Feeding a family of five means dinner has to check a lot of boxes: budget-friendly, kid-approved, and not so complicated that I give up halfway through.

This week’s lineup wasn’t Pinterest-perfect, but it was real, doable, and mostly eaten without complaints — which I call a win. Whether you’re looking for new ideas or just proof that you’re not the only one winging it, here’s what actually made it to our dinner table this week:

• Monday – Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti from Veronika’s Kitchen
• Tuesday – 10 Minute Copycat Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla from Midwest Foodie
• Wednesday – Quick & Easy Chinese Chicken Fried Rice from Christie at Home
• Thursday – Taco Stuffed Baked Potatoes from Crayons & Cravings
• Friday – 10 Minute Simple Naan Pizza from Pinch Me Good
• Saturday – Pierogi Casserole from Insanely Good Recipes
• Sunday – 30 Minute Meatball Sandwich from Midwest Foodie

Monday – Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti from Veronika’s Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 can crushed tomatoes 28 oz
• 3 cups water
• 16 ounces ziti
• Salt pepper to taste
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded

Instructions

• Preheat a large skillet on a medium/high heat and add crushed tomatoes. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add water, ziti, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and mix. Cover with a lid and cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring every few minutes, so pasta won’t stick together.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• When the pasta is cooked, turn off the stove, add heavy cream and grated parmesan and mix. Add more salt if needed. Sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese over the pasta.
• Bake at 450°F for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and browned.

Tuesday – 10 Minute Copycat Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla from Midwest Foodie

Ingredients

• 4 burrito size tortillas
• 2 cups diced grilled chicken
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 1/3 cup taco bell quesadilla sauce

Instructions

1. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.
2. Assemble the quesadillas by dividing the ingredients evenly between the 4 tortillas, adding the ingredients just to one half of each tortilla.
3. Fold tortillas over.
4. Cook quesadillas one at a time for a few minutes on each side or until they are golden brown on both sides.
5. Slice each quesadilla into 4 triangles. Serve with extra quesadilla sauce on the side and enjoy!

Wednesday – Quick & Easy Chinese Chicken Fried Rice from Christie at Home

Ingredients

• 4 ½ cups cooked jasmine rice day old
• ½ lb skinless boneless chicken thighs thinly sliced
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• ¾ cup carrot finely diced
• ½ cup peas frozen
• 3 eggs beaten
• 4 teaspoon vegetable oil or any neutral tasting oil

Chicken marinade:

• 1 teaspoon regular soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine or sub with Dry Sherry Wine
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce
• ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
• ⅛ teaspoon white pepper or sub with black pepper

Instructions 

• Marinate your sliced chicken with Chicken Marinate ingredients as listed above for 5 minutes. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, pre-mix Sauce ingredients as listed above. Set aside.
• In a hot wok set on medium high heat, add 1 teaspoon oil. Once oil is hot, fry chicken until fully cooked. Remove and set aside.
• Add 1 teaspoon of oil and fry garlic and shallots for 10 seconds or until softened. Quickly add peas and carrots and fry for another 10 seconds or until softened. Push everything to the side of the wok.
• Add 1 teaspoon of oil into empty space of wok. Pour in eggs and scramble before mixing with ingredients in wok.
• Add remaining oil along with rice and toss with ingredients. Toss back in chicken.
• Pour sauce around your rice along the edges of the wok (the heat + sauce creates more flavour vs. pouring on top of rice). Mix until all rice granules are coloured brown. Remove off heat. Serve and enjoy!

