There was a time I thought I needed a constant stream of new recipes to make good dinners. I would send sooo much time each week pouring over cookbooks, cooking blogs, and magazines. Don’t get me wrong — I loved it and still do. But in this current season I don’t have the time to spend collecting what I want to cook and trying 2-3 new recipes each week isn’t feasible.
Now between caring for a new baby, managing a home, working, and caring for my family, the more I’ve realized having staple dinner rotations scheduled each week is a key to much smoother evenings.
Having regular meals in a scheduled rotation means you don’t have to overthink. You’ve almost always got ingredients you keep on hand. They’re quick. Easy. Dinners come together without a second guess.
So this is what I keep in rotation right now—simple meals that make life feel a little more manageable. I’m also dairy-free at the moment, so all of these will work for you if you’re on a similar diet.
1. Crockpot Salsa Chicken & Rice
This is a great dump-and-go option. There’s several different variations of this recipe floating around, but here’s what I do:
Ingredients:
Chicken breast
1 jar of salsa of choice
Half cup frozen corn
1 can black beans
1 envelope taco seasoning
Cooked rice
Cilantro and avocado, to serve
Instructions:
Place chicken in the bottom of slow cooker. On top, dump jar of salsa, corn, beans, and taco seasoning. Cook on low 6-7 hours, or high 3-4 hours. Once done cooking, shred chicken and mix together. Serve over a bed of rice with cilantro and avocado on top.
2. Cast Iron Lemon Pepper Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots
We love a one pan option! This is without a doubt one of my favorites:
Ingredients:
Chicken breast or thighs, your choice
Zest and juice of one lemon
Freshly ground black pepper
Small red potatoes, quarters
Carrots, sliced
Olive oil
Instructions:
Combine olive oil, chicken, pepper, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a large bowl or gallon-sized ziploc bag. Let chicken marinate, refrigerated, for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours. Preheat oven to 425 F. In a large cast iron pan toss potatoes and carrots in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place chicken on top. Bake in oven for 40 minutes, or until chicken reaches 165 F.
3. Simple Chili
Another great dump-and-go option that can be made in the slow cooker, or, heated up quickly on the stove. Makes great leftovers!:
Ingredients:
1 lb. hamburger, cooked
1 envelope chili seasoning
1 can chili beans
1 can chickpeas
1 can black beans
Beef broth
Crackers or crusty bread, to serve
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients into a large pot or slow cooker. Heat through on stovetop until steaming. If using a slow cooker, heat on low for 2-3 hours. Use broth to bring to desired consistency prior to serving. Serve with crackers or crusty bread.
4. Roasted Tofu with Veggies
You can customize this endlessly with different vegetables and seasonings. But for the most part, here’s what I stick to:
Ingredients:
1 package of extra firm tofu, drained, dried, and cubed
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Cooked rice
2-3 squash, sliced
2-3 zucchini, sliced
1 head broccoli or cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
Cooked rice, optional
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 F. On a sheet pan, toss all ingredients in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping everything halfway through. Serve over a bed of cooked rice.
5. Cast Iron BBQ Chicken & Potatoes
This is basically the exact same as the Lemon Pepper Chicken recipe above, except I leave out the carrots. A great way to use up BBQ sauces sitting dormant in the fridge!:
Ingredients:
Chicken breast or thighs, your choice
BBQ sauce of choice
Small red potatoes, quartered
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Instructions:
Combine chicken and BBQ sauce in a large bowl or gallon-sized ziploc bag. Let chicken marinate, refrigerated, for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours. Preheat oven to 425 F. In a large cast iron pan toss potatoes olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place chicken on top. Bake in oven for 40 minutes, or until chicken reaches 165 F.
6. Taco Bowls
This is probably the most self-explanatory recipe in the list, but is so good. You can sub the hamburger for chicken too:
Ingredients:
1 lb. cooked hamburger
1 envelope taco seasoning
Salsa, or hot sauce
Diced tomato
Shredded lettuce
Avocado
Crushed tortilla chips
Instructions:
Cook hamburger with taco seasoning. To serve, combine hamburger with the rest of your ingredients of choice.
A Few Things I’ve Learned About Keeping Meals Simple
These aren’t all the meals I keep in rotation, these are just some of my favorites that prevent me from trying to reinvent the wheel every week. Will definitely plan to share more of the ones I use as time goes on.
And I’ve stopped putting pressure on dinner to be anything impressive. It just needs to be nourishing, doable, and easy to heat up later if needed. Sometimes, I still have nights where I’m not ‘making’ anything and am relying on good old fashioned frozen pizzas for us (dairy-free ones for me!).
If you’re in a season where life feels full (or even a little overwhelming), it might not be about finding better recipes. For me it’s been about choosing a few that work and letting them carry the pressure of dinner for me for a while.
Notes on homemaking, faith, and daily rhythms. 
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