Food
Pandemic Cooking: 3 Simple Sheet Pan Dinners
Since March 13th, 2020 when the world came to a close I have cooked 4545798964578 meals. Approximately. Maybe more. I am so over cooking I could just as easily pull my hair out or sit in a corner crying. Also, add, I make like five dinners per night. I make the kids one dinner and adults another. But sometimes one kid won’t eat dinner so they have to have another one made. (I ONLY do this because one has sensory issues and one is autistic. I aim to make one meal for them and one for me and the husband.) Kids eat a lot of pasta (one butter only, two no butter but Greek seasoning and Parmesan cheese) one eats hot dogs, all eat meatloaf, two eat chicken (one only eats the thighs and two eat the breasts) you see what I’m getting at here? Pure chaos. But one thing has saved my sanity, simple sheet pan dinners.
I.just.cant.anymore!
By the end of the day, I am on sensory overload due to my middle skittle’s incessant talking. From the moment those beautiful blue eyes open in the morning until he reluctantly goes to sleep at night, he is talking or making noise. I am so tired that my body aches and I just can’t with dinner. Our eating is best described as college dorm room food. I could say I’m teaching them to be independent and make their own food but none of that is happening. I’m just over it all; 2020, COVID, cooking, being stuck at home. Sound familiar? I feel ya girl and I got you! Let’s talk about quick super easy meals.
Simple sheet pan meals for the win!
Sheet pan dinners are a lifesaver or at least a sanity saver. They are so simple: take some veggies you like, the meat you like and put some seasoning on it and put it in the oven. One pan makes simple clean up also. Here are my favorites:
I use Nashville hot seasoning on this instead of Italian. For me, the Italian seasoning made it a little too sweet. But, I grew up with this being made in a skillet with regular potatoes, kielbasa, and bell peppers and we used beau monde to flavor it. Really any seasoning works and any potatoes or veggie works also.
I don’t like eggplant or olives so I leave those off. The dressing looks like it won’t be enough-I promise it is.
For this, I buy cilantro-lime rice-we’re saving sanity here! This is nice because you can make it as spicy as you want by using spicier taco seasoning and Ro-Tel
These are staples in my home now, and actually on our menu for this week. Super simple and the kids can help and they are all very delicious. Throw some more pots around and let your partner think you slaved all day to make them a meal.