As we’re trying to limit our trips to the grocery store and still map out meals for our family, cooking meals that can do double duty can make it a whole lot easier. Meals you eat once then repurpose later in the week as a different meal can be a lot nicer than just putting leftovers on the table. For example, roasted or grilled chicken on Monday may turn into chicken tacos or enchiladas on Thursday. The possibilities are endless, and you can adapt recipes to fit what’s in your kitchen, your family’s taste, or even try something new!
So next time you go to the grocery store, pick up some items that you can repurpose into other meals. To help you get started, I’ll show you how I cook once and use that to get creative with other entreés!
Four Meals that are on My Plate for this Week (Plus a Few Extra Ideas)
I’m starting with meatballs. You can use your favorite recipe or try ours using ground beef, chicken, or turkey. Later in the week, I’ll be making meatball sandwiches. These sandwiches are so easy and delicious too! All you have to do is slice the meatballs in half, place them on a roll, and top with some tomato sauce and shredded parmesan or mozzarella. Pop them in the oven on a sheet pan until the meatballs have warmed through and the cheese is melted and bubbly. You could also turn these meatballs into lasagna, meat pies, shepherd’s pie, or chili.
Now, let’s talk chicken! Next up is a simple dinner of grilled chicken breasts served with broccoli and a salad.
Chef's Note: If you have some extra sauce leftover from the meatballs, you can toss it on top of some pasta on the side, or pour it over the chicken for added flavor.
This is one of my family’s easy and light weeknight meals. I’ll grill up some extra chicken breasts to make Honey Garlic Chicken later in the week. You can also use the leftover chicken for a stir fry, chicken tacos, tossed in with pasta like our Lemon Pasta with Grilled Chicken, or a savory addition to a salad!
Try to serve all your meals with a salad or a vegetable. I hope that these ideas inspire you to create some great meals this week for you and your family. Stay safe and stay healthy.