Dinners in under 30 minutes

  Dinners the last week have been almost entirely those that I can put together in under 30 minutes. I got a bit more creative over the weekend but also went off the menu plans for October.

The days here seem to run into each other and I have a hard time distinguishing one from another. I know that last week I made Pumpkin Sausage Penne for dinner one night, went off the menu plan and made chicken picata with white & wild rice and green beans another night, had salad from Wendy's on a third night and took my oldest son out to eat at an oldie but a goodie (his pick) Hometown Buffet on Thursday. Friday was football/band and Booster Dogs. It was Senior Band Night and my GF and I got to escort my youngest son across the field. A very nice evening although I got a bit teary-eyed at my baby being a senior.
Over the weekend the weather here was horrible, highs in the upper 40s and rain. Ugh. But Saturday was the perfect day for a bowl of chili. GF agreed and we had chili with his favorite side, Ritz crackers and sliced apples. Mini pies, apple for him and pumpkin for me rounded out the meal.

Sunday I made one of my favorite simple suppers, an all in one chicken/potato/green bean dish I've shared here previously that I found on Pinterest. I also baked a loaf of homemade bread on Sunday that I brough home with me.

Monday was a long day at work, when I got home though I again went off the menu plans. A discussion about CSAs with a co-worker that led to talk about squash then led me to the package of butternut squash ravioli still in the freezer from months ago. It looked ok so I pulled it and a 2 pack of pork chops out, broiled the chops with some applewood seasoning blend, made the ravioli and dressed it with a sage butter and added steamed broccoli and that was dinner. The leftover ravioli was my lunch yesterday. Last night I made yet another quick meal. I was home alone but decided to cook instead of just sitting down with a bowl of cold cereal which was my inclination. I put together a pot of homemade marinara sauce, cooked up some Barilla Plus spaghetti and added a simple green salad. After having been outside for almost two hours on playground duty with aftercare it was nice to have a hot supper.
Tonight I will go directly to the high school for an indoor band concert following work. I expect dinner to be grilled cheese sandwiches using cheese slices in the refrigerator and my homemade bread with a salad on the side.