Hey There, Friends!
I try to keep this little blog of mine very authentic to what’s happening in my life and what our family is busy with at the moment. Right now {like SO many of you-we’ve chatted via IG messages} you guys are busy with fall sports, fall practices, middle school extra-curricular activities, high school things, etc. This is a BUSY time of year for all of us. One thing that can make me feel like I’ve got a small grip on those extremely busy weeks are our meals. If we have crazy chaotic things happening all after school but I manage to still get a homemade meal on the table, well I’m WINNING! I’ve been keeping track of what I’ve made for dinner since school started and I’m sharing our top five favorites….
#1 Crockpot Broccoli Cheddar Chicken-I’m a sucker for a slow cooker recipe and this one fit the bill perfectly! I didn’t add quite as much cream cheese as the recipe called for but instead added some fat free half and half to still get the cream without all the calories. It was very much like a broccoli cheese soup with the protein added in! And my kids all love a broccoli cheese soup! I made rice and pasta and my people chose their preferred carb. I looked forward to eating this for leftovers the next day and so did Tab! The only negative was when it was cooking in the slow cooker, Ebby Lee and friends came home from school and she said, “Uh, Mom, it smells like Urban Air in here.” That’s not a compliment because Urban Air always smells like sweaty feet. ha!
#2 Frito Taco Bowls-I have two kids that will eat/try almost anything and two that can be very picky. I’ll let you guess who’s who. 😉 For some reason a bowl of chili doesn’t speak to my picky eaters but seasoning the meat like I did in this recipe and serving it with Frito’s was a big hit!
#3 Slow Cooker Spaghetti-I can pretty much take or leave spaghetti. It’s just “okay” to me but it’s easy and 3/4 of my kids are fans so it’s in the dinner rotation quite a bit. I recently placed a grocery pick up order and must have blacked out while ordering because when it arrived I’d ordered TWELVE different kinds of Rao’s pasta sauce…vodka, marinara, alfredo….you name it I ordered it. Needless to say, I really need to be whipping up some Italian dishes because I’m pretty stocked in the sauce department. Just last week we had a crazy evening so I browned three pounds of lean ground beef while the kids were eating breakfast. Then I added a big jar of the Rao’s Arrabbiata Sauce and the Rao’s Alfredo Sauce, let it cook on low all day, and then made some protein pasta when we got in that night. The pasta just took about ten minutes from start to finish so dinner was ready really quickly. And the little spiced up version of the sauce made it a little “extra”. My people loved it!
#4 Turkey Sausage Bowls-This isn’t so much a recipe but some stuff I threw together one day. I slice up a TON of the skinless {I gagged as I typed that! I’m so sorry-just wanted you to know what I used} turkey sausage. I seriously did four packs of the sausage the last time I made it. I saute it and add a little dry rub seasoning. In a separate skillet, I saute onions and peppers. And then I serve it with rice. Tab and I also like okra in our bowls. It kind of gives it a jambalaya feel. My kids love this!
#5 Shay’s Slightly Sweet Sloppy Joe’s-are another family favorite. We eat this on baked potatoes, on buns, and even on sweet potato tots! It’s easy, can be made ahead, and just added to a slow cooker on low for those REALLY busy week nights.
Honorable Mention-Salmon Bites in the air fryer-we will add those to bowls as well and top with avocado, edamame, cucumbers, red onion and our preferred sauce. {We like sweet chili, sriracha, sriracha/greek yogurt mix.}. I know I’ve shared this one with you before but it’s totally worth a spot in this post. My kids LOVE!
Okay, now it’s YOUR TURN! Please help me with more great busy night meals! I’d love to hear your favorite!
Happy Wednesday, Friends!
XO
So many great ideas! I love how your used the slow cooker in a variety of ways!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Thanks, Elspeth!
feel free to not publish my comments, haha.
Another quick dinner is boneless pork chops or chicken breasts:
Cover in your favorite BBQ sauce and bake, remove, add shredded Colby Jack cheese, tomatoes, green onion (I have also used diced red onion but added at the beginning with the BBQ sauce), and crumbled bacon if you wish. Pop back in the oven until cheese is melted. Serve with mashed potatoes and a favorite veggie like green beans or roasted broccoli.
Put a bunch of chicken breasts or boneless skinless thighs in a crockpot. Top with one of your sauces and cook on high at least 5 hours or low for 8. Top with shredded mozzarella before serving. We call it Chicken Sort of Parmesan.
