5 Delicious Dinners I'm Making This (Busy) Week

Easy and satisfying.

Simply Recipes / Jaden Hair

We’re having some friends from out of town stay with us this week, so I’m looking for crowd pleasers that won’t keep me in the kitchen all day. Whenever I have friends stay over, I want them to feel at home. I’ve stocked my fridge with fresh-cut fruit and vegetables and popped into Trader Joe’s to get some snacks (our guests are Canadian, and one of my favorite things to do is share all my TJ’s picks with them!).

While I love having guests, it can feel stressful to keep a tidy house, full fridge, happy toddler, and plan a jam-packed itinerary of activities from swimming in the lake to baseball games. Hence the need for easy, crowd-pleasing meals (plus ones that my toddler likes, so less chance of a full-blown meltdown!!). 

These are dishes we can easily eat on the patio or at the dining room table over a game of cards and bottle of wine.

Aglio e Olio with Olives

Simply Recipes / Molly Adams

Get Recipe: The 15-Minute Meal I Always Make When I Don't Feel Like Cooking

It’s getting warmer, and the last place I want to be is my kitchen, so I’m looking for quick and delicious dinner ideas that feel special. I love the addition of briny, salty olives, and let’s be honest—it calls for 1/2 cup, but I’m adding a full cup and doubling the garlic. If I’m feeling fancy, I might even throw in some spinach in the last few minutes of cooking to get my daily serving of greens. But I might just let that spinach keep wilting at the back of my fridge… time will tell.

Ground Chicken Tacos

Simply Recipes / Kris Osborne

Get Recipe: I Make These Easy Chicken Tacos Once a Week

While the recipe calls for ground chicken, I’ll be making some with a plant-based ground beef alternative, a pico de gallo with diced mango, guacamole, pinto AND refried beans, and a selection of corn and flour tortillas. My friends can choose their favorite fillings, whether they make them into tacos or into salad, and I get to sit back, relax, and know that they’ve done 90% of tonight’s work—a win-win!

Zucchini con Patate

Simply Recipes / Shilpa Iyer

Get Recipe: The 30-Minute Recipe My Mom Has Made for Over 40 Years

I love that this recipe starts to use some warm-weather produce, like the humble zucchini. I add a can of chickpeas to the dish with the zucchini, and top with a poached egg for added protein. Serve with a hunk of crusty bread (that sauce is delicious!), and top with fresh basil or store-bought pesto. I’ve also been known to throw a splash of white wine into the liquid for added depth.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Simply Recipes / Jaden Hair

Get Recipe: Sweet and Sour Chicken

Recipe developer Jaden Hair says, "The secret is in the chicken marinade, specifically using egg whites and cornstarch, which creates a super-light coating all around the chicken. It won't be a crunchy, deep-fried coating. But we think it's a nice alternative."

The Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Simply Recipes / Alison Bickel

Get Recipe: How to Make a Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Who said grilled cheese is just for kids? If you’ve ever found yourself with odds and ends floating around your refrigerator cheese drawer, it’s your sign to make grilled cheese. I like to use a blend of anything and everything I have on hand (bonus points if I find a little bit of truffle-studded gouda!) on a loaf of sourdough or last Friday’s challah. Pro tip: use a metal spatula or grill press to smoosh (yes, that’s a technical term) your grilled cheese for a cross between a panini and a grilled cheese with extra ooey, gooey melty bits that crisp up in the pan.

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