Simple Staples - 5 WEEKNIGHT recipes i’m loving lately
I feel like a broken record writing this down since I’ve been telling all my friends and family lately but - this season of life has been so busy. Between teaching full time, settling into home ownership, blogging and producing a youtube channel, my time in the kitchen has been cut relatively short. I still have a family (husband lol) to feed & love eating whole foods so I’ve been leaning into simple recipes that are carrying me through this season. All of the recipes featured are either complete in less than 30 minutes, made in one pot/minimal dishes or highly customizable to whatever pantry staples you might have on hand. I usually cook for 2, although we always have leftovers, so keep that in mind when portioning! Let’s get into it!
EGG ROLL IN A BOWL
Ingredients
1-1.5lb ground meat (beef, chicken, turkey)
1 cup rice
2 cups coconut milk
1 small yellow or red onion
small bag coleslaw mix (no dressing)
1 large carrot (or as part of coleslaw mix), shredded or diced
3 green onion stalks
cilantro for topping
sesame oil & coconut aminos
s&p to taste
Directions
Cook rice according to package directions. Use coconut milk instead of water for creamier, flavorful rice.
Chop & saute all veggies in a large pot over medium heat with sesame oil. Cook until onions are translucent or veggies become soft.
Add ground beef (or whatever meat you’re using) along with garlic if you like and several dashes of coconut aminos/soy sauce. Ensure meat is fully cooked, then dish up
Top with lime, cilantro, more green onions, coconut aminos, hot sauce if you like.
GRILLED Teriyaki chicken & coleslaw
Ingredients
1-1.5lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
marinade: sesame oil, teriyaki sauce, coconut aminos (measure with your heart depending on the amount of chicken)
large bag of coleslaw mix (or homemade: chopped green and/or purple cabbage, shredded carrots)
sauce: 1/3 cup greek yogurt, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup, 1 garlic clove minced, s&p to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Marinate chicken for 30 minutes-24 hours. Grill or bake until fully cooked.
Mix coleslaw sauce thoroughly. Add to a large bowl with veggies and toss to coat until mixed well. That’s it!!
Baked potato “Bolognese”
My husband affectionately refers to any red sauce with meat as “bolognese,” hence the name of this recipe. This is not traditional Italian by any means, but is great if you’re sensitive to gluten or pasta, or just want to switch up your carb source.
Ingredients
2 small Japanese sweet potatoes
1-1.5lb ground beef (or turkey)
1 small yellow onion
2 large carrots
3 celery stalks
2 zucchinis (grated & patted dry to absorb moisture), optional or replace with another veggie
3 cloves garlic
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
1/2-1 jar pasta sauce of choice (I like Rao’s)
italian seasoning (basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary)
s&p to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°. Bake the sweet potatoes for 45-60 minutes until easily forkable. Sometimes I like to fork them before putting in the oven to quicken the process.
In a large pot over medium heat, cook onions, carrots, celery in olive oil until translucent/soft. (veggies should be diced)
Add ground beef, garlic, and italian seasonings to the pot. Once mostly cooked, add the canned diced tomato & red sauce. Simmer until ready to eat.
Serve the red sauce “bolognese” over the cooked potato.
chicken & broccoli pesto pasta
Ingredients
2-3 large heads of broccoli
1-1.5lb cooked chicken
8oz pasta of choice
6oz pesto, homemade or from a jar (the Seggiano one is super good and fresh)
s&p to taste
Directions
Bring water to a boil & heavily salt. Cook pasta according to package directions. Once cooked, save about a cup of the pasta water.
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add a bunch of chopped broccoli and cook until browned/caramelized.
Add cooked chicken to the pot (I either use grilled chicken or boiled/shredded). Add the pasta water and scrape the bottom of the pan to mix in all that caramelized flavor.
Add the cooked noodles and pesto sauce. Serve warm.
STAPLE SHEET PAn
Classic for a reason & highly customizable. All baked in the oven so minimal dishes & max efficiency.
Ingredients
1-2lbs potatoes of choice (diced small & evenly is the trick - helps them bake a lot quicker)
1lb chicken sausages (or your favorite)
veggies of choice: whatever I have on hand is what I use - some of my stables are zucchinis, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, etc
seasonings of choice
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°.
Place all ingredients on a sheet pan or two with a drizzle of olive oil, s&p, and seasonings of choice. Make sure they have enough room/not too crowded.
Bake for 30 minutes (if your potato chunks are large, consider chopping small or putting in early to ensure they’re fully cooked with the rest of the dish).
Serve hot with sauces of choice - I love a BBQ sauce, ketchup for the potatoes, hot sauce etc.