That would get rid of one bottle quickly! THANK YOU!! And sounds like something my people would enjoy!
I second this method!
I love adding raw (frozen or thawed) chicken to a crockpot and adding a jar of salsa and taco or fajita seasoning to it and cooking on low all day. Then shred and can be used for make your own fajitas, fajita bowls, taco salads, quesadillas, etc with any and all toppings! It is sooo easy and so versatile!
I also switch up the sauces if I want different vibes. Sometimes it’s buffalo sauce and a ranch packet to use as buffalo chicken sandwiches, lettuce wraps, quesadillas.
I’ve also done teriyaki sauce and pineapple chunks.
Another fav is italian dressing and ranch packet, etc. etc.
The possibilities are endless and ways top use in other meals is endless, too!
THANK YOU!!
You can also throw in peppers and onions to the salsa chicken.
Onions also work with buffalo, teriyaki, and the italian too if you can sneak in the veggies 😉
Gyros- so easy!
Marinate chicken in Greek salad dressing.
Buy tsaziki sauce and hummus. Don’t need to make it.
Chop up lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and throw in some olives and feta if you want.
Serve w hummus. Everyone can make it w whatever ingredients they want and this can all be made/ chopped ahead of time.
Serve in pita bread or w pita chips.
Throw some french fries in the air fryer or serve w chips.
Easy!
THANK you so much!! I’m gonna add this to our menu!
YUM! I’m going to have to try those Frito bowls for sure!
My pickiest eater loved and that’s saying something.
Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti might be an option you like better than regular. I make the chicken breasts and sauce all in slow cooker and then boil noodles on stove quick. I wouldn’t call it healthy though! Also, if you have never gotten the garlic knots from WalMart get them for pasta night. Marketside garlic knots. You put whole bag on cookie sheet, pop in oven and done.
I’m going to have to check those out, Rachel! Thank you!
I like to make extra of almost any soup or sloppy-joe stuffed bell peppers and freeze in individual serving sizes (or one meal family size).
Crowd pleaser, plus super easy to pull out and eat any time!
BRILLIANT!!
So funny because just last night I made the Half Baked Harvest Cheesy Broccoli Soup (similar to her crockpot recipe above), and my 12-year-old daughter said it smelled like sweat in the kitchen! Must be something about the smell of broccoli cooking. Tasted so good though!
BAHAHAHA! It must be! I’d lit a new candle on this same day so at first I was very offended about the candle. Then I remembered the broccoli.
I love making salmon in the air fryer for a quick dinner! I’ve done chicken quesadillas recently. If you make the chicken and veggies ahead of time, then you can just assemble and toast at dinner time! This is the recipe I used: https://www.melskitchencafe.com/the-best-chicken-quesadillas/ I also like Shay’s chili mac (I like to make the pasta at dinner time and mix it in), HBH meatballs with creamy orzo (https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/garlic-butter-chicken-meatballs/), Shay’s sweet potatoe and sausage skillet, and breakfast tacos/burritos are always a hit!
Thank you, Taylor! Chicken quesadillas are a great busy night meal as well!
Funny you mention the sketti sauce – I just recently moved in with my fiance and was placing a grocery order last night. I went to look in his pantry to see if he had a can of corn and he had like, 8 jars of spaghetti sauce, 15 cans of green beans, 10 bags of flour, etc. And he has no idea how long they have been in there. I have my work cut out for me – I knew there was a reason I just buy what I need and keep it where I know where it is!
Hahahaha! Maybe he saw the same sale I did!
a quick dinner idea for your busy nights – marinate about 3.5 lbs chicken (6 breasts) for 1hr. up to 24 hrs. in:
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
â…› cup lemon juice
¾ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 tablespoon Spicy Brown mustard
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoon garlic powder
Grill or bake. I serve with boxed yellow rice (Zatarains or Goya) and canned peas. Quick and delicious!
I never loose with Mississippi Roast. I always take it on our cabin trips (sometimes making it ahead, sometimes just cooking it there in a crockpot). Some of my people eat it over rice, last time we went to the cabin I forgot to bring the sub buns (they fill with the meat and add provolone cheese), so we made toast and had open face sandwiches. Not every recipe calls for adding sliced sautéed onions, but I think those really add to it.