The Meal Plan That Stuck

Category: Meal Spotlight

  • Spotlight: Sheet pan sausages with roasted potatoes and broccoli

    Here is a bit more detail on the sausage sheet pan dinner, how I prepare it, and how I serve to kids vs adults.

    Recipe

    I don’t use a recipe for this dinner, but if you need some inspiration and more concrete steps then I recommend this recipe from Number 2 Pencil as a good starting point.

    How I cook this meal

    I typically cut the potatoes into bite-size pieces, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and any other spices and seasonings I’m feeling that day (smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder are all good options). That goes in a 425º oven for about 20 minutes.

    Once the potatoes are in the oven, I start on the other elements. Chop the broccoli and toss that with olive oil, salt, and pepper. The broccoli will only take 10-15 minutes, so try to add it when the potatoes have that much time left.

    For the sausages, it depends whether you’re cooking raw or fully cooked sausages. For fully cooked sausages, I typically put them in with the broccoli. 10 minutes is plenty of time for them to warm up. Raw sausages need more like 20-25 minutes, so they’ll need to start with the potatoes.

    Do a quick 1:1 mix of honey and dijon mustard as a dipping sauce. YUM!

    The final result

    Kid serving

    Adult serving

    Ratings and reactions

    Husband: 9/10. Loves the sausage. Could do without green vegetables)

    Kids: 9/10. They all demolished their sausages. I made 6 thinking we’d have plenty of leftovers, and it was all eaten. Potatoes were the next to go. Broccoli was sniffed and poked a few times, but otherwise ignored.

    Leftovers: 8/10. We didn’t have any sausages left, but they always make for great leftovers. A few pieces heated up for lunch, or chopped and added to an omelet are easy options. The potatoes are yummy the next day, especially smashed and fried in oil so they get all crispy. Toss broccoli into a salad or just eat it cold.

  • Spotlight: Pasta e fagioli soup

    Here is a bit more detail on pasta e fagioli soup, how I prepare it, and how I serve to kids vs adults.

    Recipe

    Pasta e fagioli (Cookie and Kate)

    How I cook this meal

    • I follow the recipe to the letter. It’s a perfect recipe. No notes!
    • I like to make a can of biscuits or crescent rolls alongside this. First off, they are always flakey and delicious and perfect, and who would not want to eat 1 or 2 of those with dinner? But also I think it makes the whole dinner more accessible for the boys. There is something about soup that scares them away, but biscuits bring them right back.
    • I always throw a few chicken nuggets on the plate with this meal, partly to offer some extra protein (though there are plenty of beans in the soup) and partly to offer one more option. Sometimes they one or the other, and sometimes both. It’s more of an insurance policy than anything else.

    The final result

    Kid serving

    I try to serve a “chunkier” soup to kids, especially my 1 year old. That way, they can see the yummy stuff and it’s more accessible for them to pick out what they want.

    Sometimes I also save elements of the soup, upon request. For example, I am often asked for a whole of plain cannelini beans when I cook this soup, which I am very happy to serve to that child instead of the soup.

    For adults, I serve a bowl of soup with parmesan cheese on top, and a basket of biscuits to share (though they are always stolen by children and we have to quickly defend our servings).

    Ratings and Reactions

    Husband: 7/10. He was upset there weren’t any chicken nuggets on his plate, but very excited about biscuits and always enjoys this soup.

    Kids: 6/10. 1 year old loved the soup, especially the carrots. 3 year old ate beans and chicken nuggets. 7 year old only ate the soup so that he could have another biscuit.

    Leftovers: 10/10. Literally the best leftovers, especially on a cold day when I want something warm and cozy midday. This also freezes and reheats beautifully.

  • Asian beef bowls

    Here is a bit more detail on the asian beef bowls, how I prepare them, and how I serve to kids vs adults.

    Recipe

    Gochujang Beef Bowls (Little Spice Jar)

    How I cook this meal

    • I follow the recipe for the ground beef, though I leave out gochugaru. This is partly because it is a unique ingredient and therefore difficult to find, but also because it would add more spice than we want. I do include the gochujang, which can easily be found in most grocery stores, though I keep it to 1 Tbsp.
    • I make a very simplified version of Little Spice Jar’s cucumber salad. Before I start cooking the beef, I thinly slice 1/2 of a large English cucumber, then add about 1/2 cup of white vinegar, a big pinch of salt, and a couple Tbsp of olive oil in a jar or tupperware. Give it some good shakes and let it sit while you cook rest of the meal. These are a huge hit among my pickle-loving kids!
    • I grate up some carrots to pile on the top, since I left those out of the pickle salad.

    The final result

    Kid serving:

    Adult serving:

    * The recipe suggests topping with the sliced up green parts of a scallion, which clearly I forgot. You can also top with sesame seeds, which doesn’t do much for the flavor but does make it look fancy.

    Ratings and Reactions

    Husband: 10/10. Polished off a second serving of beef without hesitation.

    Kids: 7/10. They all liked different things but everyone found something to fill up on. 1 year old had 2 servings of beef and nothing else. 3 year old ate carrots, pickled cucumbers, and rice. 7 year old ate everything, licked his plate, and came back for thirds of pickled cucumbers.

    Leftovers: 8/10. I had the remaining ground beef and rice for lunch the next day. It was missing the freshness of the veggies, but still tasted good and was filling.