This little bundle of meal inspiration has some classics, some family favorites, and a bunch of new foods. We have been looking for more quick foods that don’t take too long to cook. Ours have been very busy with extra activities and lots of general fun, so these meals have been throw-together and quick, to sort of round out the winter! I am very excited for the holidays coming up, so that everyone can have a go at helping to cook.
Perogies and Sausages
This was a sort of Tiktok trending recipe, that I had seen on my timeline. It looked fast and easy, so I decided to make it! This meal basically is all in one pot. We cooked some onion and Polish sausages in a lot of butter, then took them out. We then cooked a bunch of broccoli and cauliflower which was frozen in that same pot. Once that was cooked through, we added in the perogies until they were crispy, then added back all of the other foods, tossed it about in some seasonings, and then served it with fried onions and a herby, garlic dressing. It was quick and didn’t have a lot of clean up either!
Chicken and Gravy over Stuffing
This is a sort of beige dish, that I use to have at my school growing up. I roasted an entire chicken, as normal, to make some gravy. While the chicken was being shredded by Dann, I made the gravy by adding butter and flour into a pot, then adding in the drippings from the chicken and chicken stock. I also baked off some box mix stuffing in the oven. I added the shredded chicken to the gravy, popped in some peas, and served it over stuffing. It’s warm and comforting! Robin remarked that this chicken-gravy would be good in a yorkshire pudding!
Stir Fry
Midweek stir fry is one of the quickest dishes to make! We cut some beef steak up, fried it in a bit of oil, and then fried some broccoli and mange tout to go with it. We added in noodles and cooked them together. We did end up making our own sauce, which was Tamarind soy sauce, corn flour, some garlic and ginger. The sauce wasn’t the best – probably would have gone with teriyaki in the future.
Orange Chicken
Orange chicken is back again – this is a bit of a longer meal, but worth it. I chunk up a bunch of chicken breasts and then dip them into egg and then a flour and corn flour mix. They then get fried and put in the oven at low heat to keep warm. For the rice, I stir fry some rice with eggs, mixed vegetables, a bit of soy, and edamame. While the rice is cooking I create an orange sauce with soy, ginger, orange juice and corn flour which thickens up and once it’s thick I pour it over the chicken. That’s it – everyone loves this.
Tortilla Soup
If you have gone to our blog before, you know we love tacos. Tortilla soup is just a new way to eat tacos, really. This soup is very easy to make and you can have a host of toppings to customise it! We made ours by dicing up two onions, some celery and a few carrots to fry in a bit of oil. Once they were cooked down, we added in some grated garlic. We then added in a few cans of tomatoes and a few cans of drained beans. We added in some water and chicken stock as well. This was a big “measure with your heart” recipe. Once all of the liquid was in there, we put in a bunch of chicken breasts and let it cook for around 30 minutes. This recipe would have done well with a can of green chili! I added in chili powder, oregano, and cumin for seasoning. When the chicken is fully cooked, we pulled out the chicken, shredded it, and then put it back in. This was served with shredded cheese, avocado and tortilla chips. Amelia, Robin and Kai thought it was very funny having soup with tortilla chips.
These all look so good, but the tortilla soup is calling my name! Your family must be so happy at dinner time.
Another great batch of recipes this week. I’ll probably make them all (as I do every time I see your meal inspo posts).
Pierogies and sausage are first on my list, but you better believe I’m making all of these. I seriously want to have dinner at your house. LOL
I love tortilla soup, especially on cold and rainy days. It warms me up, and fills me with delicious flavors of chicken, tomatoes, corn, and spices. Today, I decided to make some for myself, and I followed your recipe. I added some cheese, avocado, and crispy tortilla strips on top, and enjoyed every spoonful. It was the perfect comfort food, and I felt happy and grateful.
Wow! Thank you for all these menus. You saved my life, I know what’s my menu next week.
What a delightful collection of meal ideas! It’s wonderful to hear that you’ve found a balance between classic dishes, family favorites, and new culinary adventures. Quick and easy meals are a lifesaver during busy times, and it’s fantastic that you’re able to enjoy them while still making time for extra activities and fun. Involving everyone in holiday cooking sounds like a great way to create cherished memories in the kitchen together. Here’s to delicious meals and joyful moments shared with loved ones!
Lots of fabulous ideas here! Everything looks so delicious but I’m especially loving that stir fry!
Love these meal ideas, I do love getting meal ideas as it is always a struggle to think of something new to serve up
The stir fry sounds really yummy and filling too. I like the sound of the homemade sauce.
Looks delicious to me. I’m a fan of tortilla soup.
There is great meal inspiration here. I have been wanting to try and make perogies myself for a while and I really do love the taste of Polish sausage, that sounds like a lovely dinner.
So many yummy dishes, we had stir fry this week and I appreciate how easy and quick it is. The chicken and gravy over stuffing sounds yummy x
Looks like a bunch of delicious meal ideas! I love orange chicken and tortilla soup is really good too. Thanks for sharing.
Love this and I love tortilla soup like this! Looks delicious and I am so making a batch today! Looks like lots of yummy meals!