So What... 's for dinner?

Tonight Tyler and I had left over steak burrito's for dinner and boy were they just yummy.

I used very thin flank steak and just cooked it in a skillet with burrito seasoning and salt and pepper. (2 mins on each side, if that) I cooked this yesterday for dinner and when I asked everyone how their dinner was, all I got was groans and moans. I guess that means the family approved.

This got Tyler and I thinking. It started as a joke but the more I thought about it the better it sounded. We have decided that we will have a burrito dinner week. I don't mean steak burrito's everyday. I mean think of the possibilities. You can have chicken, ground meat, steak, carnita's, fish, veggie, breakfast... plus all the toppings, black beans, tomatoes, corn, salsa, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, peppers... the list is endless when you think about your personal tastes and if you do breakfast burrito's as well.

I thought we would have to win over Ryan but he is all for it and here is why.

The weeks that we have Tyler consist of me working until 4:30/5:00, going to pick her up from marching band practice and not getting home until after 6:00 PM. If you know one thing about our family it's that we don't do a lot of take out or eating out. We prefer to cook, or at least I do. In order for me to get a healthy meal on the table we are looking at a dinner time of at least 7:00 PM for something simple. We also have nightly chores and home work to accomplish. This can be a lot for any person/family and cuts into the dinner "how was your day" conversation.

So here is how the burrito week idea works:

Sunday: As a family decide on the on the menu. What types of burrito's will you be having and on what days? Make a grocery list and go to the store together. Once you are home, work together on prepping and cooking the food.

Ideas: Prep all veggies needed, lettuce, tomatoes, corn, peppers, beans (do what you can in advance, I suggest you don't prep avocado in advance as it doesn't last). Some will require chopping while others like the beans and peppers will require cooking.
Prep all meat on Sunday. Cook the meat expect fish. This way it's ready to go on the night you need it. The fish can be cooked the night of the meal, just pick a night you don't have a lot going on.

This family prep time gets everyone in the kitchen on a day/night where no one HAS to be any other place than home. Most times during the week I find myself in the kitchen by myself for two reasons mostly, our kitchen is small and the kids have homework they have to get done.

Once all this prep is done all you have to do during the weeks is heat up the warm stuff and set the table. This allows for the time I know I look forward to and that's hearing about everyone's day and not rushing through to get to all the after dinner stuff. This also cuts down on the dishes that have to be done each night during the week.

If you are looking for ways to get in the kitchen with your kids but still have time around the table to enjoy the meal I suggest you try this.

Who knows it may lead to Pizza week, Salad week, Burger week.

So what will you try... think of the possibilities.