I’ve had some readers ask how my meals roll out in real time. I almost always prep my meals in the late afternoon. Once my school age boy is home. While homework is being done. I do meal prep.

That means that most of my meals either go into the refrigerator after they’ve been prepped and the meal is completely ready for the oven, or sometimes I make the entire dish and put it in the refrigerator to wait until diner time. Then I simply reheat whatever I’ve prepared and plate the meal.

A lot of times this schedule is dictated by what we have going on in the evening, whether that’s cross-country ski practice, gym, or activities with family or friends. But I’ve found that the more I prep, the more likely we are to do dinner at home.

If I wait too late, get too tired, or the night gets along as time is always wont to do, I am much more inclined to say, “Yes, let’s get takeout and call it good.” If my meal is ready to go from the refrigerator to the oven, like below, I am 99.9% more likely to head home to eat!

One of the major bonuses of The Scramble is that Aviva gives you all of the steps you need to prep and make your meal ahead. This meal was an especially delicious one, and I will definitely be making these spice-rubbed chicken Thighs again! Thanks to The Scramble for really getting our family meal-time figured out!!!

I hope you readers enjoy this meal as much as we did!

XX, Megan

Ingredients

1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. chili powder
3 lbs. bone-in chicken thighs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. (I used a 9 x 9 glass casserole pan because I halved this recipe.)

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients except the chicken. Sprinkle and rub the spices all over the chicken. (Start preparing the sweet potato fries now, if you are serving them.) Put the chicken on the baking sheet, skin side up, and bake them for 30 minutes until the skin is dark and crispy. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Homemade Sweet Potato Fries Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp. vegetable or peanut oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. chili powder (optional)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (optional)
1/2 cup ketchup, or use barbecue sauce, for serving (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Slice the sweet potatoes the long way, making thin, long strips (no need to peel them). In a medium bowl, toss them with the oil, salt, and chili powder and/or garlic powder. Bake them in a single layer on a baking sheet for 25 – 30 minutes, turning once, until they are lightly browned. For a crisper texture, broil them for 2 – 3 minutes before serving them. Serve them with ketchup or barbecue sauce, if desired.

*The Scramble is a meal planning service to which you can subscribe here. For a fantastic price you will receive 8 weekly meals which means 8 recipes (main course plus a side dish), complete grocery list, the ability to tweak the number of people you are making for, and full nutrition facts.

PLUS tips as to how best to PREP your meal beforehand, add a punch of FLAVOR, and how to SLOW COOK almost every recipe if you’re especially slammed that night. This wonderful service really does live up to it’s name. You can come home at 6 p.m. and be sitting down to a DELICIOUS, HEALTHY, HOME COOKED meal by 6:30 p.m. most nights.

This dish was absolutely delicious, and healthy to boot. With a little citrus kick from that lime, and a little bit of heat from the optional red pepper flakes it was the perfect meal for a family trying to fight off colds all around!

This meal comes from The Scramble, and I have to say that the unexpected twist of pureeing the tomato base was equal parts wonderful (when finished) and time consuming (read: a lot of in and out of the skillet).

All of that back and forth was worth it when the meal was complete. I even got a “WOW!” from the Mr.

This meal would be one I would serve for guests, and it might be a spicy and special alternative to a mainstream turkey, roast, or ham dinner for a Christmas Day Feast!

I hope you’ll all enjoy it as much as we did. I’ve also included the recipe for the Quinoa that The Scramble recommended with this dish.

XX, Megan

Ingredients

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
2 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
1 red onion, diced
2 Tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. curry powder
28 oz. diced tomatoes, with their liquid, or use 6 – 8 fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup light coconut milk (optional)
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined (preferably US or Canadian farmed or wild shrimp)
1/2 lime, juice only, about 1 Tbsp.
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

*1/2 tsp. Red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

In a large heavy skillet, toast the coconut over medium heat, stirring often, until it is light brown, 2 – 3 minutes. Transfer the coconut to a small bowl and set it aside.

Wipe the skillet and heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions, ginger and salt for 5 – 7 minutes until they are tender and translucent. Once they are soft, add the curry powder and stir it into the vegetables for about 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes and coconut milk (optional), and simmer for about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender and puree it.

Rinse and dry the skillet or use a new pan. Heat the pan over medium to medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the remaining oil, let the oil get hot, then add the shrimp.

Cook the shrimp without moving it for 2 minutes until it is partially cooked through and slightly browned on the bottom. Flip the shrimp and cook it on the other side until it turns pink, another 1 – 2 minutes.

Add the pureed sauce, lime juice and the cilantro to the pan with the shrimp, let the sauce heat through, and top it with the coconut. Serve it immediately over the quinoa, or refrigerate it for up to 2 days.

Ingredients for the Complimentary Quinoa

1 cup quinoa
1 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 green chili pepper, minced (optional)
1 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup frozen peas

Directions

Rinse the quinoa in a fine strainer. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onions until they are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, quinoa, chili peppers (optional), turmeric, cumin and cinnamon and stir for about 1 minute.

Add the salt and 1 3/4 cups water, bring it to a boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer it for 15 minutes. Stir in the frozen peas and cover the pot for a few minutes to let them thaw. Serve it immediately or refrigerate it for up to 3 days.

