Working Mom's Notebook

BBQ Chicken Burrito Bowl

Weeknight dinners can be the most difficult to cook. After a long day of work, I don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen figuring out what to make for dinner.
That’s why Sunday meal prepping can be a beautiful thing, and these easy BBQ Chicken Burrito Bowls are a perfect example.
What I do for meal prep is not complicated most weeks. I usually cook some protein like chicken, make a big batch of grains, roast a few pounds of potatoes, and mix several jars of sauces and dressings.
During the week, I mix and match these different ingredients with freshly cooked vegetables for quick, easy meals – like these BBQ chicken burrito bowls. They make a great lunch, too!
I usually make my own barbecue sauce because store-bought versions can contain too much sugar or vinegar for my taste, but feel free to use another recipe you like or your favorite bottled sauce.
I usually use a reduced sugar ketchup so that the barbecue sauce will be less sweet. Also, don’t skip the Worcestershire sauce! It makes a big difference in flavor.

BBQ Chicken Burrito Bowl Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

If you're making this for lunch, assemble the bowls in a lunch container, but pack the lettuce and salsa separately. Heat the bowls, then add top with the lettuce and salsa.

Ingredients

For the BBQ sauce (or substitute 3/4 to 1 cup bottled sauce):

1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar (apple cider vinegar also works)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon honey (light brown sugar or maple syrup also works)
2 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

For the burrito bowls:

1 pound (450g) chicken breasts (or substitute 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken)
4 cups chicken broth or water, for cooking the chicken
1 cup uncooked brown rice (or substitute 3 cups cooked rice)
1 1/4 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 15-ounce (425g) can black beans, drained and rinsed
6 to 8 romaine lettuce leaves, chopped into strips
1 cup pico de gallo or your favorite salsa
1 cup shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese, optional
Crushed tortilla chips, for topping

Casual Gathering

**This is a sponsored post in collaboration with my Stouffer’s partnership. All opinions are my own.
There is nothing like casual gatherings. I love the ease in which they come together and they are all about the people first then the food comes in to enhance the experience.

Let’s talk lasagna. I love it, as does my little guy Cole. But I don’t always have time to go through the whole process. It’s a lot to do and most nights when I want to cook for family and friends, I don’t want to be sweaty from all kinds of prep.
Sweaty means shower, which means hair needs to be redone—which more than anything—means time suckers I don’t have.

For those nights, I go for a semi-homemade menu. Whaaaat? Before you go wrinkling your nose on me and gasping, truth is I don’t have time to cook every night and semi-homemade is not the frightening horror show from the ‘80s anymore.

Nope. The spread you see above, the lasagna – it’s Stouffer’s. I proudly serve it because it’s freshly made and simply frozen. The pasta is freshly made, the meat sauce is rich in flavor, the cheese is fresh mozzarella and aged Parmesan. You’ll also be glad to know it contains no artificial colors or flavors and no high fructose corn syrup.
Any other doubts? I didn’t think so.

As for the rest of the meal, I kept it simple as well with a quick mache rosette and nectarine salad, and some chopped fruit. It’s summer so I stuck with fresh and light sides. And my son will tell you that bread is a must, because how else are you supposed to sop up all that meaty sauce? Never mind that it looks like a caveman tore the bread apart—my “tweenager” decided tearing up hand size pieces was much more expedient than wielding a bread knife. Okay.

But that’s what casual dinners are all about – the experience. I try to keep fuss to a minimum, especially when I have Cole in the kitchen. Although sometimes we end up burning stuff or taking twice as long, since we are goofing off and not paying attention to timers or recipes.

Not this time though. This menu is casual dinner with ease. The only thing we had to focus on was remembering to set a timer, since Stouffer’s had us handled. The salads, well phew – we didn’t burn them. Here’s to more fun kitchen and gathering time and less busy time spent prepping and assembling! Who is with me on that one?

