Sweet Tooth Sweet Life

A Love of Food, Fitness, & Fashion

  • Home
  • About
    • Sponsorships
    • Contact Me
    • Everything NASM
    • Wedding
      • Courtney & Jay
      • Getting Ready
      • Ceremony
      • Wedding Party
      • Flowers
      • Decorations & Details
      • Reception
      • Honeymoon at Sandals Grande St Lucian
    • Q & A’s
      • Q&A’s – Round 1
      • Q&A’s – Round 2
      • Q&A’s – Round 3
      • Q&A’s – Round 4
      • Q&A’s – Round 5
  • Pregnancy & Babies
  • Meal Planning
  • Recipes
    • Recipes
      • Breads & Muffin Recipes
      • Breakfast
        • Coffee Recipes
        • Egg & Omelet Recipes
        • Oatmeal & Buckwheat Recipes
        • Pancake & French Toast Recipes
        • Smoothie Recipes
      • Cookies/Cookie Bars
      • Cakes/Cupcakes & Frostings
      • Dinners
        • Chicken & Poultry Recipes
        • Beef & Pork Recipes
        • Seafood Recipes
        • Crockpot Recipes
        • Meatless Recipes
        • Pasta Recipes
        • Pizza Recipes
        • Soup/Stew/Chili Recipes
      • Pies/Trifles/Truffles/Candies/Crisps
      • Salads/Sides/Odds & Ends
  • Favorites
    • Shop
    • Blog Love
    • Fashion
    • “Just Because” Posts
    • Workout & Fitness Posts
    • Cody Posts
    • Restaurants (local and travel)
  • Workouts
    • Workouts
      • Circuit Workouts
      • 20-30 Minute Treadmill Routines
      • 35-55 Minute Treadmill Workouts
      • Upper Body Workouts
      • Lower Body Workouts
      • Walking Treadmill Workouts
      • Elliptical Workouts
  • Resources

9 Recent Weeknight Dinners We’ve Enjoyed

By Courtney 13 Comments

Even though it’s been forever and a minute since I shared some meals with you, that doesn’t mean I haven’t been snapping pictures of them! It just means that it takes me forever to compile them together to share with ya.

It seems like many of you are still very interested in our meals, and I’m happy to share!

Most nights, we’re scrambling to cook up whatever we planned on (or didn’t plan on) for dinner that evening as quickly as possible. Our boys are typically ready to eat (aka, borderline hangry) by 5pm if they don’t get a hefty snack after school/daycare. On a good night, as long as Jay is home from work on time, we’re eating by 5:30pm, although sometimes it’s a little closer to 5:45-6pm.

Since that 4-5pm hour is one of the most hectic, I’m always looking for something that we can cook quickly, with minimal effort. Mostly because, if Jay isn’t home yet, I’ve got two little loves vying for my attention, and making any attempts at trying to cook quite comical.

Jay will occasionally send me links to recipes that look absolutely incredible, but then I look at the ingredients and/or prep/cook time and typically just chuckle. Because, yeah, not happenin’ during the week!

So here’s a look at a few recent dinners…

Pulled BBQ Chicken sliders with Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes and veggies

We use that potato recipe linked above so often that I had to save it to my favorite sites on my phone. It’s definitely our go-to (I do cut back on the salt and olive oil a bit!) and it goes with everything. While pulled chicken isn’t a favorite for the boys, they will usually eat at least some, and a couple of potatoes if we’re lucky. They don’t do buns though (like, ever, for anything), so I constantly question if they really are my children.

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas with homemade guacamole

Typically, any time we make a batch of our BBQ Pulled Chicken in the crockpot, we’ll plan on using up some of the leftovers for quesadillas. They’re super quick to throw together when we’ve already got the chicken cooked, and then it usually leaves us both with some leftovers for lunch the next day. The boys aren’t fans of chicken in their quesadillas, so we make their quesadillas with just cheese and serve some chicken and guacamole on the side.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast with potatoes, carrots, and onions

We were so excited to make this meal because the last time we had it, it was AWESOME. But I don’t know whether it was the cut of beef this time, or maybe it just didn’t cook right, but it was not nearly as good as I remember it. In fact, it doesn’t even LOOK as good as the last time…

Ahh well. We really do think it was the cut of beef this time, so I’m not giving up on it just yet because it really is super easy and I know it has the potential to be delish. The boys were not into this meal at all.