*The Scramble is a meal planning service to which you can subscribe here. For a fantastic price you will receive 8 weekly meals which means 8 recipes (main course plus a side dish), complete grocery list, the ability to tweak the number of people you are making for, and full nutrition facts.

PLUS tips as to how best to PREP your meal beforehand, add a punch of FLAVOR, and how to SLOW COOK almost every recipe if you’re especially slammed that night. This wonderful service really does live up to it’s name. You can come home at 6 p.m. and be sitting down to a DELICIOUS, HEALTHY, HOME COOKED meal by 6:30 p.m. most nights.

I love making hearty, delicious soups during the cold winter months for several reasons. First, they are hot, filling, and generally easy to make. Second, you can make most soups ahead of time and then warm them up when dinner-time comes.

This is a boon for me, especially when I’m teaching a late spin class at the gym and I know that if I don’t have dinner ready our menu often quickly devolves to take-out!

This Tuscan White Bean Soup comes from The Scramble*. My husband and I LOVED this recipe, and both added red pepper flakes to our soup. The boys thought the soup was palatable, and we may have bribed them with the promise of desert if they ate all of their soup.

Quick, easy, pre-prepped– this meal was a win all around once again! Thanks to The Six O’clock Scramble and their AWESOME team who nail the dinner-time menu again and again!

XX, Megan

Ingredients

3 – 4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion (sweet onion such as Vidalia or Walla Walla), chopped
2 tsp. minced garlic, (about 4 cloves)
29 – 30 oz. canned cannellini or white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz. reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. sherry, or 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
10 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped, or 1/2 tsp. dried

Sides: Sourdough Bread, and Fresh Fruit Salad

Directions

In a large stockpot, heat 2 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook. Stir occasionally, until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and broth. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer it for 3 – 5 minutes until you are ready to puree it.

Add the basil (reserving some for garnish if desired). Puree it with a hand (immersion) blender, if you have one. If not, remove it in batches and puree it in a standing blender, and return it to the pot. Simmer the soup for about 5 more minutes. Stir in the sherry or vinegar.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top it with the basil, croutons and Parmesan cheese (optional). Alternatively, refrigerate the soup and store the croutons in a sealed bag for up to 2 days.

*The Scramble is a meal planning service to which you can subscribe here. For a fantastic price you will receive 8 weekly meals which means 8 recipes (main course plus a side dish), complete grocery list, the ability to tweak the number of people you are making for, and full nutrition facts.

PLUS tips as to how best to PREP your meal beforehand, add a punch of FLAVOR, and how to SLOW COOK almost every recipe if you’re especially slammed that night. This wonderful service really does live up to it’s name. You can come home at 6 p.m. and be sitting down to a DELICIOUS, HEALTHY, HOME COOKED meal by 6:30 p.m. most nights.

This meal was a BIG HIT at our house! Savory and delicious on a cold, cold night. There is nothing better than getting a meal all ready to go. I generally make my dinners in the late afternoon and put them back on the stove to reheat right as we are ready for dinner.

I’ve found that this makes my evenings so much more stress free. If I can knock out dinner at 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. we can take off and play before returning home to eat.

In the winter this becomes more important as we participate in Youth Ski League, and the light continues to lessen every day.

Regardless of how or when you like to prep for dinner, I absolutely LOVE the way that The Six O’Clock Scramble gives you a specific list of tasks you can do ahead of time to prep your meal!

That way weather I have to turn dinner out at 8:00 a.m. (which has totally happened) or whether I step into the kitchen at 6:30 p.m. and want to have dinner on the table by 7 I am set to go.

The Scramble has literally taken the headache out of dinner time. From grocery shopping, to preping, to the actual making of the meal. If you have enjoyed some of the recipes I’ve posted here, I encourage you to head over to their site and sign up for a trial of their service. I cannot sing the praises of this meal planning service, or the good it has done our family, enough!!!

Hope your Thursday is superb!

XX, Megan

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. minced garlic, (10 – 12 cloves)
1 large red onion, quartered top-to-bottom and cut into strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips, about 1-inch long
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
5 – 7 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce (use wheat/gluten-free if needed), to taste
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 – 2 cups fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped

Directions

In a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic, onions and peppers, and sauté them for 2 minutes. Add the chicken and stir-fry it until it starts to brown on all sides, but is not cooked through; 3 – 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce and sugar, and add that to the pan. Continue to cook the chicken, uncovered, tossing it occasionally, until the chicken is just cooked through, 2 – 3 more minutes.

At this point you can cool and refrigerate the chicken for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. Add the basil just before serving it.

Add the basil, toss it well, and serve it, or cover it until you are ready to serve.

*The Scramble is a meal planning service to which you can subscribe here. For a fantastic price you will receive 8 weekly meals which means 8 recipes (main course plus a side dish), complete grocery list, the ability to tweak the number of people you are making for, and full nutrition facts.

PLUS tips as to how best to PREP your meal beforehand, add a punch of FLAVOR, and how to SLOW COOK almost every recipe if you’re especially slammed that night. This wonderful service really does live up to it’s name. You can come home at 6 p.m. and be sitting down to a DELICIOUS, HEALTHY, HOME COOKED meal by 6:30 p.m. most nights.