Four Go-To Weeknight Meals

I haven’t been sharing my weekly meal plans here as regularly as I used to (should I bring them back??) but I’ve been back in the kitchen a decent amount since the new year and it feels really good. I’ve been reading through cookbooks and scouring Instagram recipes and have found lots of new bits of inspiration and things I want to try and will share them as I do. But for today, I thought I would share our go-tos instead. These are the meals we rotate in and out of our weeknight schedule every month (sometimes two or three times per month) because they are easy, quick and appeal to the whole family – for the most part. Inspiration is always good, but ease is even better sometimes, so here they are:

BLT pizza – if you’ve been following this blog for a while (and especially if we’re friends in real life and you’ve eaten at my house), then you know that this flatbread concoction from Gaby Dalkin of What’s Gaby Cooking is one of my all-time favorite recipes. When we’re pressed for time – which is most of the time these days – we make it with a whole wheat pizza dough from Trader Joe’s. Add burrata, bacon, chopped up tomatoes, arugula and a drizzle of olive oil and salt & pepper and dinner is served — and SO delicious. Disclaimer: my kids have not entirely warmed up to this one yet so we usually just pick up an extra dough and make a classic cheese for them.

Fish (or turkey) tacos – tacos are easily a once per week staple here. Sometimes they are made with flour tortillas (these uncooked ones from Costco heat up in a flash and make it even more delicious), tilapia topped with green sauce, avocado, cheese and lime. Simply sauté the tilapia in the green salsa, do some easy chopping and serve. Add some Trader Joe’s corn salsa and it’s a game-changer. Dinner can be done in 15 minutes. When we go the ground turkey route, we cook that up with some taco seasoning and go old school with crunchy shells, shredded cheese, tomato, onions and taco sauce. Avocado if we’re in the mood. Also a 15 minute favorite.

Sausage and broccolini pasta – sausage and broccoli are a common pairing but this recipe from Jenn Segal makes it even better with a little butter, chicken broth and fresh parmesan. I swap out the broccoli for broccolini and chop it up a ton so my kids feel less intimidated by all the greens and I use chicken sausage to lighten it up a little. This might take 30 minutes to make but the ingredients are simple and the leftovers for lunch the next day are always worth it.

Pesto chicken bake – can’t call this one a “recipe” really, but it’s definitely a go-to around here. I make my own pesto (because I work from home and when I need a mid-day distraction, I often head for the kitchen – recipe for that is here) but any jarred or fresh pesto will work. I simply season some chicken and layer it in a casserole dish, top with the pesto and shredded cheese and bake away. Let’s say 350-400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Serve with whole wheat pasta or quinoa or salad and done. Everyone is happy with this one. And when everyone is happy, so am I.

*image above via What’s Gaby Cooking