Hello, Fellow Chefs! It’s already time to do meal planning for next week. When you plan meals, where do you look for recipes? I usually mainly get inspiration from Pinterest and other online sources, but this week I pulled out some cookbooks and picked a few recipes I’ve never tried before. I have always enjoyed looking through cookbooks, and it was fun to thumb through some old favorites. I hope you will enjoy this week’s menu featuring lots of easy dinners ready in under 30 minutes!
- Pineapple Shrimp Stir Fry or Skewers – This 20-minute meal was one attempt at a new, kid-friendly dinner. Truth be told, my kids were not impressed, but the grownups really liked it! I recommend serving this with The Pioneer Woman’s Simple Sesame Noodles, which the whole family loved, or you can serve over plain rice.
- Ham and Broccoli Pockets with Fruit Salad – These pockets make for a really fun dinner and are very customizable. Haters gonna hate, so if not everyone in your family is a broccoli fan, just make them with ham and cheese and serve a veggie on the side.
- Gyros Burgers with Oven Fries – We really loved these Greek burgers. They satisfied the burger and fries craving, but the pita and spicy yogurt sauce were welcome changes from the ordinary. If you make oven fries, you could try substituting Greek seasoning for the Cajun seasoning. (You can also bake frozen fries at 450 degrees F for 20-30 minutes until golden and crispy.)
- Creamy Ranch Chicken Pasta – If you are like me and can’t get enough Ranch flavor lately, you will love this 30-minute pasta dinner!
- Margarita Chicken Fajitas – Why should tequila be limited to cocktails? This week, I let the entree get in on the fun too. This quick and easy Mexican dinner is very flavorful and of course goes great with fresh margaritas. These fajitas will definitely be a regular visitor at our house!
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast over Mashed Potatoes (or Rice) – The roast you see pictured here is not actually from the recipe it links to. I tried a new recipe with balsamic vinegar, and well, we didn’t really like it. This recipe I’m recommending instead is basically how I’ve always made slow cooker roast, and my search continues for a perfect roast recipe that doesn’t involve canned soups. Please let me know if you have one to recommend! (I suggest using baby portabella mushrooms instead of potatoes in the roast since it’s going over potatoes or rice.)
- Foil Fish Packets with Dill Rice Pilaf – This healthy, make-ahead dinner is great for assembling ahead of time to take the stress out of dinnertime!
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9 comments
This recipe list is a lifesaver for those of us that want to treat ourselves, yet still manage a balanced diet. I am loving the diversity of the menu and the addition of margaritas – I’d like to come home to that! ;)
I know shrimp can be an acquired taste, but I absolutely love using this honey-baked coconut shrimp recipe for a nice summer treat! Perhaps the kids will be a little more gung-ho with a super easy, sweet alternative like this!
https://www.bitememore.com/feedme/30/honey-baked-coconut-shrimp-recipe
Thank you for your kind words, and I’m so glad you like the menu! One of my kids loves shrimp, and the other doesn’t like any kind of seafood. I’m hoping he will change his mind as he gets older. Thanks for the recipe idea!
You are very welcome. Kids and seafood are not always a perfect match but they usually out grow it and at least start to like white fish.
All of these look absolutely wonderful. And can I come to your house for dinner when you make them?
Heidi’s Wanderings
Sure, come on down! We eat at 8. ;) Thanks so much for stopping by!
Wow! Looks good. Thanks for joining us at Marvelous Mondays~ Paula
Thank you, Paula!
what a great variety of recipes, Andi–nice balance of proteins. Do you have a fave? I’m especially liking fajitas. Glad you got the cookbooks out-I don’t always cook from mine, but love that I have them on hand for paging through. Something very relaxing about turning the pages, looking at pretty pictures of food, and fantasizing about how you would make the dish.
Thanks, Liz! I think the gyros burgers were my favorite, but the fajitas are a close second.