Delicious Mid-week Family-friendly Meal Ideas

Boursin chicken

This is a great way to spice up your regular chicken breast, both super fast and incredibly flavorful.

1. Take two boneless, skinless chicken breasts, slice in half horizontally and pound them out.

2. Season the chicken on one side. You can season it however you want to, but I went with some garlic salt, black pepper, and onion powder.

3. Heat up about a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter, then drop in half of the chicken seasoned side down, as you do not want to overcrowd your pan. Season the other side.

4. Cook for a few minutes on each side until cooked all the way through and there is a brown crust. Then remove it to a separate plate and do the same with the second batch.

5. To that same skillet, add ¾ cup of chicken broth and a block of Boursin garlic and herb cheese. Melt that down and stir to turn it into a smooth sauce. Let it simmer for at least five more minutes to let it reduce a bit and thicken up.

6. Add in some dried parsley, and then add back in that cooked chicken, including all the plate drippings. Let it simmer in the sauce for a few minutes to heat that chicken back up.

7. So once you get that chicken on your plate, make sure that you serve plenty of the sauce over it. We served it with roasted broccoli and baked potatoes.

The chicken is tender and juicy and that sauce is just out of this world, despite being just two ingredients.

Meatball wellington

Sounds fancy, but you will be surprised at how easy it is to throw together.

1. For the meatballs, mix a pound of ground beef, half a cup of Italian breadcrumbs, one egg, and some minced garlic, and season with salt and black pepper. Throw in dried parsley and diced onions or onion powder.

2. Mix it with your hands until combined, but not for too long, otherwise the meatballs will come out chewy and stringy. Form the meatballs with your hands and roll them a little.

3. Place the meatballs on a foil lined cookie sheet and broil for 8-9 minutes.

4. Roll out some puff pastry and cut with a pizza cutter in four lines going down and two lines going across.

5. To each square, add some shredded mozzarella and lay down a meatball. If you have any left over, the meatballs are really good on their own, too.

6. Fold the pastry by pulling the corners over the meatball and doing the same with any open sections.

7. Lay the pastries on parchment paper, brush the tops with egg wash and pop them in the oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

8. To serve, lay a couple of spoonfuls of pasta sauce on your plate, lay down a meatball and top with some grated parmesan cheese. I served it alongside some rotini spaghetti and a Caesar salad.

The pastries came out light, airy and flavorful.

School cafeteria pizza

Pizza night is a classic, but let’s try out a different recipe this time. I just love the pourable crust that does not require kneading or letting it rise.

1. Onto a half baking sheet, plop down a heaping spoonful of Crisco shortening. Spread it around with your hands making sure to get the corners and the sides.

2. To a kitchen aid bowl, add 1 2/3 cup of warm water and a packet of active dry yeast, give that a quick little mix and leave it alone for five minutes.

3. Add in two tablespoons of sugar, 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour, ¾ cup of instant milk powder, ¼ quarter teaspoon of salt, and 1 ½ teaspoons of olive oil. Let that mix with a whisk attachment for 10 minutes.

4. Pour that out into your baking sheet and let it sit for 20 minutes.

5. Bake at 475 degrees for 10 minutes and then start loading up your toppings. Get as creative as you want. I added pizza sauce, crumbled sausage patty, mozzarella cheese and turkey pepperoni.

6. Pop it back in the oven for about 12 minutes.

7. Cut and serve.

I love mine with hot sauce and Caesar salad on the side. The dough did not stick and I loved the texture, so this was a big hit.

Italian pot roast & parmesan risotto

I have been looking for new pot roast recipes, and this is the one.

1. Combine 1 ½ cups of tomato juice, plenty of onion powder, black pepper and minced garlic, a packet of au jus gravy mix and a packet of zesty Italian seasoning. Mix well.

2. Get your chuck roast into your crockpot and cover with the mixture. Cook on low for 7 ½ hours, or until the meat is tender and comes off easily.

3. Shred the meat up and get it incorporated with the tomato gravy.

4. For the risotto, heat up six cups of chicken broth in a separate pot.

5. In a large skillet, heat up a bit of olive oil and throw in a pound of Arborio rice. Stir until the oil is absorbed.

6. Add in one ladle of heated chicken broth at a time, while continuously stirring until all the broth is absorbed.

7. Season with onion powder, salt, and black pepper to taste. Finally, hit it with a cup of shredded Parmesan cheese. Cut the heat and fold everything together to get that cheese to melt.

8. Serve the pot roast over the risotto.

This meal is a bit time consuming and high maintenance because of the risotto, but it is incredibly delicious, and the combination of flavors is flawless.

Chalupas

1. Cover the bottom of a pan with canola oil, heat it up and fry your chalupa shells for a minute per side. Then drain them with paper towels.

2. Cover the shell with a thin layer of nacho cheese, a couple spoonfuls of taco meat, some shredded cheese, lettuce, diced tomatoes and taco sauce.

3. Serve with refried beans and limes.

This was a great meal, although I do prefer good old hard shells.

Family-friendly meal ideas

I hope I have inspired you to try out some new recipes! If you have any budget-friendly family meal ideas, leave those in the comments and let’s share!

Next, check out these 4 Easy and Delicious Family Meal Ideas That Won't Break Your Budget.