There’s nothing like spending a whole day stuck inside with your “at-home students” and knowing that these little children who call you “mom” will be expecting to eat at some point. As daunting as feeding a family seems, it can be done simply and nutritiously with just a little bit of preparation and planning. Here’s a week’s worth of easy family-approved dinners to get you through a week of quarantine.
Chicken Enchiladas [Makes 5 Servings]
Submitted by: Sarah Malpeli, mom of two
- 1 pound shredded chicken, cooked and seasoned
- One 2-cup bag of shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- One 16-ounce container of sour cream
- 1 package of 10 flour tortillas
- Salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin and cilantro for seasoning
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line and spray a cake pan. Combine cooked chicken, cheese, sour creamand cream of chicken soup in large bowl and stir until well mixed. Season to taste with spices,salt and pepper.Spoon filling into each tortilla, roll and place seam down in cake pan. Repeat with remainingtortillas. Top with enchilada sauce or any remaining filling. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.Remove and let sit 5 minutes. Serve with chips and salsa.
Zoodles with Sauce and Meatballs [Makes 4 Servings]
Making “zoodles” (aka zucchini noodles) is a fun and nutritious alternative to traditional pasta. You can find a zoodle maker or you can just slice the zucchini very thin, skipping the seed portion. Cristina Merricks, mom of three, recommends trying to spiralize the zucchinis. This is a process where you slice the zucchini very thinly to create noodles.
- 3 medium zucchinis
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
- 1 bag Italian-style frozen meatballs
- Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
Cook meatballs according to package and set aside in a mediumsized pot. Add the jar of sauce and warm on stove on medium heator 5-8 minutes.Spiralize the zucchini and saute with oil over medium heat for afew minutes. Add the cooked zoodles to your meatballs and sauceand stir. Divide into bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Crock Pot Smothered Pork Chops [Makes 4 Servings]
Submitted by: Amy Hogue, mom of two
- 4 bone-in pork chops (or boneless)
- One 1-ounce envelope onion soup mix
- One 14-ounce can lower sodium chicken broth
- One 10.5-ounce can lower sodium cream of chicken soup
- One 1-ounce envelope dry pork gravy mix
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
DIRECTIONS
In a 5-6 quart slow cooker, combine onion soup mix, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup and pork gravy mix. Whisk together until combined. Don’t worry about any lumps; they will go away during cooking.
Season both sides of the pork chops with a little bit of garlic powder. Place pork chops into the slow cooker. Do your best to spread them out and cover with the gravy mixture. Cover and cook on low about 6-8 hours. Serve with steamed broccoli.
Cauliflower “Mac and Cheese” [Makes 4 Servings]
- 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1/2 cup Italian panko breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 F. Boil cauliflower for 7-8 minutes, drain and return to cooking pot. Stir in yogurt, mustard, garlic and cheese until well mixed. Add more yogurt to make the sauce creamier if desired. Pour into a baking dish and sprinkle panko on top. Bake uncovered for 5-7 minutes.
Picadillo (Cuban Chili) [Makes 6 Servings]
Submitted by: Stacy Partain, mom of three
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, pressed
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- One 8-ounce can of tomato sauce
- 1 small can of tomato paste
- 1/4 cup dry white wine (the cheaper, the better!)
- 4 tablespoons pimento stuffed green olives, sliced
- 1 small box of dark raisins
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
DIRECTIONS
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion, green pepper and garlic until the onion is translucent. Add the ground beef and brown over medium heat. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue cooking until meat is tender and completely cooked through, about 25 minutes. Serve over white rice.
Brinner (Breakfast for Dinner)
Probably one of the most used easy family-approved dinners!. This idea is nothing new, but sometimes we need someone to sign our parent permission slip to mix things up and make life easier for a change. So you have my permission to cast aside any dinner notions and serve up a hearty breakfast instead. Scramble up some eggs, make pancakes and for the love of Pete, make BACON!! Whatever your children love in the morning is sure to be a winner at dinnertime. Add in some yogurt and cut up fruit and call it a night!
Turkey Avocado Burgers [Makes 4-6 Servings]
- 1 pound ground turkey breast
- 3/4 cup Italian panko breadcrumbs
- 1 ripe avocado, cubed
- 1 egg
- Cheese slices
- 1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- Hamburger buns
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine turkey, panko, avocado, egg, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, mustard and ketchup. Stir until well mixed.
Create patties and cook on a George Foreman Grill, searing for 5-7 minutes. Turkey is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165 F. Add cheese slices and serve the burgers on buns.
Add some microwaved frozen organic broccoli on the side and dinner is served!
Use these easy family-approved dinners this week to easy your mind and make your life a little bit easier. And these best part? These recipes make plenty to have leftovers for lunch the next day!
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