Wednesday, January 24, 2024

dinner inspiration, January 2024

 


Happy Wednesday, friends! I am always up for some dinner inspiration, and I wonder if you would feel the same this week? Here's a compilation of things that we've eaten in the last few weeks. I hope this inspires you! 





On New Year's day, I made a pot of white chicken chili and cornbread. It was delicious! I used some chicken that was leftover that I shredded, and to that I added a couple of cans of corn, some green chilis, and pinto beans with chicken stock and a mixture of milk and cream. I think I used cumin powder as well, but it was amazing! I loosely followed a recipe that I saw on Pinterest, and changed it up according to what I had in my pantry. The recipe called for cannelloni beans, for instance, but I had pinto beans on hand. 


For my mom's cornbread recipe, I use two cups of white cornmeal mix, two tablespoons of flour, some salt and pepper, one egg, and milk (I keep slowly pouring until it's the consistency of thick pancake batter). To my skillet, I added a tablespoon of olive oil and heated it in the oven at 450 until it was bubbling; when I pour the cornbread mixture into it, it sizzles, which is what gives it that crispy crust. I baked it until it was golden brown. 




One night recently, we had smoked sausage cooked in the air fryer, tortilla chips, cheese cubes, and shrimp cocktail that we bought from Costco. I love to buy that from Costco; it's delicious and something we both love either on its own or with something like this. 




On another night we had these bratwursts that I cooked according to the package instructions, spinach squares, and bell pepper and onions tossed with low sodium soy sauce and cooked in the air fryer. The spinach squares are another recipe that I found on Pinterest and loosely followed. Todd loved this night of dinner and had it two nights in a row, he enjoyed it so much. 




Last week I made this chicken tortilla soup, and another night I made taco soup. Click the link for the tortilla soup recipe, but for the thousandth time, I'll share this taco soup recipe again, because it's a huge crowd pleaser. I've modified it over the years to make it a bit healthier, and here's what I do.


I either brown a pound of ground beef, or I use leftover taco meat. To the cooked meat, I add a packet of taco seasoning, a packet of ranch dressing seasoning, and one container of the lower sodium beef broth. I let that come to a simmer, then I add a can of corn, a can of black beans, two cans of kidney beans, and a can of Rotel tomatoes. I let it simmer for 30 minutes, then we eat it with tortilla chips. It's so good, and the longer it sits, the better it tastes. I also like to drain and rinse all the beans, and adding in one extra can of Rotel tomatoes kicks up the spice and makes it even better. I usually add in a tablespoon of cottage cheese to mine as I put it in a bowl, for some added protein and creaminess. 



And lastly, this is what we had for dinner last night, which is a new favorite. I add six chicken breasts to my crockpot, two packets of ranch dressing seasoning, and two packs of the less fat cream cheese. I let it cook on high all day long, then I either shred it or break it into big chunks, but at the end, we sprinkle bacon bits on top, and it is to die for! It's great with either roasted potatoes or rice, and last night we added green beans. Todd loves this meal and it's great as leftovers. I don't have an actual name for this, but I think it's something like King Ranch chicken or something similar. 


What are you eating for dinner this week? I'd love to hear about it and be inspired for next week! Thanks for reading my blog, friends. Love to all! 

15 comments:

  1. Your meals all look good. Like you, I am always looking for inspiration. I made a pot roast in the crock pot on Monday. We hadn´t had one in a while; it was delicious. Tonight, I´m making chicken pot pie- not light fare but delicious and sometimes that is enough! It does have veggies and lean protein but there´s no positive spin on the crust :).

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  2. Everything sounds so yummy! I am definitely in need of some inspiration and have been pulling dinner ideas out of thin air at the last minute in the afternoon and I hate that. I need to get back to my menu/meal planning.

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  3. Great ideas! I can't wait to do corn bread and spoon bread in my fixed up cast iron. Do you know what spoon bread is? You buy it in a package near the corn bread and it's a mix between cornbread and grits. Tom loves it.
    We had burrito bowls with rotisseries chicken last night and homemade tortilla chips. My air fryer stopped working! I am using my oven now and it's been fine and I need to experiment with her convection and different settings.

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  4. Maria, those both sound delicious! A pot roast with the sides is one of my favorite meals. My mom's is my favorite! Her gravy is thick, and I pour it over my cornbread that she always makes to accompany this meal.

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  5. Joanne, I know what you mean! I have done that before and hate that feeling. It's always good to get back to routine again!

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  6. Amy, I've never had spoon bread! I'm sure I'd like it; is it sweet or savory? I prefer my cornbread savory, while most of my friends make theirs with sugar and yellow corn meal mix. That's the reason we use the white mix!

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  7. Wow, that last chicken with ranch cream cheese sounds delicious! It is so nice to have soup/chili during this chilly time of year.

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  8. Ahh my mouth is watering now- ha! Our week consists of the following: Monday= Burrito Bowls- Tuesday = Slow Cooker Orange Chicken with Broccoli and Thai Noodles- Wednesday = One Pot Italian Chicken and Veggie Orzo, Thursday = Breakfast for dinner which will be Eggs, Turkey Bacon, Strawberries and Mini Pancakes and Friday is FRIDAY NIGHT PIZZA NIGHT :)

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  9. Hello! I have missed visiting you! Would you believe I was just thinking about improving my meal planning? I am looking for new ideas. Thank you for sharing these! I tend to get into a routine, which is ok, but eventually, I hear the kids asking about favorite recipes I forgot about! One is frozen haddock topped with mayonnaise, shredded parmesan cheese, and parsley. That's it! Just bake until done. I usually serve it with rice and a vegetable. Have a cozy evening, my friend.

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  10. That chicken in the slow cooker sounds so good and easy. I love anything with cream cheese :). I made some soup this week and tonight is breakfast casserole.

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  11. Tanya, YES! And that chicken is amazing. You should try it sometime!

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  12. Hey there, Billie Jo! I've missed seeing you here in the blog world. I hope you had a fun time away from home! That baked haddock sounds amazing! How funny that you were just thinking about this recently. I hope you try some of them!

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  13. Marilyn, YES! Everything is better with cream cheese. Those meals sound delicious as well!

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  14. Costco's shrimp could always be found on our potluck tables when I was working, such a quick and easy thing to buy and bring.

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