Recipe: http://thewaytohisheart.wordpress.com/2011/09/30/mexican-stuffed-shells/

Modifications: I used ground turkey,and this taco seasoning recipe.

Time to table: 45 minutes prep, plus 45 minutes of baking time

Servings: 4 adults

Ben: Love

Erin: Love

Annie: Like – it was a bit “picy” for her

Notes: This was really good and actually pretty easy. I thought the filling could stand to be cheesier, so I would up the cream cheese next time, and maybe add some veggies into the filling too.

Date: 5/8/2012

Recipe: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/sweet-potato-foil-packet-tacos/

Modifications: I used ground turkey, black beans, and did not peel the sweet potatoes. I didn’t have tomato sauce, so I just used some crushed tomatoes instead. We use this taco seasoning recipe.

Time to table: 30 minutes, plus 30 minutes of baking time

Servings: 6 adults

Ben: Love

Erin: Love

Annie: Like

Notes: My friend Chelsea sent me this recipe, and I immediately knew it would be a winner in our house! The best part about these is that you really can prep everything completely beforehand, and then just pop the foil packets in the oven when you’re ready to eat. Ben has an oven at work and was able to bring the extra packets to work the next few days. It is important to layer the packets with the sweet potatoes on the bottom, if they are on top they won’t get cooked through. We served with tortillas and sour cream.

Date: 4/30/2012

Recipe: http://annies-eats.com/2011/01/12/lemon-ricotta-pancakes-with-blackberry-sauce/

Modifications: None

Time to table: 30 minutes

Servings: 4 adults

Ben: Like

Erin: Love

Annie: Love (especially the blackberry sauce!)

Notes: These are probably my favorite pancakes ever – too bad I am NOT good at flipping pancakes and they somehow all got burned on the outside but not always quite done on the inside. That’s why I like waffles – my waffle maker tells me when it’s done These are not exactly quick pancakes since they involve beating egg whites and dirty quite a few dishes… but they are tasty. So it’s not like this is truly a “quick” breakfast for dinner meal, but I guess it’s quicker than a lot of other involved meals.

Date: 4/26/2012

Recipe: http://annies-eats.com/2009/02/27/sausage-and-spinach-stuffed-shells/

Modifications: I got diced tomatoes for the “chopped tomatoes” called for in the recipe – I’m not sure if there is a different thing actually called chopped tomatoes, but if there is, I couldn’t find it. I only made 2 8×8 pans, and for my preference, there wasn’t NEARLY enough sauce. I added a large can of crushed tomatoes to the top – a 28oz can split pretty evenly between both pans.

Time to table: 1 hour prep, ~1 hour baking time

Servings: Three 8×8 pans (but I got only 2 + some extra)

Ben: Love

Erin: Love

Annie: Like

Notes: This made a little more than 2 8×8 pans for me – but the remaining weren’t quite enough for another pan. I used my small pampered chef cookie scoop to stuff  the shells – about 2 scoops per shell. I froze the 2nd 8×8 pan prior to the baking step. This is very similar to the other stuffed shells recipe we tried, but I liked this one better, especially since I knew to add a lot more sauce. The filling was especially rich and delicious, probably due to using sausage versus turkey.

Date: 4/24/2012

Recipe: http://www.goodthymesandgoodfood.com/2012/04/southwest-avocado-chicken-salad.html

Modifications: I modified this quite a bit. Instead of serving it in the avocado halves, I just chopped up the avocados and mixed them in. I used a whole can of black beans, 2 chopped tomatoes, 2 chopped avocados and the rest of the ingredients except white wine vinegar because I didn’t have any. We also left the chips out and just served this as a dip.

Time to table: 20 minutes

Servings: 6 adults

Ben: Love

Erin: Love

Annie: Like

Notes: This was an excellent summer meal! We all really liked it – I’m a huge fan of chips and dip so any dip is a winner for me Annie LOVES guacamole already, so I figured she’d enjoy this. We will definitely be making this again – I always have a hard time coming up with meals we all like in the summer since we typically enjoy warm comfort foods, so this will be a good one to add to the rotation. Today I had this with the crushed up chips in a wrap for lunch… delish!

Luke enjoyed dinner

Date: 4/19/2012

Recipe:

• 1 small sweet potato, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 bunch brussel sprouts, quartered
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• ~6 strips of bacon
• shredded cheddar cheese
• one egg per person

Time to table: 30 minutes

Servings: 2 adults, 1 toddler

Ben: Love

Erin: Like

Annie: Dislike

Notes: This is similar to another dish I’ve made before, but it was different enough that I figured I’d post it. I absolutely love this meal and would eat it very often. I also feel that in spite of the bacon and the bacon grease, it has enough healthy components going for it to be a guilt-free meal. Annie didn’t necessarily not “like” it, as much as she just ignored it, just part of being a toddler I guess. We’re sometime dumbfounded by what she decides she doesn’t want to eat. Veggies cooked in bacon grease, with cheese, and an egg?!?!  Whatever.

Date: 4/13/2012

Recipe: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/09/cooking-with-ryan-pasta-carbonara/

Modifications: None

Time to table: 40 minutes

Servings: 6 adults

Ben: Love

Erin: Love

Notes: Erin and I made this for a “stay at home” date night, where we put both kids to bed and then made ourselves dinner. It was a lot of fun to be able to just focus on cooking food and eating it without the usual distractions. We’ve made this dish before, and it was just as delicious and unhealthy as I remembered it It made a ridiculous amount and we ate it for several lunches in the next few days.

Date: 4/18/2012

Recipe: http://weelicious.com/2011/02/02/four-bean-chili-mac-cheese/

Modifications: I added a lot of sour cream since I was using 2% milk and because sour cream is delicious, and I think I used too much pasta so I added more chili and cheese to compensate.

Time to table: 20 minutes

Servings: 5 adults

Ben: Love

Erin: Love

Annie: Love

Notes: Again, this was so easy – I LOVE the concept of using leftovers to make a slightly different meal. We will definitely be trying this more! We all loved this meal in both forms – Annie probably enjoyed it a bit more here – mostly she just picked out each noodle though

Date: 4/16/2012

Recipe: http://weelicious.com/2011/02/01/four-bean-chili/

Modifications: I used ground turkey instead of beef, and added a chopped bell pepper.

Time to table: 30 minutes prep, 6-8 hours cooking time.

Servings: A lot – this nearly filled our crockpot – at least 8 adults.

Ben: Love

Erin: Love

Annie: Love

Notes: This chili was really good!  We all are bean lovers, so this went over well. Annie enjoyed narrating which bean she was eating at that time This is part of a 3 in 1 meal that weelicious posted, so the next post will be what we did with the leftovers.

Date: 4/9/2012

Recipe: http://annies-eats.com/2011/01/13/herbed-risotto-with-chicken-and-caramelized-onions/

Modifications: I cooked 3 chicken breasts, but it seemed like FAR too much chicken – I probably only used 1.5 and then we saved the rest for another meal. I also forgot the butter at the end and it still seemed plenty rich and delicious

Time to table: 45 minutes

Servings: 4 adults

Ben: Love

Erin: Love

Annie: Like

Notes: Risotto is one of those meals that is always a hit. How could it not, with all that cheese and butter?? The carmelized onions really put this one over the top for me. It was delicious. Annie (of Annie’s Eats, not my child) says this method is easier, but for the time you save from stirring, I spent shredding chicken, which is one of my most hated tasks in the kitchen. This still seemed plenty involved – wouldn’t be what I would call a “quick dinner” but it was worth it! Luke enjoyed watching me cook – good thing

Annie was well accessorized for this dinner