Thursday – Taco Stuffed Baked Potatoes from Crayons & Cravings

Ingredients 

• 6 medium russet potatoes
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 packet taco seasoning 1 ounce
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ¾ cup water
• ½ cup salsa
• your favorite taco toppings

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Poke the potatoes all over with a fork. Place them on a baking tray, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt.
• Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a knife slides in easily. Check smaller potatoes at 45 minutes and continue cooking, if needed, in 10-minute intervals.
• While the potatoes bake, cook the taco meat. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the ground beef, breaking it up as it cooks. Cook until no longer pink, about 8-10 minutes. Drain excess fat, if needed.
• Stir in taco seasoning, garlic powder, cumin, and onion powder. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Add water and salsa, stir, and reduce to low heat. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until most of the liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Then cover and keep warm until potatoes are ready.
• When the potatoes are done, slice open the tops, pinch the sides and press down and in to open the potatoes. Fluff the insides of the potatoes with a fork.
• Top each potato with taco meat and your favorite toppings. Serve immediately.

Notes

Top with your favorite taco toppings such as sour cream, salsa, cheese, guacamole, scallions, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, chives, sliced jalapenos, crushed tortilla chips, etc.

Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days, keeping the potatoes and meat separate for best results. 

Friday – 10 Minute Simple Naan Pizza from Pinch Me Good

Ingredients

• 4 naan bread – store-bought or homemade
• 2 teaspoons olive oil or olive oil cooking spray – optional for extra crispy crust
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup tomato sauce or pizza sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the naan bread onto the baking sheet in a single layer. 
2. Mix up the pizza seasoning (basil, oregano, garlic) then brush or spray each naan with olive oil and sprinkle each with the pizza seasoning. Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 3-4 minutes until golden. Note: they bake quickly so watch them so they don’t burn. 
3. Assemble the rest of the ingredients (sauce and cheese, and any other toppings you are using). Remove the naan bread from the oven, top with the sauce, any additional toppings, and the cheese in an even layer, return the pizzas to the oven and bake until the edges are nice and golden and the cheese is fully melted then remove them from the oven. This only takes 3-4 minutes. 
4. Let them cool for a few minutes then slice and serve!

Saturday – Pierogi Casserole from Insanely Good Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 (16 ounce) packages frozen potato and cheese pierogies
• 1 lb smoked kielbasa sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1⁄2 cup sour cream
• 1⁄2 cup chicken broth
• 1⁄2 tsp black pepper
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
• Spread the frozen pierogies evenly in the prepared baking dish. Scatter the sliced kielbasa sausage over the pierogies.
• In a skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp butter. Add the diced onion and sauté until soft and lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes. Spread the onions over the pierogies and sausage.
• In a bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese, sour cream, chicken broth, black pepper, and half of the sliced green onions until smooth. Pour the sauce evenly over the casserole.
• Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the top of the casserole.
• Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly browned and the casserole is bubbling.
• Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with the remaining sliced green onions and serve hot.

Sunday – 30 Minute Meatball Sandwich from Midwest Foodie

Ingredients

• 24 oz. spaghetti sauce
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 24 oz. frozen Italian meatballs
• 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1.5 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley + more for garnish
• 2–3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 6 hoagie rolls
• 8 oz. sliced provolone cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat spaghetti sauce to a large pan along with oregano and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper, over medium heat.
3. Add frozen meatballs and cover. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and stir.
4. Reduce heat to medium low and gently simmer, covered, for about 25 minutes or until the meatballs are heated through.
5. Once the meatballs have about 10 minutes left, combine butter, garlic, parsley, and a couple pinches of salt until well combined.
6. Slice hoagie rolls lengthwise down the top of the roll, cutting a “V” shape out of the top of each hoagie roll.
7. Spread the cut side of the with garlic butter. and divide hoagies between a couple baking dishes.
8. Bake for 5 minutes to get them nice and toasty.
9. Then add slices of provolone and broil for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese melts.
10. Once the meatballs are warmed through, divide them evenly between the garlic cheese hoagie rolls.
11. Garnish with grated Parmesan and fresh chopped parsley and enjoy!

Thanks for following along with our week of dinners! I’ll be the first to admit some nights are more “survival mode” than gourmet, but having a few go-to recipes that actually get eaten makes the chaos feel a little more manageable. If you try any of these meals — or have your own kid-approved staples — I’d love to hear about them! Leave a comment below and let’s swap ideas for keeping dinner simple (and relatively drama-free).