Week of Weeknight Meals: October 2023

Only two days remain in October so I’m clearly squeaking in today’s Week of Weeknight Meals blog post in at the last second. I didn’t want to miss recapping what one week of weeknight meals looked like in our house this month and I picked a good one to recap because we had some really delicious eats on the menu last week.

As always, pictures in this post are snapped in real-time and no fancy food photos are allowed. Last week’s meals included leftovers, freezer food shortcuts, a new-to-us simple baked chicken dish and a long-time favorite chimichurri recipe. I hope something below pops out at you the next time you’re on the lookout for dinner inspiration!

Week of Weeknight Meals: October 2023

• Monday: Leftover Instant Pot Butternut Squash Beef Stew

On Sunday, I made a big batch of Instant Pot Butternut Squash Beef Stew and the leftovers made the perfect reheat-and-eat dinner on Monday night. I love the way soups, stews and chilis often taste even better as leftovers! This stew recipe is our family’s favorite because it’s packed with vegetables and gets its velvety broth from butternut squash — but you’d never know it! We topped our stew with fresh parsley and served it with a side of toasted sourdough bread. My sister left a loaf of her homemade sourdough behind in our freezer and it’s been such a treat to take out a few slices to toast when we’re in the mood for sourdough.

FYI for anyone who might be more visual, I recently made a Reel featuring this recipe on Instagram if you’d like to check it out!

• Tuesday: 30 Minute Baked Chicken Thighs (via Family Style Food) with Arugula and Baked Sweet Potatoes

This recipe was sent my way by one of you when I said I was in the mood to try a new recipe last week. It immediately caught my eye when I realized we already had almost all of the ingredients on hand in our fridge and pantry. (The only change I made to the recipe was swapping out shallots in favor of a large sweet onion.) To be honest, when I tried the marinade before pouring it over the chicken and onions I wasn’t sure it was going to be that good but after the flavors combined in the oven, it was such a wonderful meal! We loved it and will absolutely make it again. I’m all about easy weeknight meals and this one certainly fits the bill! We ate the chicken on top of a bed of arugula for some greens and served it with a side of baked sweet potatoes.

• Wednesday: Thai-Style Coconut Chicken with Curried Brown Rice

Wednesday’s meal was a combination of pre-made items from our fridge and freezer. I combined a package of Kevin’s Thai-Style Coconut Chicken (I order it through Thrive Market) with Daily Harvest Curried Brown Rice and Green Chickpeas. I added a bunch of frozen edamame to the skillet after combining everything for additional texture and flavor and we loved this easy meal.

• Thursday: Chickpea Pasta with Easy Marinara Meat Sauce

Thursday’s meal is one I always have in the back of my mind as a quick dinner option for busy weeknights because it comes together in a flash. I try to keep ground beef or turkey on hand in the freezer so I can thaw it out and then combine it with jarred marinara sauce to serve over pasta of some sort. On Thursday this looked like chickpea pasta and organic marinara (both from Thrive Market), topped with fresh parsley.

• Sunday: Chimichurri Chicken with Baked Sweet Potatoes and Arugula Salad

Confession: I forgot to snap a picture of Friday night’s dinner. My parents were in town (they stopped by en route to a couples’ vacation in the mountains) and I got distracted at dinnertime. I forgot to take a picture of the chimichurri skirt steak, rosemary potatoes, asparagus and fresh bread we ate together but remembered to document our dinner on Sunday night so let’s chat about that one instead!

On Sunday evening, we had rotisserie chicken topped with the leftover homemade chimichurri I made for Friday night’s dinner and paired with baked sweet potatoes topped with butter. We had a simple arugula salad on the side to round out our meal.

Question of the Day

Any delicious dinner recipes to share? I’d love to try a new soup, stew or chili recipe if you have one you’d recommend!