Meals Lately

Andi's on a health kick lately, and I'm so proud of him. I am ... not on a health kick, though I really should get my rear in gear. (I blame Cadbury Mini Eggs. Anyone else still polishing off Easter candy at their house?)

I felt like a horrible wife after producing a positively disastrous dinner a few weeks ago. I didn't have a meal plan and the kids were nipping at my heels around the 5 o'clock witching hour. I longingly searched the cupboards and refrigerator for inspiration before decided to make beef enchiladas. Half-way into browning the hamburger, I realized we only had two tortillas so I improvised and made a beef enchilada casserole. The end result was an awful, soupy mess. Andi said he didn't mind, but I felt like I let him down. I strained and slopped the beef mixture onto a pile of Doritos for me (nachos, anyone?) and Andi ended up eating leftover take-out. WIFE FAIL.

What's that old saying, "pick yourself up by the bootstraps" or something? The next day, I scoured the Internet for healthy and easy dinner recipes to have at my beck and call, and since then have been working hard to have a dinner game plan each night. Here's a recipe round-up of some of our best meals as of late:

All-Purpose Chicken Marinade
A
It dawned on me a few weeks ago that marinading is another way to add flavor to the same ol', same ol' grilled chicken breast. We eat chicken breasts for dinner in our house quite often because it's a seemingly healthy choice and easy to prepare. This marinade is made up of pantry staples (except for the lemon which we always have on hand anyway because helloooo cocktails!) so it's simple to prepare in advance and leave in the refrigerator to do it's thing while I'm off wrangling kids.

I also pinned these 12 easy essential marinades and have made a few of them (Balsamic, Classic Steak, Mexican) over the last few weeks. All were very tasty, and it's nice to have so many go-to marinade recipes in one handy cheat-sheet.

One-Pan Balsamic Chicken and Veggies
B
This was pretty tasty, and I loved that it was a one-pot meal. Like, truly one dirty pan. That's it. The balsamic reduction was a bit too bold for me which could've been the house cook's error (ahem, it very likely was my error) but we still ate it and enjoyed it. In fact, Andi had leftovers the following day for lunch and said it was even better the next day.

Easy Homemade Burrito Bowls
A+
Oh man, I loved this recipe. I wouldn't call it easy to prepare -- not that the steps were incredibly difficult, but there were seemingly one million steps involved in assembling the various parts -- but the end result was so worth it. I made it one Saturday when Andi's parents were visiting us at the cabin, and another time for dinner a few nights later.

Creamy Chicken & Herb Skillet
A
This recipe seems so fancy with its creamy herbed sauce poured on top of a grilled chicken breast, but it's really anything but that. Easy to make, and fairly quick to prepare too. The secret is pre-seasoned spreadable cheese. Recommend!

Shortcut Vegetable Ragu
A
I tend to whip up a pasta dish every time Andi's traveling for work. See, he's not a big fan of tomato-based sauces or garlic which cancels out my chances of slopping up spaghetti or lasagna with garlic toast in one fell swoop. This shortcut vegetable ragu is even better than regular out-of-the-jar spaghetti sauce because it's homemade and loaded with vegetables. Aden devoured it!

Crispy Honey Mustard Chicken
A+
I might have mentioned this recipe before, but it's worth noting again. Hands down, my all-time favorite crispy chicken recipe. Andi loves it, too. Double bonus points for being simple to prepare and a Weight Watcher's recipe.

Crash Hot Potatoes
A+
Not sure this recipe falls under the "healthy eating" category, but it's so delicious no one cares. Simple to make, too! Andi used our Pampered Chef Mix N' Chop to smash the potatoes and I thought it was just about the best idea ever.

Any big recipe hits (or misses) in your household as of late?