Today I’m sharing 10 quick and easy recipes. Wait what? Where’s Erin? To be honest I don’t know. Having an identity crisis clearly! Don’t worry. I’ll be back sharing things I’m much more comfortable with very soon. I’d much rather be writing a post about something I’ve decorated or organized. Or a post about Spring fashion or time management. Or a post about our recent vacation. Or a post about butterflies or race cars or politics for that matter. I hate politics.
I hate cooking more.
But I love all of you! And if sharing some of my tried and true, quick and easy (emphasis on the easy) recipes helps someone who also struggles with what to fix for dinner.. well then.. the pain of writing this post was worth it. ;)
In a recent post I shared 3 time management tips to increase productivity and mentioned that I’ve been working on “batching” tasks. Because cooking is so much fun for me (hugely exagerrated if you couldn’t tell) I like to knock it all out once a week and get it over with. My goal has been to cook at least two meals (sometimes three) at the beginning of each week. Follow through with this goal has been hit and miss to be honest, but on the weeks I do pull it off it makes my life so much easier! The recipes I’m sharing today are my tried and true recipes that we have cooked over and over for years. I’ve shared some of them before but thought it would be good to have all of our favorites in one post. The food isn’t fancy and the photography is lousy, but my kids eat most of these things which to me equals success. We are easy to please around here when it comes to meal time. :)
I took this pic during one of my “batch cooking sessions.” Starting to cook two favorites.. our Chicken Fajitas and Pepperoni Pasta.
CHICKEN FAJITAS:
For the Fajitas all you need is an assortment of peppers. Aren’t peppers pretty? I love buying them and seeing the bright colors in my fridge. I usually buy 3-4 green peppers and then one or two yellow, red and orange.
You also need an onion (not pictured) and then I buy the grilled and ready southwestern chicken strips. (Pre-cooked chicken is my BEST friend.)
Just slice up an onion and the peppers into strips and stir fry them in a little olive oil. When they are starting to get soft, toss in the chicken and stir fry everything for another 10 minutes and then done! You can add other spices, but I’ve found the southwest chicken gives it enough flavor. We eat them on wheat tortilla shells with or without cheese. Depending on how tight my jeans are fitting that week. ;)
PEPPERONI PASTA:
For this simple recipe you just need a green pepper or two, pepperoni, olives, spaghetti sauce, corkscrew pasta noodles and mozzarella cheese.
Cook the pepperoni and pepper in a skillet stirring it often until the pepper is tender-crisp. Then add olives to the peppers and pepperoni if you like them (I love olives!). In another pot, cook some corkscrew pasta. Drain your pasta and add a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce.
I feel the need (at the bottom of this particular picture) to remind you all that I take pics of interiors, not food. ;)
Then mix everything together in the pot that was holding your pasta and cook on low for about 10 minutes. Then stir in some mozzarella and if you’re feeling really chef like, add a bit of Parmesan. Let the cheese melt a little and you’re done! Fast and easy and really hard to mess up – my three requirements for a meal. :) Bonus: it tastes even better as leftovers. My kids love this!
ZITI LASAGNA:
This Ziti Lasagna is so simple and delicious! You can find the recipe HERE in a past post.
CASHEW CHICKEN:
Another long time family favorite! You can find the recipe to our easy Cashew Chicken recipe HERE.
WHITE BEAN CHILI:
A family favorite that I make several times every Fall/Winter! You can find our white bean chili recipe HERE. (This is a great one to batch cook!)
TACO SOUP:
I shared a pic of this taco soup on IG stories a few weeks back and got a lot of recipe requests. I’m sure most of you know this one (or a similar version!) but this is how we cook taco soup. Brown some hamburger and then toss it in the crock pot with 2 cans of kidney beans, 2 cans of stewed tomatoes (already cut up or slice the larger tomatoes into bite sized pieces), one can of corn, one can of tomato sauce, and one pkg. of taco seasoning. Cook it on low for a few hours and you’re set!
I batch cook this taco soup all the time because my kids love it and it’s SO easy to make. I can get it going in the crock pot in the morning really quickly and then make something else that takes more time. We love it with a little grated cheese and Fritos. Except when I have to remind my kids to eat some taco soup with their Fritos..
CHOW MEIN CHICKEN STIR FRY:
So this isn’t exactly a recipe but I had to include it because my family loves this and I batch cook it all the time! It’s Chow Mein Chicken Stir Fry and I make two packages of it for my family of 5.
