Quick weeknight meals

[teggy20]

Hopefully most of us are (or will soon be) coming out of the first tri nausea/puking/food aversion BS and can start eating real-people food again. What are your go-to weeknight meals?

One of my favs is Pioneer Woman's tomato soup -- so quick and absolutely HEAVENLY. I don't add quite as much sherry and do puree it some, but omg. I've made it 6 billion times: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/best-tomato-soup-ever.html.

We also make Smitten Kitchen's fake Shake Shack burgers a lot during the week: smittenkitchen.com/blog/2015/05/fake-shack-burger/.

For weekends, one of my favorite easy meals is also a Ree recipe: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/perfect-pot-roast-recipe.html. SO GOOD. I always add either some tomato paste or like half a can of crushed tomatoes before I put it in the oven, some red wine vinegar at the end when I take it out of the oven and thicken up the broth a bit with some cornstarch and water. 

Please share your go-tos! I'm in a cooking rut!

[soultrane]

That soup sounds amazing! I'm going to have to try it.


One of our favorites is Rachael Ray's florentine meatballs but I switch it up a bit.
www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/florentine-meatballs-recipe.html

I use ground beef instead of ground turkey because I don't care for the ground turkey flavor. I also sub minced onion in if I don't have fresh, and it gives it good flavor. I also only use half a box of spinach, otherwise they're pretty spinach-heavy. I just use the other half for omelettes, or I mix some in with the pasta. I also don't bother with the sauce that she makes because I serve them over pasta. I can get home, mix these up and have dinner on the table within a half hour, with some pasta.


This is one of my favorite crockpot chicken recipes:
eatathomecooks.com/2012/12/italian-chicken-with-tomatoes-in-the-crock-pot.html

I usually shred the chicken when it's done and pour all of it, including the tomatoes and "sauce" over pasta, and top with shredded mozzarella. I add a little extra red wine vinegar to the final product to give it a little zing but I love red wine vinegar, so that step is optional.

[teggy20]

soultrane, those look amazing! I bet you could probably easily make those and freeze them, too. (probably freeze the meatballs uncooked?) I'm so big on doubling things and freezing portions so I have freebie meals when I'm feeling lazy

[soultrane]

teggy20, absolutely! I actually cook them and then freeze the leftovers for a quick meal down the road if we feel meatballed out, but they would probably freeze well either way!

[frecklesnbrains]

We get veggies from a CSA every week, so we always have them coming out of our ears. My quick go-to's include one or more of the following:

- roasted mixed vegetables: root veggies, sweet potatoes, potatoes, brussel sprouts, squash
- sauteed greens: spinach, kale, chard, collards sauteed with onions and/or garlic and olive oil
- salad: greens combined with a) carrots and radishes, b) cranberries, goat cheese, toasted pecans, c) leftover roasted veggies from above with pine nuts or other nut and some sort of cheese

I usually have these with some sort of quick-to-cook meat: sausages, breaded pork chops, grilled steak. But other times we just go all-out-vegetarian and just combine two or more veggie sides into a meal.

Other fast weekday meals I usually make are pasta-based: mac'n'cheese (of course!), or a quick veggie pasta sauce with some combination of tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, garlic, cheese (feta or parmesan) quickly sauteed with a good amount of olive oil. Sometimes I pep it up with olives or capers.

[Flair Underwood]

My idea of a "quick weeknight meal" changed completely once we had DD (and we had a 45 minute commute, and then we didn't have that commute and DH started marathon training AND his MBA).... We typically do a steamed vegetable (fresh when possible), quinoa (or rice less often, or whole wheat pasta even less often) and some sort of lean protein. Last night I sliced up some onions and put them in the bottom of baking dish, put some chicken breasts on top and poured a can of tomatoes, a can of chick peas and a whole bunch of herbs on top. Lazy, but decent.

With all that said, we do burgers and sweet potato fries too often as well.

teggy20, WHY am I NOT doubling and freezing meals??! OOF

[Flair Underwood]

frecklesnbrains, I may come to your house. I would put capers in everything if I could. And seeing you say "sausage" reminds me that we do sauteed peppers and onions with sausage a LOT (i think i forgot that because I don't really like sausage, but DH and DD do). And I have recently discovered that collard greens are my favorite of the leafy greens.... spinach I could do without, kale is okay - but good, garlicky collard greens... mmmh.

[soultrane]

Ooh, frecklesnbrains reminded me of another favorite that's pretty quick and easy - sweet potato fries!

We cut them up into fry-like shapes (I leave the skin on) and toss them with a little olive oil, sea salt and pepper (or whatever you want to season them with). Bake at 425 for around 20 minutes - turn halfway through so they bake evenly.

