Recently I wanted to get back on track with cooking healthy(er) and, in the name of accountability, committed to sharing what I’ve been serving my family every night this month. Plus, don’t you just love peeking into other peoples’ homes? Well, here we go! {Read more about the idea behind my September Re-Set and see how I did during week 1, week 2, and week 4.}
Back to {relative} normalcy this week, and back to quality meals for the fam! Overall it was a pretty successful week; we’re in the home stretch. Here’s what we ate – lots of winners in here if you’re looking for something new to try in your own kitchen:
Sept. 15 – chili and rice
Everyone had seconds tonight. Yum! Using leftover beef from week 1’s short ribs, I was able to repurpose leftovers and save time by not having to cook a new protein. And since I chopped, sautéed, and mixed spices in advance, all I had to do was dump everything into a pot and simmer it for dinner. Time to table: 1 hour (all hands-off).
Sept. 16 – cheesy baked spaghetti squash with roasted broccoli
This was amazing and I couldn’t stop eating it! All the deliciousness of lasagna without the noodles. And it was so flavorful the kids barely noticed it was spaghetti squash. It did take awhile since I had to roast the squash and make the sauce, but since this wasn’t a work day for me I knew in advance I had plenty of time to make this. I could have also easily cooked and assembled it in advance, making this a totally hands-off meal. Time to table: 2 hours.
Sept. 17 – broccoli cheese soup
I had broccoli and a stash of random broccoli stems that needed using up, and this was the perfect solution for a gray, drizzly Seattle evening. This soup is remarkably creamy and mellow for the volume of veggies in it – totally a winner. I made it in advance, so all I had to do was heat it. Time to table: 10 minutes.
Sept. 18 – homemade pizza
Pizza night is so much more fun when you turn it into an activity with your kids and it comes out of your own oven! Forget about crust recipes that don’t taste quite right. This one tastes like it came right out of the wood-fired oven at the restaurant on the corner. Time to table: 1.5 hours (includes one hour to rise)
Sept. 19 – fast food
I’m playing the grace card today. I’d planned. I’d prepped. I’d have been able to have dinner on the table in under 20 minutes. But the entire male faction of my family had forgotten to eat lunch, we were way out of town, and I knew they were starving as it was nearing 5:00. While I’m sure they could have waited to get home if I’d insisted, sometimes life calls for empathy and grace.
So for dinner I had myself an order of mozzarella sticks and a snack-sized Oreo McFlurry from McDonalds. Because, #yolo.
Sept. 20 – Turkey zucchini cheddar burgers and potato skins
If you’re looking for the world’s easiest way to get a vegetable into your children, give this a try! We’ve been eating these burgers for years and they’re one of my husband’s most-requested meals. And neither of my children has ever complained about them, either.
This menu was originally turkey burgers and potato wedges, but since we were watching Sunday Night Football, I thought it might be fun to go a little crazy and make some potato skins. The game didn’t turn out like we’d hoped, but at least our bellies were happy. Time to table: 30 minutes.
Sept. 21 – chicken tortilla soup
Oh, heavens. I know there are tortilla soup recipes floating around out there, but this is the one you want! It’s been our staple for years and we’re so glad fall has returned so it can go back on the menu. We add chicken and use chicken broth instead of making it vegetarian; there are a zillion ways to personalize it for your family and top it with whatever deliciousness you’d like! I’d done all the chopping and prepping in advance so it was on the table in 30 minutes (mostly hands-off time).
One week to go and I really feel like I’ve gotten back in the swing of things in the kitchen. Next week my final post in this series will come on Thursday, after I’ve wrapped up the whole month of September. See you then!
