{"id":36104,"date":"2017-08-30T09:14:04","date_gmt":"2017-08-30T13:14:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/?p=36104"},"modified":"2021-07-30T08:27:47","modified_gmt":"2021-07-30T12:27:47","slug":"family-friendly-weeknight-dinner-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/family-friendly-weeknight-dinner-ideas\/","title":{"rendered":"Family-Friendly Weeknight Dinner Ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"
The busy season calls for weeknight dinner ideas that are family-friendly, healthy, and quick to get on the table. Here is a list of my go-to recipes!<\/em><\/p>\n Yesterday while I made lunch, I also put together a batch of my favorite stuffed shells<\/a><\/strong> (it makes two pans!).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cooking dinner before noon was proof that summer days are giving way to school, activities resulting in a few odd dinner times each week, and for me, a need for more structure to keep up with it all.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For example, on Monday our afternoon was filled with tennis and music lessons. Yesterday? The first day of soccer practice!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Next week, we’ll add preschool and homeschool into the mix, sprinkled in with other occasional commitments and BOOM<\/em>, we’ve got ourselves a full on fall schedule.<\/p>\n The late afternoon and evening practices are new to us, so I’ve been putting some thought into how to navigate those days (twice a week). Some guideline I decided I need to abide by are the following:<\/p>\n So I spent some time combing through our household favorites, my 30 minute meals pinterest board<\/a><\/strong>, recipes I’ve saved from other blogs and compiled them all into a go-to list for me to reference while I meal plan each week. My hope is that you might find this helpful as well!<\/p>\n Mom’s Homemade Spaghetti Sauce<\/a><\/strong> (Make a double batch; it freezes like a dream)<\/p>\n Chicken Enchiladas<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Pinto Bean and Cheese Burritos<\/a><\/strong> (We love burritos for their convenience and ease with little hands)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Vegan Bean Burgers<\/a><\/strong> (after all these years, still one of my favorite veggie burger recipes)<\/p>\n Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n 10 Spice Vegetable Soup<\/a><\/strong> (I’ve been eating this for lunch all week)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Veggie-Packed Black Bean Soup<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Crockpot Salsa Chicken for Soft Tacos – no recipe link needed. Just put 2 pounds of boneless chicken breast in the crockpot, add 2 cups of your favorite salsa and cook on low for 6-8 hours.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Brown Sugar and Bourbon Glazed Salmon<\/a><\/strong> (make the marinade the night before and just toss the salmon in in the morning or on your lunch break)<\/p>\n Shrimp Fried Quinoa<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Baked Ravioli<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Greek Shrimp Pasta<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Of course, I’m never one to discount the versatility and ease of a snack plate dinner. This usually comes when I’m unable to come up with anything cohesive, but somehow putting it all on a single plate and calling it a dip platter always ensures it gets rave reviews.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I’m counting on a few of my favorite gadgets to help make quick dinners possible:<\/p>\n 3-in-1 6qt Slow Cooker<\/a><\/strong> : I love the all-in-one function so I can sear and saute before switching it to slow cooking mode. Less dishes is always a win in my book!<\/p>\n\n
Meals Perfect for Batch Making and Freezing<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Slow Cooker Favorites<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Meals That Cook Up Quickly<\/strong><\/h2>\n