some things we're eating this week

It's been a while since I've done one of these types of posts, so I thought I'd share some dinner thoughts and ideas for anyone who is in a rut, like I've been.  (I am ALWAYS finding myself back in the proverbial dinner rut.) 

On Monday night I had a dinner to go to at my friend's house, so that day while I was at Costco, I grabbed some easy freezer meals for them to have either on a night when we're all in a hurry, or for lunch.  My homeschooled kids do NOT like plain old sandwiches for lunch.  They always prefer a hot one.  So that afternoon, I made oven roasted potatoes to take to our potluck for that night, and I doubled the recipe to leave some here for the ones who were here (Todd, Drew, Jonah, and Rachel.  Graham and Noah were at a Grizzlies game.).  Here is all you do: dice however many potatoes you want, according to the size of your baking sheet.  Toss the diced potatoes with about three tablespoons of olive oil and half a packet of taco seasoning, and back at 400 degrees for an hour, or until they're all shriveled up and crispy.

I serve these with homemade "ranch" dressing.  According to Ina Garten, here is how you make it: equal parts of mayonnaise and sour cream, salt, pepper, a few dashes of worcestershire sauce, milk, and there you have it.  Drizzle in the milk while you whisk it all together to the desired consistency you prefer.  I usually add in some taco seasoning and on Monday night, I added a few dashes of hot sauce.  They also ate buffalo chicken bites with the potatoes that night.

Also in my freezer for easy meals are chicken tenders from Costco, and frozen meatballs to add to pasta and marinara sauce.  We will use those one night this week, maybe on Superbowl night.

Last night I made hamburgers.  We have an electric griddle, and I love making hamburgers on it.  It gets a little messy, but they always turn out perfectly.  To two pounds of ground beef, I added two packets of French onion soup mix and one egg.  I make thin patties and press my finger almost all the way through the middle of each patty.  That prevents them from puffing up in the middle.  With that, we had chips and French onion dip.  (Those are also delicious as hamburger steak with gravy, mashed potatoes and green beans.)

Tonight is church, so the boys go out afterward.  I like to eat something easy on this night, like oatmeal if I go to church, or if I stay home, I eat leftovers from one night.

I just came across this recipe, and I'm thinking I might make it tonight, though.  It sounds really good to me right now.

This is from Andrea at Momfessionals.  Click here for the whole recipe. 

Tomorrow night we aren't eating at home, and Friday night I will probably cook something easy.

I usually try to make three meals per week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday), and then we eat leftovers the other nights or grab a pizza.  (I don't count Sunday nights, because we always eat at whatever youth function we're at that night.)  Sometimes I make a huge meal on a weekend night when all the boys are at home, because more often than not, we're never all together anymore.  Graham is extremely busy and is in class for two nights a week until April, and that has put a damper on family dinner nights.  I know it's just for a time, but when we're all home at the same time, I like to cook something they all love.  These boys are becoming men and have lives of their own nowadays (well, Graham and Drew, that is). 

Thanks for reading!  Hopefully this'll bring some inspiration to my fellow dinner rut friends.  Love to all.