As a busy mom who works full time, sometimes its hard to motivate yourself to cook a full meal or even cook in the first place after a full day of work.  We need go to ways to make dinner fast and easy. Sometimes dads are able to pitch in. Sadly, in my house that is not the case. My husbands culinary skills are not the most robust. He can boil water and make a mean grilled cheese though...

Anyway, especially with being pregnant, you don't want to have to make a bunch of things and then have a ton of dishes to wash after. Below are some recipes that I have collected over the years. They are all one pot full meals!  At the bottom is a sign up form to receive a PDF copy of these recipes that you can print out and save!!

Enjoy and Bon Apetit!!

Pork Chops With Chard and White Beans

SERVES 4      HANDS-ON TIME 20 Min      COOK TIME 20 Min

What You'll Need:

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 boneless pork chops (3/4 inch thick; about 1 1/2 pounds total)

1 teaspoon paprika

kosher salt and black pepper

1 bunch Swiss chard, stems thinly sliced and leaves torn into bite-size pieces (about 5 cups)

1 medium onion, chopped

115.5-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

What To Do:

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the pork with the paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter and tent with foil. Reserve the skillet. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chard stems and onion and cook, tossing occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the beans, chard leaves, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, tossing frequently, until the chard is wilted, 2 to 3 minutes more. Mix in the vinegar and serve with the pork.

Feta Chicken With Zucchini

SERVES 4      HANDS-ON TIME 20 Min      COOK TIME 35 Min

What You'll Need:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 lemon

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

2 medium zucchini

¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

⅛ teaspoon black pepper

⅓ cup (about 2 ounces) crumbled Feta

What To Do:

Heat oven to 400° F. Drizzle ½ tablespoon of the oil in a roasting pan. Remove the zest from the lemon in thin strips; set aside. Thinly slice the lemon. Place half the slices in the pan. Place the chicken on top of the lemon slices and season with 1/8 teaspoon of the salt. Slice each zucchini in half lengthwise, then slice each half into ¼-inch-thick half-moons. In a bowl, combine the zucchini, parsley, and pepper and the remaining oil, lemon slices, and salt; toss. Spread the mixture around the chicken and sprinkle the Feta over the top. Roast until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer it to a cutting board and cut each piece into thirds. Divide the chicken, zucchini mixture, and lemons among individual plates and sprinkle with the zest.

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

SERVES 4      HANDS-ON TIME 20 Min      COOK TIME 35 Min

What You'll Need:

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

¾ teaspoon black pepper

4 sprigs fresh thyme

4 slices bacon

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 small fennel bulbs, cut into eighths

8 dried apricots, cut in half

What To Do:

Heat oven to 400° F. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Season with ½ teaspoon of the salt and ½ teaspoon of the pepper. Top the pork with the thyme and wrap it with the bacon. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and fennel. Season with the remaining salt and pepper. Cook the pork for 2 minutes per side. Add the apricots. Transfer the skillet to oven and roast for 15 to 20 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes. Slice the pork and serve with the fennel and apricots.

Chicken Cacciatore One Pot

SERVES 4      COOK TIME 55 Min

What You'll Need:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes

4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1 pound fresh mushrooms, quartered

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 3/4 cups beef broth

1 (28-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

What To Do:

In a shallow dish, combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper. Roll chicken in flour mixture, coating completely. In a soup pot over high heat, heat 3 tablespoons oil until hot; brown chicken on all sides 5 minutes. Remove chicken from pot; set aside. Add mushrooms, green pepper, onion, garlic, and remaining oil to pot and cook 5 minutes, or until onions are tender, stirring occasionally. Add remaining ingredients, including remaining salt; return chicken to pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes, or until chicken is fork-tender, stirring occasionally.

Skillet Chili Mac

SERVES 4      PREP 5 Min      COOK TIME 25 Min      READY IN 30 Min

What You'll Need:

1 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 (12-ounce) package macaroni shells and cheese

1 3/4 cups salsa

What To Do:

Remove and discard casings from sausage. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add sausage, stirring until sausage crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain well, and return to skillet. Add chili powder, stirring to coat sausage. Add chicken broth and tomato paste, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Stir in shell macaroni; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 8 minutes or until shells are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in cheese sauce from packet and the salsa; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve immediately with desired toppings.

All in One Chicken

SERVES 4    COOK TIME 25 Min

What You'll Need:

1 pound hot Italian sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 bell peppers (1 red and 1 yellow), cut into thin strips

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 sweet onion, thickly sliced

5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 (15-ounce) can sliced white potatoes, drained

1/4 pound sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

What To Do:

In a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat, cook sausage and bell peppers 10 minutes, or until browned, stirring occasionally.

Add the chicken, onion, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the potatoes, mushrooms, and parsley. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 5 to 7 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender and the potatoes are heated through.

To get a PDF version of these recipes fill out the form so I can send it to you!

Cheers,

Emily