[frecklesnbrains]

Flair Underwood, that chicken and chick pea dish sounds good! Next time add capers

I'm also a fan of freezing meals. Whenever I made chili or stew I always double the recipe and freeze half in containers that are the right portions for two. That's good for those nights when we get home late and/or are in desperate need of a grocery store run (which is at least once a week - haha!) But it keeps us from getting take-out more often than we should...

[teggy20]

Love these, you guys! frecklesnbrains, SO MANY VEGGIES! That's awesome! I'm about to go to the store and stock up on veggies right now. I just told my mom that I feel like we haven't eaten a vegetable in months because of my nausea... this.must.change.now.

[frecklesnbrains]

Dec 8, 2015 9:39:12 GMT -5 teggy20 said:

Love these, you guys! frecklesnbrains , SO MANY VEGGIES! That's awesome! I'm about to go to the store and stock up on veggies right now. I just told my mom that I feel like we haven't eaten a vegetable in months because of my nausea... this.must.change.now.

If anyone has an opportunity to join a CSA then I highly recommend it. It's basically the way that I force myself to eat veggies. Since we joined a couple years ago my vegetable intake has probably increased at least 5-fold. And it's so much fun to get random stuff that you've never had before and then have to search for a recipe to make with it. For example, I have two ENORMOUS daikon radishes right now and I have to figure out what to do with them! I'm thinking of trying these: allrecipes.com/recipe/176729/pan-fried-daikon-cake/

[Kevinmac]

teggy20- you had me at Shake Shack

We love Giada's simple bolognese.

I have to find meals that I can cook the night before that heat up well on the nights I tutor late.

Apparently I can't think of anything I cook right now. I'll be coming back to this post.

[virginiaorjohn]

We belong to a CSA frecklesnbrains! I am IN LOVE with mine. I never shop for vegetables any more, it's awesome. I also grow a few veg in my garden during the summer, but I can never rely on how well stuff will do, and my CSA runs all year long so it's clutch during fall/winter.

I'm PNRing but I will come back and share some of my favorites when I have a min!

[pbandj714]

One of my favorite quick meals is this:

Baked perogies atop a bed of spinach, topped with mild salsa and sour cream (we use greek yogurt). It's soooo tasty and takes all of 20 min to bake the perogies. I just get the frozen ones. Yummmmm.

[nitecheese]

Dec 8, 2015 9:45:28 GMT -5 frecklesnbrains said:

BANH MI!!!!!!  Om nom nom nom nom. 

[frecklesnbrains]

Dec 8, 2015 10:40:29 GMT -5 nitecheese said:

Dec 8, 2015 9:45:28 GMT -5 frecklesnbrains said:

BANH MI!!!!!!  Om nom nom nom nom. 

Mmmmm, you may have gotten me onto something...
cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014140-shortcut-banh-mi-with-pickled-carrots-and-daikon

[titania]

frecklesnbrains, virginiaorjohn, I'm also part of the CSA club! It is wonderful! Roasted veggies have become one of my favorite meals and it is so easy!

[shoogars]

One of my favorites is a sausage tomato tortellini soup:

-Brown 1 roll of ground sausage (I like sage)
-Add 2 cans of diced tomatoes with onion and garlic
-add three cups chicken stock ( or less if you want it thicker)
-add a half a bag of fresh spinach
-add one brick of cream cheese
-simmer until cream cheese is completely melted and mixed in
-ten minutes before eating add one bag of frozen three cheese tortellini

I serve with a nice crusty sour dough! It's so good:)

[csat]

teggy20,I love smitten kitchen, have not seen the Shake Shack burgers but will definitely be trying.

I also make a lot of double batches of things like soup, lasagna, pasta sauces either for a day or two of leftovers for the week or to freeze.

Some quick meals that rotate frequently in our house:

Frittata: Great for cleaning out your fridge. Typically I do something like 8 eggs, 1 or 2 of the following: spinach/arugula/mushrooms/broccoli/peppers, 1 of the following: ham/sausage/bacon and then cheese. Active cooking time is about 10 min and then 15-20 min in the oven.

Egg fried rice: I use frozen rice from Trader Joes (brown or white), 3 min in the microwave and no clean up. Another good way to use whatever you have in the fridge, peas, broccoli, edamame, frozen shrimp, tofu, leftover chicken, pork, etc.

