If you follow us on Instagram, it is obvious that we enjoy restaurant food quite a bit. It's often carryout, a cookout, or one of 3 go-to recipes at home that my kids will eat. Because LIFE. With a nightshift husband and two very picky kids... I literally can't even think about dinner prep when I get home from work most nights.
So. What do I do? Call in the experts. You can find me liking their photos on social media and wishing I was meal-planning like them. But for now, I will step away and let them introduce themselves and their dinner-time family favorites.
1. Creamy Chicken Sausage Tomato Tortellini Soup- This is everything I want in a soup--creamy, comforting, loaded with veggies, and great for freezing. It's exactly what I need on that first chilly, rainy fall night.
2. One pot and one pan meals are totally my jam these days, and this five ingredient Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken and Veggies has saved us from takeout on more than one occasion.
3. I love meals that are easy to adapt based on what you have on hand, and this Creamy Italian Pasta is definitely one of those meals. The base recipe is stupid easy, and then you can add whatever veggies or meat you like. We like bacon, mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes, but also
use crab and peppers sometimes.
4. This Crock Pot Barbacoa Beef tastes better than Chipotle (yes, I said it), and has endless uses. We put it in tacos, nachos, and quesadillas, but have also added it to eggs, ladled it on baked
potatoes, and stirred it into mac and cheese. It's also one that freezes well.
5. I just made these Mediterranean Meatballs for the first time a few months ago, but they're already making my favorites. They're super flavorful and great by themselves or in a pita sandwich. Oh, and they freeze well. Can you tell I like to freeze things?
@madebymelissalee
1. Crockpot BBQ chicken quinoa sloppy joes
(Found this on Pinterest and it wasn't a fail)
1 lb ground chicken
small onion, finely chopped
¾ cup quinoa, dry
1½ cups water
1 medium-large carrot, shredded
1 cup ketchup
½ tsp salt
5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
¾ cup barbecue sauce
½ tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
Brown the chicken the add the onion to the skillet and cook. Pour the chicken and the onion into a crockpot. Next pour the quinoa into the skillet and toast for 2 mins while stirring frequently (it will pop a little) then add to the crockpot. Next mix in all other ingredients. It will look very watery at first but the quinoa will soak it all up! Cook on low for 6 hours.
2. Easy Tomato, basil, mozzarella calzone
-1 tube of Pillsbury pizza crust
-3 Roma tomatoes
- fresh mozzarella
-1/4 cup basil
-marinara sauce for dipping
Heat oven to 425. Lay out pizza crust and cut into 4 squares. Layer on diced tomato basil and mozzarella. Fold edges over to make a pouch and pinch together place in a cookie sheet cook for 10 mins until golden brown.
3. Ham, honey and Swiss sliders
-1 can jumbo biscuits
-deli honey ham
-simply nature wildflower honey
-Swiss cheese
Preheat oven to 350. Spray cookie sheet with Pam. Peel apart biscuits and layer with ham, Swiss and add a dime size amount of honey. Press top of biscuits to the bottom of biscuit to make a pocket. Continue until all biscuits are used up. Pop in oven for 15 minutes until golden brown.
4. Crockpot spaghetti squash and Italian sausage meatballs
1 spaghetti squash cut in half and seeds removed
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
1 lbs ground Italian sausage
1 tbs of Italian spices
Pour sauce and tomatoes into crockpot and put squash face down in sauce. Next, roll ground sausage into small bite size meatballs. Place the uncooked meatballs around the squash and fully in the sauce (they need to be covered to cook) add in spices. Cook on low for 5 hours. At end of cooking remove squash and shred with fork. Serve meatballs and sauce over squash and enjoy.
So. What do I do? Call in the experts. You can find me liking their photos on social media and wishing I was meal-planning like them. But for now, I will step away and let them introduce themselves and their dinner-time family favorites.
Courtney
@Neighborfoodie
I'm Courtney and I'm the quirky lady behind the blog NeighborFood. I'm also a wife, mom, and rabid Buckeye fan. I believe much of the pleasure we receive from food comes from sharing it with the ones we love. It's not about perfection or Pinterest perfect plates. It's about gathering around the table, and bringing all the sippy cups and wine glasses and spills and chaos with you. I believe cooking should be fun, approachable, and always, always delicious. All of these recipes fit that description, and it's why they make a regular appearance at our family table.
1. Creamy Chicken Sausage Tomato Tortellini Soup- This is everything I want in a soup--creamy, comforting, loaded with veggies, and great for freezing. It's exactly what I need on that first chilly, rainy fall night.
2. One pot and one pan meals are totally my jam these days, and this five ingredient Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken and Veggies has saved us from takeout on more than one occasion.
3. I love meals that are easy to adapt based on what you have on hand, and this Creamy Italian Pasta is definitely one of those meals. The base recipe is stupid easy, and then you can add whatever veggies or meat you like. We like bacon, mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes, but also
use crab and peppers sometimes.
4. This Crock Pot Barbacoa Beef tastes better than Chipotle (yes, I said it), and has endless uses. We put it in tacos, nachos, and quesadillas, but have also added it to eggs, ladled it on baked
potatoes, and stirred it into mac and cheese. It's also one that freezes well.
