Yay! Kids are back in school this week, and that means back to a (somewhat) regular schedule. I cook family dinners every night except Fridays, and I’m always looking for new ideas that are easy and relatively healthy. My kids’ sports practices are all over the Capital Region at various times, so meals need to be short on prep. I love my crockpot, have a love-hate relationship with my instant pot, and have a list of go-to meals that are reliable but get tired after heavy rotation.
There are also some pre-prepped meals offered at Fresh Market, Hannaford and Price Chopper that are a good deal and easy to prepare, but are limited in variety.
And the ultimate weeknight family dinner hack - the family-style to-go nights at local restaurants. The former owners of DeMarco’s in Colonie used to have $10 chicken parm takeout night featuring chicken, pasta, bread and salad that would easily feed all three of us (me and 2 kids, the husband is on his own most nights during the week!). I hope the new owner plans to keep that going! I’m also looking to compile a list of local restaurants that offer a variety of family style to go meals like that, for a reasonable price.
Send me your suggestions, and I will compile a list in another post.
-Kelly
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