Who doesn’t love a good quick meal? In this day in age, it seems so many are ordering take-out. It’s just so easy to order a pizza, run to McDonald’s, or by the click of a phone, someone can pick food up for you. This world seems to be running faster and faster. The weeks get more chaotic, and before you know it, the year is gone. I know many people who all they do is run, run, run. Kids get home from school, and they are off to baseball practice, off to dance, or activities. Some don’t even have time to think about what’s for dinner every night, let alone do anything else. But why do we do this to ourselves? I mean, when I grew up, I played soccer, was in girl scouts, played in the marching band, went to youth group, and things like that, but I never felt like our life was crazy and not enough time for family time.

I didn’t grow up with my mom or dad buying us tons of fast food. McDonald’s was a treat, but my mom cooked. Friday nights, we would go out to eat or get pizza. That was always Mom’s one day off from cooking. (Same here. Who wants to cook on a Friday anyway?) No matter what my brother and I were in, my mom made sure we had a meal before or after practice, and she worked full time. Honestly, McDonald’s is sooo expensive anymore! It’s insane! You can go have a nice sit-down dinner somewhere for the cost of the crap you buy there. When it cost me $15 to treat my kids to lunch, I about hit the floor! $15 for fast food!? I can go to Maseto’s and get a way better lunch for that cost, or cheaper, honestly!

Now, I couldn’t tell you how long it has been since I had McDonald’s. It was well over six months; I can tell you that. When I finally did decide to treat myself and ordered a Happy Meal for a small portion of it, then took my kids to the park. When I got there, Kenzy and I both had no burgers in our Happy Meals. It was like the good Lord saying, “Nope. Not today, Andrea!” I’m like, OK Lord; I’ll just eat my apples and six fries while my son gave his sister one of his burgers.

The weeks went on, and I was still craving some McDonald’s, so I caved one day, and guess what? After I did it, I regretted it. I remember when I was bigger, people saying how crappy they felt after eating that “crap.” I never felt that way; it only made me feel good. (Probably because I ate it once a week.) Well, a few weeks ago, when I did treat myself, I was miserable the rest of the day. It’s crazy! Now, I didn’t plan on writing at all about McDonald’s, but this is how I write. Some people live on fast food. That, or with a click of a button, you can literally have ANYTHING delivered to you. By the time you order and wait for it to come, you could have made your family a delicious healthy meal. What makes it even faster is prepping the day before. Even if you have ten minutes, just cut up the veggies or pre-cook your meat. It helps!

Are we as a family running all the time? Yes and no. But my kids aren’t in a million different activities either. In the fall, my son will start basketball, and my daughter will start dance. Summer will be pretty quiet for evenings other than a few camps they want to do. They loved Kidz Club at Fairlawn Church last year every Wednesday night; then, we always went to my momma’s on Thursdays for dinner. So that was two nights out of the week that were taken. Monday and Tuesday were our two nights to be home. I don’t want my kids to be overwhelmed with a bunch of different practices on top of homework, instrument practice, and just being a kid! It seems like these kids are all growing up too fast anymore.

My son Ty has taken on a few jobs this spring, cutting lawns. It has really taught him the value of a dollar and to take on the responsibility. His dad and I are so proud of him because he does such a terrific job!! He will be twelve next month and has really turned into a special young man. (How can I even say man in that sentence? See, this is how fast time goes!) I want my son to still enjoy being a kid while he can, though. It’s great to have them in sports and different activities. Teaches them so much. But I want to enjoy time with my kids just as much.

Dinner time is the best time to sit down and really get in touch. Talk about your day and see what’s new. It’s the one time of the day, for thirty minutes of no phone, no TV, no interruptions — just family talk. It might sound greedy, but I’m not willing to give that up five nights a week. I can do a day or two, of course, but I don’t want my kids’ lives to be bombarded with nothing but practices and homework. Let them play, let them be kids while they still can. Let them sit around a table for a family dinner and talk to them; I mean, REALLY talk to them about their day!

Dinner doesn’t have to be hard. It’s not all about the food; it’s all about the time spent together and knowing what’s happening in your child’s life. This recipe that I am sharing was a big hit with my family. I was really excited about how my recipe turned out AND that I got my kids to eat zucchini! (Mom score!) It’s pretty much a healthier way of making hamburger helper, and my kids wanted dibs on all the leftovers! You know what else? It took 20 minutes to make. Bet you can’t get anything delivered to you in that amount of time, can ya? 

Protein Pasta, Sausage & Veggies

Ingredients:
• 3/4 lb. of Protein Pasta
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 lb. turkey sausage
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups chicken broth (Or two cup water with chicken bouillon cube)
• 2 small zucchini, diced 
• 1 cup chopped peppers
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat.

Add oil to a large, wide pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add in the onion and cook until the onion is very soft about 5 minutes. Add in the sausage and, using a wooden spoon, break it into small pieces. Cook until the sausage is brown, and no pink color remains. 

Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste. 

Stir in the zucchini and peppers and cook for 5-10 minutes with a lid on while stirring occasionally.

Add in the chicken broth and season with salt and pepper. 

In the meantime, add the pasta to boiling water and cook as directed on the box.

Drain the pasta. Toss the pasta immediately into the pot with the sauce and stir well to combine. Add some of the parmesan cheese, stir till melted.

Remove from heat and divide among serving bowls. Top with more cheese as directed and serve.

Enjoy!! And it makes amazing leftovers!