Chicken Fajita Pasta

With a softball tournament tomorrow, Kenxie requested pasta to give her some extra energy. I found this Chicken Fajita Pasta and thought it sounded pretty tasty. I was right...it had great flavor!

I did alter the recipe a bit based on what I had on hand at home. I love recipes with wiggle room where you can adjust them to meet your needs. 

Roasted Red Pepper, Spinach & Feta Pasta

 

I was in search of a new pasta recipe to try to help Kenxie carb load the night before a softball tournament. I wasn't looking for a heavy, rich sauce but instead wanted something lighter. I thought this quick and easy pasta would fit the bill.

It was easy to make with only a few ingredients required. In the end, once the pasta was ready to serve, it left me underwhelmed. The flavor just wasn't there. Everyone ate a big plateful but they were in no rush for me to make this recipe again. Bummer...we'll keep searching for a new pasta recipe to try. 

Baked Broccoli Penne

 

This recipe caught my attention because the prep seemed to be SUPER easy. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a baking dish...you can't get much easier than that!

I was slightly unsure how the pasta would cook in this recipe. Part way through the bake time, I took a peek. So happy that I did because I realized that not all of the pasta was fully submerged in liquid and it was not cooking evenly. To avoid crunchy, uncooked pieces of pasta, I quickly stirred up the mixture before placing it back in the oven. Really not much of an inconvenience at all. 

Mom's Lasagna

The ultimate comfort food...Mom's Homemade Lasagna. Our recipe may not be your favorite but it's my favorite lasagna recipe :) My kids are big fans as well!

Some of the best perks about making lasagna

- the kids are happy

- there are leftovers for the kids to eat on a busy weeknight

- if you add spinach, veggies are included

- you can make it ahead of time and refrigerate until you're ready to bake it

Crock Pot Lazy Lasagna

My kids love lasagna but I don’t always have the time to make or bake it. This Crock Pot Lazy Lasagna is a quick and easy recipe that I can throw in the crock pot in the morning and know that dinner will be ready to serve when we arrive home that evening.

My kids enjoy this meal so we’ve made it multiple times. It is not my favorite so I make sure that I have a salad on hand or some steamable veggies to serve alongside this meal. Garlic bread is also an addition that we frequently make. A few minutes in the air fryer and the cheesy garlic bread is ready to serve.

Beef Pad Thai

I’m not an expert on Thai food but I really liked this Beef Pad Thai! The flavor was amazing and it was a nice light pasta dish.

My kids all inhaled this dish as well. It wasn’t a dish that they reached for when they had their choice of leftovers but they had no complaints eating it the night I made it. I was ok with that since the leftovers all came my way!

Baked Pasta with Sausage

I was on the lookout for a new pasta recipe to serve the night before a big meet. This Baked Pasta with Sausage sounded like a yummy option. It did not disappoint. It was liked by all 😋

It did make a fairly big batch of pasta. In the future, I think I may consider halving the recipe and instead serving it with a side of veggies or maybe a side salad. The kids would insist on garlic bread as well.

Mushroom and Spinach Pasta

I wasn’t so sure how the kids would like this Mushroom and Spinach Pasta but I was pleasantly surprised when they devoured the entire skillet. They typically are not huge fans of balsamic vinegar but apparently they didn’t mind it in this recipe.

Sausage and Mushroom Pasta

The kids were asking for pasta so I found this Sausage and Mushroom Pasta and thought we’d give it a try. It was pretty easy to throw together on a busy weeknight when time is of the essence.

This Sausage and Mushroom Pasta looked delicious but when I really read through the recipe, I realized I was going to need to make quite a few substitutions. I tried to lighten it up a bit with turkey sausage instead of pork. If I make it again, I may eliminate the heavy cream and use pasta water instead. I liked it with the cream but not sure I needed to cream in order to like it.

Bacon and Egg Spaghetti

In our house, this Bacon and Egg Spaghetti is also known as Magazine Pasta. This meal was pictured on the cover of a Food Network magazine I received. Kenxie saw the picture and begged me to make it. Since then, it has been a regularly requested meal in our house. Easy and delicious…can’t beat that!

Pesto Ravioli

This Pesto Ravioli is one of those super QUICK recipes that really can be made and served within 15 minutes. It’s a recipe that is easy enough for the kids to make (with a little supervision at the stove) so if you need a day off in the kitchen, add this Pesto Ravioli to your menu.

Veggie Mac & Cheese

When the kids came into the kitchen, they were very excited to see this Veggie Mac & Cheese ready to be served. They said it looked and smelled delicious! I typically lean towards healthier recipes and there is no way that this would be considered healthy…at all! It was, however, a good fueling meal for Lexie (pasta is always on the menu the night before a competition).

Creamy Fettuccine with Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms

I thought I would love this Creamy Fettuccine with Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms but I was slightly underwhelmed. Brussels sprouts and mushrooms are two of my favorite veggies so I had high hopes. That being said, my kids all liked it and had seconds so maybe it’s just me. I did alter the recipe a bit so that could play a part in it as well.

Chickpea Pasta with Beef Ragu

For dinner tonight, I served a delicious, quick and easy Moroccan spiced pasta with beef ragu recipe. The recipe called for beef ragu but I substituted venison instead to make it a bit healthier. The pasta was a hit and Xander went back for seconds 🙂

My girls do not like raisins so I didn’t broadcast their addition to this recipe. They didn’t even know there were any in this pasta until they had nearly cleaned their plates. Lexie was on her last bite and noticed one on her plate. They added a nice texture and sweetness to the dish and after she noticed it, she actually continued to eat it with her last bite. The raisins really fit in well with the flavor profile so I would keep them in this recipe even if you’re feeding someone that typically doesn’t care for raisins by themselves. Just my two sense 🙂

Mac and Cheese - Quick & Easy

I was looking for a quick and easy pasta recipe to give Lexie the carbs needed for a meet tomorrow morning so…mac and cheese it is 🙂 This mac and cheese recipe fit the bill and the kids all liked the pasta. I thought it was ok…didn’t love it but didn’t hate it either. It was just an ok bowl of Mac and Cheese.