Easy Dinner Faves

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Working from home can sometimes be deceptively luxurious. You might think you'll have time to start dinner, or run a load of laundry, or vacuum a room - and occasionally that might be true - but most often you don't. Dinner prep is usually just as rushed for me as it is for any other working parent. But then you hear through various news reports / books / blogs / magazines that family dinners are so important! 
Your family will fall apart if they don't eat dinner together!!!

 Well, maybe that just feels like what "they" are saying.  

 Despite a decent attempt, dinner feels like a battle to be won, not an event to be enjoyed. I guess it was a bit of a relief to find that my fellow Home Officers often feel the same way. With meetings and deadlines and carpools and homework and soccer and softball and conferences and dog walks and heaven-knows-what-else, getting anything in our kids' stomachs for dinner can feel like a triumph! But I know that they are just as sick of Breakfast-for-Dinner-Tuesday (Wednesday/Thursday/Friday) as I am. 

 This month at our Home Officer Network Lunch, we discussed our favorite go-to family meals and did some recipe sharing on the Home Officer Network Facebook Page. Some general observations from the group: 
  • Chicken seems to be the protein of choice
  • Everyone needs more good CrockPot recipes
  • We all eat out way more than we think we should\
    • But that's how we keep our sanity
    • And that's ok
For your family-feeding pleasure, here are the submitted recipes in one convenient list. Please feel free to submit your own in the comments!

How to Roast a Chicken: The Ultimate Recipe - This is a recipe I do at least every other week, though I do add a few cut up red potatoes and carrots in the roasting pan. I prep it during my lunch hour and then let it roast all afternoon. Nothing smells better. Note: not fast, granted, but surprisingly easy. 

One Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce - Miriam D shared this family favorite, and I'm thinking I'm going to give this one a try without the cream to see if I can pull of a dairy-free version! I'll keep you posted.

 Quick Easy Hawaiian Haystacks - This is one that Lisa E's kids request as their birthday dinner, they love it so much! And the toppings are so versatile, your child can be as creative or predictable as they want. 


Taco Tuesday Bowls - Cindy L shares this simple equation: Slow cook chicken breasts for pulled chicken + canned black beans + canned Mexican corn + rice + avocados + salsa + cilantro + tortilla chips + shredded cheese. + tortillas should the bowl not be sufficient. You're only cooking the chicken and rice!
Laura's Quick Slow Cooker Turkey Chili - If you're into turkey rather than chicken, Terie M shares this fall staple.

How to SearSalmon Fillets – Cindy also shared this magical recipe (I ALWAYS need a better way to cook fish!!), with the note that they enjoy this almost once a week. It takes 15 minutes to cook the most amazing salmon. She usually makes rice and roasted vegetables right before, so the oven's already warm.

So, dinner might not be any picnic, but it's nice to know that we're not alone in our constant struggle for fast, easy, crowd pleasers. Keep sharing your recipes and let me know which ones you try - and what the fam thought!




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