What's For Dinner?
I started off 2014 doing really well with cooking dinner. I searched the internet for recipes, made weekly meal plans and grocery shopped for a week’s worth of meals at a time. This streak lasted a few months (actually longer than I anticipated, honestly), but the past few months I’ve definitely been slacking and am back to my old ways of starting to think about what we are going to eat approximately 22 minutes before the desired dinner time.
I have about a 3 or 4 meal rotation: tacos, enchiladas, pasta of some sort, and the following chicken dish. What is working in my motivational favor is we feed Grayson’s nurse dinner on the nights she is with us, so I’m forced to come up with things other than a peanut butter sandwich or scrambled eggs most nights. But, I’m totally in a rut. I need fast, relatively healthy, mimimal ingredient dinner ideas- feel free to share with me if you have something great I can try (but please, please please don’t tell me to go on Pinterest- my brain just can’t go there).
I do want to share with you my favorite meal that I actually cook at least once a week right now. It’s my favorite because 1. It’s absolutely delicious and 2. It’s absolutely fast/easy/idiot proof- all things I require.
Pesto Chicken
1 package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (you could totally use breasts if you wanted to)
1 tub (7 oz) of basil pesto (I use Biutoni brand and I find it by the refrigerated pasta at HEB)1/2 bag 1 whole bag of mozzarella cheese (I just realized Ryan used a whole bag tonight and yeah, why not? I don’t think a dish can have too much cheese, amiright?)
So all you do is spray a casserole dish, spread a little pesto on the bottom, dump the chicken in, and spread the rest of the pesto over the chicken. Cover and bake it for about 20-25 minutes at 350. Take it out, cover the chicken with cheese and put it in for another 5 minutes or so, until the cheese is melted. That’s it. So easy and yummy.
What’s for dinner at your house tonight?
Yum! I make something similar in my crockpot. I have some fan favorites, I'll send via email. (But ps, I'm in a rut too….summer does that to us!) 😉
Oh girl, I'll email you some stuff soon.
Forget email…post those easy recipes for everyone to see!!! My issue is we're trying to eat healthy again, so that's even harder! You can cover anything in cheese and it's edible (amiright), but making something healthy and good (and easy), well, I haven't mastered that yet! I'll go through my Pinterest recipes and post some I've tried and liked!! (Not necessarily healthy though!)
A friend donated surplus zucchini the other day; I sliced it into rounds, pulled out the grill pan, and grilled it on the stove with a bit of salt, pepper, and olive oil while pasta cooked, and then we served it all with red pesto. Quick and tasty!
Our other favorite meal for hot summer nights is a big salad followed by a baguette accompanied by various soft cheese and hard salamis. With a glass of wine and fruit for dessert, it always feels so stereotypically European. 🙂
The first time I made this, it was awesome (my husband said it was the best chicken he'd ever had), the second time, it wasn't nearly as good (but I think I accidentally left out the lemon…don't leave out the lemon)!
Greek Chicken
http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/06/greek-marinated-chicken/
We do this one a lot too…another husband favorite! (With ground Turkey, hatch peppers, carrots, onion, & squash! Very easy and good! I cover everything in weber gourmet burger seasoning and Worcestershire sauce!)
http://mrsvolnoff.blogspot.com/2013/05/silverturtles.html?m=1
I've done this one several times and taken the extra tray to a neighbor or friend in need!
Spanish Chicken with Chorizo (I've always used jenny o turkey hot Italian sausage instead of chorizo)
http://pickyin.blogspot.com.au/2011/07/spanish-chicken-with-chorizo-and.html?m=1
I love that this is a one pot meal – less clean-up!
I love that this is meatless – quasi-healthier!
I love that this is easily adjusted to whatever you have on hand (or do not like).
http://kitchensimplicity.com/mexican-quinoa-with-lazy-guacamole/
Sandwich/Baked Potato/Salad week? That way at the beginning of the week you cut up all your toppings up- When I have a busy week ahead I do all the prep, bread making, mayo and mustard making on the weekend and then it is just a matter a pulling stuff out on the counter for a serve yourself or baking the potatoes throughout the week.
I've really been into using the julienne/peeler thingy to make zucchini “noodles” with a marinara sauce, and it's surprisingly delicious!
I posted 5 awesome, easy recipes last week on my blog. I'd recommend them all!
I'm going to try this pesto chicken recipe!
This is one of my kids' favorite! Lucas doesn't eat table foods (other than some soft breakfast items) but my older two and I love it! I found it on Pinterest.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/124482377169960379/