Hectic Weeknight Meal – Penne Pasta

One of the folks I follow on Twitter sent out a plea for help last night. It was #MenMakeDinnerDay in the Twitterverse, and he was looking for new ideas, since he felt like his dinners were getting boring. If his life is anything like mine, the kids were probably simply not eating what was put in front of them…or not eating it with any enthusiasm. We all get in ruts, but sometimes life really forces us to make the choice between an easy to prepare meal that we’re comfortable preparing versus something “exotic”.

That tweet got me thinking about how to mix up the meals that we make around the Hectic Household. I’m trying to get into the habit of planning my meals for the week, but it’s been more of a struggle that I’d like. There are so many varied tastes around our dinner table that sometimes I simply want to whip out a box of Mac & Cheese, cut up some hot dogs, open a can of peaches, and throw some Oreos on the table and call it a “well-balanced” meal.

To battle that tendency, we’re going to occasionally post some Hectic Weeknight Meal selections that might give you an idea for something different to feed the family.

We’re starting this one off with Penne Pasta. We eat a lot of Penne around here because it’s a lot easier to deal with than spaghetti (especially for younger kids). If you watch the 10 for $10 sales at your grocery story you can get a box of Penne for $1. We pair this with a red pasta sauce (although my kids would prefer Alfredo sauce most of the time) that is usually also purchased on a 10/10 sale and kept in the pantry. We use crescent rolls about a hundred different ways around here, so they’re pretty much in stock in our refrigerator all the time. If not, you can put almost any bread or roll on the table and it’ll pair nicely with the penne and sauce.

Lite canned pears (in pear juice instead of heavy syrup) are also in our pantry most of the time. You know those 10/10 sales…yeah we stock up on fruit in cans then too. Same thing for boxed brownie mix. Sure, it’s great to make brownies from scratch, but sometimes you just don’t have the time. I’ve had my 12 year old making brownies since she was 9. I can work on the rest of the meal and supervise her as she mixes the ingredients. Until recently I didn’t let her put things in our oven, since it’s a double-oven and pretty high off the floor. Not long ago she started doing the entire production of the brownies. It makes for some nice father-daughter bonding time, and cuts my preparation time a bit. And she gets the satisfaction of participating in the meal preparation (and the props at the table when the entire pan is consumed!).

The only thing that requires a little prior planning is the green salad. We have all the salad fixings in our cabinet in a “salad basket”, but the actual greens don’t keep very long, so we have to grab those at the store prior to the meal. Upon occasion we’ll make a salad from scratch, but more often than not I find that we’re buying one of the bagged salads for the convenience.

That’s it. The entire meal takes a few minutes to prepare. The oven can be preheating while the water is coming to a boil. During that time you can make up the salad and set the table or mix up the brownies. The oven can do double duty for the brownies and breadsticks or crescent rolls. The pasta can cook while the sauce is heating (either on the stovetop or in the microwave). While you’re waiting for something else, you can open the can(s) of pears and have them ready to go. We’ve actually put this meal together in as little as 10 minutes of active time.

So, even on the most hectic nights, you can still get a meal on the table that you’ll be proud to serve your family!

Make it a great meal!