Loaded Chicken and Potatoes

This is a meal we’ve kept in our rotation for a while now, and it never disappoints. I love how everything gets tossed into the casserole dish to bake, and it could easily be prepped ahead of time (if I’m on my game, I’ll try to cut up the chicken and put it in a gallon-sized bag to marinate in all of the seasonings! The boys will eat the chicken out of this one, along with the cheese and bacon from the top, but neither of them are big on the potatoes for this one (I know, I don’t get it either…).

Creamy Pesto Shrimp & Pasta with Tomatoes & Zucchini

We had a Blue Apron delivery scheduled for the end of January, and the two meals that arrived in it were both great (we did the family plan option for this delivery). I couldn’t tell you the last time I had cooked any sort of fish/shellfish in the house, so it was nice to change things up a bit. This one had some great flavor and made a TON. The boys had some of the pasta noodles, but neither of them would try the shrimp (womp, womp…).

Garlic-Lime Chicken & Black Beans over Cilantro Rice

I loooooved this meal! All of the flavors came together so well and the cilantro rice was fantastic. This was a meal that wound up being cooked one night after the boys went to bed and while Jay was away for work (I knew I needed to get it cooked up) so Jay ate it as leftovers and neither of the boys tried it (although I’d be willing to bet Alex would have liked it best).

Creamy Beef and Shells

Ohhhh, do we love this recipe (it’s actually planned for this week, too!). It’s quick and easy, and a great way to use up some ground beef for something other than burgers or burrito bowls. The boys will eat this one, but we have to serve it with less “sauce” for them, and I try to give them some bigger chunks of ground beef and we call them mini meatballs. Because, you know, my kids are totally cool with trying new things. #sarcasm.

Chicken Sausage with Pierogies and Sauteed Vegetables

This is one of our signature “Courtney is busy with something and/or just does not want to cook tonight so Jay is going to take over for dinner” dishes. Since this isn’t anything the boys would eat (unless some major bribery was involved), we’d typically feed the boys some leftovers/something else at their normal dinner time and then we’d eat this meal either after they’re done or after they go to bed. Not the most ideal dinner situation, but sometimes it just happens.

Jay introduced me to pierogies wayyyy back in the days of dating, and they still occasionally show up in our dinner rotations. They’re just so easy to cook up (we first boil/cook through), then just add everything else into a skillet and let it cook until done!

Cheesy Bruschetta Chicken Cutlets

This is another recipe that I can take zero credit for. Jay managed to pull this one together on another night where I had thrown in the towel and was willing to just eat cereal or toast for dinner. Man, I’m a lucky gal. These cutlets were totally delicious and they took like, no time to put together. Another reminder why it’s always good to have some diced tomatoes stocked up in the pantry!

Alright, that’s all I’ve got for now, but I’ll be back with more. Got any recent favorites? Drop ’em in the comments section below!

Share This:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Yummly (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on StumbleUpon (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

February 26, 2019 Filed Under: Dinner, Meal Planning Tagged With: Blue Apron, chicken cutlets, easy weeknight dinners

About Courtney

I'm a working mom of two beautiful little boys, Lucas and Alex, and I began writing Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life in April 2010. I enjoy chronicling my love of food (healthy and indulgent!), baking, motherhood, fitness, fashion, and everything in between!

« You Never Pass Up the Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
Weekend Things + Workouts + Our Weekly Walmart Grocery Haul »

Comments

  1. Julie says

    February 26, 2019 at 8:22 am

    Thanks for posting! THis is just as good as your weekly meal plans! Btw I’m seriously jealous at the amount/variety of food your boys eat. So if you are ever feeling that they don’t eat enough variety of things- think my oldest son who has now recently cut chicken nuggets from his small list of foods and will only eat your “green pasta,” pizza without cheese and not the crust, PB&J, fruit, yogurt, snacks. I’m envious that you can at least kind of eat normal meals with your boys!!!
    Reply
    • Courtney says

      February 26, 2019 at 2:00 pm

      Awww, thank you! And YAY for him at least liking the "green pasta" haha! Mine have just recently decided they aren't into pizza at all...I'm like, really? Who ARE you, children?!? lol
      Reply
  2. Nikki says

