Speedy Weeknight Dinners

Whether your schedule is tight or if you’re wanting less to coordinate on weeknight dinners, I’m rounding up some ideas to get you started and tactics that might speed you up. We’re going more places (like to work!) and have more weeknight commitments (like soccer practice!) and meals together are a priority so having a plan helps. Also you NEED the rice reheating hack below (trust me, game changer).

I aim for them to:
1- hit a few food groups
2- not feel complicated & not something new
3- make the most of our time.
They do not have to be: perfect or everyone’s favorite or have all homemade elements

The Three Bite Rule - Hummus & Veggie Sandwich

First: Look at the week – plan the easiest meal when you need it most. Take off the pressure – you’ll eat dinner again so not every night has to be fantastic. A family I knew called leftover night “a feast” (think: lighting candles and kids brought swords to the table like knights) with lots of containers from the fridge – good branding, right? I don’t feel confined to always Meatless-Monday & Taco-tuesday but maybe some structure and mindset helps you.

Then: plan if the workcan be divvied or when prep/a head start might happen, or what shortcut you need. It doesn’t have to be Sunday all day batch cooking. 10 minutes in the morning between when the kids were off to school and before I left for the office used to be a great headstart for me. Maybe set a calendar reminder to take something out of the freezer or to prep that one step the night before. Even pre-chopping or defrosting, or gathering all fridge things all together can be hugely helpful.

Lastly: get an ongoing list started for fast meals. Maybe a bunch of post-its inside one of the cabinet doors, maybe it’s a shared google doc, maybe that’s a list in your phone. Ask your fam what they love to see for dinner! Note down ideas or what worked, then you build that list and use as you think about what meals will look like. Think of your plan as a big picture – is it chicken every night? Are the first few days unrealistic with too elaborate meals and it might feel all downhill from there? This list saves your brain when you’re trying to plan & shop.

Entering a busy day/week without a plan feels so so daunting. Plan one or 2 nights to start and see how it goes. Referring to the list of what you can make without lots of thought/stress is. the. goal. I often start with one pasta night + one leftovers/anything goes night + one international night (Mexican & Greek are our favorites). Then I will get more specific from there.

The Three Bite Rule - BLT Quiche

For make-ahead faves:

Quiche + salad (this BLT Quiche!)
Calzones that just need to warm (this Veggie Calzone with Fire Roasted Tomatoes)
Casseroles/crockpot meals would fit the bill here, but all the foods together isn’t always a hit at our house right now, and putting pressure on that one dish for the roulette of who-will-eat-what.
Burritos (assemble with all cold/cooled fillings so it doesn’t get soggy) then micro or pan sear for a crunchy exterior + some made ahead rice (go Mexican or here’s a “burrito-ized” chicken, broccoli & rice wrap!)
Lasagna (this traditional one or variations) – I’ve assembled & let it bake at night for an hour while we watched TV and then it can cool when I’m getting ready for bed. Day-of, either warm the whole thing or slice & reheat!

The Three Bite Rule - Fire Roasted Veggie Calzone

Rice: if it seems terrible reheated then you need this tip. You have to reheat in the microwave completely covered. Cover the previously prepared rice with plastic wrap or with a silicone plastic cover (mine look like flowers but are like this) or in a stasher silicone bag. No extra liquid needed and warm it in the microwave. It’ll get right back to the fluffy or sticky consistency it was before. Out of the fridge it looks so so SO dry. Try it with leftover Chinese take-out and we all have Mr. J to thank later. I often make it just before serving in the pressure cooker (white rice takes ~4 minutes, but leftovers are very handy)

Thai Peanut Coconut Rice Bowl - The Three Bite Rule

For meals you can prep-ahead:
Sauces (I’ll mix up sesame peanut sauce & then just cook noodles at dinner time) + edamame from the freezer = a go-to and a hit at our house.
Paninis are great to assemble in advance and oven bake or pan fry when it is time (or prep & freeze to defrost in the fridge day-of) (like this eggplant parm one)

The Three Bite Rule - Cobb Salad Panini

For the fastest & least-cooking meals:
pasta (add to that cheat-sheet all the ways you like it – a reminder for tomato sauce vs pesto vs alfredo vs peanut sesame noodles or a stuffed (tortellini/ravioli) makes for variety for us.
breakfast for dinner is fun: fruit + pancakes/or eggs/or avocado toast (don’t serve allll the brunch favorites or you’ll be into more elaborate-dinner territory).
quesadillas (add some avocado on the side or some beans to keep it filling) fit well for “to-order” if you’re feeding family members at different timing.
pizza beans are popular for us – make ahead or they cook in 10 minutes

The Three Bite Rule - Pizza Beans

freezer staples can become dinner if you hit a few food groups – meatballs & garlic bread, breaded chicken to go into wraps, or freezer snacky dinner like soft pretzels + veggies to also dip) or apps for dinner (like mozzarella sticks or frozen falafel with hummus) are hits too.

