​3 Easy meals to inspire you for the week

Nothing says family time like a home cooked meal at the dinner table. I am all about the good foods for dinner. If I can make something that the whole family will like without a lot of work behind it, I am winning! Here are a few great and simple recipes we cook during the week to save us time.

Pasta Dinner
Sunday is usually a day filled with family. The quicker we can make something, the more time we can spend together without having to e in the kitchen preparing food and cleaning up. A simple pasta dish is always a great way to start off the week.
 


Here is what you need:
1 lbs store bought spaghetti noodles
1 jar of marinara sauce (any brand you prefer)
8 leaves of chopped fresh basil
3 cloves of minced garlic
¼ cup of fresh minced parsley
1 loaf of French bread
1 stick of room temperature salted butter
Serving size 6

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In a large pot, boil 8 cups of water with 1 tbs of salt
When water comes to a boil, add pasta. Read direction on box and finish noodles until they are cooked through.
In a separate pot, add marinara sauce, minced garlic, minced parsley and shopped fresh basil on medium heat. Once sauce starts to bubble, reduce to simmer.
 
In over 350 degrees, place French load of bread on cookie shoot and place in over for 8 minutes until bread is nice and warm. Once bread is at desired temperature, remove from oven and cut into slices. Serve with room temperature butter.
 
Once the noodles are completely cooked, strain and add to sauce pan. Mix will and serve. If desired, you may add Parmesan cheese on top. ENJOY!

Steamed rice, veggies and Chicken
​Having a fresh cooked meal is always such a treat. Why not make it a healthy fresh cooked meal? Making basic ingredients and putting them together to make one great dish is always such a rewarding feeling.
 


Here is what you will need:
2 cups basmati rice
2 cups chicken or veggie stock
1 cup of fresh sliced zucchini
¼ chopped white onion
¼ chopped green onion
3 garlic cloves minced
2 tbs soy sauce
2 chopped and cubed boneless chicken breast
2 tbs sesame seed oil
4 tbs of teriyaki sauce (any store brand is great)
Serves 4
 
When cooking rice, you can either do it on stovetop or in a pressure cooker. If you are using stove stop, use manufactures guideline on cooking rice. Use equal parts rice to liquid. The chicken or veggie stock is going to act as your liquid. Cook rice until it is fluffy and ready to eat. Add salt to taste.

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In a large fly pan, add sesame seed oil to med/high heat. Add cubed chicken, soy sauce, garlic, and onions. Cook chicken fully. Once chicken is cooked, add zucchini. Place pan lid and reduce head to low/medium. After about 3-4 minutes remove lid. Place a scoop of rice onto a place and place the fly pan mixed on top of the bed of rice. Add your teriyaki sauce and fresh green onion on top. Enjoy!

Grilled chicken skewers
I am not a big fan of using the grill. I tend to think it is too much of a hassle and not worth the time. BUT, this dish is super quick, easy and SOOO delicious. Trust me, this is one of our absolute favorite meals to eat.
 

Here is what you will need:
2 chopped and cubed boneless chicken breast
1 can of pineapple chunks
6 strips of thick cut bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
¼ cup of fresh chopped parsley
4 large cloves of garlic mined
1/2 cup of olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 bag of frozen cubed potatoes (local grocery store carry this in the frozen section).
Season salt
1 large Ziploc freezer bag
10-12 bamboo skewer sticks
Foil
 
Place a piece of chicken, followed by a piece of bacon and lastly with a piece of pineapple on a skewer. Repeat this step until the skewer is filled and all the chicken, bacon and pineapple are used. Place the skewers into a large freezer Ziploc bag. Once skewers are in baggie, place in a small bowl the parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper and ¼ cup of olive oil. Mix well. Pour these ingredients into the baggie and coat the skewers as best you can. Place baggie in the fridge until you are ready to grill.
*NOTE: the longer the skewers marinate, the better the flavors will be.

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In a medium fry pan, add ¼ olive oil to medium/high heat. Pour frozen bag of potatoes in skillet and season with Season salt to desired taste. Follow instruction on bag for cooking. Once golden brown, you are ready to go.
 
On outside grill, turn temps on high and preheat until about 350 – 400 degrees. Place skewers on grill and continue to flip to prevent charring. Cooking time is very fast. Cooking time can range from 5 minutes – 8 minutes. Make sure chicken is cooked through and bacon is crisped to desired taste.
 
Remove from heat and wrap finished skewers in foil on plate. Plate and enjoy!!

Hope fully you were able to find a great recipe for dinner tonight or tomorrow. If not, then maybe ordering a pizza for dinner is a good idea.
Getting inspiration to come up with easy and delicious meals can be a really hard task. But have no fear; these simple and easy recipes are HERE!

What is a simple meal your family likes to eat during the week?