| Looking for inspiration from family favorites! |
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"Salad bar" - we all take a couple veggies and other salad ingredients (eggs, cheese, leftover chicken shredded up, plus of course lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes etc) and chop them up, then go through and pile on whatever appeals.
Fish tacos - cabbage is popular in our house so I always made extra slaw. Pile on seasoned, pan seared fish with avocado and lime in a corn tortilla. Simple but hearty. Meat + veg - maybe half our meals fall into this category. Marinated chicken thighs on a sheet pan with green beans or asparagus. Instant pot pork loin with seared brussels sprouts and a drizzle of balsamic. Salmon with stir fried veggies (this is particularly good for the end of the week, when there's an assortment of leftover vegetables that aren't enough to be their own side dish-- I always have a half head of broccoli, a quarter head of cabbage, a half an onion, etc-- throw in a can of baby corn or water chestnuts and now it's fancy) Black bean or turkey burgers - usually with a salad, sometimes with tater tots if we're feeling a need for comfort food
These are the quicker weeknight things, and all benefit from division of labor. One kid peels and slices eggs, another trims sprouts or washes lettuce. DH is always on instant pot duty because that thing kind of scares me. |
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taco / burrito bowls
baked potato bar chicken parmesan with spaghetti none of these are MY favorites, but they are the family favorites
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chicken tacos (saucy chicken made in the instant pot) lots of toppings
fresh grilled salmon, mashed potatoes, sauteed spinach spaghetti and homemade meatballs These aren't everyone's individual favorites, but all four of us like these dinners. |
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Puppatella classico with extra parm and shrimp for DH. I don't put shrimp on pizza, lol. This is a treat like for Halloween, birthday eve, etc. it's my fave.
Rib in roast beef. DH loves that. Crab rolls or lobster. |
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Salmon rice bowl - teriyaki salmon, sweet potato, cucumber, brown rice, edamame, spinach
Vietnamese caramelized pork with carrots, zucchini and onions (from recipe tin eats, I add the veggies) with rice or noodles, cucumber salad, seaweed salad, broccoli, tofu Korean lettuce wraps - bulgogi, radish, cucumber, carrots, scallions, shallots, bean sprouts, kimchi, rice, spinach, nori, lettuce cups, herbs If it’s not obvious, I’m Asian (Korean American) and we eat East Asian or SE Asian food 75% of the time. |
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Chicken Caesar salad
Salmon and vegetable Chicken and vegetable (usually chicken tenderloins) Pasta with rao sauce Rice, beans and chicken with other types of toppings |
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Red beans and rice
Chicken and black bean burrito bowls Egg roll in a bowl |
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We have so many. I think each kid has their one five faves. Common pleasers?
Bi bim bop : with spinach, cucumbers, zucchini, tofu, rice and sauce Kimbap or sushi : everyone has their own faves- vegan caviar, spinach, tofu, veggies, mango, sweet potato, pickled radish, vegan egg strips Caldo verde with vegan chorizo from Trader Joe’s Tomato dal with cilantro lime rice Homemade pizza with sautéed onions peppers pesto |
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All these recipes generate leftovers, which my family likes to have:
1. Salmon rice bowl (I slow roast the salmon and my kids like a gochujang/soy/honey sauce I make) 2. Homemade meatballs and spaghetti (Ina Garten's recipe with Raos sauce) 3. Homemade meatloaf, peas and baguette (no potatoes for some reason) 4. Sheet pan chicken fajitas with yellow rice. I make onions and peppers too, but my kids mostly want guacamole. |
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Egg roll in a bowl
Spinach stuffed shells Enchiladas with Spanish rice Homemade pizza |
| Homemade cava bowl: some protein like meatballs or kabob or tofu; some grain like white or brown rice, quinoa or farro; some sort of salad; dolmas; olives, hummus, tzatziki….whatever we have around. Everyone assembles their own bowl |
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It differs for us between top 3 weeknight, top 3 weekend/special occasion, and probably seasonally too.
Top 3 weeknight are all recipes we love that that cook quickly: • shrimp diavola • veal piccata (or something else with veal scallopine, again just for the speed) • the famous Jon & Vinny spicy vodka sauce pasta |
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Tacos
Nachos Lasagna Shrimp, vege, and rice stir-fry Shredded pork or chicken topped with slaw Homemade crab soup |
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Rice bowls with protein, veg, peanut sauce
Huevos rancheros Smoked salmon charcuterie (herbed cream cheese spread, cucumber slices, dill, French bread or crackers) |