Summertime means lots of family time and outdoor time for us. And one of the best ways to maximize these precious hours making memories in the golden sun has been by fixing up easy, quick, and delicious meals that the whole family loves. I thought it would be nice to share a little about what we’ve been cooking plus a simple recipe you can try and experiment with for yourself this summer!
We have been cooking from Cook Once, Eat All Week lately and it has been wonderful, an absolute game-changer for meal prepping, especially for the whole family. You may have already caught the podcast I did with the author, Cassy Joy Garcia, but I can still say with confidence that I love this cookbook and all the tips and tricks it has given me, making mom life that much easier. Plus, I’ve been trying to prep more breakfasts, lunches and snacks that aren’t in the book to make the week go smoother.
With this method, we do almost all the meal prep and some batch cooking in one day (yes, exactly like the title says!). We have been focusing on getting food prepped and veggies chopped on Saturday or Sunday so that we are ready for our week ahead. Prepping ahead of time like this helps so much because we all know that waiting until dinnertime to prep your meal is a recipe for stress (pun intended!).
I love food, but I don’t love spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Of course, I want our meals to be healthy and wholesome, but (especially in the summertime) we like quick meals that the whole family will eat.
Skillet Meal
One of our favorites to make is what I call a skillet meal. There’s no formal recipe; it’s kind of a mix and match, throw together type of meal. You can use what you already have, which is great because you get a different meal every time and you can experiment with a variety of flavors to see what you like best! It is full of veggies, protein, and add your own flavors and toppings!
There are just a few main components to follow:
Protein Base: I recommend ground beef, turkey, chicken, or chicken/turkey sausage. The chicken sausage is our favorite protein.
Veggies: What veggies do you want to be in the meal? I honestly tend to use what I already have, which is often a combo of fresh and frozen. Common veggies for us are onions, peppers, cabbage, celery, kale, frozen cauliflower rice, and frozen green beans. You can use any variations and variety. The more veggies the better!
Spices: Salt and pepper are an absolute must. From there you can customize based on what flavor profile you want to achieve. You can spice it up with taco seasoning or you could go with liquid aminos (or gluten free tamari soy sauce) and fresh ginger. Or you could use the natural flavors of the sausage to bring the dish to life. The choice is yours and the options are endless!
Basic Recipe
*can vary depending on ingredients used and desired taste!
Stir consistently throughout for even taste and temperature.
- Cook your meat in a large skillet. You will need the skillet to be the biggest in your kitchen because you are going to be filling it with lots of veggies, and they will cook down.
- Once meat is done, add veggies that take a longer time to cook.
- After a few minutes, add in the veggies that are quicker to cook. Let the veggies cook until tender. (Sometimes I put the cover on the pan to let them cook down quicker.)
- Top off with spices and stir everything together. (You can also opt to add spices first when you are cooking the meat.)
- Serve warm and enjoy!
We love this recipe because it is so simple and the results are always delicious. Let me know if you give it a try; I’d love to hear how yours turn out and if you come up with any fun variations!
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