At Home Activities: Easy Dinners

So...I am tired of cooking and baking. Normally I make the food for our family with a few exceptions: the boys make their own lunches for school, hubby just grabs a protein drink on his way to work, and we normally order out once a week. I will sometimes get lunch out once a week as well. We are still under a Stay At Home order in our state. I gotta say, I am tired of making food. Bernardo made food one night and hubby has a few times as well. I think it's just that the options are gone if we really want to limit our exposure. I know it's super whiny. I know how lucky we are to be able to limit our outside exposure, that we have Amazon and grocery store delivery options. We are very blessed in that regard. It's totally a whiny, not very big at all problem.

However, if you are like me and are looking for some easy to make dinners, just to make the day a little easier or if you have a busy day juggling kids and work, I have some below.

CROCKPOT:

• Beef Barley Lentil Soup
• Chicken Stroganoff
• White Chicken Chili
• Pulled Beef (great for sandwiches or on top of salads when cooled)
• Salsa Chicken

InstantPot:

• Baked Potatoes. Wash 4-5 large Russet potatoes. Poke holes in each side of the potatoes with a fork. Add 1 cup of water to the InstantPot. Place the InstantPot's metal tray/trivet in the bottom. Add in potatoes (lay flat if possible). Close up the pot and set to seal. Set pressure to high for 16 minutes. Let cook. Release steam and check potatoes. We have loved doing this and it is so much quicker than in the oven. We like to add butter, cheese, and sour cream. To make it a more complete meal, I will add steamed broccoli and seasoned ground beef or shredded chicken

SOUP:

• Cabbage Soup. This is a pretty easy recipe and you can change/add in what you have. (Substitute chicken  or sausage for the beef, add in additional vegetables or add in canned/frozen vegetables.)

Vegetables:

• Broiled Zucchini (to make even faster, skip the butter and just sprinkle Parmesan directly onto the zucchini slices).

Bonus Link: Breakfast ideas!

Salsa Chicken (Crock Pot)

This is a really easy start to a dinner. The basic recipe calls for just salsa and chicken! I like to add black beans as well. We love to eat this flavorful pulled chicken with tortillas, sour cream, and shredded cheese. Hubby and I like to add sauted onions and peppers to ours. The kids love having chips, salsa, and avocado/guacamole on the side.

You will need:

• 3-4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
• 1 jar mild salsa (about 16 oz)
• 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained), optional

Directions:

1. Place chicken in the bottom of the crock pot.
2. Spread salsa over chicken.
3. Cook on Low for 6-8 hrs. (Depending on your crock pot. Mine tends to run a little on the hot side.) You want the chicken to cook and be easy to shred with a fork.
4. When there are about 2 hours left, add in black beans. 
5. Once beans are done, remove chicken. Shred using forks. Add back in to crock pot and stir to combine.
6. Serve!

Beef Barley Lentil Soup

I try to add new recipes to our meal plan to keep everyone from getting bored and to expand the kids' taste buds. Some school nights, we have a quick turn around before they have an extracurricular activity. I was trying to find easy recipes for the instant pot or crock pot. I found a really easy crock pot recipe for a nice filling soup online and modified it to our taste buds. The original was a great base, but a little bland for us. Below is my version of the soup.

Everyone's crock pot is a little different, so cooking times may vary. If I chop larger pieces, it does tend to take longer to cook than if I cut small-medium sized pieces for the vegetables and potatoes.

BEEF BARLEY LENTIL SOUP

Sarah Tepe @ www.DailyMesses.com

 

You will need:

• 1 lb lean ground beef (90% lean or better)
• 2 cups red potatoes, cubed (skin on)
• 1 medium onion, chopped 
• 1 cup carrots, chopped (both baby or large carrots will work)
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1/2 cup pearl barley 
• 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) stewed tomatoes, roughly chopped. (Added later)
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth 
• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika 
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning 
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning (or 1-3 teaspoon lemon juice with dash of fresh ground pepper and salt. Soak for a few minutes before adding.
• 5qt crock pot and large skillet 

Directions:

1. Using a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook onions and beef until beef is cooked through. Drain.
2. Add beef and onions to crock pot. Add in potatoes, carrots, celery, lentils and barley.
3. Pour in water, chicken broth, and seasonings. 
4. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until barley and vegetables are tender.
5. Add tomatoes and cook for 2 more hours.