by carrie
I wish I could say I plan all of our family meals ahead of time but I don’t. I usually don’t think about it until Monday and then I kind of piece it together with our family staples.
With the school year just starting these are my are my go to meals. They are time savers and are healthy and above all they are really tasty.
Now if you are single you can still try these recipes with friends or roommates. Before I was married and had kids I cooked sauces and would freeze them for the following week.
Note: I pretty much pair everything with a basic arugula salad that is seasoned with salt, juice from a lemon, olive oil, and cherry tomatoes.
These 2 Italian recipes can turn into additional meals
1. Spaghetti and Meatballs
We at least have pasta once a week and what I like about this recipe is that if you make a little bit more you can roll it into another meal the next day. For example if I do my spaghetti and meatballs on day one 1 on day 2 I make meatball subs/ baguettes and pair it with a simple arugula salad.
2. Pasta Bolognese (Spaghetti with Italian Red Meat Sauce)
When I make a simple pasta with meat sauce on day 1 I make sure I have pizza bread and shredded mozzarella so that on day 2 we can have a pizza night!
Note: Both of these recipes can get you through 2 days as long as you have baguettes or buns for the meatball subs and pizza bread along with mozzarella for homemade pizzas.
These are 2 soups that my children crave.
I love to make soup during the week even in the summer. There is something very therapeutic about it.
3. Chicken Mediterranean Soup
This is such a good one but you might need to modify it for the kiddos (unless you are lucky). This soup is really tasty and above all healthy. It doesn’t take long at all to make. The only extra step I have to take for now is to blend (a hand blender does the trick) some of the soup for my kids so they don’t see the zucchini and bell peppers. Then I serve it over tiny pasta (ancini di pepe) and top it off with parma cheese. Trust me they will love it and so will you.
4. Classic Tuscan Minestrone
This is my favorite soup by far and is super healthy as well. I take the extra step here too and blend with the hand blender for the kids. We serve this soup ladled over a slice of thick toasted bread (baguette) topped with parma cheese.
Note: Most of the time I have left over’s when I make both of these soups. I like to have them the next day for lunch or pack them for my children in a thermos to keep it warm for school. In addition to the soup I send them with bread sticks wrapped in prosciutto. With that combination they have an instant Italian Lunch at school.
Sometimes you just need a good cut of beef to end the week with.
Who doesn’t like a good steak with fries. Searing and baking a steak is probably one of the easiest and cleanest meals I can prepare.
5. A Classic Steak
As long as you have a good cut of meat you are ready to sear and bake your way to a tasty steak. I like to serve this with a side of baked fries and a green salad. We never have left overs so I usually make this on a Friday night when we are staying in. I like to open a nice bottle of red wine and take a deep breath and relax because I made it through another week!
What are your go to meals during a crazy week? I would love to hear about them and how you save time when there is none to spare!