Pasta with loads of spinach: DS won't eat anything that resembles 'salad' so for any pasta dish I finely chop a giant amount of spinach and add to whatever sauce (premade for quick dinners) or directly to the pasta (pesto, marinara, alfredo). Easy and quick way to get in more veg to the meal

Quinoa, shrimp and avocado salad: Quinoa mixed with cooked shrimp, diced avocado, arugula, olive oil and lemon juice (or any combo of protein, veg, I also like it with edamame and tofu)

Fancy grilled cheese: I guess made fancy by nice cheese and some combo of either savory or sweet additions (e.g. onions, ham, fig jam)

This broccoli cheddar cheese soup is not a quick weeknight recipe but perfect for making on the weekend and having leftovers the next night, which I'm doing tonight and almost can't wait that long, it was so good
smittenkitchen.com/blog/2015/09/broccoli-cheddar-soup/

[sandandsea]

We stick to pretty simple things with a 3 year old. Our quick go to meals are:

Breakfast for dinner (eggs, french toast, bacon, etc.)
Grilled cheese and tomato soup (from a box or can, nothing that requires pureeing anything as I don't have time for that!)
Tacos
Spaghetti
Grilled meat with a side of steamed veggies
CHicken tortilla soup (dump a bunch of things in a pot and let it sit - box chicken broth, jar of salsa, can of chicken, can of corn, can of beans - top with chips, cheese, sour cream and avocado)

[Flair Underwood]

frecklesnbrains, titania, virginiaorjohn, I'm bummed you guys enjoy your CSA so much! We did a spring/summer and fall share with our local CSA and was really disappointed.

[teggy20]

Oohhhh, shoogars, that sounds SO GOOD. Making that soon.

csat, I'm pretty much obsessed with SK. Have you made her carnitas? THEY ARE RIDICULOUS. smittenkitchen.com/blog/2011/11/homesick-texan-carnitas/ and this slaw to go with them: smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/04/chicken-jealousy/. And ohhhh dear, these: smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/10/apple-and-cheddar-scones/. And THESE: smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/01/lemon-bars/. AND THIS: smittenkitchen.com/blog/2006/11/alexs-restaurant/

I heart risotto the most.. I forgot about that one. It's one of my go-to meals for when I have lots of randoms in the fridge.

You guise, I could literally cook and eat all day long. If only I had someone here to clean my kitchen 24/7...

[csat]

Those carnitas look amazing, I will definitely be trying those out soon.... and that chicken and the risotto, I'm so hungry now!

Here are some others I've made recently which I've liked from the site. The first link is for an incredibly easy but delicious banana bread which I've made so many times now I think I've memorized it. The sweet potato and sausage soup was also really good:

smittenkitchen.com/blog/2006/11/speckled-for-the-freckled/
smittenkitchen.com/blog/2014/01/parmesan-broth-with-kale-and-white-beans/
smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/10/sweet-potato-and-sausage-soup/
smittenkitchen.com/blog/2014/02/fennel-and-blood-orange-salad/

[teggy20]

csat, THAT BANANA BREAD IS THE BEST. We make it all the time, too! Love love the addition of cloves. Ooh I'll have to try out the others soon... thanks for the recos

[Kevinmac]

Carnitas are on the menu for Sunday, that looks so good!

[titania]

Dec 8, 2015 13:44:40 GMT -5 Flair Underwood said:

frecklesnbrains, titania, virginiaorjohn, I'm bummed you guys enjoy your CSA so much! We did a spring/summer and fall share with our local CSA and was really disappointed.

bummer! Are there any others in your area you can try?

[birdhut]

This is a great idea
One of my new favorites is baked ravioli because it makes 2 so I can freeze one. I use this one:
www.thecountrycook.net/2012/06/baked-ravioli.html?m=1

I try to do a freezer meal with our meal as often as possible. If it's a soup or baked ziti or something that would reheat well then I just double it and freeze half. Before DD was born my MIL came over one day and I spent the afternoon cooking 4 meals which made 8 freezer meals for after she was born. It made dinner so much easier on days I was too tired to cook which happened a lot in the beginning.

I love my MILs veggie soup. It's really easy. Brown 1lb hamburger in a big pot and add 1-2 cans of stewed tomatoes depending on how tomatoey you want it, an onion, diced carrots and potatoes to your liking, 2 cans of corn not drained, salt and pepper (I always go light and have people add their own) and one can of green beans not drained. Let it cook at least 20 minutes at a boil and then until the potatoes and carrots are soft. I then turn it down until we are ready to eat. It does require prepping but then it's just a dump recipe. A lot of times I have frozen onion already cut so that helps some.

I just made this yesterday and it didn't take long at all but was really good!
Baked chicken Parmesan

www.skinnytaste.com/2009/04/baked-chicken-parmesan.html?m=1

[babyzebra]

I need to go back and read all these for some ideas. I fail at meal planning and cooking. My idea of a quick weeknight meal is cereal.

[cattuccino]

Dec 8, 2015 20:01:37 GMT -5 babyzebra said:

I need to go back and read all these for some ideas. I fail at meal planning and cooking. My idea of a quick weeknight meal is cereal.

Ditto. 
And takeout. 
Especially lately. 

[birdhut]

Dec 8, 2015 20:01:37 GMT -5 babyzebra said:

I need to go back and read all these for some ideas. I fail at meal planning and cooking. My idea of a quick weeknight meal is cereal.

We love cereal in this house. We probably have it for dinner at least once a week sometimes twice. It is DHs favorite food. His grooms cake was mini cereal boxes.