Welcome to the new week! This week you’ll find quick, healthy recipes that leverage pantry staples and fresh, in season fruits and veggies. Recipes include Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Linguine with Lemon and Tomatoes, and an Heirloom Tomato Goat Cheese Salad. Yum!

Do you eat dinner as a family? I remember my parents requiring it as a child (no excuses) and I used to loathe it. Wherever I was at 6pm, I needed to stop what I was doing and be home for dinner. As an adult, I see the value but as a child (especially a teen), it was a pain. After reading all the studies about the benefits of eating as a family, I did something I thought I’d never do - we eat together as a family whenever possible. That doesn’t mean we eat together every night - it’s just impossible given schedules - but we do try to do it more often than not. In practice, it means we’re all sitting at the same table (or island) four nights a week. Do my kids cancel dinners with friends or miss sports practices? Nope. We just work around the calendar. I’ve found that being flexible has been the key to success so dinner doesn’t feel rushed, I don’t feel like nobody appreciates the effort, and we can all relax. Does it work perfectly? Not a chance. But I so enjoy having everyone together at least once during the day and connecting that I’m willing to make changes as we go. What do you do?

As always, let me know what you think of this week’s menu. If you try things, tag me in your photos @kimberleykasper.

Weekly Menu: What’s For Dinner August 22, 2021

Sunday

Sunday night dinner is usually our big dinner for the week. I make a nicer meal, we linger a little longer in the kitchen after dinner, and everyone just talks. As a parent, it’s heaven. This week I’ll be making Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Tomatoes and Feta. These are incredibly easy to make and a crowd pleaser. I serve these with some rice and a salad. If you’re following a lower carb diet, these are another great low carb option (minus the rice as a side).

Nutrition Info

Calories: 407 Protein: 44.5g Carbs: 7 Fat: 22g

Monday

On Monday nights soccer practice is immediately following school so everyone is home by 6:30pm so I have some time to make dinner (my husband takes my son to practice). So Monday we’re having Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Cucumber Yogurt. These are delicious! The chicken does need to marinate so I get everything set the night before. I serve these alongside a greek salad and, if you’re keeping it low carb, some cauliflower rice.

Nutrition Info

Calories: 266 Protein: 41g Carbs: 4.5g Fat: 8g

Tuesday

It’s Taco Tuesday again in our house! Tuesday we’ll be making these Chipotle Salmon Tacos from What’s Gaby Cooking. These are a staple in this house and are so good. They take little to no time to make and to keep it low carb, we use these low carb tortillas. Delicious!

Wednesday

Pasta is always a favorite in our house but I don’t always make it. Wednesday I’m going to indulge the family a bit and will be making Linguine with Lemon and Tomatoes. Don’t skip the step asking you to roast the lemons. It makes a huge - and delicious - difference. I may roast my tomatoes at the same time! This is so easy to put together and served with a salad, it’s a really great late summer dinner.

Thursday

Tomatoes are at their peak right now so Thursday night we’ll enjoy an Heirloom Tomato Goat Cheese Salad. For those in my family that need some protein, they’ll enjoy leftover chicken from earlier this week. No leftovers? You could easily grill some chicken or salmon to have alongside this beautiful salad.

Friday

Chopped Salad pizza? Sign me up! This easy recipe combines two of my loves, a good chopped salad and pizza. Pepperoncini, olives, cheese, lettuce, salami, chickpeas and tomatoes top this simple pizza and it is out of this world good. Serve this alongside your favorite Rose and enjoy those few days of August.