I always have this in my freezer! Along with some other frozen food that is quick and easy and not so good for us.
Similar to my pantry.. at least the not so healthy food is lined up neatly. #priorities ;)
CHICKEN ENCHILADAS:
For these Chicken Enchiladas you need: 1 tbsp butter or margarine – 1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies (drained) – 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese (cut up and softened) – 2 cups chopped, cooked chicken breast – 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese – 1 pint whipping cream – flour tortillas.
Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with Pam. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add Rotel and stir one minute.. then stir in the cream cheese and chicken and cook (stirring) until the cream cheese melts. Put 2-3 scoops of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla and roll them up. Then place them side by side in your pan like I did in the picture above. Sprinkle the Monterey Jack Cheese on top and then drizzle the whipping cream on top of the cheese. Cover them in tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. Then cook for another 15 minutes w/o the foil (or until the top is golden brown and you’re feeling extremely chef like). :) So good! My husband’s favorite. :)
MEXICAN CHALUPAS:
This is another recipe I love to batch cook! So easy and delicious! You can find the recipe for our Mexican Chalupas HERE.
TACO SALAD:
Another really easy recipe to batch cook! You can make the hamburger mixture and get the toppings ready in the morning and then just get the tortilla shells ready at dinner time! Recipe for our Taco Salad HERE.
Those are 10 recipes that are on heavy rotation around here! And the things I batch cook the most often. :) Because we are talking all things cooking today (so that I can then avoid this subject for another year) ;) here are a couple of other things we love to eat…
FETA AND TOMATO DIP:
This is my favorite snack EVER! Perfect to take or serve at a party. You can find this Feta and Tomato Dip recipe HERE.
And because I’m rounding up ALL the food posts.. you know I have to share (yet again!) my favorite cookies and banana bread muffins. Humor me. I only cook a handful of things.. ;)
BANANA BREAD MUFFINS:
If you haven’t come across this recipe you haven’t spent much time on my blog! These babies took me quite a while to figure out so yes – I’m proud of them and share them often. On the blog and with anyone who will eat one. ;) Recipe (and other failed attempts) for my Banana Bread Muffins HERE.
APPLESAUCE COOKIES:
Another long time favorite that can’t be left out of a food/recipe round-up on this blog! Recipe for our Applesauce Cookies HERE. I snapped this pic over Christmas break when we were making them to deliver to friends and neighbors. Such a fun tradition.
These two are the true chefs in the family who love to cook and did all of the holiday baking. Ad’s pig pj’s helped the whole process immensely. ;) My job is always to clean the kitchen up after the mess and then wrap the cookies up and make them look pretty. I’ll take my job over the baking ANY day. :)
Since we’re talking all things food and cooking (confession time!) I recently admitted on IG that I’ve hired a nutritionist. Just to come over a few times next month to talk to my girls about overall nutrition (because their mom covers how to make their rooms clean and pretty but nutrition not so much) and to help teach me some more healthy snack/meal options to fix the kids (and hopefully batch cook!). I feel like I need a few more healthy options in our regular rotation and I’m so excited to get some professional help! What I wasn’t prepared for was when she told me to write down everything we eat for three days before we meet. I seriously wish you could have seen my face when I read her e-mail with attached food charts! I about died. Then I turned and said to Kenny “should I be honest and tell her how I skipped lunch because I was busy and forgot to eat and then had a Cadbury Egg and Coke Zero in the car for dinner last night?
Or should I lie?”
Major panic. I’m in SO much trouble with this! Food and cooking just aren’t my thing. I’ll keep you updated on how things go! Hopefully the next time I do a recipe round-up I’ll have more healthy options to share. Although I can’t make any promises about the Cadbury Eggs and Coke Zero..
(can’t stop.. won’t stop..)
Alright friends.. that’s a wrap on my 10 quick and easy recipes along with other food rambling and nonsense. I’ll be back with more “fun for me” topics soon..
;)
Great selection of recipes! This isn’t food related, but I just received the fig tree. Love it! What do you stick in the basket to help hold the tree in place?
Yea! So happy you like it Kimberly! I don’t have anything in my basket other than the tree! I just put it in the center of the basket and so far it’s good! xo
All the dishes you have pictured look delicious to me. And I’ve made a few of them myself a time or two. Taco soup is a favorite in my house, too. Only I don’t use Fritos, but tortilla chips. I want it now with Fritos! LOL I wish you good luck with the nutritionist. I think it’s a great idea and I hope you learn a lot. Maybe she can give you some tips on enjoying the cooking process a bit more? Loved your daughter’s piggy pj. Too fun! And applesauce cookies. I kept looking for them. Happy sigh. Thanks so much for sharing. I do believe you are harder on yourself than you should be. Your family looks very happy and healthy. You’ve got to be doing something right! Hugs!
