Dinner: Impossible – the Sunday secret.

Alright friends, let’s get our second session of Dinner: Impossible going here. Feeling behind? You can catch up here. Those of you on board, I hope you are using your 20 minutes wisely and of course, your cute ALFS grocery list and meal planner! So fun.

Now that we’ve got you thinking and practicing the concept of dinner a bit, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Sundays are big for me, in terms of dinner planning. It’s almost always when I take my 20 minutes, hence the C’s picks, and also typically when I do a good chunk of my shopping. Yes, on Sundays I accomplish a lot.

And then I do something else. It’s my little secret. 

I typically plan Sunday dinner to be a dinner that stretches. Meaning, I will get a big pot of bolognese going. Or an awesome transitional chili. Then, we dine on that Sunday evening and as well as another night of the week. It stretches – it lasts – and bam, 2 dinners in one. One night during the crazy week, all I have to do is plop my big red pot on the stove to warm up.

To keep things new and spicy, which is always important in the kitchen, I might grab a fresh loaf of bread, etc, just so that there is a slight twist on the dish the second time around. Leftovers tend to have a certain negative connotation to them but I feel if you’re starting with kickass food and twist it up a little, there isn’t a leftover we won’t eat.

So here you have it, my favorite go-to recipes that will stretch. Original version + a twist for the second night around. I’ll be cooking these for many Sundays to come. Who’s with me?

1.  Jambalya. Serve it with corn muffins the second night around.
2. This crockpot pulled mexican brisket totally rocks. Serve over brown rice one night and in tacos the next.
3. This meatloaf is completely over the top and will fulfill all of your husband’s wishes. Serve on a plate the first night and cold as a sandwich (or warm, fried up with cheese) the next. Is there a better leftover? That answer would be no.
4. Chicken corn chowder. Twist it up the second time around by serving it in a bread bowl. 
5. This lentil soup is so incredibly delicious and so good for you (shhh, don’t tell them!). Serve topped with parmesan and a splash of olive oil one night. The next with thick crusty bread for dipping.
6. B gobbles this beef stew up. Service over warm slice of bread one night and egg noodles the next. Freshly chopped parsley on top. 
7. Chicken parm meatballs work awesome as a Sunday dinner with a fresh salad. On Tuesday they rock as a sandwich – save that sauce! 
8. This is my mom’s (incredible) chicken noodle soup. It works wonders if you have a cold, and there is just something satisfying about having a pot on hand in the fridge to start the week. Cheesy focaccia bread one night along the side, and baked naan the other. 
9. This yellow + green pasta is great severed in a bowl warm topped with fresh parm. The next night serve cold, pasta salad style, along with a rotisserie chicken.
10. This might be my favorite Sunday dish to cook. Having a batch of this red sauce is a killer way to start the week. On Sunday season up some chicken breasts and top with sauce and sliced mozzarella. Bake at 350 for 15-20ish minutes, until cooked through. The next night? Just warm up the sauce and toss with some fresh pasta!

There you have it – my Sunday secret. Try it out this week! Do you have a meal planning secret to share?
C

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Courtney

Courtney is a wife to M and a mom of two boys, L (8) and B (3). Most of her blogging is done frantically during nap time in between laundry, cleaning, and the occasional housewives rerun. Or the brief hour or so that she can stay awake after the boys go down for the night. She loves her sleep. Read more...

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