Fun Summer Recipes
Do you ever get in a dinner rut? Find yourself making the same thing over and over again?
Well, I'll share a few of my favorite recipes that may shake things up for you this summer!
Gathering around the table...
My husband and I hold a pretty high priority for getting the whole family around the table. It takes a lot of work to make that happen--even only 4 or so times a week!
I know many of you would like MORE time around the family dinner table, but it seems difficult to think of WHAT you can prepare with a busy schedule, what everyone in your family will eat, and feels different than the same-ol' standbys that you always serve.
Here are some of my family's favorite dinners!
**Caveat--I've never written recipes before! LOL!! Please reply with any questions!!**
One roasting pan (read:: cookie sheet) = Dinner!
One of my favorite, go-to meals for any time of year is sheet-pan veggies and sausage. Why do I love it? It takes minimal time in the kitchen, makes few dirty dishes, and I can mix and match what I have in my fridge and pantry to throw it together last minute.
Essential Ingredients:
Fresh Veggies
Olive Oil
Favorite Spices/Seasonings
Meat
Large Cookie Sheet
Steps:
Preheat oven to 425
Cut/prepare veggie to approx 1-inch pieces.
Put veggies in a large bowl. Drizzle with 1-2 TB olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp onion powder. Stir to coat veggies evenly with oil and spices.
Lay the veggies evenly on the sheet pan. (No grease or parchment paper necessary.)
Cut meat into 1-inch pieces and place in the same bowl. (No need to dirty another dish! And all the veggies are already on the pan.) drizzle with olive oil and spices, just like the veggies.
Place the meat chunks evenly on the sheet pan, nestled among the veggies.
Bake for 20 min, stir, and check the meat for done-ness. The veggies should be nicely browned on the bottom and the meat should still be juicy, but cooked all the way through.
Some of my favorite variations:
Zucchini, mushrooms, red potatoes, asparagus, and chicken-apple sausage.
Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and chicken breast.
Sweet potatoes, red bell peppers, green beans, and beef cubes.
Easy, Kid-Friendly Additions:
Ketchup (That solves a lot of problems, right??!!)
Macaroni & Cheese
Rolls
Fruit Salad
Crock Pot = Dinner is Ready After a Busy Day!
During summer, the chance of having a busy day and everyone coming home hungry is pretty high! On those days, crock pot tacos are an easy, low prep meal.
For my family of 5, I put about 2 lbs of our favorite meat in the crock pot (in this case, we love a pork or beef roast), top with favorite spices and seasonings, and set on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours.
This recipe for Crockpot Carnitas is delicious, but seriously, if you want to be quick with little to no work, Cavender's Seasoning goes great on just about any piece of meat and you don't NEED to do anything else!
When you get home, shred the meat, and set out the taco ingredients....
I like to make a taco salad and the rest of the family loves soft tortilla shells.
Other favorite ingredients in our house:
fresh avocado
tomatoes
lettuce
green and/or red salsa
olives
sliced jalapenos
cheese
sour cream
black beans
Dinner = DONE!
When this one goes on the menu, the whole family cheers!! ??
A couple of time-altering changes that I've made to this recipe:
I don't marinate the chicken. I can never remember to do this the day before.
I use my nutri-bullet for processing the liquid (never a food processor--too much mess!!!)
When I don't have time in the morning to stick this in the crock pot, I just roast it in the oven. (I actually like it better this way!)
Happy summer cooking everyone! Please send me your favorite summer recipes! I'll make a thread on my Facebook page for everyone to follow and get ideas.?