Oh you are too good to me Jeanne! We do ok in the food department but definitely some room for improvement in that area. ;) Now I’m craving Fritos too! Ha! We need to get together for a Fritos party. :) Thanks cutie! Your comments are always a bright spot in my day. xo
Your recipes look delicious and so easy! I love your sense of humor and honesty about cooking and I’m sure the nutritionist has a few clients like you and will be able to give you some great healty options for your family. Love your blog and wanted to tell you I bought my husband a sweater that Kenny was modeling last fall and everytime he wears it he receives many compliments. So thanks so much for that post as I struggle with what to buy my husband and he hates to shop. Have a great week!
Thank you Sue! I’m so happy to hear that about your husband! I’ll have to do another men’s clothes post at some point.. they can definitely be hard to buy for! Fingers crossed on the nutritionist. We’ll see how this all plays out.. ha. ;) xo
Now, this is my kind of cooking!! I HATE cooking- especially dinner- but I can totally get on board with your menu. We do a lot of pasta combo/ Mexican combo type stuff because it’s quick and easy and semi-painless. Hope you will share your nutritionist’s suggestions (I had an ice coffee and leftover Easter chocolate for breakfast-so could clearly use some help too LOL) I do love baking so def going to try making your Applesauce cookies!! :-}
Erin! So happy to hear I’m not the only one eating leftover Easter chocolate for meals! Ha! I’ll definitely share anything I learn! And you are going to love those cookies. :) xo
Erin,
I am dying over here laughing. Decisions, decisions. Thanks for being a bright spot in my morning! Also for sharing simple meals. I have been asking my friends what their tried and true simple meals are because at this season of life…big cooking is not happening. I look forward to hearing how things go with the nutritionist.
Have an awesome day,
JC
Ha ha.. happy these recipes are helpful JC! Big cooking has never happened for us but there’s always hope for the future, right? ;) xo
Cooking is my least favorite thing, ever. I am queen of stopping at the grocery store every night in hopes to get something somewhat decent put together for dinner. I’ve always told my husband to feel free to hire me a cook anytime! Thank you for these recipes! I appreciate that they are simple and easy :)
Oh my word Mandy.. right!? Having a cook would be my ultimate dream! Sounds like the two of us would get along famously.. ha. :) So happy these recipes will help you! xo
Thank you so much for this post! I am with you 100%, cooking is NOT my thing and feeding my very picky little eaters dinner is pretty much the hardest thing I do each day. (We eat a LOT of breakfast for dinner around here). Plus working full time leaves me almost zero time to cook. Hearing I’m not alone makes me feel so much better. What a great idea to meet with a nutritionist – especially for your girls. Hope it helps! Thanks for keeping it real!!
Chrissie we do breakfast for dinner at least once every week! SO hard when the kids are picky (I have a VERY picky eater too) and you are busy with work or other obligations. You are so not alone! Hang in there and always remember that as long as your kids feel loved you are doing a great job! I’ve had to remind myself of that often. ;) xo
Hi Erin! My daughter, who will be 15 in a week is VERY picky! She has always been a picky eater. It’s so hard to eat out at a restaurant with her. I worry about all of the important nutrients that she isn’t putting into her growing body. She won’t eat fruits or vegetables! The only meat she eats is chicken and she loves tuna fish! Her doctor has suggested that I take her to a nutritionist, but I haven’t followed up on that. I can’t wait to hear how things go with your girls! Love and hugs to you sweetie!
Shari my Ellie is the SAME way. And close to the same age! We need to get these two girls together! She is by far my pickiest eater and I worry about her all the time. I will definitely let you know if I learn any tips/tricks from the nutritionist for our girls! xo
Erin, check out the website 100 Days of Real Food. Some really great, easy, clean eating recipes on there. The pulled pork in the crockpot is SO good.