Rice bowls (like these!) especially with the rice make-ahead tip above!
sandwiches- esp the ones you don’t pack for school/work: Grilled cheese, tuna, egg salad.
taco filling to be salads/burritos/nachos/etc
nicer-than-usual canned soup + crackers & cheese

The Three Bite Rule - Lemon Poppyseed Tuna

I don’t always shine for sides – but for quick meals I especially try to have veggies we can eat raw or that could be roasted/air fried (esp broccoli, carrots, bell peppers), or something hands-off like sweet potato fries or a frozen veg like corn/peas. The micro packets of rice or lentils that cook in 30-seconds are perfect for speed. Kids don’t care if it necessarily “goes” with the meal so I don’t overthink it. I forget about rolls or crescents or biscuits but my kids love them (and the tubes last in the fridge forever) so that’s something I should add to our sides.

Last tips to help you plan & make quick dinners:
1- get to know your microwave settings (discovering the inverter defrost was so helpful). Power level does this too if you’re defrosting in a hurry or getting a head start.
2- label the fridge or freezer items (I use masking tape w/ a sharpie) and that helps when planning or if I’m saving something for a specific meal.
3- keep a cheat sheet of what’s in the freezer. If I know I have frozen sauce to work with I won’t buy more.

Now, go brain dump onto a list so you have some ideas next time you’re trying to plan. Go!

Corn Quesadillas in Cilantro Butter

Let’s amp up the basic quesadilla, shall we? A quesadilla is such an ideal lunch or dinner when I need something quick with just a few ingredients but flavored butter on the outside it just magical. It is such a great trick on a grilled cheese too. Cilantro not your thing? Chipotle butter would be fun! Ranch butter sounds delicious with the corn too!

The Three Bite Rule - Corn Quesadilla with Cilantro Butter

No corn? Add in some beans! Maybe a few tomatoes? This is great to make a whole bunch and keep warm in the oven while they cook, or just make one. They reheat in the toaster oven, the oven, or in a skillet too.

Corn Quesadillas in Cilantro Butter
Ingredients:

1-2 ears of corn
3 tablespoons butter (softened)
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
2 tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup mozzarella (or pepper jack)

Directions:
Cook the corn then slice it off the cob.
Mix up the butter and cilantro with a sprinkle of salt.

The Three Bite Rule - Corn Quesadilla in Cilantro Butter

Preheat a large skillet to medium heat and assemble the quesadillas with corn and cheese in each.
Cook the quesadillas in a little bit of olive oil or with a generous spray of nonstick spray and flip once.
When lightly golden, spread on a little cilantro butter and cook for another minute on each side.

The Three Bite Rule - Corn Quesadilla in Cilantro Butter

Let sit for 1-2 minutes before slicing.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Corn Quesadilla in Cilantro Butter

The herby-butter with gooey cheese and the pop of corn for texture all together makes magic. This is super easy but seemingly special. If the cilantro butter cooks too long it gets a little too toasty so start the cook in olive oil or spray. This is great dipped in salsa for acidity.

Lemon Garlic Pasta

Roasted garlic and lemon pair so well for a light but flavorful pasta sauce. Our 7-year old ate about 3 servings and said this was in his top pastas – the 4 year old ate about 2 bites. Make the sauce in advance or just roast the garlic for a head start.

The Three Bite Rule - Lemon Garlic Pasta

Lemon Garlic Pasta
Ingredients:

1 whole garlic bulb
1 pound spaghetti
4 tbs butter
1 lemon, juice and zest
1/2 teaspoon chicken bullion (optional, I used Better Than Bullion paste)
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
salt & pepper

Directions:
Roast garlic – slice top off the bulb and set in aluminum foil with a drizzle of olive oil and wrap it up. Bake at 350-degrees for ~45 minutes (or an hour if it is very large).
Boil the pasta in salted water.
In a food processor, whip together the garlic, butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, bullion, salt and pepper.

The Three Bite Rule - Lemon Garlic Pasta

Before draining the pasta – reserve a cup of the pasta water. Then mix the garlic butter sauce with the pasta.

The Three Bite Rule - Lemon Garlic Pasta

Mix together well and sprinkle with a last squeeze of lemon juice, pepper and parmesan. If you’d like it more sauce-y, add a splash of pasta water and toss again.

