Simple meals for simple days

This post is part of the Simple and Nourishing blog carnival, hosted by The Nourishing Gourmet.

Some days cry out for simple food. In our house, we have two parents dealing with deadlines while trying to work at home, homeschool and keep a good-sized family running. We also have three teenagers and two pre-teens who always seem to be hungry. Everyone knows how to cook, but sometimes it can be frustrating to convince them to actually do it. Keeping some simple foods around (and written down) seems to keep the whole family moving smoothly through the day. Here’s a list of our favorites:

Breakfast – Buckwheat Crispies; a sprouted bagel or english muffin smeared with cream cheese and topped with smoked salmon; a poached, boiled or scrambled egg with toast; oatmeal (soaked overnight it cooks up in seconds so I try to always keep some soaking); a loaf of bread (cooked overnight in the bread machine); leftover pancakes from the freezer warmed in the toaster.

Lunch – Italian Sausage Sandwich (italian sausage, red bell pepper and onion cooked in a little red wine and served face-up on crusty bread); Meatball Subs (meatballs and marinara I’ve frozen from a previous meal, served on sub rolls topped with mozzarella); Apple Salad (chopped apple, grapes and celery mixed together with plain yogurt and a squeeze of orange or lemon juice); A leafy green salad with a dried fruit, a sprinkle of cheese, leftover chicken from stock-making, some crispy nuts and dressed with raspberry vinaigrette; Pasta dressed with garlic that’s been simmered but not browned in coconut oil; Sliced apples and sharp cheddar cheese broiled on top of sprouted wheat bagels with a dash of cinnamon; Fruit Soup (that’s a piece of torn-up bread in a bowl, topped by whatever fruit is fresh and in-season, then ice cold milk poured over all)

Snacks – Peanut butter cookies (a cup of creamy PB, 1/2 cup rapadura and 1 egg stirred together, rolled into balls, flattened slightly and baked for 8-10 mins at 350°); Quesadillas; leftovers; fruit; creme fraiche with fruit or stirred together with peanut butter; popcorn; cheese “crackers” (1/2 cup bulghur flour, 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar, 4T softened pastured butter, pinch cayenne rolled into 1″ balls, flattened and baked 350° for 15 mins.)

Dinner – Beefy Mac (ground beef, browned with onion and garlic, chopped tomatoes and cooked pasta); Roasted Chicken and Veggies (a couple chickens with onions, carrots and potatoes strewn around the meat on a rack); Cooked penne tossed with chopped tomatoes and steamed spinach; Pork chops simmered all day in the crockpot with apple juice; burgers and grilled veggies; uncured grassfed weiners chopped up into leftover beans; an instant skillet meal combining a meat leftover, a bean leftover, and a veggie leftover simmered in stock.