    February 26, 2019 at 8:30 am

    So many yummy recipes right there, I am going to try them! Thanks for sharing. Like you, it's a mass scramble when I get home to feed my son before total meltdown happens and half the time he ends up not eating a thing I make him and I usually just eat a frozen bag of veggies haha. What do you typically make for the boys when you know they wont really eat what you are cooking? Chicken nuggets have been my fail safe but recently I can't even get the kid to touch them :(
    Reply
    • Ciara says

      February 26, 2019 at 8:58 am

      I was just going to ask the same thing! What do you typically do when your kids won't eat what you've made?
      Reply
      • Courtney says

        February 26, 2019 at 2:00 pm

        Hey Ciara! I just replied above but wasn't sure if you'd get a notification ;)
        Reply
    • Courtney says

      February 26, 2019 at 1:59 pm

      Ahhh yes, it can be SO hard sometimes, can't it!?!? We have a short list of go-tos in our rotation for when we need to feed them something different. We've really been trying hard to at least get them to TRY whatever it is we're making, but some nights I just don't have the fight in me, and sometimes I know they don't like what we're cooking. For those nights, we'll usually rotate between chicken nuggets, cheesy spinach pasta, butter noodles, hot dogs, pancakes & eggs, or mac & cheese. If we're having something that we know they like but just aren't eating it, then we say that they can make (Lucas) or have (Alex) a peanut butter sandwich with no after-dinner treats. Doesn't always work and certainly isn't perfect, but we've seen some improvement!
      Reply
  3. Wendy Bilbrey says

    February 26, 2019 at 10:02 am

    Thanks for the great ideas. Off to the grocery store to make a few. Thanks for sharing....
    Reply
  4. Lauren says

    February 26, 2019 at 4:18 pm

    Thank you for sharing these! I'm going to try a few out to see if I can add any new recipes to our rotation. Here is a recipe my boys (4 & 1) will eat with us guaranteed lol: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Capellini-with-Shrimp-and-Creamy-Tomato-Sauce-241995 I usually change out the pasta to a healthier version like the Brown Rice and Quinoa fusilli from Trader Joe's.
    Reply
  5. Carrie says

    February 26, 2019 at 5:22 pm

    Thanks for this post! I needed some new dinner ideas and going to try a few!
    Reply
  6. Lauren says

    February 27, 2019 at 9:12 am

    I love these types of posts. I will be adding these to my dinner rotations!
    Reply
  7. Steph says

    February 28, 2019 at 4:28 pm

    Thanks for the REALISTIC weeknight dinner ideas!! Working full time with kids is no joke when it comes to prepping dinner that is actually somewhat healthy and tastes good! Can't wait to make the bruschetta chicken, creamy beef noodles, and loaded chicken and potatoes (ok basically everything...)
    Reply
  8. Nikki says

    February 28, 2019 at 5:49 pm

    That crockpot pulled bbq chicken is on the regular in our house! I love to make a huge thing of it and put over salads and in quesadillas for another dinner/lunches! And 4:00-5:00 is a nightmare time in our house too😱!
    Reply
  9. Maria says

    March 11, 2019 at 10:57 am

    Love love love these posts. Especially when I find a new go-to recipe. Those oven roasted potatoes are amazing! I've tried so many recipes and these are absolute perfection. Thank you!
    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sweet Tooth Sweet Life
Court Profile CircleI'm Courtney, a 30-something wife and working mom living in upstate NY. I'm a food lover, fitness enthusiast, baker extraordinaire and lover of all things sweet.
  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Recent Posts

  • A Little Living Room Makeover
  • The Five F’s {3/12}
  • My Last 10 Favorite Amazon Purchases
  • Fun Facts Friday – The Five F’s

Courtney’s Recipe Picks!

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Subscribe to Sweet Tooth by Email!

Instagram

Instagram did not return a 200.

Follow Me!

  FitFluential Is Fitness Found 
  
 

Categories

Archives

Disclaimer

I am not a registered dietitian, or certified fitness expert. The purpose of my blog is to share my own personal knowledge, opinions, and experiences with food, fitness, and life. My Privacy Policy can be found HERE.

Content Marketing Editorial Calendar For WordPress

WordPress Support & Maintenance provided by WP Site Care

· Copyright © 2023 Sweet Tooth Sweet Life ·