SHE: Cooks This Week

Hey Y'all,

It is Sunday afternoon and I am thinking about what all we have going on this week and I am determined to plan some yummy dinner options. This is much better than Monday night @ 5:30 thinking "Hmmm, wonder what we can have for dinner??" I admit as empty nesters it is less of a stress for me. But, we really do still like dinner of some sort.

image via google

Now our sweet, organized SHE Lisa ~ she plans her meals for the MONTH complete with grocery shopping. SHE is awesome!!  SHE Brittney & SHE Courtney have both shared their tips (& they are the newlyweds)... I am over here flying by the seat of my pants. I seem to be the only SHE who doesn't meal plan.   Dinner?  sure I can make .....  Don't laugh too much! I am taking baby steps.  

Looking at this week, I know I have commitments 2 nights, so leftovers would be nice for Mike. So I need 5 meals, 2 that are suitable for leftovers. Perusing my guilty pleasure of Pinterest and SHE Degree's website for some inspiration, I think I am going to try these dishes.

Baked Ravioli : You use frozen ravioli, pasta sauce of your choice and mozzarella cheese. Layer and bake. Add a green salad and you have a dinner (and leftovers).

We love chicken and rice. I found this crockpot recipe, but it only takes 4 hour. I would be afraid it might be too "cooked" when we get home.  So that would be a good option for a leftover dinner if I make on the weekend.... didn't happen this weekend, but maybe with some planning it can next week.

Rotisserie BBQ Chicken Sliders: I love using a rotisserie chicken. You can shred it and pour on your favorite BBQ sauce. Serve on little slider buns.    You can also use it to make a quick pot of chicken and rice.  I cook the rice in water with a bouillon cube (you can use chicken broth instead of water), add a little onion and garlic salt. Once the rice begins to simmer, drop in the shredded chicken and cook as directed. You may add a little pat or two of butter to add a little more flavor. It's a good idea to add slightly more water than called for to allow a juicier dish. Depending on the amount of rice you are cooking and the size of your family, if only a portion of the chicken is needed, you can use the other 1/2 for chicken salad, or toss the chopped chicken into a green vegetable salad for a healthy lunch or dinner.  You can also purchase some deli "chicken fingers" for your salad topper or add a few sides and dinner is ready, with just a little bit of outside help. 

It is a guarantee that at least one weeknight dinner will be hamburgers of some sort. This is my husband's favorite dinner! Grilled hamburgers are yummy and although I try to never let him down,  some nights it is too hot to grill. So I opt for a twist and this Hamburger steak looks like something we would both enjoy. Definitely left over options.

Another quick dinner is grilled steak. With a little preparation, you will have a even yummier steak. Marinate your steaks overnight in a mixture of lemon juice, oil, worcestershire sauce and garlic salt in a Ziploc baggie in the refrigerator. When you are ready for dinner, start the grill and take out the baggie. Let them warm up a little before placing on the grill, they will cook more evenly and not affect the temperature of your grill as significantly. My go to side for this is a fluffy baked potato and salad and I really love hot rolls with lots of melted butter... but we are trying to forget how much we enjoy that. :)

Well, it looks like I did it! I planned my dinners for several nights this week. Woo Hoo! Now, if I actually prepare them, we will call it success.  Have you tried any of these recipes? What is your family's go to dinner? Please share your recipes below, we would love to have more tried and try favorites and suggestions.

Happy Monday friends ~