Week of Weeknight Meals (September 2021)

October is officially in full swing so I figured I’d better pop in today with a recap of one week of weeknights eats from September before we’re onto the next month! I began my Week of Weeknight Meals series as a way to give you guys a glimpse into what we’re eating around here lately. The pictures are snapped on my phone in real-time — no fancy food photography allowed — and show what one full week of weeknight dinners looks like in our house during one week of every month.

As usual, our dinners last week were rather simple. They included a mix of turkey, fish and chicken and crockpot and freezer food dishes. Hopefully something will pop out at you if you’re looking for some dinner ideas for the week ahead!

Week of Weeknight Meals: September 2021

Monday: Turkey Vegetable Meatloaf with Baked Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans

It’s official: This turkey vegetable meatloaf has surpassed all other meatloaf recipes in our house and is our family’s favorite meatloaf. It’s a recipe I make frequently all year but in recent weeks, it has popped up on our weekly menu more often because it is just the ultimate comfort food that’s all the more appealing when it is not 100 degrees outside. We ate our meatloaf with sides of steamed green beans and baked sweet potatoes. This was one of those meals that actually looked the same for our whole family with the exception of the sweet potatoes for the big kids (they opted for carrots instead). Often our big kids eat something similar to our meals in a deconstructed version but I’ve also let go of any guilt surrounding feeding them something different than what we’re eating on nights when our dinners get the side-eye from them. If you’re on the struggle bus with this, I cannot recommend this blog post by my friend Lindsay who is also a registered dietitian: Why My Toddler Doesn’t Always Eat What I Eat

Tuesday: Orange Juice Marinated Chicken Thighs with Brown Rice and Black Beans and Sauteed Zucchini and Onions

Tuesday’s dinner centered around some easy sides and my orange juice marinated chicken thighs. While the chicken thighs baked in the oven, I whipped up some brown rice and black beans and fluffed up the mixture with a pad of butter, fresh parsley and garlic salt. I also somehow forgot how delicious onions and zucchini taste when you simply sauté them in butter with a little garlic and salt. I typically opt to roast zucchini in the oven but this stovetop version served as a reminder to myself to change things up a bit.

Wednesday: Marinated Trout with  Daily Harvest Cremini + Asparagus Pot Pie Harvest Bowl

Wednesday’s dinner was semi-homemade. The homemade part: Marinated trout (I used the same marinade from my Maple Ginger Grilled Salmon) + The not-so-homemade part:  Daily Harvest Cremini + Asparagus Pot Pie Harvest Bowl. I wasn’t in the mood to do any serious veggie prep so I heated up two Daily Harvest bowls for me and Ryan to serve on the side with our trout.  Daily Harvest is worth its weight in gold for moments like this! (Note: My code pbfingers will get you $25 off 9 items, $30 off 14 items, or $40 off 24 items if you’re interested in trying Daily Harvest!) 

Thursday: Instant Pot Beef Stew

Thursday was one of those days when life got a little crazy. Thankfully I made a double batch of beef stew two weeks ago and had half of it leftover in the freezer for such an occasion. (The pic above is actually a recycled pic from when I first made it because I totally forgot to take a picture in real-time but it looked the exact same.) My father-in-law joined us for dinner Thursday night and we all dug into the reheated beef stew and it tasted just as great as I remembered! It’s a veggie-packed beef stew that gets its thickness from butternut squash. This one is on my radar to photograph and type up to share with you guys soon.

Friday: Easy Cheesy Crockpot Chicken Corn Chili

Ryan was out of town Friday through Sunday evening and I knew I’d want something simple I could reheat for lunch or dinner while he was away. I made my Easy Cheesy Crockpot Chicken Corn Chili and it was a great dinner on Friday and wonderful leftovers all weekend long. I added some cherry tomatoes that were on their last leg to the slow cooker before letting everything cook on low all day long. And I can never resist topping this chili with ALL the cilantro!

Questions of the Day

What was the best meal you ate for dinner last week? 

Have you made any more seasonally appropriate recipes now that fall is here? Any pumpkin or apple-based recipes out there I need to try?