Hey there, how are you? I’m dropping in to say hello 👋🏻 and to share some easy meal ideas. I like to plan our meals for the week ahead over the weekend, it just makes everything run a little smoother during the week. The recipes I make typically allow for leftovers, so I really only make 3-4 dinners every week for our family of 4. I like to pick meals that are easy and pleasing to the whole family, ages 1-35. And the best news is that these meals all came together in 30 minutes or less! So keep scrolling and take a peak at what my family eats!
Comment below with some of your family’s favorite weekly meals. I’m always looking for new ideas!
Cheesy Tortellini with Spinach Salad and Toasted Ciabatta
We usually eat pasta once a week. Because, noodles 🤤. This meal was incredibly easy, as tortellini only takes a few minutes to boil. Drain the tortellini and then add it back to your pan, pour on a little Alfredo sauce and let it warm up a bit. While the tortellini was cooking, I toasted some ciabatta bread in a 400 degree oven, which takes around 6 minutes. I realize this is a carb-heavy meal, but I paired it with a nice spinach salad. So, balance? 🤷🏻♀️ I toasted up some pecans and added them to the spinach with some plump cherries and feta. Yum! The kids didn’t really eat any of the salad and Josh asked “Where’s the meat?” But it was still a successful meal, and a good option for Meatless Monday.
My plate.
Quinn requested two bowls for her food 🙂
Wyatt’s plate.
And a closer look at the salad, because a salad this pretty needs a second look.
Taco Tuesday
Yes, every Tuesday we eat something taco-ish. Because having a predictible menu makes my life easier.
This particular Taco Tuesday, I made a great recipe for Taco Chicken from Gimme Delicious. You can marinade the chicken the night before (which I highly recommend) or 30 minutes before cooking it. Set out a ton of toppings and let your family go nuts. Quinn loves having choices. This meal was a big hit!
Family-style meals are pretty great, right?
My plate. Toppings are my weakness. A fork and many napkins were required.
Quinn’s plate. She can be pretty picky about meat, but she ate all of her chicken this night. Hooray!
Wyatt’s plate. He threw the tortilla shells on the floor (not a fan), but ate everything else.
Stuffed Mini Peppers
We had a big bag of mini peppers from Costco that needed to be consumed, so stuffed mini peppers it was! Plus, any meal that crams a bunch of food groups into one dish is fine by me. This recipe is from Yellow Bliss Road. I used a brown rice/quinoa blend instead of white rice. I also had a bunch of filling leftover, so I just ate it with some sautéed peppers for lunch the next day. Serve with tortilla chips or a salad. General consensus: Pretty good! Josh and I loved them. Quinn was having an off day with peppers (because that’s something that happens to four-year olds). And Wyatt wasn’t sure at first, but ended up clearing most of his plate (as he tends to do).
My plate.
Wyatt’s plate. (I forgot to take a picture of Quinn’s plate.)
Chicken Schwarma
YASSSS! I. Love. This. Meal. The recipe comes from Recipe Tin Eats. It’s another family-style meal, and it’s full of flavor. It came together in a snap and filled everyone up. Win!
Mine, all mine.
Quinn’s plate. She wasn’t crazy for the sauce, but she did eat everything else.
Wyatt’s plate. He, on the other hand, was super enthused about the dipping sauce.
Pizza Night
Another predictable night in the Clark household is Friday night: Pizza/Movie night! Sometimes we order pizza, sometimes we make it from scratch, and sometimes we make our own individual flatbreads. Josh was gone last Friday, so we went with the latter option to avoid having a bunch of leftovers. I like to buy an 18–pack of Stonefire Naan at Costco for the flatbread (that’s also what we used for our Schwarma). Quinn loves helping, so she topped all of the pizzas for her and Wyatt with pepperoni and green olives, per her request. And I had some leftover ciabatta bread from pasta night, so I topped it with some fig preserves, prosciutto, and goat cheese. Throw them (gently 😉) in a 400 degree oven for 6 minutes and dinner is served. Bonus points if you get your kids bathed and in their PJs before Pizza/Movie night begins.
Getting Quinn involved in making dinner is the best way to get her to eat new food. Also, bribing her with popcorn works.
She makes a mean flatbread.
My plate.
Quinn’s plate.
Wyatt’s plate.
So there you have it! That’s how we eat around here. Mostly homemade, quick, and tasty. I hope I gave you a few ideas for upcoming meals! Feel free to comment below with any questions you have or to let me know what your family loves to eat. Have a fabulous weekend!
Love this. Always looking for new things to try. My house is very picky!