7 Simple Dinners

happy monday and welcome to love, jessica !!

i’m so happy it’s monday because i got out of work this morning and it’s the start of my week off which involves a much needed mini getaway with hubby. we have stressful jobs and an extremely busy life with lots going on and every couple months we need an escape to keep our sanity. to be honest with you, i have no idea where we’re actually going in a couple days but i know we’re not going to be home and that’s all that matters.

as promised, mondays will be filled with some sort of food post and this week i’m sharing our dinners for the last 7 days. meal planning has made such a difference in our eating habits lately.. we’re eating healthier and appropriate portions, saving money, and not wasting a refrigerator full of groceries. win. win. win.

when i meal plan, i always make sure to include one date night out which gives us something to look forward to.. although this week we ate out twice because we met friends for dinner. i also plan out which day i’m cooking particular meals depending on our work schedules and events we have in the evening (for example, less time consuming meals on busy nights). here’s what we ate this past week…

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30 minute korean beef and peppers with sesame rice (recipe by half baked harvest). this has been one of our favorite meals lately.. healthy and cooked in no time!

taco night is my go to when we are limited for time. it takes 10 minutes to cook the meat (either ground turkey or beef mixed with taco seasoning) and assemble everything.date night sushi and the following night i ate chicken parmigiana (my favorite) when we met friends out for dinner (i was so hungry by the time our food came that i forgot to take a picture!) ground turkey meatballs with roasted brussel sprouts and acorn squash – i made the turkey meatballs by mixing ground turkey, 1 egg, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs and tons of spices together and baked at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. then i mixed them with a spicy strawberry jelly we bought at a fair recently and they are so good.. apricot jelly is also a great option with turkey meatballs. crockpot cider braised short ribs (recipe by half baked harvest) with a side of couscous and arugula tossed with lemon juice and salt. the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender. skillet moroccan chicken with tomatoes, peaches & feta (recipe also by half baked harvest … can you tell i love her recipes?) served with jasmine rice. this was yummy but i think i’ll wait until summer to make it again when peaches and tomatoes are more in season! and lastly was halloween night.. since we live in a neighborhood with lots of trick or treaters, ben and i have made it our tradition to sit in the driveway with a bonfire, eat chicken noodle soup and pass out (and eat) candy. this chicken noodle soup recipe is so easy.. i’ll share soon!