The Three Bite Rule - Lemon Garlic Pasta

Enjoy!

This was so good. It was light but creamy. Lemon seemed great for summer and we love roasted garlic. It screams for pepper and parmesan. The bullion is very optional – it provides some richness and some salt but doesn’t take over the lemon flavor. We ate it as-is but it would pair nicely with skewers of shrimp or chicken or zucchini or tomatoes.

I couldn’t get over how much our 7-year-old ate. The little one wasn’t into it but I’d guess some other time she’d eat her normal amount – it could have been the day or the pasta shape.

August Recap 2022

August wizzed by. We celebrated C’s 4th birthday, went on vacation to the beach, juggled no-camp weeks, and were hotter than we’d like.

In the kitchen, I loved these savory waffles with hashbrowns, sausage, egg, and cheese and will 100% make them again soon. They were the best one-handed breakfast for on-the-go mornings.

The Three Bite Rule - Savory Waffle

These Peach Tea Cocktails were SO good for a light summer drink.

The Three Bite Rule - Peach Tea Cocktail

I made some apps – phyllo cups with ricotta, peach, and basil.

The Three Bite Rule - Peach & Ricotta Phyllo Cups

One last drink – cherry lime refreshers have some sweet cherries, tart lime, and finish with bubbles!

The Three Bite Rule - Cherry Lime Refresher

Plus, I rounded up some no-cook/low-cook Summer dinner ideas.

I have some September recipes in the works – a lemon one and something corny.

The Little Girl:
She’s 4! She loved her birthday of swimming, a unicorn cake, and fun presents. A cold worked it’s way through her (and some of us) a few times but wasn’t Covid so that’s all we can ask for. She’s in her Elsa costume all the time and had her last ballet class. She loved corn on the cob.

The Big Guy:
He loved all the summer camps and wrapped up the summer with 2 weeks of time with the grandparents and home. August had one camp at Mass Audubon Society where he spent all day in the woods or making art – he came home sweaty, dirty, and happy. He’s ready for 2nd grade and for soccer to start. Packing camp lunches was only moderately successful so we’ll all be glad for school lunch again.

Goals:
Year of nail polish! I got a pale pink one
More international food inspiration: do lettuce cups served with sesame noodles count?
More soups/salads: maybe one salad bar night
More apps: Yes! Phyllo cups were fun as the rest of dinner came together
More fun drinks: Yes x2: cherry lime refreshers & peach tea cocktail.
Updating photos: nope
What I’m reading: I read Portrait of a Thief which was ok- kind of a bumbling college student art heist. I was totally enchanted by The Reading List. I listened to A Long Petal of the Sea for bookclub – I learned a ton about the Spanish Civil War, and Cover Story was such a fun non-murdery mystery that left me with lots of questions.
What I’m watching: Renovation Island is back, America’s Got Talent
What I’m listening to: Sounds Like a Cult

Peach & Ricotta in Phyllo Cups

Phyllo cups + cheese + fruit + herb = perfection. Last time I did brie & cranberry & rosemary and now this got a summery twist with ricotta & peach & basil. My peach could have been more ripe, but I was excited and gave it the benefit of the doubt. 

The Three Bite Rule - Peach & Ricotta Phyllo Cups

Peach & Ricotta Phyllo Cups
Ingredients: (serves ~6)

1 package of phyllo cups (usually ~15 per pkg)
1 peach (or plum or cherry)
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
~6 basil leaves
1-2 tbs olive oil

Directions: 
Crisp the phyllo cups according to the package (~4 minutes @ 350 degrees, I used the toaster oven)
Chop the peach into small cubes, chiffonade the basil (roll & slice into ribbons) and toss together with a little olive oil and a dash of pepper
Spoon ricotta into each cup and top with the peach & basil mixture. 
Enjoy! 

The Three Bite Rule - Peach & Ricotta Phyllo Cups

I do wish the peach were more ripe – I mistook ripeness on one side with a bruise. This combo was light and was great together. I threw a few tomatoes & basil into a few too. The kids ate them but might not request them specifically. I honestly thought they’d go more for the tomato but both ate the peach ones. 

It could also go onto a crostini – toast & assemble by the grill! Phyllo cups (freezer section, by pie crust & puff pastry) are just such a perfect bite and take zero effort so my loyalty lies there.

Leftover ricotta? (Freeze it if you’ll cook it) Or use it for: 
a summery pasta with zucchini & mint

tomato ricotta pie

chicken parm turnovers

I often have it on toast/bagels in place of cream cheese!