While things to do have been few and far between these days, there is one place that we’ve spent a lot of our new found free time: the kitchen! We have always been good about cooking and eating at home at least 3-4 days a week, but we usually stuck to the same rotation of recipes. With extra time at home and not much else to do, Kevin and I have been working on our cooking and baking skills and trying some delicious new things. Some from cookbooks, some from Pinterest, some from Hello Fresh, and some (I’m proud to say) I’ve made up on my own. So I thought it would be fun to share our favorite recipes to make during quarantine!
Keep reading to see our favorite recipes broken down by type. I will say, we aren’t big breakfast people so I don’t really have much there. But I will share my mom’s breakfast casserole recipe and some healthy muffins that I’ve been meaning to make. Be sure to save/pin this post so you can come back to it later!
What We’ve Been Cooking (and loving!) During Quarantine
Breakfast
Healthy Peanut Butter & Banana Muffins (Pinterest)
Mom’s Breakfast Casserole
Mom makes this for us almost every time we go home and during the holidays. SO good and easy too!
1 lb sausage (jimmy dean or similar)
1 can crescent rolls
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded (or your choice)
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cups milk
1 small yellow onion
1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375. Brown Sausage and drain. You can cook the veggies with the sausage or add in later. Spray a 9×13 dish and line with can of crescent rolls. Layer sausage on top of rolls. Add in onion and pepper if you haven’t already. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, salt and pepper. Top sausage and veggies with 2 cups of cheese, then pour the egg mixture evenly over the top. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until the cheese is brown and bubbly.
Lunch/Healthy Snacks
10 Minute Asian Cucumber Salad (Pinterest)
Healthy Buffalo Chicken Bowls (Pinterest)
My Easy Homemade Chicken Salad
Most of this recipe is eyed without any real measuring, but in my opinion, that’s what makes it so good. This chicken salad doesn’t contain celery or pecans, and I think it’s best that way!
4 boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins or 2 small breasts (OR a rotisserie chicken if pressed for time)
1/4 cup red grapes. quartered
1/4 cup sweet onion (about a quarter of an onion)
about 10 slices dill pickles (sometimes I use sweet pickles too)
1/4 cup mayo (I use light or olive oil based)
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp fresh dill (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Boil chicken until cooked through (5-10 minutes depending on how thick) and then remove from pot and cut into smaller pieces. **You can also season and bake your chicken if you’d rather, but the easiest option is to boil. Roughly chop onion. Quarter grapes and set aside. Place chicken, onions, pickles, mayo, sour cream, dill, salt and pepper in a food processor and chop or pulse for about 10 seconds. **I like for everything to be chopped and mixed well, instead of pureed. Dump chicken mixture into a bowl (preferably one with a lid so you can store it) and gently fold in the grapes with a spatula. **I don’t put the grapes in the food processor because they get too mushy. I like for them to stay firm and in larger pieces. Chill for an hour or longer, and serve on wheat bread, over your favorite greens, or with crackers as a snack. We like the toasted Ritz chips the best!
Dinner
Teriyaki Pork Luau Bowls (a HelloFresh favorite)
BBQ Chicken Spaghetti Squash (Pinterest)
Crockpot Crack Chicken Chili (Pinterest)
My Sun-Dried Tomato and Chicken Sausage Tortellini
The perfect dish for those days when you’re craving pasta. This can also be done with regular chicken, but the chicken sausage is easier and tastier, in my opinion.
1 pack Chicken Sausage of your choice (we LOVE the sun-dried tomato or garlic herb from Trader Joe’s)
1 package three-cheese tortellini
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (from a packet or a jar. We like the ones in a pack that aren’t covered in oil, from TJ’s.)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 tsp red peper flakes
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
2 tsp dried basil (or to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Thinly slice chicken sausage at an angle. Place sausage in the hot skillet and cook until slightly browned on each side. Remove sausage to a plate and set aside. Still on medium high heat, place the same skillet back on the stove and add the butter, garlic, red pepper flakes, and sun-dried tomatoes, allowing to cook for a few minutes. Add the cream and let simmer for about 3 minutes. Add in the cheeses and basil. Meanwhile, cook the tortellini according to the instructions on the package. Once cooked, drain the pasta and add it into the cheese sauce. Fold in the sausage and season to taste.
My Easy Hibachi-Inspired Chicken and Veggies
This meal is one of our favorites when we want something quick and delicious! Feel free to add broccoli, carrots, and any other veggies that you like.
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 6 tenderloins)
1 large (or 2 small) zucchini
1 large (or 2 small) yellow squash
1 small sweet onion
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce (we like this one)
1 tbsp olive oil
Yum Yum sauce for drizzling (optional)
sesame seeds (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet. Remove chicken from package and trim any excess fat. Chop into 1″ bite size pieces. Add chicken pieces to hot skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook through. Keep cooking on medium-high heat until the pieces start to brown. This is where a lot of the flavor comes from. You’ll eventually see the bottom of the skillet start to brown. Use a wooden spoon to push around the chicken pieces and scrape up all of that flavor! While the chicken cooks, thickly slice (1/2″) squash and zucchini into rounds and then quarter. Half and peel the onion, and cut into petals or wedges. Add all veggies to the skillet with chicken and cook for a few minutes until soft. Pour teriyaki sauce over the veggies and chicken and let simmer, uncovered, for about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and serve over white or fried rice! Drizzle with Yum Yum sauce and top with sesame seeds if desired. **You can also marinate your chicken a few hours beforehand for extra flavor, if you’d like. We use either low sodium soy sauce or sweet soy sauce.
Dessert
Blueberry Lemon Bread (Pinterest)
Homemade Whipped Cream & Strawberries
Drinks
Kevin’s Perfect Margaritas
So we haven’t been drinking much of anything lately, other than a glass of wine here and there. But on Cinco De Mayo we obviously wanted Margs and Kevin kind of just whipped one up. It accidentally ended up being the best Margarita I have ever had, TBH. You’re welcome.
2 oz tequila (we use Patron Silver)
1 oz triple sec
1 oz simple syrup
juice of half a lime
juice of half a lemon
sugar or salt for the rim
**Makes one margarita. Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Wet the rim of your glass with a lime wedge and dip in salt. (I prefer sugar on mine!) Shake well and serve over ice! If you prefer yours frozen, just add the mixture to a blender with one cup of ice.
I hope you enjoyed these recipes! What have been your go-to recipes to make during quarantine? I’d love to know if you try any of these or if you have some favorites of your own. Feel free to leave a comment below! Hope you all area staying safe and healthy.
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