2 Easy, Make Ahead Meals

Dinners are almost always a stress/strain in our house, but these 2 recipes have become a staple and are as delicious for leftovers as they are easy to make. The more time that has gone by, I don’t even look at the recipes anymore (which I NEVER do!).

QUICHE

I picked up this recipe from a lovely French Family I used to nanny for in nursing school. It’s great as a grab and go breakfast or with salad for lunch (or dinner!). The best part is you can use whatever veggies you have on-hand and try different combos. You can find everything at Trader Joe’s (or any other grocer store).

Ingredients:

1 frozen Puff Pastry Sheet (Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods or Pepperidge Farms are all great)
3 eggs (I have been accidentally using 4 lately and it’s still great!)
1 jar of “Creme Fraiche” (I like Bellwether, 7.5 oz, Costco has it for a lot cheaper for a bigger tub!), you can use sour cream if you are in a bind
3 small handfuls of shredded cheese, can use mozzarella or cheddar
A sprinkle of grated nutmeg (I like to use freshly grated because I’m fancy!)
Salt and Petter
Filling

You can find Creme Fraiche near the sour cream at any grocery store.

For the filling, my go-to is 1/2 of a bag of the microwave-in-bag broccoli (I find at Trader Joe’s) and 1/2 bag of ham lunchmeat. You can also cook/steam onion, garlic, spinach, mushrooms, bell pepper, etc. Be sure to squeeze off any extra moisture if veggies were frozen. Butter a round quiche or pie pan, let puff pastry defrost 30 minutes before using.

Preheat oven to 380. IN a bowl mix 3 EGGS, JAR OF CREME FRAICHE, 3 HANDFULS OF SHREDDED CHEESE, NUTMEG AND SALT/PEPPER. Lay defrosted puff pastry in tin. Cut the corners off and squish the cut corners into your tin where you have gaps. Scatter the diced and steamed broccoli and diced lunchmeat into the bottom os pastry. Pour egg mixture on top.

Bake for 30-45 minutes at 380 until crust is golden brown and flaking apart a little. Let cool for at least 15. You can cover with foil and place in fridge for later use (I make Sundays for meals Monday to Wednesday).

A slice of quiche is a great option for a grab-and-go breakfast or pair it with a side salad for lunch! (note: this quiche was overcooked a little).

ONE PAN WHOLE ROAST CHICKEN AND GOLDEN VEGGIES

This is my MIL’s recipe and I almost passed out with pleasure the first time I had it. You do have to go a little “Pioneer Woman” on this one, but you can do it.

Ingredients:

Whole chicken (if you can find step 5, that is the most humane meat)
2-3 Carrots, 1-2 onion(s) and 1 few small potatoes or 1 potato quartered

You have to have your Pioneer Woman moment to make this delicious whole-roast chicken, but I believe in you!

Rinse and pat dry whole chicken. Use fine salt ALL OVER the inside and outside, every nook and cranny. (there might be guts inside, hence the ‘Pioneer Woman’ moment). Place salted whole chicken, uncovered, in the fridge overnight to brine. Heat oven to 500 while chicken comes to room temp. Place chicken over quartered onions, carrots and potatoes that have been drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 50 minutes or so. Allow to rest before dicing.