5. I just made these Mediterranean Meatballs for the first time a few months ago, but they're already making my favorites. They're super flavorful and great by themselves or in a pita sandwich. Oh, and they freeze well. Can you tell I like to freeze things?
Melissa
@madebymelissalee
Hi, I’m Melissa and I write the food blog Made by Melissa Lee. I’m so happy to be stopping by Little Adventures Await today to share my top five family friendly meals! Even though I only became a mom last year, I already know how important it is to find meals the whole family will enjoy. These dinners have become quick favorites at our house and I hope they do at yours too!
After a long day of work and then shuttling the kids around to all of their extracurricular events, no one wants to spend much time making dinner. These tasty Italian meatball sub start with pre-cooked, frozen turkey meatballs, which helps get dinner on the table in a snap! Shhh… that will be our little secret.
We celebrate the start to the weekend every Friday with pizza night! With minimal prep and ingredients, this is something the kids can help with too! Plus, by making it at home you have total control over the ingredients and have the ability to make it much healthier than the usual take-out. Our favorite combo is spinach (for me) and pepperoni (for my husband). Have your kids pick out their favorite toppings for a make-your-own pizza night that everyone will enjoy!
Who doesn’t love macaroni and cheese? I personally don’t know many. This version gets a healthy make-over with the addition of pureed butternut squash. It’s so cheesy that even your pickiest eaters won’t know there’s a “secret” ingredient hidden inside!
We love having breakfast for dinner! While I don’t always like the amount of sugar in the syrup, I do like the fact this version includes whole wheat flour. It adds a little extra fiber and if you serve them with some fresh fruit, you’ve upped the health factor a little bit more. At the very least you can count on the kids not complaining about what you made for dinner, right?
Let the crock pot do all the work for you on this super easy, chicken dinner. Simply throw some salsa, black beans, corn, chicken and spices into the crock pot and you’ll have a delicious dinner waiting for you at the end of the work day. We love to serve this over brown rice and topped with avocado, diced tomatoes and cilantro.
Cat
@simple.pearls
Bio: Hi I'm Cat I am the mom behind the blog of @simplepearls "insta-blog." @simple.pearls is a space full of simple and fun food plans for families. The account also features fashion ideas for mom and kids, along with many products reviews. I have very active twin girls who are always up for an adventure in Columbus. Search #pearlsmeals to checkout all my favorite meals ideas!
1. Crockpot BBQ chicken quinoa sloppy joes
(Found this on Pinterest and it wasn't a fail)
1 lb ground chicken
small onion, finely chopped
¾ cup quinoa, dry
1½ cups water
1 medium-large carrot, shredded
1 cup ketchup
½ tsp salt
5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
¾ cup barbecue sauce
½ tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
Brown the chicken the add the onion to the skillet and cook. Pour the chicken and the onion into a crockpot. Next pour the quinoa into the skillet and toast for 2 mins while stirring frequently (it will pop a little) then add to the crockpot. Next mix in all other ingredients. It will look very watery at first but the quinoa will soak it all up! Cook on low for 6 hours.
2. Easy Tomato, basil, mozzarella calzone
-1 tube of Pillsbury pizza crust
-3 Roma tomatoes
- fresh mozzarella
-1/4 cup basil
-marinara sauce for dipping
Heat oven to 425. Lay out pizza crust and cut into 4 squares. Layer on diced tomato basil and mozzarella. Fold edges over to make a pouch and pinch together place in a cookie sheet cook for 10 mins until golden brown.
3. Ham, honey and Swiss sliders
-1 can jumbo biscuits
-deli honey ham
-simply nature wildflower honey
-Swiss cheese
Preheat oven to 350. Spray cookie sheet with Pam. Peel apart biscuits and layer with ham, Swiss and add a dime size amount of honey. Press top of biscuits to the bottom of biscuit to make a pocket. Continue until all biscuits are used up. Pop in oven for 15 minutes until golden brown.
4. Crockpot spaghetti squash and Italian sausage meatballs
1 spaghetti squash cut in half and seeds removed
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
1 lbs ground Italian sausage
1 tbs of Italian spices
Liz
Hello! I’m Liz Renneker, a busy mom to three and a healthy lifestyle coach. I am a nurse by trade with over 11 years of pediatric oncology experience but have found a second passion in helping other busy moms get fit. I specialize in creating positivity, self-love, health and balance in the busy mom life. The right fitness program, nutrition plan, and support go a long way to achieve health for yourself and family.
I create and host online groups each month where I share healthy, and more importantly simple, meal plans for the week. I provide grocery lists, recipes, and helpful preparation tips to you. Each month there are varied meals or themes but having ideas and a plan presented have helped many busy moms simplify their daily routine and “what’s for dinner?” stress. Throughout the week we post daily motivation, helpful health tips, and mini workouts. Prizes are awarded throughout the week to keep it fun! I hope you follow my Facebook page, Busy Moms Get Fit, and join a group in the future!
For more information on how to enroll in these FREE groups please complete the brief questionnaire here.
Here are my 5 top tips for family meal planning:
- Keep it simple.
- Serve at least one familiar and well liked food on your child’s plate.
- Serve new foods multiple times to children before giving up on them liking it.
- Use one day a week to prep your foods for the week.
- Join an online group for new ideas and support of other moms!
Thanks, ladies! I hope their blogs, groups, and accounts help you in your dinner-planning. Enjoy!
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