I always love hearing what people are cooking for dinner. It’s so easy to get stuck in the cycle of your favorite go-to meals, but it’s also nice to be able to mix things up once in a while.
Now that the seasons have changed, grilling is quickly coming to an end (womp, womp) and we’re gravitating a lot more towards the crockpot, soups, and stews. I mean, there really isn’t a much better fall meal than a comforting bowl of soup/stew paired with some warm, fresh bread, is there?
The only downside to that, for us at least, is the fact that our boys are just not big fans of soup, stew, or anything that can be eaten out of a bowl, with a spoon, and has multiple foods mixed into one. We continue to give it our best shot by offering them small portions to try when we make them, but most days, our efforts are met with disinterest.
Aaaand, as much as I’d love to fall into the camp of “you eat what we eat, and that’s it!,” I’m just not quite there with them at this age yet. Ahh well, can’t win ’em all, right?
So on nights we’re having something I know the boys don’t like, I try to plan for something that’s similar/doesn’t require much extra effort, or just rely on some of our go-to’s like cheesy spinach pasta, chicken nuggets, or quesadillas, to name a few.
Now that we’ve gotten all of THAT outta the way, here’s a look at a few delish recent dinners!
Taco Bowls made with Ground Sirloin and Cauliflower Rice
This is definitely one of our go-to meals and it really never gets old. We alternate between ground sirloin/beef, ground chicken, or shredded chicken, depending on what we have on hand that particular week, and it’s typically paired with cauliflower (or regular) rice, tomatoes, cheese, lots of avocado, and my favorite taco ranch sauce.
The boys will usually eat the protein + some sides like avocado and tomatoes (separated, of course) and I usually pair that with some cheese quesadillas. Quick and easy!
BBQ Chicken Mac & Cheese + Side Salads
This meal came courtesy of a Great Week Bundle that we ordered from Gorsky’s Farm. We love their soups and mac and cheese, so this was a fun treat to have during the week. The boys ate the mac and cheese, but weren’t interested in the BBQ chicken, so we just picked around that.
Chili + Biscuits
This was another meal from our bundle above, and it was fabulous. Although I have no idea what their recipe is, I do have a few good ones if you’re in need of one!
- Mal’s Easy Chili
- Slow Cooker Beef & Beans Chili
- Scrumptious Slow Cooker Chili
- Lightened Up Cincinnati Chili
Beef Stew over Mashed Potatoes
Ohhhh, you guys. This Ben’s Beef Stew recipe comes courtesy of Kristin (err, actually, her husband Ben!) from Iowa Girl Eats, and it is one of our absolute favorite stew recipes. Because it takes a bit of extra time to cook, I like to make it on a Sunday and let it simmer all afternoon.
We also love how it’s served over mashed potatoes, and when I made it this past Sunday, I used this garlic mashed red potatoes recipe, and it was amazing.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Paninis
Can we all agree that this photo should likely just wind up in the trash? Good grief, that’s awful. BUT, I’m sharing it anyway because the panini was delicious.
Fun fact: given the choice on dinner, Jay will almost always choose some form of a chicken/bacon/ranch dinner (whether it be pizza, pasta, or paninis). He loves him some CBR.
But I do too, so it’s cool. And Jay always makes them, which means less work for me, so it’s a double win!
Cheeseburgers + Veggies
Hayyy, look at that. My favorite frozen veggie mix of green beans, yellow beans, and carrots. I’m sure you’re totally not surprised to see them show up here. But sometimes, you can’t can’t beat the ease of being able to toss a bag into the microwave for 5 minutes and be done with it. Especially when your kiddos actually eat them…and enjoy them!
Crispy Chicken Salads with Homemade Honey Mustard
You can read more details about our obsession with this type of salad on this old post, but I’m telling you. If you want to mix up your salad game a bit, try adding on some cold vermicelli. We also chunked, breaded, and baked the chicken, so it worked like nuggets for the boys, too. Win-win!
Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Soup + Bread
This soup found its way onto our weekly menu after receiving a message from a blog reader (hey, Molly!) who was telling me how much she’s been loving my Cheesy Italian Quick Bread paired with the soup. And I’m so glad she did, because this soup turned out SO good AND it was a good reminder for me to make that bread again, because it used to be one of our favorites and we’ve sorta forgotten about it!
Alright, well there’s a look at a few of our recent favorites…how about you guys? What’s been on the menu lately? Feel free to link up some of your favorites below in the comments <3
Beckett @ Birchwood Pie says
I really want to make the beef stew and the tortellini soup. The best thing we’ve had lately is the white BBQ chicken recipe on A Foodie Stays Fit.
Molly says
Yay! Glad you made it! Your quick bread is my favorite!
Alicia says
Stir frys were always a bit hit in my house when I was a kid. I think that’s the only way I would eat veggies combined. I am still not a fan of stews and my parents would make it for themselves and find something different for me and my sister. I think the taco bowl would be my favorite. I love Mexican food and it’s also fun to make a taco bar set up so the kids could load up on what they like.
Last night we had some awesome turkey meatballs and roasted brussel sprouts. I always hated brussel sprouts due to the fact that they are the hated vegetable on tv shows. I finally tried a brussel sprout dish like 5 years ago or so and now I love them! Roasted is the best.
Kristin says
YAY! Ben will be so pumped to hear you love his stew. :) I just thawed a big batch from last spring to eat last night and it was sooooo good. <3
Steph says
that beef stew looks amazing! and i never thought to serve it over mashed potatoes. I made a huge batch of meatballs and sausage in gravy and froze a bunch of containers so we are stocked for the next couple months! Cooking and working full time with a toddler is so hard.
Jen says
It’ll change with your kiddos! We never forced it and now my son is 8 and eats everything except for salad lol. He had always hated soup etc before. By not making it an issue he just eventually liked it on his own. But I know it’s annoying making separate meals all the time. This stage will pass momma!
Courtney says
Ahhh, I always love hearing stuff like this! Gives me hope, haha! Thanks, Jen!