A successful "dinner time" tends to lead to a stress-free bedtime and that is worth everything in my book.
As much as I enjoy a break from routine, I find midterm break a little bit stressful. I find that school gives my family a sense of structure that ultimately keeps things moving in all the right ways. For this reason, I enjoy having a meal plan because at the very least we have one structured check-point every day. I realize this makes me sound incredibly boring but something so simple has a huge knock-on effect in our home. A successful "dinner time" tends to lead to a stress-free bedtime and that is worth everything in my book.
Easy Cheesy Mac 'N Cheese
Creamy cheesy pasta dinner, need I say more? I've always been a lover of this dish in a restaurant but always assumed that it was a complex dish to make. It's actually incredibly easy though. Make a simple cheese sauce like this one and add it to some cooked macaroni. That is literally it. You can bake it and add some breadcrumbs to the top or you can jazz it up by adding fried bacon lardons. A teaspoon of English mustard will transform it into a more adult version. This is delicious hot or cold.
One-Pot BBQ Chicken Thighs
Chicken thighs are inexpensive and perfect for slow cooking. Simply fry six skinless chicken thighs in a little oil for a couple of minutes on each side. Add in 500ml of passata, one teaspoon of cumin, a teaspoon of brown sugar (or honey), one teaspoon of coriander powder, two teaspoons of smoked paprika, one teaspoon of tomato purée, one crushed clove of garlic and a dash of black pepper to the pan. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for twenty minutes. Serve with rice, quinoa or mashed potato.
Spinach And Marscapone Lasagne
We are big fans of Kenmare Foodie and she recently posted a recipe for stuffed pasta shells. We couldn't find the large pasta shells so we turned it into a lasagne dinner and it was incredibly delicious. Layers of tomato sauce, pasta, creamy spinach and bechamel sauce. Heaven on a plate. Here is Karen's post.
Savoury Mince
We can guarantee clean plates after this dinner. Fry a packet of lean minced beef with a finely diced onion and a crushed clove of garlic. When the mince is cooked add some frozen peas and a jar of baby carrots. You can now add a packet of oxtail soup and enough water to transform it in to a thick sauce. Serve with mashed potato.
Sticky Garlic And Soy Salmon
A super easy marinade is the star of this dish. It's sweet, salty and the salmon will melt in your mouth. You can find the whole recipe here.