Oh my word.. I love pulled pork! I can’t wait to check it out Stacey! Thank you so much for the recommendation! xo
I could cry right now! I have been struggling with dinner lately and now I have 10 new yummy options! Thank you so much Erin! You are amazing! 🙂 side note: my best friend is going to San Diego tomorrow and I begged her to take me with but she said no. ☹️ I told her to drop me off at your house so we could hang out and I could meet you! Sigh we got 12 inches of snow on April 3rd my birthday so I really want some sun ☀️! Amy in Wisconsin
Oh Amy! Thank you! I’m so happy this post will be helpful! The struggle is real when it comes to dinner! I so wish you were headed my way. Snow in April is no fun at all and I would love to meet you! Hang in there cutie. And happy late birthday! xo
You are an amazing mom! You know that your eating habits aren’t has healthy as they could be and you want to model and teach your kids more. I think you are wonderful!
That is so sweet of you to say Andrea! Thank you! You made my day. I’m trying! ;) xo
Girlie Girl,
Y’all haven’t lived till you’ve had Cadbury’s Caramel Eggs! I love the original, but the caramel ones are just plain evil! (In a VERY good way!)🙄 And now, there half price at CVS! Wootwoot!😂 Blessings & joy to you and your family! 😘💙 Velvet
Ha ha.. right Velvet!? Oh my word.. I’d take an original Cadbury over pretty much anything else every day of the week! SO good.. and yes.. so evil all at the same time. Ha ha.. ;) Same to you and your family cutie! xo
Hey sweet Erin!
I’ve used so many of your decorating ideas; paint colors, bedroom lamps, throws, and family room rug. You have such great taste. May I suggest you look at the website: 5 Dinners in 1 Hour. She gives you 5 to 7 meals (small subscription price) that you can prepare all at once, in 1 to 2 hours. Always takes me a little longer! It reminds me of your ” batch cooking” idea. This may help your dinnertime dilemma. BTW: we love your banana muffins and applesauce cookies!
Tamara! Ahh! I’m so excited to look into that! Thank you! So sweet of you to send along that recommendation. I’m thrilled you have used a lot of my decorating ideas! Your comment seriously made my day! :) Wish I could make you a big batch of banana bread muffins to say thanks but it sounds like you’ve got that covered. ;) xo
I’m right there with you Erin. I hate cooking. I have a personal chef which makes it so easy. ( Marty) ;). I seriously don’t mind the cleaning at all. The weather has been so nice that he grills outside and clean up is so easy. Win win!!! Learning how to eat healthier is such a great idea. Can’t wait to hear what she suggest. We had so much fun there. We are coming back this summer. We are looking at a condo on the beach to have when we come down there. Hopefully, it all works out. xo
Oh isn’t it the best when your husband cooks!? Marty is my new hero! Kenny cooked a lot over our recent vacation and I loved it so much! He would more if he just had the time. He usually works too late but cooks a lot on the weekends. I wish he could retire and just cook for all of us all day! ha! So happy you enjoyed your time here Cathy! Let me know when you are coming this summer and if we’re in town we can meet for lunch quick! xo
Can you put your 10 recipes in a printable please?
Thanks!
Amy in Wisconsin
K.. that’s a really good idea! If I can find the time I will Amy! (so little time.. so many printables.. ha!) ;)
Hi Erin, love love ur post and ur humor :). Who doesn’t like/love cooking. It just takes so much time to prep, cook and clean :(
I rather be cleaning and/or crafting:) Have a wonderful weekend :)!
I am so with you on that one Kai! We can clean/craft and avoid the cooking together ANY day! ;) Thanks cutie! Enjoy your weekend too. :) xo
Erin, you’ve been holding out on us! You may not enjoy cooking, but you do it anyway to provide for your family….that’s a great thing! I’ve pinned several of these recipes, and they sound and look delicious! I’ve been cooking for almost fifty years, and while my style of cooking now is much different from when I was cooking with children in the home, I still enjoy it….most of the time! I am a self-taught cook. My mom did not have the patience to teach me or even allow me to help her in the kitchen, so my hubby paid the price of a new wife learning to “boil water” and eventually gaining confidence in the kitchen. I always allowed our children to help where they could and wanted to, and now we have a pretty well-known chef in our family….our son! I will admit, cooking for a special occasion or making something special for a friend or neighbor, is much more fun than the everyday fare; but I try to put myself in the right frame of mind that I’m preparing nutritious meals out of love for this man-of-mine, and that makes it all worthwhile.
Keep of the good work, Erin. You have a better handle on this cooking gig than you think!
Hugs,
Carol
You are too kind Carol! Thank you so much! I wish I could give you a hug. Your encouragement and sweet words are so appreciated! And it’s amazing that you taught yourself! Something to be proud of for sure. :) xo
So excited about these recipes! Dinner can be very stressful. Will be using these soon. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so happy they were helpful Janet! xo