Last Week's Meals & Dinner Ideas

This new series that I started last week has actually gotten me to meal plan! I mentioned this in last week's post, but I have never been a meal planner. I prefer to make whatever I'm feeling around the 5 o'clock hour, so I tend to keep a full pantry, fridge, and freezer. The only problem with cooking that way is that now it's a little bit trickier to run out to the store to grab one or two last-minute things since Ryan does not yet share my love for quick errands and frequent grocery visits. ;)

I really don't intend for these posts to be all of my own recipes (which are often variations of other recipes I've found), but I do like to refer to the recipes tab on this blog to help me with dinner ideas when I'm in a rut (which is actually the whole reason why I started blogging recipes in the first place!), so if it seems like I'm linking back to this blog a lot, that's why.

Last week, I asked y'all to share any of your favorite meals with me, and Tiffany shared Pioneer Women's Lasagna Recipe that looks uh-mazing. I will definitely be trying it out over the holidays!

Here's a look at what we ate last week!

Spaghetti

Let's be honest, you just can't go wrong with spaghetti. Monday night, I made a variation of this marinara sauce and used a pound of ground beef to thicken up the sauce. 

I've also shared one of my other favorite spaghetti dinners using Publix pre-made meatballs that are so easy to cook and really tasty. You can check that out here.

Sausage Cream Cheese Braid

Tuesday night, we went with breakfast for dinner and had this yummy sausage braid. Mmm, it is so good and SO easy! We make this sausage braid every single time we have a girls weekend. And it's one of Matt's favorites too! If you haven't already, you definitely need to try it. I like to use maple sausage, but it's also great with hot sausage, or a combination of maple and hot for a sweet and spicy kick.

Wednesday, we ate Tuna Noodle Casserole. We've been making this meal in my family for as long as I can remember. It is so quick and easy and oh so tasty!

Thursday, I made one of Matt's favorite chicken dishes- Vidalia Onion Chicken Bake. This recipe has three ingredients and takes no time to make. Oh how I love a quick and easy weeknight meal.

Friday, we got Chicken Pad Thai take out from a Thai restaurant that is right up the street from our house. Rarely can Matt and I share a meal (my hubby is super fit but has an amazing capacity for food), but the portions at this restaurant are so big that the two of us can share one order of Pad Thai and call it a meal for $15.12. That's a good deal in my book. Some nights, you just gotta get take-out, ya know?!

This time of year, I love soups and I love the crock pot. So Saturday night, we ate my taco soup while watching football and catching up on Scandal. We have the winter finale left to watch tonight- gah that show is SO good!

Sunday night, I made Mix & Match Mama's Crunchy BBQ Brisket Tacos. Prior to trying out this recipe, I had never cooked brisket before. And since trying this recipe the first time, I have made it three other times. It is SO good! 

I use soft tacos instead of hard, chicken broth instead of water, and add these crispy onions that my friend Andrea told me about on top.

The best place I've found for buying brisket is surprisingly Publix. They sell it for $7.99/lb. Trader Joe's was $9.99/lb and Costco was $8.99/lb. But wherever you buy your brisket, you must give these tacos a try. They are the bomb. 

I'm not entirely sure how this week's meals will shake out with the Thanksgiving Holiday and family in town, but I'm going to try to fit in my sister's unbelievable BBQ Apple & Bacon Chicken dish that I told you about last week. I'm still thinking about that meal- it was so good!

I know it's a Monday, but it's a short week, so yay for that.