Suppertime

You know some nights you just need to get something to eat on the table. I had four children at home and we also had baseball, dance, cheerleading, well you get the picture. Now that is just my hubby and I we still need to just get something to eat on the table. We have been trying Hello Fresh for 5 weeks. It has really been fantastic.

When my last daughter was home we used another one of these delivery programs. The one she chose was just as wonderful. After she got married we decided to do one again and just chose a different brand. I bet they are all very good so I am not really making a recommendation of any of them. Really that is not my point at all. As a matter of fact I told my husband they have a lot of calories in them. Now for some people that is never a problem. Hubby is 6’3″ and never has had a problem with weight. Me, on the other hand lives with the it. I have had to be concerned all of my life with weight. I am only 5’1. So I decided to do the meal delivery less often, biweekly to be exact.

So last night was one of those nights that I needed to get something together. Now I would not do this every night but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. When all of our 6 ate at home, the eating out or picking up option was not for us. I believe because of that my children prefer to eat at home together around the table. So last night I pulled EVERYTHING out of the freezer. Put it together in 30 minutes and we sat down to enjoy our meal. Yep, 30 minutes. I got home at 6pm and we were eating at 6:30.

This is what I did. I got out four boneless, skinless chicken thighs, a bag of frozen brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes.
1. Drizzle a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a skillet. Let the pain get hot after you put this in there, not before! After it gets hot put your chicken in the pan. Let the chicken get good and seared on both side at high heat. Then reduce the heat and let them simmer till done. Usually will take about 12-15 minutes unless your chicken is particularly thick.
2. Turn your oven on 400. Drizzle a little olive oil in your pan. I used garlic infused olive oil for this, but any will do. Put your brussel sprouts in the pan and put them in the oven while your chicken is simmering.
3. Next is the mashed potatoes. Did you know you can buy frozen mashed potatoes? I didn’t until I had to cook for a bunch of college baseball boys! They are a life saver. Lots of different companies have them. They are worth the extra money to sit down at home and eat a meal together. Heat them up according to your directions on the bag. They are microwaved. So you will have a minute or two of multitasking. When they are finished cooking in the microwave you take them out, mash them up and voila, real potatoes.
4. Last things last, plate it up and serve it.

It can be done. I promise. Sometimes everything doesn’t have to be homemade, but that doesn’t mean you can’t sit down as a family and enjoy a semi-homemade meal.