It’s 6:00 PM on a weekday night and the last thing that you want to do is cook, but you need to eat! Here’s where an almost from scratch meal can save the day or rather your night! As a mom, I often fall into the guilt trap that tells me if my meals aren’t nutritious, made fresh, and from scratch, then I’m a bad mom. But over time, especially the crazier PA school gets, I have come to accept that it is okay if every meal that I make is not from scratch. In true fashion, I was in a bind mid-week and pressed for time to make dinner for my family, so I quickly whipped up this “almost from scratch” meal and had dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. One thing that helps me pull off a quick weeknight meal is always having convenience items on hand. Two things I love to keep in my freezer are Alexia sweet potato puffs (the only way I can currently get my boys to eat sweet potatoes in any form) and individually wrapped salmon. A few of the fresh veggies I like to keep on hand are romaine lettuce, Persian cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and baby carrots. Although, I like salad mix, it tends to not keep well in my fridge, so I opt for a hearty lettuce so that I can have salad at any time I choose during the week. If you’re pressed for time, you can get a nutritious meal on the table in under 30 minutes by preparing my herb roasted salmon, sweet potato tots, and side salad.
2) While the tots are baking, prepare the side salad ingredients. Feel free to get creative with it! To have salad on hand for the week, I wash, chop and store a bowl of romaine, carrots, and cucumber in the fridge. Since I love more veggies, I wash and prep additional veggies for myself as I need them. To dress our salads, we like Brianna’s French style vinaigrette and my little guy loves Brianna’s balsamic vinaigrette.
3) After the sweet potato tots are done, lower the oven temperature to 400 F. Lightly spray both sides of the salmon with extra virgin olive oil. Season the salmon to taste with Italian herbs, salt, and pepper.
4) Bake the salmon on one side for 5 minutes, flip, then complete cooking on the other side for 5 minutes. (Depending on the thickness of your salmon, you may need to increase or decrease cooking time).
5) Plate and bon appetit!
Every meal that you make does not have to be labor intensive nor does every component have to be made from scratch. The important part is that you fuel your body and enjoy a meal with those that matter!
