With kids starting back to school and life falling into a new normal, dinners often rushed (or on the road). I grew up in a family where both my parents worked until 5 and I often had after school activities. Dinners were never our strong area. Now that I have a child of my own, I put an emphasis on it. They're not elaborate and often they are wedged in between toddler play-sessions. However, they are there and I make sure we sit down almost every night. The recipes below are the foundation to our quick, weeknight meals. I like to vary each meal but my focus is usually making something that is packed full of goodness.
I used to frown on pasta because when I first turned to vegetarianism, I found pasta was about the only thing I ate. However, over the years, I've developed recipes that I love; full of vegetables and not as heavy as those pastas I used to eat. I find I make pasta when I don't have a plan. Load it up with vegetables, toss it with a bit of sauce- you can't get much easier than that!
These are my weakness. I love a fried vegetable cake and the cauliflower cakes linked below are what I make when I'm craving something unhealthy but don't want to incur the money or leaving of the house. There are so many combinations but these are a few of my favorites.
We eat tacos almost every week. It's easy to whip together a tasty and healthy filling with just a few simple ingredients. If you're not into cooking dried beans, I recommend keeping a can or two of black beans on hand. Add a few pinches of spices and you have a perfect taco filling within 15 minutes.
Pizza is a must in our house. We don't live within any solid pizza delivery places and so homemade pizza has become our go-to week after week. I love experimenting with toppings and have found quite a few unique flavors we love. One tip: make or buy dough and keep in the freezer. Pull out the night before and let thaw for dinner the next day.
This list is a mix of all my favorites. Noodle bowls and grain bowls: both are an easy place to start and are often a source of inspiration for other meals I make. Keep a well stocked pantry to make these meals when you're asking yourself at 5pm what to make that evening!
Excellent weeknight meal plan ... it can be so hard to muster up inspiration some days, so thanks for laying out an easy to follow plan!
thank you for this wonderful list, what a great resource to have! Much appreciated
I live off these recipes! I have sooo many cookbooks, but these are the recipes I come back to time and again. They never take more than 40-45 minutes, they don't have a million ingredients and they're ALWAYS delicious. Definitely going to try the potato cakes tonight.
Great collection of recipes! I've saved a couple of new ones to add to the ones I already have. A post like this almost makes me want to become a vegetarian again. My husband wouldn't go for that, so I won't, but I'm definitely making sure we eat more vegetarian meals. I really enjoy your recipes.
Such an amazing resource, all in one place. Thank you!