Week of Weeknight Dinners – February 2023

 

Hi, friends! It’s been a hot second since I’ve done a weeknight dinner post.  I actually haven’t done any since I’ve been pregnant, haha. That’s because it’s mostly survival mode over here.  The only weeks I feel like I have it together are the weeks I order Hungryroot, and I don’t want every single one of these posts to seem like an ad for Hungryroot, even if I do love them, haha. 

I mean, I’m definitely serving more real meals than I did in my last pregnancy.  KJ ate so much peanut butter and jelly and chicken nuggets that, to this day, he won’t eat either food anymore.  Still, there are many nights the kids eat quesadillas, cheese toast, eggs, chicken nuggets, or whatever I can scrounge up because I’m too exhausted to figure something out.  My new meal-planning strategies have definitely helped, but regardless some nights, Mr. Hungry gets off too late, and I’m too pregnant and tired.  I’m not worried about it, though. I know that this is the stage of life we’re in, and I’m trying to ebb and flow with it.  

That being said, this week had some interesting eats, so let’s jump in!  

Slow Cooker Huli Huli Chicken 

As last week’s Friday Favorites mentioned, I’m trying to lean into slow cooker recipes.  As my oldest gets older, he is now in activities that occur around or just before dinner time.  I know that will only increase as time goes on, so I’ve really been trying to lean into getting some slow cooker recipes that we like.  The problem is I’m kind of picky about slow cooker recipes. I don’t like soggy food (like roast, carrots, and potatoes, yuck!) This recipe may have turned my feeling around, though!

It came from America’s Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution, and I loved that it was finished in the oven for that delicious sticky glaze to really bring this meal to life!  I paired it with caramelized pineapple and a mix of cauliflower and white rice.  I made the pineapple and rice earlier on in the day, so when we got home that night, all I had to do was finish the chicken and pull stuff out of the fridge!  Sorry, the lighting is terrible in these photos, but that’s a real weeknight, life people!  My perfectly lit food blogger food photos happen at 3 pm or earlier.  

The kids really liked the chicken, but they did not like the pineapple or rice.  

Instagram – Sushi Bake

I really loved this meal, but it got a thumbs down from the rest of the family.  Sad because I really liked it!  My friend sent me the recipe off Instagram; here is the link! Luckily, I made enough air fryer salmon to go in this bake and give the kids.  So the kids had air fryer salmon, leftover cooked broccoli, and rice.  They ate the salmon only.  

Broccoli Cheddar Soup FAIL

So, I was super excited to make this soup since the Potato Cheddar soup I made using the Frontier soup packet was so good, but this was a fail.  I don’t know if I did something wrong, but it didn’t taste good, look good, or smell good.  It was VERY bizarre.  Mr. Hungry ate some and threw the rest away. The kids ate leftover salmon and never touched their soup.  I had leftover salmon sushi bake for dinner.  It happens, even to food bloggers. Sometimes recipes don’t work.  I wouldn’t expect that from a packet, but it happens! I was almost going to scrap this week of recording because of this instance, but then I figured I wouldn’t.  In case you ever have a kitchen fail when you least expect it you can know that it happens to everyone!

Oat Flour Pizza Crust Pizza 

Today and yesterday’s dinner is this delicious Oat Flour Pizza I plan to post next week!  I was super glad to have a win after that gross soup failure.  PS Neither of my kids like pizza, so they ate pepperoni, string cheese, and fruit.  I mean, the components of the pizza are somewhat there, haha.  

There you have it! There is a week of weeknight dinners for February!  

Previous Weeknight Dinner Posts:  

• A Week of Dinners – July 2022
• A Week of Dinners – October 2021 (Dairy-Free)
• A Week of Dinners – September 2021 (Dairy-Free)