Making dinner is a little difficult with a three month old who just wants her mommy to play with her and a three month old who just wants to eat. As much as I love to try new recipes and experiment in the kitchen I’ve been steering our weekly meals towards meals that require simple ingredients (as in ones I won’t forget to pick up at the grocery store…who has time to search for obscure ingredients when you have two kids in tow?!) and short prep-time or steps that aren’t time sensitive (as in its not going to burn while I nurse or play “grocery store/business/library check out girl.”
I’ve found that soup is the perfect solution to this dilemma. It requires a few steps: chop, simmer, serve, that can be punctuated by periods of neglect without ruining the soup. Unfortunately my husband does not consider soup a “food” much less a “meal.” So soup really isn’t the main dish, pastrami paninis are. Once a week we have “Soup and Sandwich Night” and everyone has come to love it! Here’s how we do it Canney-Style:
Waffle-Maker Paninis
Sandwiches:
We make hot paninis with our waffle maker. I know. A little unconventional, but it works just as well as a panini press or sandwich maker and doesn’t require that we purchase a space-hogging appliance.
The BREAD: We use Ezekiel Bread, which is a sprouted grain bread that is hearty, nutty and delicious, especially when toasted. We’ve been eating it for so long that now when my husband tastes whole wheat bread he said is seems to him like Wonder Bread.
The SPREAD: I spread the exterior with coconut oil and then layer the inside with any combination of pesto, dijon mustard, goat cheese, provolone, swiss, pastrami, turkey breast, bacon and anything else that looks good.
A few minutes in the waffle maker and they come out crispy and warm, cheese oozing out the side. Yum!
Soup:
Stirring the basil into the Homemade Tomato Basil.
My go to is a Homemade Tomato Basil and I recently experimented this week with a Curried Pumpkin Coconut soup, which wound up being delicious!
Homemade Tomato Basil:
1-2 carrots
1 sweet onion
2 large cloves garlic
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
salt and pepper
heavy cream
fresh basil
1. Roughly chop carrots, onion and garlic and saute in olive oil until onions and garlic are soft and slightly browned.
2. Add can of tomatoes and chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil then cover and lower to a simmer for 10-15 minutes.
3. With an immersion blender of food processor puree the soup to the desired consistency. (Return to the stove on low heat if using a food processor)
4. Add 4-6 oz of heavy cream (I like using heavy cream because it gives the otherwise fat free soup added fat to help keep us all full longer. Plus it just tastes better). Take soup of the stove. Roughly chop the basil and stir into soup.
Curried Pumpkin and Coconut Soup an experiment gone totally right!
Curried Pumpkin and Coconut Milk Soup
1 large carrot
1 sweet onion
2 large cloves garlic
1 large sweet potato
1.5 to 2 cups chicken stock
1 tbs hot madras curry powder
fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tsp ginger
salt and pepper
1 can pumpkin
1/2 can unsweetened coconut milk or cream
pinch of cinnamon
1. Roughly chop carrots, onion, sweet potato and garlic, and saute in coconut oil until onions and garlic are soft and slightly browned.
2. Add chicken stock and spices: curry powder, thyme, bay leaves, ginger salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then cover and let simmer until sweet potatoes and carrots are soft. 10-15 minutes.
3. Remove bay leaves and any stems from the thyme. Use an immersion blender of food processor to puree the soup to the desired consistency. (Return to the stove on low heat if using a food processor).
4. Stir in canned pumpkin and coconut milk until thoroughly combined add a pinch of cinnamon (just a pinch, a little cinnamon goes a long way).
What are your weekly “go-to” quick and easy dinners?
–Sarah
They look delicious! I’ve got a craving for panini now!
If only I could make waffles in my panini press! That tomato basil soup looks amazing! We have paninis at least once a week too… Usually when I’m too tired at the end of the day to cook our ‘planned’ dinner.
I know. It’s the perfect “tired mom” dinner. Plus both soups require ingredients that I always have on hand. So if I forget to dethaw the meat in the morning I can always change plans and do soup and sandwiches.
That waffle panini press is a great idea Sarah!!! I love it
Thank you for the recipes, I always love your healthy recipes, because your husband is like mine… He likes to have a hearty dinner, and vegetarian dishes or soups just won’t cut it 
Do you guys still do taco night too? We do mexican usually one night, and rotate between tacos, burritos (made with lean ground beef, but you could do any meat…) or nachos 
Something else that I like to do is 1-2 crock pot meals a week. It is so nice, as both Andrew and I work away from home, to come home to our meal already cooked with just a little extra prep work for me in the morning, so I just have to plan that into my morning routine. Andrew’s favorite is ribs, but they are expensive… however, for a once in awhile meal, they are SUPER easy- slice 1-2 onions to coat the bottom of the crockpot (it keeps the ribs from burning), cut the ribs to fit in your crockpot, pour some apple juice on them and then pour your favorite BBQ sauce over them, and put on low for 8-10 hours. DELISH! I hope you are doing well!!
I love crockpot meals! Our fave is beef stroganoff. Ill have to post that recipe too!
Baked chicken with coconut oil and sweet Florida onions. Mmmm!
That sounds so yummy! I Love sweet onions. I always cook with them instead of yellow onions.
I love soup/sandwich nights
My husband doesn’t consider soup a meal either – he always needs something else with it. Some of my favorite go to meals are just throwing together whatever veggies I have on hand mixed with either a little pasta or a little rice and seasonings. You can do any veggies! I sometimes throw in leftover meat if I have any to make it a little more hearty.
Yum! I love sautéed veggies!
yum… i have a lot of staples – including breakfast for dinner, soup, rice & veggies in my rice maker. i like the idea of sandwich night. super easy!