I like to bake cookies, cakes and general desserts, but I rarely, if ever, “cook.” Luckily for me Hubs is an executive Chef. He enjoys cooking and his experience generally means he doesn’t need to use measuring cups OR a recipe! Yeah that’s crazy to me. When I became a stay at home mom, I wanted to get things a bit more organized at the house. That meant some laid back meal planning and grocery list organization. Also, the girls are starting to really eat more real food as they get bigger and I wanted to find recipes that I knew they would eat but that we would enjoy as well.
The biggest necessities for a recipe that I can handle, are easily prepped ingredients and very few of them. I have found that the following recipes are easy for me to follow and quick for Hubs after a long day at work. (Because you know he’s still cooking basically every night.)
Here’s a list of my favorite recipe pins that the whole family has enjoyed so far. These recipes all meet my requirements for:
- Minimal Ingredients
- Minimal Prep/Cook Time
- Toddler Friendly
- Easy Clean-Up
Stuffed Acorn Squash:
I found this recipe from Paleo Running Mom while I was meal/recipe planning back in the fall. The girls could live off of squash so I was looking for recipes that we could make that they would like to share with us. This is a stuffed acorn squash recipe that is absolutely amazing. Apparently cutting the squash in half takes a lot of man power. I pick up two 27lb babies every day, but I’m not the most graceful with a knife. I’m very happy Hubs likes to make this recipe.
We also just had friends over for dinner this week, we prepared this for them and it was a hit. It’s savory, sweet and filling. We served it with roasted Parmesan potato wedges and steamed broccoli. But honestly, this dish is fine on its own.
Sheet Pan Teriyaki Salmon:
This next recipe from Damn Delicious was a big step for me. I am not a seafood person. I enjoy snow crab and that’s about it. I’ve always wanted to like salmon but I just hate even the slightest hint of fishy taste. I will actually eat this salmon dish! Granted, it’s drenched in teriyaki…but that’s sort of the best part right? I have been obsessed with sheet pan recipes lately. Mainly because I don’t fancy myself to be the best cook so I need simple and quick recipes if I’m cooking. Also, since Hubs is a full-time chef, coming home from a kitchen to stand in a kitchen can be sort of exhausting. So we both prefer simple and fast dishes.
5 Ingredient Crockpot Ravioli:
This recipe from The Frugal Girls is also a huge hit-both with the girls and the adults! This crockpot ravioli is so easy, even I can make it! I definitely throw in a crockpot liner so that I literally don’t have to clean a thing. I didn’t even know you could buy frozen ravioli so this was sort of a game changer. You could also throw this in a pyrex casserole dish and make it in the oven if you don’t have much time. But in the crockpot, I find it’s much more melty! Also, it’s my favorite form of cooking, just toss in the ingredients and push a button!
Easy, One-Pan Chicken Dinner
This recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen was listed on my 2019 favorites post. We seriously added this into our monthly rotation after the first time we made it. I like it because it’s simple and tasty. It also uses ingredients that we almost always have on hand and that have a relatively long shelf-life (I love a giant bag of frozen chicken breasts). Pair this with potatoes and carrots as suggested and the girls are happy too. Also, if the recipe includes ranch in any form, my not so inner basic southern girl is pleased.
Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken:
My good friend Christine posted a recipe for Instant pot Verde Chicken on her Instagram story a week or so ago. Since we were just gifted an Instant Pot, I was eager to try it. Hubs found an equivalent recipe from Meatloaf and Melodrama (since we’re still learning about the Instant Pot settings and needed some added instruction) and we made this shredded chicken for some awesome burritos. The girls loved it too. My friend Christine made this chicken as an entree and paired it with a salad for a healthy meal. You know we threw ours in a flour tortilla and poured Mexican queso cheese all over it!
I hope you try one of these recipes soon! And if you have a quick and easy recipe that you like, I’d love to hear what that is!
-Eva
Domestic Musings 