The recipes that I cook on rotation
Looking for inspiration for easy weeknight meals? Then you're in the right place!
The Weekly Yap is a bi-weekly newsletter where I dive into a more ‘focused’ topic that can range from clothing consumption to favorite local Chicago bookstores!
It’s the first full week of the year! Schools are back in session. Folks are going back to the office (not me, still funemployed). And most of us are crashing from the sugar high of holiday cookies. You might be left with the ever fun dilemma of: what do I cook for dinner?
If this is you, don’t worry, I’m coming at you with a post chockfull of twenty-six easy, weekday recipes. Grab your favorite bevvy, settle in and let’s get into this Wednesday’s Weekly Yap!
Now, before we get into it, I think it’s best you know that I enjoy cooking but I’m no chef. I love a good recipe, and rarely whip something up with the various contents of my pantry/fridge. I might make ‘alterations’ to said recipe or possibly buy a dressing or a sauce instead of making my own, because we work smarter, not harder in this household. I’m all about doing what you need to do to make cooking at home something that you, maybe don’t love, but still gets you to do more than heat up chicken nuggets (also, no shame, but you get what I mean!)
I’m splitting this post into a few categories and now that I’m typing this, quite excited to have some of my favorite recipes to reference in the future!
Soups
Sunday chili this recipe has bacon in it, so nuff said. We like to top it with some extra cheese and fritos for an added crunch.
Crockpot tomato soup is one of those recipes that I’ve been making for ages. No need to finely chop the onions or garlic since everything will be blended later.
Creamy bean soup with sausage is protein packed and makes a ton of leftovers for the week!
Lasagna soup for when you don’t feel like making lasagna but still kind of want lasagna.
Creamy tortellini soup is arguably my hubby’s favorite soup we have on rotation. But the next one is a close contender…
Marry me chicken soup we’ve got a rotisserie chicken to speed this recipe up, and oh my god. It is mouthwateringly good.
Lemon chicken orzo soup is a newer to us recipe that is basically chicken noodle soup with lemon. It hits.
Meat and Fish based dishes
BBQ salmon bowls with mango and avocado salsa this is easily my favorite meal out of this entire list. The smokiness of the rub from the salmon combined with the citrusy tang of the salsa is next level, like lick the bowl clean good.
Sheet pan chili crisp salmon I don’t like snap peas so we make this one with broccolini instead. Another great salmon option.
One-pan lemon pepper salmon with leeks. I made this for the first time last week and loved it! I am so into the yogurt base instead of grains for an added bit of protein and to mix it up a bit.
Ginger chicken meatball sandos I like a brioche bun for this one and think this could be a great salad or bowl if you don’t want a sandwich!
Sheet pan lemon rosemary chicken. Mmmm this one is so delish and great for a Sunday night.
Chicken pot pie. Pro tip: don’t boil the chicken, instead sauté it until done and brown. Also only use about 1/2 cup of water for a thicker gravy.
Ham and swiss sliders this recipe is like stupid easy and fast.
Salads and bowls
Avocado kale salad with sweet potato fries. Let’s face it the sweet potato fries are the star of the show here, but I do love a simple salad that you could easily add some frozen Costco chicken nuggets to :)
Winter pear salad. I tend to ‘riff’ off of this recipe a lot. I buy mixed greens instead of kale. I’ll switch out the pear for apples, add pomegranates and TJs green goddess dressing.
Crispy rice salad with cucumbers and herbs technically more of a ‘bowl’ than a salad but it's warm, and full of flavor and you could add so many different veggies to this one.
Sweet potato farro salad with kale my current hyper recipe fixation. I’ve never made the dressing on this one, bc I am lazy, but instead I use what we have on hand and it’s great! I love adding pomegranates here, too.
Chickpea Mediterranean couscous. This is a recipe card I’ve kept from Hello Fresh. Essentially: roast up some chickpeas, tomatoes and zucchini, cook up some couscous and then toss it altogether with feta and lots of lemon!
Halloumi bowls. Another Hello Fresh recipe I’ve saved and make all the time. Fry halloumi, cook rice, and then make a tomato, cucumber, shallot salad with lemon and olive oil. Then I drizzle all of it with a garlicky sour cream sauce and top with pistachios.
Tacos and Pasta
Crispy black bean tacos super simple and quick for a weeknight. Head to TJs, grab a fun looking salsa or guac and call it a day!
White girl tacos (this is what I call it). Basically grab some ground beef, a taco seasoning packet, tortillas and toppings of your choosing. Follow the directions on the taco packet and that’s it!
Crispy baked tacos this isn’t the exact recipe I use, but serves the same purpose.
30 minute pasta carbonara. I truly never knew how easy it was to make carbonara until I discovered this recipe.
Pasta alla vodka. My hubby and I don’t drink so I always get a kick out of pulling the singular bottle of vodka we own out of the freezer for this recipe. I like to add some hot Italian sausage and a veg.
Peach pasta salad. I know, I know peaches aren’t in season rn. But, do yourself a favor, and bookmark this one for the summer.
And there you have it! Twenty-six easy, quick, and yours truly approved recipes for the next time you aren’t sure what to cook for dinner and/or lunch! I had a lot of fun putting together this post, and selfishly this is going to make finding my recipes a lot quicker in the future :)
Do you have go-to recipes you rotate on the regular? I’d love to hear them or even some of your favorite go-to content creators to follow for recipe inspo!
Until next time,
MacKenzie X
Ohhhh these sound so good! Thank you for the meal inspiration!
Thanks for the recipe inspo!