I am all about the quick and easy meals – especially these days. I was never much of a cook before I got married. There was a lot of eating out – or making some very basic (hello, Healthy Choice) meals. I didn’t have anything against cooking, I just was at a stage in my life where I wasn’t as interested.
I do enjoy cooking more and more. I’m still no chef, but I can find my way decently around the kitchen. We try to cook on the week nights and tend to eat out on Fridays/Saturdays. Sundays are the days I try a new (to me) recipe. Since the four years we have been married, I do try to meal plan before my weekly trip to the grocery store. (Thank you, Erin Condren, for your meal planners).
I’m typically wrapping up my work day between 5:30 and 6 p.m., and Aaron ends his days at different times – usually anywhere between 5 and 7:30. So, I try to get dinner started as soon as I end my workday. It’s a nice way to unwind and switch gears. That said, I don’t like to spend a ton of time cooking on our weeknights, and I prefer recipes that don’t have a million ingredients. If I cook, Aaron cleans (and vice versa). That’s my marriage tip for today: don’t take on 100% of the work yourself. Divide and conquer – it will make the household much more peaceful and one person doesn’t feel like they are carrying the entire burden.
Anyways, one of our favorite, week night dishes to make are my turkey zucchini boats.
Turkey Zucchini Boats
- 3-4 large zucchini squash
- 1 onion (diced)
- 2 cloves or garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 cups of marinara (any kind will work)
- 1 lb. of protein ( I used ground turkey, but ground chicken or ground beef would also work).
- Handful of parmesan to sprinkle on top
Step one: Set your oven to 425 degrees. Dice up your onion and garlic and sautee with one tablespoon of olive oil. Cook until they begin to soften.
Step two: Once your onions and garlic start to soften, start cooking your protein with the onions and garlic. Cook until brown.
Step three: while you are cooking your meat, cut your zucchinis in half and hollow out the middle (I use a spoon, but I’m sure there is a way more sophisticated method).
Step four: add the marinara (this time, I used the Harvest marinara from Trader Joes) to your meat and mix well.
Step five: Scoop into your zucchini boats.
Step six: bake for 20-23 minutes. Top with your parm when they come out!
There you have it, a simple, week-night recipe. It takes only about 30 minutes from start to finish!
