Recipes

Quick Family Dinners to Try This Week!

quick family dinners - unquely j organic coffee and sauces

Today I am partnering with Jet.com to introduce you to Uniquely J and share a bunch of quick family dinners to try this week!  When I started my blog nearly 2 years ago I had intentions of sharing healthy foods I was trying to get my kids to eat but MAN, food photography is TOUGH!!!   I’m not one for presentation so I quickly learned I would leave the photos to the professionals and occasionally throw easy meal ideas into into my blog posts.

Quick Family Dinners

quick family dinner recipes with ingredients delivered to your door

Uniquely J is a new GREENER brand of pantry staples offered on Jet.com.   They carry things like BPA-free food storages bags and organic condiments at super competitive prices.   I’m not sure about you – but the more I can get delivered to my door (and shop make-up free from my couch) the better.

I recently ordered several of the sauces from the Uniquely J brand to work into my dinner line-up.  I thought this might be of interest to some of you because THE STRUGGLE IS REAL when it comes to weeknight dinners.   They call 5-6 pm the witching hours for a reason.   My toddlers are HANGRY, my husband isn’t home from work, and I’m trying to frantically cook something all 4 of us can agree on.

Many of the sauces I purchased from Uniquely J are organic.   I’m not sure if that’s your thing or not but I try to buy organic whenever possible.   My Dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease when I was about 6 years old and has really been suffering the last decade.   His early childhood home was next to a farm that sprayed pesticides so I can’t help but wonder if that contributed to being diagnosed with a severely debilitating disease at such an early age (he was in his mid 40’s).   So when in doubt I choose organic in case there’s any possible way I can prevent my little family from suffering such a fate.

quick family dinners - unquely j organic coffee and sauces

Quick Family Dinners with SALSA CHICKEN

I used this mild ORGANIC salsa to make salsa chicken in my crock pot.   I usually use boneless/skinless thighs over chicken breasts because I tend to dry out chicken breasts in the crockpot.   Preparing salsa chicken in the crockpot is SO EASY and you can use it for so many recipes.   I throw chicken in with some salsa on low temp at nap time and it’s ready for dinner.  I generally cook enough to get me through 2 dinners that week which might include:

  • burrito bowls (deconstructed or the kids)
  • chicken quesadillas
  • taco salad (or tacos for the kids)
  • Mexican pizza

You can order things like refried beans, tortillas, and pizza crust from the grocery section of Jet.com

quick family dinner recipes with chicken from the crockpot

Quick Family Dinners with BBQ CHICKEN

I use ORGANIC BBQ sauce similarly to salsa.  I like shredded BBQ chicken in the crockpot or just throwing the sauce on grilled chicken.   Would your family like any of these BBQ ideas?

  • BBQ chicken pizza (personal FAV!)
  • Grilled BBQ chicken over mashed cauliflower with baked sweet potato fries
  • Shredded BBQ chicken nachos (I try to add tons of veggies and fewer chips when I make nachos at home.  If you really load them they can be a reasonably healthy option).

Quick Family Dinners with PEANUT CHICKEN

If you are a fan of Thai food – this peanut sauce is AMAZING!!!   I’m obsessed.   A couple months ago I did a whole post about recipes I regularly eat that include peanut sauce.   This one from Uniquely J is a home run so I bought an extra for my pantry.   I use this peanut sauce:

  • As a dressing on an asian crunch salad
  • As a dip for rice wrapper Summer rolls
  • As a sauce for chicken satays

thai peanut sauce to use for quick family dinner ideas

Quick Family Dinners with TERIYAKI CHICKEN (OR TOFU OR SALMON)

Do your kids like stir fry?   My kids, as much as I have tried to fight it, do not like their foods touching.    Stir fry is super quick and easy (especially if you use defrosted frozen veggies).  I serve it to my kids on a separated plate as rice (I opt for cauliflower rice for myself), veggies, and chicken.  This ORGANIC teriyaki sauce has that characteristic sweetness that kids love.  My older son loves salmon which is also quick and easy to roast with teriyaki sauce on top.

  • Stir fry chicken and veggies over rice
  • Broiled teriyaki salmon with veggie lo mein
  • Teriyaki marinated chicken kabobs (if the kids help make them they’re more likely to eat them)

condiments to use to prepare quick family dinners

I also ordered the Korean bulgogi sauce, ORGANIC black pepper marinade, and ORGANIC Sriracha (for my husband who likes hot sauce on veggies) to try.  I’ll keep you posted on social media once I make some recipes with these.   I tried the bulgogi on salmon already and it was delicious.   We just moved back into our house on Sunday after a 2 week evacuation to have our floors refinished.  I will be cooking at home and especially healthy to detox from all the meals we ate out.

quick family dinners - uniquely j coffee and green cleaning supplies

Uniquely J also makes greener options at affordable price points for cleaning products, paper products, and coffee.  Make sure to stock up on these items if you are planning on entertaining for the holidays.    We are hosting Thanksgiving this year so I bought these paper napkins because I have yet to become adult enough to have cloth napkins in the house.   In fact, I’m so prone to stains I bought this clean living laundry stain remover in the same order.  I guess if it works I might be able to consider cloth napkins….hmmmm….adult decisions.

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I often find myself struggling to make ONE meal the entire family will eat so I’d love to hear from you guys what is working in your home.   Please drop my a comment below if you have any suggestions.

Thank you to Jet.com for sponsoring this post.

 

 

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  • april renee
    November 10, 2017 at 6:55 pm

    Best wishes and prayers for your dad <3 I lost my dad to Parkinson's in July, he was 86.

    • Rachel
      November 10, 2017 at 11:32 pm

      Thank you April!
      So sorry to hear that but sounds like he lived a very long life. My Dad is really suffering (and his wife even more) from dementia. I hope your Dad was not too debilitated. The disease has a lot of variation in how badly it impacts people.
      I appreciate your kind thoughts.
      Rachel