Baked ziti, garlic bread and salad!

Lots of soups bc son likes soups:
Chicken noodle
Kale, white beans n sausage soup
Japanese curry w chicken (super easy)
Spaghetti w Raos sauce
Bulgogi (korean bbq beef)
Chicken tortilla soup
Stir fry

I recommend the new Smitten Kitchen cookbook. Lots of weeknight friendly recipes, and paging through a physical book has been nice for inspiration

Quick and easy weeknight go-tos:

Egg roll in a bowl (with rice or cauliflower rice)
Slopy Joe's (on a roll or over pasta)
Breakfast for dinner (scrambled egg or cheese omlette and pancakes)
Quesadillas with whatever is in the house (beans, cheese, spinach)

I just started making a spreadsheet to track the recipes we use. Here is what I have so far for dinners:

Asparagus Frittata
Cheddar Broccoli Soup
Chicken Parmesan
Daal
Egg Spaghetti
Philly Cheesesteaks
Pizza (NYT Dough)
Sheet Pan Chicken Tikka Masala
Stuffed Shells
Two-Bean Tamale Pie

*Note we make vegetarian versions of all. happy to share any recipes!

we also love their pasties! I make a big batch of red cabbage with apples and freeze in small quantities to eat with a pasty.

Safeway has been selling the broccoli or cauliflower crust pizzas for $1.99 each and I find that they serve 2 adults with some cut veggies and ranch.

Shakshusha is one of my go-tos...frozen chopped peppers and onions in a skillet, then canned tomato sauce and whatever seasonings I want, then break eggs into it. I serve with pita bread and a chopped cucumber and plain yogurt salad on the side.

Rice bowls: make rice in rice cooker. Add whatever protein, seasonings, chopped veggies you want to it. This week I did canned chickpeas and canned sliced beets with dill and a spoonful of plain greek yogurt. A different week I sauteed mushrooms and tofu with a little sesame oil and sprinkled it with crumbled nori.

Soups and stews and chilis are good to make a big batch and then freeze half in small portions to pull out later. I made a sweet potato and black bean chili a few weeks ago that turned out good, and I also like the Washington Post corn soup with chili crisp--very easy and relies on all shelf-stable items so it's a good thing to have in my back pocket when I'm not sure if we'll need another meal or can grind through on leftovers!

Breakfast for dinner is also a big go-to at my house--french toast casserole is pretty easy and you can add a bunch of fruit to it (we like frozen berries, or sliced apples and cinnamon) or serve fruit on the side. You can add some yogurt, sausage, or veggie sausage as a side item if you want for extra protein, but it already has eggs and milk in it so I usually don't bother.

Finally, baked pastas are pretty easy and a good way to use up odds and ends of vegetables. It takes a little time to put together but it's not hard and once you add some tomato sauce and put cheese on top it's going to be tasty!

Anonymous wrote:We always have pasties in our freezer for easy weeknight meals. We buy a whole bunch every few months from The Pure Pasty in Vienna.

I just went on their website. I wish they delivered because this is a great idea, but I live in DC, so it is a bit too far unless I'm in that area for a reason.

If I'm making something fresh that night, and not eating something that we made another day and froze, ours include:

Veal piccata
Garlic shrimp
Shrimp diavola
Spicy vodka sauce pasta
Pasta with sausage and broccolini
Ina's panko-crusted salmon
Halloumi tacos
Charcuterie for dinner (meats, cheeses, fresh or cured veg, sometimes with a baked potato)

As you can see for us it's things that defrost and/or cook quickly after work.

Our rotation includes:

Roasted salmon, rice, veg
Steak, steak fries, veg
Spaghetti (I make a vat and freeze in ziplocs), salad
Chicken thighs braised in some sauce, mashed potatoes, veg

We're a meat and potatoes household, as you can see.

High protein spicy Mac and cheese (I just add Cholula) and roasted broccoli.

My emergency dinner is always 'seafood surprise' -- frozen crispy shrimp, frozen fish cakes (I make a bunch and freeze them), rice, veg, salad.

Had to do that last night when our dinner plans blew up.

We always have pasties in our freezer for easy weeknight meals. We buy a whole bunch every few months from The Pure Pasty in Vienna.

Here are some things that are in regular rotation at my house.

Blackened salmon. I serve it with roasted veggies (usually broccoli) and I'll boil whatever pasta I have on hand and mix with pesto sauce.
Vegetable pot pie
Baked ziti
Black bean and cheese quesadillas served with rice and salad
Butter tofu (same as butter chicken) served with veggies and naan
Shrimp tacos with avocado/black bean/corn slaw
sloppy joes with french fries and salad
meatball subs with salad
Sautee mixed veggies in avocado oil and add oven-cooked tofu (I squeeze out the water, cube it, coat it with cornstarch, oil salt and pepper, and bake it on high heat until crispy). I'll add whatever sauce I have on hand. My son likes terakyi sauce so I use that a lot.

My kids surprisingly love egg roll in a bowl (lots of variations if you google, I just sort of wing it depending in what's in the house).

Easy and pretty healthy!

What you are go-tos??? We are in a rut over here! TIA