time to clean everything up so when dinner is done there is minimal cleanup left.With this recipe, we usually have guacamole and tortilla chips on the side, and always an abundance of sour cream to top our bowls with!
SIMPLE SLOPPY JOES
This particular meal is super simple to make-the recipe isn't anything fancy at all! We've been making this for years and years-I feel like we use it as a "filler" meal, for the weeks where we need just one more meal to round out the week but neither of us can think of anything!For this you need:1 lb ground beef (can use turkey or chicken)1 cup BBQ sauce (whatever brand)Ground mustard-to tasteMinced Garlic-to taste1TBSP Olive Oil______________________________________Heat 1 TBSP of olive oil with minced garlic in a skillet on medium high heatAdd ground beef-brownDrain fatAdd BBQ sauce, ground mustardSimmer until sauce is absorbed and thickened slightlyTHAT'S IT! Super easy-nothing fancy, but it is super quick and delicious!
SMASHED POTATOES
Another easy recipe we have been making for a year or two now-I love making these with Sloppy Joes, and in the summer adding in some corn on the cob to round out the meal!While they are easy to make, they aren't super quick so it does take some planning when you want to have these!1 lb (give or take) uncooked baby potatoes1 tsp table salt1 TBSP olive oil1 tsp any herb chopped (we sometimes use rosemary)1/2 tsp minced garlic_______________________________________Preheat oven to 425 degrees and coat a baking sheet with nonstick spray (sometimes we use parchment paper)While oven is preheating, boil potatoes in enough water to cover them by 1 inch (add a pinch or two of salt) until they are just tender-typically 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry.When thy are cool enough to handle, place potatoes on the prepared pan-use the bottom of a cup to smash each one.Brush potatoes with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt (I also sprinkle generously with garlic salt because I love it). Roast, flipping once, until browned and crispy, 25-30 minutes total.They are the best when they are extra crispy-in my opinion-and they are even better drizzled with ranch dressing!
"THE CHICKEN MEAL"
We have been making this meal for at least 10 years! You could say it's a staple for us, and we do actually call it 'the chicken meal' when we referr to it! Ryan's mom made a photocopy of the recipe for us out of a magazine, and we still have the photocopy and refer to it every time its made-I know, you'd think we would have it memorized by now, but we always just like to have it out when we make it! And by we, I mean Ryan-this is his meal he cooks. I feel like we've sort of developed routines with certain meals-there are some he just makes and some that I do! This one is all him!What I love about this meal is that it's made with Cream of Chicken Soup-anything creamy is so delicious to me! I will say that we usually double the sauce recipe-we really love it and like a lot of it!Hot cooked rice (Amount varies based on preference and number of people. We use brown rice)1 TBSP Margarine or Butter1 lb chicken breast1 can condensed Cream of Chicken Soup1/4 C Mayonnaise2 TBSP Honey1 TBSP brown mustard______________________________________Prepare rice as directed.Meanwhile in a 10 in skillet over med-high heat, cook chicken in the margarine or butter for 10 mins or until browned on both sides. Remove; set aside (spoon off fat)In same skillet, combine soup, mayonnaise, honey and mustard. Heat to boiling.Return chicken to skillet. Reduce heat too low.Cover; cook 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, stirring occasionally.To serve, arrange chicken over rice. Stir sauce and spoon over chicken.
You guys-this one is SO GOOD. The total prep and cook time is about 50 minutes, so it's not the quickest, but I have to say, meals that take a bit to cook in the over are sometimes a favorite of mine because you can get other things done while it's cooking!You might think that this isn't the healthiest, but this particular recipe is actually on the healthier side! Sometimes though, we do add a little bit more biscuit to the recipe, AND the leftovers are really great, too!
Image and recipe via The Pound Dropper
A delicious, somewhat healthy recipe-I can't get over how easy it is to make and how flavorful it is!Being that this is one pot, the cleanup is minimal (YES!!!). One small change that we do make to the recipe sometimes in add a little bit more of the ricotta cheese mix-its so good and just adds to the whole dish! I always add a little garlic to this meal-you can really add any spices you'd like to this and somewhat customize it! Again, these meals aren't anything super crazy or intense but they are ones that we love and find ourselves reaching for time and time again! Sometimes it's nice to see what other people are making because it may lead to a new menu favorite!There are some weeks that we don't have to meal plan because use HomeChef. We've have really enjoyed using them because it cuts down on our meal planning and honestly some weeks its a relief to not have to think and plan what we are having! It also eliminates a lot of groceries that we need to get-the meals come with everything, down to pre measured ingredients! (You can use code REBECCA80 for $20 off your first order, BTW). While I do have a partnership with them, this particular post is not sponsored at all-I'm just sharing because we really do love using them!Lastly, here is what our meals are for this week! Ryan golf's in a league on Wednesday night's so that evening is always "on your own" which translates to the girls and I scrounging at home (sandwiches, cereal, etc) or grabbing dinner out!
Chalkboard is Target-no longer available (shelf is AtHome)