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It’s Challenge Day 6! That means we’ve almost completed the entire challenge! If you haven’t joined us yet, it’s not too late. Just head over to our Eat at Home Challenge page for the details and follow the quick steps for all the fun.

You’ll receive a free meal plan using recipes from my new cookbook Eat at Home Tonight and 2 bonus recipes from the book. And be sure to join the private Facebook group too for daily encouragement from others in the challenge and to enter for daily prizes.

Challenge Day 6

Today’s Facebook Live recipe is Double Chicken Dinner and Chicken Dijon Pear Salad from the “I Want to Cook for Tonight and Tomorrow” Chapter. Some of you have mentioned that your family doesn’t do leftovers. Let me just say, I’m sorry to hear that.

And let me also add, this chapter is for you! It’s my solution to serving leftovers that don’t taste a thing like leftovers. In fact, I’m guessing that your family won’t even notice that it’s leftovers.

This meal actually started with yesterday’s Facebook Live recipe for Dijon Chicken in the pressure cooker, the directions in the cookbook include slow cooker and oven directions too.

So, today, in less than 10 minutes, I whipped up this Dijon Pear Chicken Salad, using extra chicken from yesterday’s Dijon Chicken. I love adding fruit to salads, and it sounds like quite a few of you do too. But, if it’s not your thing, then just leave it out, or add something else in its place to make it your own.

Whatever you do, I hope it includes eating at home and enjoying your people and conversation around the table! I’ll see you tomorrow for our final day of Facebook Live for the Challenge and the best possible way to celebrate a job well done – dessert!!

In the meantime, be sure to join the Challenge and private Facebook group, and you can grab your copy of Eat at Home Tonight. 

We’re almost halfway through the Eat at Home Challenge, Day 3 being in full swing now! This morning we drew our second giveaway winner of the Lodge 6-qt Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven. And tomorrow morning we’ll be announcing the winner of the sheet pan set!

This morning on Facebook Live I made Tacos al Pastor, from the chapter “I’m Out of the House All Day and Won’t Have Time to Cook Tonight”. It’s perfect for the slow cooker or even an Instant Pot.

Speaking of an Instant Pot, I’ll be giving one away later in the Challenge, so if you haven’t signed up to join us yet, you’ll want to go ahead and do that! Follow the quick steps when you sign up for the Challenge, and be sure to join our private Facebook group too because that’s where the prize giveaway is going on!

I’m using recipes from the cookbook for the Challenge, but you’re welcome to use whatever recipes your family enjoys. If you do want to pick up Eat at Home Tonight, you can find it at several brick & mortar stores or any of these online sites: Amazon, WalMart, Barnes & Noble, and Target.

Join me tomorrow on Facebook Live at 11 am EST for One-Sheet Autumn Pork Chops with Apples and Sweet Potatoes. This will come in super handy for the winner of our sheet pans on the Facebook group. 

You know the nights. The ones when everyone is on a different schedule and you find yourself eating in shifts. It’s so easy to grab dinner on-the-go, but you still feel guilty for the expense, nutritional value and the general chaotic feeling of it all.

Fortunately, that’s another chapter in my new cookbook Eat at Home Tonight. And it’s also the topic I covered on Facebook live this morning.

Here are a few of my favorite tips and a sneak peek at some of the recipes included in the eating in shifts chapter.

Tips for Eating in Shifts

One: No complicated Sides.

Keep it simple. You don’t want to plan for a nourishing and doable dinner just to find yourself busy prepping and cooking aside. Keep it simple, because done is always better than unrealistic when it comes to a hungry family.

Two: Things that work well

Pick recipes that will do well if serving them happens over the course of several hours. Think sandwiches, taco fillings, slow cooker or instant pot recipes, microwaveable foods.

These can be prepped ahead to be stored in the fridge or set up in a slow cooker or instant pot. Set them to be ready when the first shift is ready to eat & reheat as needed when others arrive home.

Some ideas here include meat fillings for tacos, baked potatoes, naan pizzas. Sandwiches are also great for these nights.

And the best part is that all of these items freeze well. You may choose to freeze them either in big batches or individual servings. The individual servings were a life-saver for me when our boys were in their hungry teen years in between mealtimes too.

Three: Customizable dishes

Dishes that are easy to customize for each person’s palate. Tacos, sandwiches, pizzas, potato bars, soups with toppings and crusty bread. There are so many possibilities here!

Eat at Home Challenge

And a few details that I shared about the Eat at Home Challenge too

You’ll want to go ahead and sign up for the Challenge and our Eat at Home Challenge Facebook group. We already have quite a few members and it’s going to be lots of fun taking this challenge together.

You can find all the details about it on our Eat at Home Challenge page. And by the way, it’s completely free and a fun way to connect with others who are trying to eat more meals gathered around their kitchen tables.