Raising Riley

Finding out what to eat every night of our lives was one of the biggest struggles in adulthood for me until I got into a good routine. Also, I think a large amount of feeling comfortable in the kitchen is just having lots of practice! I didn’t want to put any effort into it in the past, and therefore I wasn’t a good cook. Once I put some energy and focus into it, I found that it’s not as scary as I was making it out to be.

I’m going to share 5 rough recipes below that are in our regular rotation. They don’t have exact measurements because I usually eyeball this based on what my family needs. These can all be cooked in 30 minutes or less, minimal prep needed, and are all relatively affordable! As always, I’m not claiming to be making anything life-changing, but I’m happy that I’ve gotten to the point where I’m making dinners that feel “easy” for me and my family loves.

1.Mediterranean Bowls

If you’ve ever asked me what you should make for dinner, chances are I’ve suggested this to you! This meal feels so fresh and satisfying every single time.

Ingredients:

-2 Chicken breasts (cooked & cut in small chunks. I like to cut the raw chicken before cooking so it cooks faster)

-Diced red onion

-Chopped cucumber 

-Halved grape/cherry tomatoes 

-Kalamata olives (optional)

-Crumbled feta cheese

-Tzatziki sauce/tzatziki Greek yogurt dip (our fave) 

-Rice or quinoa or both (my favorite is the seeds of change garlic brown rice & quinoa bag- 90 seconds cooked in microwave) 

*Season chicken breast and cook on stove until chicken reaches internal temp of 165°. I like to season with olive oil, garlic salt, and lemon pepper

*Cook your choice of rice/quinoa

*Put rice/quinoa on bottom of bowl as base, then add chicken, red onion, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, feta, and tzatziki sauce. Mix together and eat! 

2. Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner

I love this dinner because it’s so versatile! You can use basically any meat and veggies that you want, you just have to be careful of the cooking time. Potatoes almost always take longer to cook than the other veggies and meat so I always throw those in the oven first.

Ingredients:

-Kielbasa sausage (4-5 large sausages)

-Orange sweet potatoes (appx 3-4 large potatoes)

-Mixed bell pepper (3-4)

-Broccoli (appx 3 crowns)

*Peel and chop sweet potatoes. Chop broccoli. Add sweet potato and broccoli to sheet pan covered in foil. Cover in olive oil and desired seasonings. Put in oven at 425° for around 30 minutes or whenever your potatoes are fork-tender.

*For last 10 minutes add in chopped bell pepper

*Cook chopped sausage on stove and add to sheet pan. 

*Toss everything and serve

3. Buffalo Chicken Caesar Wraps (CBW Dupe)

This recipe was inspired by my obsession with Crazy Bowls and Wraps caesar wrap. My husband and I used to eat it all the time, until something changed and it wasn’t the same. We came up with this copycat recipe and it hits the spot every time!

Ingredients:

-Chicken Breast (cooked & chopped)

-Caesar salad kit (minus croutons)

-Burrito size tortillas

-White rice (I usually make 2 cups with plenty leftover)

-Creamy buffalo sauce (equal parts mayo and Frank’s Buffalo sauce)

-Tortilla chips

-Cotija cheese (optional)

*Wrap up white rice, cooked chicken breast chunks, caesar salad, and creamy buffalo sauce in tortilla. Add a sprinkle of cotija on top before wrapping up tortilla for some extra flavor! Eat with tortilla chips on side. I always dip my tortilla chips in the leftover creamy buffalo sauce.

4. Spicy Salmon Bowls

My husband and I love salmon and eat it probably once a week. I find great deals on it at Costco and Aldi. Shockingly, my husband said the salmon I’ve been getting from Aldi has been his favorite that we’ve eaten at home. This is one of our favorite salmon- based meals.

Ingredients:

-Salmon filet

-Shelled cooked edamame

-Diced avocado

-Chopped cucumber

-White/jasmine rice

-Creamy sriracha sauce (equal parts of sriracha & mayo mixed)

*Season salmon with olive oil, garlic salt + lemon pepper seasoning (or your choice of seasoning)

*Cook salmon in oven at 400° until done (I usually just keep an eye on it- probably like 10-15 minutes until it reaches 145° internal temp)

*Put rice as the base of bowl, add cooked shelled edamame, diced avocado, chopped cucumber, and salmon filet to bowl. Top with spicy sriracha and serve! 

5. Breakfast Sandwiches

Breakfast for dinner is always a winner! I’ll list below how I make mine, but the best thing about this is how versatile they are. You can get creative and make it exactly how you prefer.

Ingredients:

-Fresh sourdough bread OR English muffins

-Butter

-Egg, cooked over-medium

-Cooked bacon strips (I like mine crispy and break it in half to fit nicely on sandwich)

-Cheddar cheese slice

-Avocado slices

-Salt and pepper to taste

-Cholula hot sauce

*Bake bacon in oven at 400° until at your preferred level of cooked.

*Toast your sourdough or English muffin then spread butter on both slices

*Cook your egg to over-medium or whatever you prefer. Season with salt and pepper

*Assemble the egg on the sandwich with cheddar slice, avocado, bacon, and hot sauce of choice on top!

If this is all we’re eating for dinner, then we usually each have 2! I don’t have a photo to share for this one, but it’s always thoroughly enjoyed by the whole family.

These are some things that have worked for me as a busy mom who didn’t necessarily have an interest in cooking in previous years. I hope these easy recipes encourage you to experiment in the kitchen and see what works for your family! Thanks for reading, and let me know if you try any!