FIVE WEEKNIGHT MEALS I’VE MADE AND LOVED

It has been a goal of mine for a while to cook more. I even did a midyear check in where I wanted to step up and really commit to doing this. When you’re making a goal, you’re supposed to make it measurable and all that good stuff. For me, I wanted to set a realistic goal that was more than what I was doing, something I could do consistently, and something that would make me feel like I accomplished something. This ended up looking like making dinner once a week. I wanted it to feel routine, too, because I thrive on routine…. and so Thursday nights ended up being “my” night for dinner.

Honestly… I’ve surprised myself! I am doing it and I’m (almost always) enjoying it. Here’s how it’s going:

– Picking one night and the same night every week was 100% the way to go. I like knowing it’s on my schedule for the day and I specifically chose a day with the most flexibility in my day so I can grocery shop when it works for me.

– I save recipes throughout the week. “What should we have for dinner” is one of my least favorite questions and it’s even worse when I feel pressure that I’m the one executing the cooking of it! I’m tuned into recipes from bloggers I follow and Mike sends me good Reels on Instagram and TikTok is constantly serving me great ideas. I save them all so I always have meal inspiration on deck.

– Simple! Kind of a no brainer, but this is something I have struggled with. Before, I would choose a meal that looked good without considering what it entailed. For someone who lacks confidence in the kitchen, that is a recipe for disaster! Now I purposefully look for easy recipes that can be whipped up on a weeknight. I’m building confidence, but this keeps my bar realistically low. (Plus easy clean up on a weeknight is always a win.)

– Sometimes I cheat 😉 While the goal is to really find a recipe and execute, I do know that life is sometimes life and that isn’t always possible. I have picked up a few “cheat” meals that I can do with no problem. My go-to that is a hit with Mike and Jack is browning Trader Joe’s chicken meatballs in a skillet, cooking gluten free pasta, and and then adding some kind of jarred pasta sauce. Boom, dinner is served.

SOME FAVORITE WEEKNIGHT MEALS

Not every meal I’ve made is one that I would make again, but we have found some great winners. Below are ones I would happily make and eat again (and again). Highly recommend trying and adding to your recipe rotation:

MISO-HONEY CHICKEN & ASPARGUS

One of the women I play pickleball recommended this and she did not steer us wrong! This is delicious. If you like miso, you need to make this stat. Honestly, you can make the miso glaze and use it on pretty much any protein it’s that delicious.

BAKED SALMON SUSHI BOWL

This was a huge, huge hit. I don’t even like sushi and I would still make this once a week, it’s that good. It works for lunches, too and can be a good option for non-boring meal prepping.

PIZZA BOWLS

10/10 recommend this. Mike and I both kept going back for more and obviously Jack was a fan too. I love a good pizza night! It was almost embarrassingly easy to make– I felt like I was really cheating here.

ONE-PAN BUTTERNUT SQUASH, CHICKEN, and RICE BAKE

I recently made this after seeing it on Instagram and I think it is such a great fall meal. Our house smelled divine for hours afterward. Again, so easy (one pan!) and relatively quick (not too much active time and minimal chopping). I want to eat this once a week!

ONE-PAN LEMON CHICKEN ORZO

If you make one thing from this post, make this. In fact, make it tonight 🤣 It’s SO EASY. It’s SO DELICIOUS. The flavors are unreal.