The blessing and curse of the go-to weeknight meal
When I sit down to plan our meals for the week, I’ll say to fiance, “What are you in the mood for this week?”
And he’ll say something along the lines of “Anything, really.”
So I try again: “Are you craving anything? Something we haven’t had in awhile?”
And he’ll shrug and say everything I make is good, so whatever I come up with is A-OK with him.
Two words: Cop. Out.
For me, the most stressful part of cooking is planning recipes and a subsequent grocery list for the week. I’ve posted tips about how I get through it , but there are some weeks I want to hurl my notepad into the wall and say, “Guess what? Mexican take-out for EVERY MEAL!”
I keep coming back to one dish, and I probably make it every other week: white chicken chili.
I actually used to make this in Pennsylvania, but I would buy the McCormick’s spice packet. It was delicious, but it always felt like cheating. So I was thrilled to stumble on Creamy White Chicken Chili from Eat, Live, Run. I use ground turkey because it’s faster and Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, but it’s such a simple, delicious recipe. I make it from memory now.
I hesitate every time I pencil the chili into our meal plan because I don’t want to fall into that classic working woman trap of seven or eight meals in rotation. I can see how and why it happens, but I enjoy cooking and want to keep pushing myself to experiment.
Do you have a go-to weeknight meal? How often do you have it?
November 18th, 2010 at 5:39 am
That looks great. I’ve never seen a chili like this. My go to meal is canned soup heehee!
November 18th, 2010 at 8:21 am
My go to meal is roasted or stir fried veggies with some sort of beans. Or eggs. Poor Stephen will not go for this once we’re living together, so pretty soon I need to up my game!
November 18th, 2010 at 9:35 am
haha we have that conversation every day I feel like! When in doubt, we have frozen fish or chicken from Sam’s that we’ll grill up with some veggies for a quick go-to meal that requires very little thought and time to prepare. Aka, the only thing the hubby every suggests when I say “I don’t feel like cooking tonight, can you make something?”
November 18th, 2010 at 10:16 am
My go-to meal is actually regular chili! I knew I was going to have a busy week so on Sunday I made a huge batch and just finished up the last of the leftovers last night.
November 18th, 2010 at 10:52 am
My go to weekend meal is baked potato! Mmm…
November 18th, 2010 at 11:23 am
Sean does the same thing! SO frustrating! I wish he would just tell me somethign he wants!
November 18th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
Our go to meal is spaghetti. For the 10 years my husband and I have been together, I swear I have made spaghetti at least once every 2 weeks (if not every week)!
November 18th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
I wondered how well greek yogurt would substitute for the sour cream when I made this. It looks like it turned out great, though.
November 19th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
I just found your blog today and I love it. Our go to meal is chicken tacos. We use soft corn taco shells that are 40 calories each and we load them down with chicken, black beans, hot sauce, onions, green peppers, hot peppers and salsa. No need for sour cream and cheese on these babies. They are soooo good.
November 19th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
I agree! I hate thinking about what I want to eat, but I hate shopping for it even more. I recently tried cooking a bunch of new recipes, but I got so burned out, I ate cereal almost every night for dinner this week…figures.
November 22nd, 2010 at 9:48 am
That sounds like the same conversation I have with the husband/man each week! Grrrr… One of my go-to recipes is a lightened up Shepherd’s Pie that I found in a WW cookbook; I use ground turkey in it. But it’s quick and easy and the husband/man devours it.
November 22nd, 2010 at 9:51 pm
I recently stumbled upon your blog and I really like it! I’m beginning my own weightloss journey and reading about yours (and our similarities) is really interesting. Just wanted to drop a comment because I’ve been lurking around for a few weeks! haha have a good holiday!
November 27th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
Some kind of Mexican dish or homemade pizza are usually on my week rotation since they are easy to make. I also try to cook up some chicken early in the week so I can toss into some pasta, over a salad or make chicken salad. Maybe next time you want chili you can take leftovers and make a chili casserole with cornbread on top?
December 1st, 2010 at 12:16 pm
I don’t really have a go-to weeknight meal. Since I’m feeding one, or two at the most, I cook in the beginning of the week and that is my meal for a couple of days. If I run out earlier than planned then I just rummage my kitchen for random items that suffice. This chili looks good though.