My Go-To Dinners of Late

I'll admit it. As of late, I've kind of gotten into a cooking rut. I'm not interested in trying new recipes, have no desire to get creative, and I barely have time to prepare anything in advance for the week ahead. 

When I get into said ruts, it's all about my go-to dinner staples. 

We all have them.

The dinner options that you can always throw together because you generally have the appropriate ingredients on hand. The ones that take hardly any time (leaving lots of time for the couch and Jeopardy-watching). The ones that are healthy enough that you can get away with them on a weeknight.

I think we could all use more of these, don't you think? 

I'm rounding up some of my favorites...the ones that have been making frequent appearances on my weekly meal plans. I'm just waiting for the day when Shaun proclaims that he simply cannot eat another pizza derivation of he will straight up revolt. Until then...

Homemade pizza

Skillet tortilla pizzas

Black bean quesadillas

Meatloaf (quite possibly my favorite)

Skillet chicken parmesean

Shrimp sautee with orzo

Easy enchiladas

BBQ chicken skillet pizza (recipe coming soon!)

So there you have it. Some simple dinners I'm loving lately.

What are your go-to dinners?

Link up some new dishes in the comments!

Mediterranean Quinoa

When Monday rains...it pours!

I had a lot of rest over the weekend but Monday definitely made up for it! Not only did I leave work an hour and a half late, but when I got to the train it was jam packed and stuck in the station. Blah! I ended up waiting for the next one a while later. It all worked out, but definitely not how I was wanting to spend my Monday evening. Do you ever notice that when it rains it pours? I know in the scheme of life, these are tiny things, but they still make a difference!

 

source

Anyhoo. I ended up on the couch in sweatpants for most of the evening, doing a little television catch up...I finally watched Bethenny from last week...and then some other reruns. I also did a little product sampling that I can't wait to tell you about. In time!

So lately I've been make a bunch of 'clean out the fridge' meals and trying to use up what we have. Many times I end up rebuying things that I already have, or planning new meals that don't utilize what I already have in my own kitchen.

This dish combines a bunch of ingredients that I had on hand and it created a delicious dish that was whipped up in under 20 minutes. Not too shabby, huh?

 

And here's just a little peak into my messiness in the kitchen. I seriously drop bits of food everywhere...all the time. Shaun loves that about me. ;)

Anyway.

I took a basic quinoa and added in some Mediterranean accoutrements in the form of feta crumbles, olives, tomatoes and spinach. Oh and a little lemon juice to boot. It even made Shaun enjoy quinoa, which is a serious feat in itself! Try it. I know you'll love it.

Mediterranean Quinoa
Serves 8; 1/2 C per serving; 3 Points+ per serving
2 C low sodium chicken broth (or 1 14oz can broth + 1/4 C water)
1 C dry quinoa, rinsed
1/4 C reduced fat feta crumbles
1/3 C kalamata olives
1 tomato, seeds removed & diced
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 handfuls baby spinach
salt and pepper, to taste

Place the chicken broth (+ water) and quinoa in a small saucepan over high heat. Once boiling, stir, reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 12 minutes.

After 12 minutes, stir in the feta, olives, tomato, lemon and spinach. Cover and cook 3 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm on its own or alongside some chicken...stay tuned for more on that chicken at a later date ;)

 

This also made a great on-the-go lunch at the office. It's delicious warm but could be equally as yummy at room temperature if you don't have the means for reheating.

This dish is simply a great way to turn up the flavor on your basic quinoa...and make a simple dish feel uber special! And for under 20 minutes to prep? Yes please!

So that's my new simple, veggie-friendly dish to date! Let me know if you give it a try!

Questions of the Day:

Do you find that if one thing throws you off for the day, the rest of the day is thrown off?

Are you a messy cook?

My Favorite Quick Dinners

Thanks for all of your comments in the SlimKicker giveaway! In case you missed it, head over to yesterday's post to enter to win a slow cooker from SlimKicker! SlimKicker turns your diet/fitness goals into a level-up game.  When you join, you get points as you count calories, track your fitness, and participate in challenges.

Meanwhile...some evenings I'm just so.not.into cooking. I know it seems like I happily and dutifully cook dinner each night, but let's face it...sometimes I'm just not into it. Sometimes, I get home late from work or I'm just feeling plain lazy and don't want to then spend 30+ minutes on preparing dinner. Let's face it, the eating process itself is finished in about 10 minutes and so spending more than 1/2 hour on dinner prep at 7:30 just doesn't sound appealing.

I've rounded up some of my favorite quick dinners to share. Hope you enjoy them!

Stir fry. This always does the trick. I throw lots of leftover veggies into a pan and saute away (yeah rhymes!). I love this dish because you can add anything to it. I like onions, bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, string beans...and I often use frozen veggies too. Toss with a little soy sauce or stir fry sauce and you are golden.

Grown-up English muffin pizza. Seriously, this comes together in minutes. So good, so easy and seems like such a treat. A 100 calorie English muffin, topped with jarred tomato sauce, sprinkled with oregano and bail and finished with a thick slice of fresh mozzarella. Mmmm mmmm good.

Quinoa. I love mixing in anything I have in the fridge, like my lemon feta version. I actually just created a really fantastic Mediterranean-style version last night that I can't wait to share with you.

Pesto pasta. And I adore this oil-free version. I made a big batch with last season's fresh basil and simply defrost it in the microwave when I'm in a pinch. Added to spaghets with a little parmesan...sigh.

Roasted pepper, goat cheese & basil frittata. Or any frittata for that matter! These are fantastic because they take about 10 minutes to make and you can literally add any ingredients you have on hand. Leftover veggies, low fat cheese...they all make great frittatas.

A big, juicy salad. I love it with homemade vinagrette, tangy goat cheese and dried cranberries or a chopped up apple. Works every time.

Black bean quesadillas. Another dish that comes together in 10 minutes. I mix black beans with salsa, load up a tortilla in a skillet, add some low fat cheese and cook through. Delish.

And my absolute favorite of late?

Skillet tortilla pizza. I've been eating these a lot lately. I always have the ingredients on hand and it comes together in a matter of minutes!

So there you have it. My favorite quick dinners. Oh and let's not forget a nice plate of cheese and crackers! That is definitely on my list as well :)

Have a great day everyone! And don't forget to enter the giveaway if you haven't already!

Question of the Day:

What are your favorite quick dinners?