A peek into real life here: what my family actually ate for dinners during the past week. I hope this post gives you some inspiration, something relatable, or is just fun to read.

Image collage of soup, nachos, pasta sauce, and cupcakes, with overlay text reading

One of the most common questions I get from friends and acquaintances is whether the recipes I post on the blog are what we actually eat for dinner. I’m happy to report that they absolutely are; I don’t have any extra time to cook different things! But given the frequency of this question, I figured people might be interested in this little glimpse behind the scenes.

Background & Daily Routine

I live with my husband and our two little-ish kids, 8 year old Henry and 3 year old Viv. We live just outside of Washington, DC and are very fortunate to have a huge variety of grocery stores and restaurants nearby.

Honestly, breakfast and lunch are pretty boring around here. Weekday breakfasts are a rotation of protein waffles, oatmeal, cereal, hash browns, or scrambled eggs and bacon, always with fruit. Time permitting I will make a quick batch of pancakes or French toast. On the weekends my husband takes over and will often make waffles or Henry’s favorite chocolate chip banana pancakes.

Lunch is also pretty predictable: leftovers, a big salad, or something very simple for the kids if they are home. Quesadillas, mac and cheese, pesto pasta, chicken nuggets, etc.

Although our dinners may be only marginally more exciting, that’s what I’m going to focus on here. 🙂

Our Week in Dinners

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks. We traveled to Oklahoma to attend a memorial service for a close family member, and immediately afterwards Viv got hit hard with an awful stomach bug. She could not keep anything down and was frighteningly tired and lethargic. Right about the time she bounced back, Henry woke up saying, “Mom, I don’t feel good…” and thus began round two. I know everyone can relate, especially this time of year!

With all the disruption from routine, dinners have looked a little different than normal, but we’re doing the best we can, as always! Here’s the past two weeks rolled into one post:

Saturday 1/13: I try out a recipe from another website for tortellini in a light lemon butter sauce. We think it’s just OK, but it’s hard to say whether it’s because the recipe is so-so, or because we’re using a different brand of tortellini that we don’t prefer. Meh. I’ll try it again at some point with a few changes.

On a higher note, I use the afternoon to finish decorating football cupcakes with the kids, and am so happy with how they come out! Tasty and cute!

Platter of football cupcakes served for a tailgate party with chips, salsa, and frosty cold beer.

Sunday 1/14: My husband suggests a little cheese board to enjoy while Henry is at swim practice, and I don’t know why this hasn’t occurred to me before as a solution to this year’s Sunday night dinner dilemma. So simple and tasty, and Viv is a cheese hound, so no complaints whatsoever from her.

Monday 1/15: Pinto bean nachos plus pretzel bites make a great casual dinner to enjoy while we watch the Steelers-Bills game. Sadly it’s clear from the first plays that the Steelers are not looking good tonight. I’m glad at least the food is good — and easy.

Baking sheet filled with pinto bean nachos, served with sour cream, guacamole, and salsa.

I also make a heart-shaped cookie cake and decorate it using the extra frosting from the football cupcakes plus red and white M&Ms and sprinkles. (Trying to get ahead for Valentine’s Day content!). We think it’s delicious and adorable. Post coming soon.

Tuesday 1/16: It’s a snow day! Sledding and snuggling fills the day. I try making pistachio-crusted chicken for dinner and like it – it’s certainly easy and simple! The chicken takes a little longer than expected to bake, but that’s OK. We serve it with rolls a baby spinach salad, because that’s what is left in the fridge.

Wednesday 1/17: I’d planned to make a Crockpot soup, but we still need to do so much laundry and pack and everything else before leaving tomorrow. Chipotle for the adults; homemade quesadillas for the kids. The soup ingredients will keep until Sunday, when we get back.

Thursday/Friday/Saturday: Dinners out with family on our trip.

Sunday 1/21: We limp home through multiple flight delays, simultaneously descending into pestilence with Vivi as patient zero. The only saving grace is that she’s so tired she sleeps in my arms on both flights and through most of an unexpectedly lengthy layover, too. The Crockpot soup is doomed for another day; we get home, order pizza, and utterly collapse.

Monday 1/22: I finally make the long-planned slow cooker white bean Parmesan soup. Viv is sick, Henry is skeptical, but Paul and I both like it a lot, as always. I consider it a win.

Small bowl full of Crockpot white bean soup with Parmesan and pearl couscous, with extra Parmesan grated on top as a garnish.

Tuesday 1/23: I pair these chicken meatballs, but baked, with my favorite homemade marinara sauce, and serve over pasta and with steamed green beans on the side. It works as a pretty quick meal while we tend to the kids.

Skillet full of homemade marinara sauce with fresh basil and raw shrimp in the background waiting to be added.

Wednesday 1/24: VIvi rounds the corner, finally getting some energy back, but Henry goes down hard. We make steaks, baked sweet potatoes, and a kale salad for dinner. This is one of the reasons I love subscribing to ButcherBox — on a night like tonight, when I really don’t have a plan or want to cook a “dish,” I can shop the freezer. I get one box delivered every two months, and that’s about how often we make steaks, so it works perfectly. (If you have any questions about how we use ButcherBox, leave a comment below and I’ll let you know!)

I’m glad to have a real dinner for myself and my husband, even if the kids are wobbly-stomached. This said, Vivi eats a good amount of sweet potato, plus some fruit, which confirms to me that her recovery is coming along.

Thursday 1/25: I make an old favorite, pesto cavatappi, hoping that Henry will be able to eat some. He does not and I don’t blame him — he still has a fever and is mainly just lying on the couch. On the bright side, Vivi loves it and eats a lot of the pesto pasta plus tomatoes.

Bowls of Noodles & Company copycat Pesto Cavatappi.

And that’s a wrap on our week(s) in family meals!

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