Oatmeal Lace Cookies

Thin and crispy oatmeal lace cookies can seem magical if you have never made them before, but they are actually very simple.
Just melt sugar and butter, and then add the oats and flour to make a thin batter. Don’t be scared of how thin it seems!
The cookies spread and caramelize in the oven, creating a thin and crispy network of sugar that’s just substantial enough to hold the oats together.

I use thick-cut rolled oats because I think they give more “bite” and substance to the cookies. Look for thick-cut oats in both the cereal section and the baking section – I like Bob’s Red Mill oats, personally. It’s fine to substitute regular rolled oats if you have trouble finding the thick-cut, though instant or quick-cooking oats might make the cookies too fragile. (But let me know if you try them and what you think!)
When you’re melting the butter and sugar together, you don’t need to worry about cooking it, checking the sugar temperature, or anything so fussy. You only need to heat them long enough to melt the butter and dissolve the sugar.
Stir a few times as this is happening to make sure the butter and sugar are melting evenly. It’s ready when you have a thick brown paste. Also, it’s fine if you see some streaks or puddles of separated butter; the butter and sugar don’t need to fully combine for this recipe to work.
The other secret to making this cookies is to spread the batter into a thin layer on the baking sheet so the cookies bake evenly.
If you just pile the cookie batter in heaping spoonfuls, the center of the cookie will be thicker than the edges and the cookies won’t become fully crispy. You want an even distribution of oats and a thin layer of batter to create the crispy, lacy magic.

Oatmeal Lace Cookies Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yield: 24 cookies

I like thick-cut oats in this recipe since they make a more substantial cookie, but it's fine to substitute regular rolled oats if you have trouble finding thick-cut.
Make sure to spread the batter into a thin layer on the cookie sheet so the oats are in a single flat layer before you bake them.
The cookies will continue to spread during baking, so make sure to place the cookie batter at least two inches apart.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (115 g or 1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup (220 g) packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups (170 g) thick-cut rolled oats (or substitute regular rolled oats)

Asiago Cheese Dip

This Asiago Cheese Dip is loaded with cheesy goodness! The flavor is amazing and it is so simple to make! Great for parties and get togethers!

Dips are my husband’s love language. I’m just kidding…. but really, my man LOVES dips and the creamier and cheesier the better. His favorite dip of all time is still my Buffalo Chicken Dip. He makes me bring it wherever we go :)
Today’s dip is super delicious. I have an obsession with Asiago cheese. The flavor of the cheese is one of my favorites. I use it in so many things, on so many salads and to top off a lot of my meals. I always have a stash of this cheese on hand. This is such an easy appetizer to throw together and is a show stopper!
This dip super creamy and cheesy and would be PERFECT for your next get party or gathering!

Asiago Cheese Dip

This Asiago Cheese Dip is loaded with cheesy goodness! The flavor is amazing and it is so simple to make! Great for parties and get togethers!

Recipe type: Appetizer

Ingredients

16 ounces cream cheese, softened
⅓ cup half and half
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1¼ cup shredded Asiago cheese, divided
1 cup cooked and chopped bacon, divided

Shrimp, Arugula, White Bean, Cherry Tomato Salad

After weekends of sun and fun-filled BBQs and excessive feasting with friends, what I crave during the week is what people these days call “clean” eating.
I don’t know how that label came about (does this mean we’ve been dirty eating all this time? hmm, maybe I shouldn’t go there). But I do know that when I stay away from dairy and bread, and when I eat vegetables, legumes, and simple protein like shrimp, my body feels not so weighed down. Do you ever find that to be true for you?
This is a summer salad perfect for those midweek cravings for something light yet still filling. And it only takes 20 minutes to make, if that.

You just cook shrimp your favorite way, either sauté or grill. Toss them in a bowl with fresh baby arugula, halved or quartered cherry tomatoes, some white beans, onions, and a olive oil vinaigrette. Easy! The flavors play so well together.
When we cook shrimp, I’ve taken to brining them first. It really makes such a difference. Brined shrimp are juicier and hold onto more of their flavor. It does take an extra half hour, but worth it if you have the time!

Shrimp, Arugula, White Bean, Cherry Tomato Salad Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yield: Serves 4

It always helps to brine the shrimp before cooking. An extra step, but worth it if you have the time!
To brine the shrimp, mix together 4 cups water, 1/4 cup kosher salt (or 3 Tbsp table or sea salt), 1/4 cup white sugar until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Add one cup of ice and the shrimp. After 30 minutes (time it!) remove the shrimp and give them a quick rinse.

Ingredients

1 pound 16-20 count shelled and deveined shrimp
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 15-ounce cans cannellini white beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
3/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3 handfuls baby arugula leaves

Dressing:

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

BLT Salad

When farmers markets abound with colorful, heirloom varieties of tomatoes, it’s time to seize the day.
With tomatoes this good, you could easily sit down to a plate of them for dinner every night without a hint of boredom, but why not have at least one other trick up your sleeve?
Think of this salad as a deconstructed BLT with some corn and fresh green beans thrown in for good measure.

Leftover grilled or boiled corn is always looking for a home, so make use of it here. Otherwise, you can quickly microwave a couple of ears.
And here’s another corn trick: Contain the mess of scraping the kernels off the cob with the help of a bundt pan or a small, flat-bottomed bowl set upside down inside a larger one.
Set the bottom of the ear on the spike in the center of the bundt pan, or on top of the upside down bowl, and slide a sharp knife down the ear. The kernels fall into the larger bowl without flying to every corner of your kitchen.

BLT Salad Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients

For the dressing:

1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped shallots
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons finely sliced chives

For the salad:

6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut in half
1/2 pound green beans, preferably haricots verts, ends trimmed
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 to 4 heirloom tomatoes of varying colors, sliced into thick rounds
2 medium ripe avocadoes, sliced
Kernels from 2 medium ears of cooked corn (about 2 cups)
Leaves from 1 head Boston lettuce, or salad greens of your choice

Banana Bread Granola

This Banana Bread Granola has all the warm comforting flavors of my favorite banana bread recipe (the one right here on Simply Recipes!), but it’s a little more suitable for weekday breakfasts.
The brown butter and brown sugar are perfectly matched with toasty oats and walnuts.
But the real secret to this granola’s magic is how the diced bananas get caramelized and chewy after a long slow cook in the oven. It’s the perfect texture to contrast the crunch of oats and nuts.
The story of how I met Elise is a funny one. We were in Austin for a conference and Elise was sitting with a few people I knew in the hotel lobby. There were no seats, so I just plopped down on a sofa arm near my friend. Elise looked over and introduced herself, and I blurted out, “Omygosh I love your site.” I think I avoided full fangirl-dom, but barely.
Flash forward a few years, and now we live just a couple of miles apart. We’ve shared meals, baked muffins, seen a fantastic concert, and even spoken on a panel together. When Elise proposed that I start writing for Simply Recipes, I didn’t even have to think about my answer. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Elise asked me to start thinking of fun and interesting granola recipes to share with you, and my brain went into overdrive. Granola is something I make often and the combinations are virtually endless.
I think it’s pretty fitting that we decided on Banana Bread Granola, considering Elise’s banana bread was one of the first recipes I ever made from this site. So, in a nod to the most popular thing on Simply Recipes and to one of my favorite treats, please enjoy this brown butter banana bread granola.

Banana Bread Granola Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Yield: About 4 cups of granola

I call for raw walnuts because they toast in the oven along with the granola, and nuts that have already been toasted can burn. If you can’t find raw walnuts, you can sub raw almonds or pecans, or simply add toasted walnuts in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
If you like your granola in big clusters, spread the granola in a single, even layer on the baking sheets and do not stir during baking. This way, the granola will bake into one solid piece and you can break it up to clusters once cool.
You can store this granola in airtight containers for about a week, though it rarely lasts so long in our house.

Ingredients

1/4 cup unsalted butter (If using salted butter, taste your mixture before adding salt)
1/3 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon water
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (Certified gluten-free, if needed)
3/4 cup chopped raw walnuts (See recipe notes)
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 medium ripe bananas, diced