Meal Ideas for a Large Group

It has been awhile since I've talked about care group. If you're new here, our church has a ministry called Care Groups (a lot of churches similarly have small groups, community groups, etc.). Matt and I love this ministry dearly and have hosted and led a group since we got married in 2011. Every week, our group meets in our home to share a meal together and talk about what Jesus is doing in our lives. It is a huge blessing and encouragement to us.

We currently host 12 adults (and 5 kids under three) in our home, which isn't a huge group of people, but it's quite different than just cooking for our little family :). Below is the list of meals that we've had so far. For the most part, they are gluten-free and dairy-free (excluding toppings, etc.). 

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Meal Ideas for a Large Group

Chili and cornbread
Chicken Taco Bar
Turkey Dinner
Baked Potato Bar
Holiday Appetizers
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup (tried a new recipe that I didn't care for but this one is my favorite)
Breakfast for Dinner
Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes
Beef Tacos (homemade taco seasoning)
Smoked Sausage, Spinach, & White Bean Soup

Do you prepare food for large groups very often? 
What are your go-to meals for a crowd?

We've made our way through this entire list, and I'm ready for some fresh ideas from you all!!

+, Lauren Aiken

Avocado Tuna Salad

A few weeks back, I wrote about The Virgin Diet. To recap, that essentially meant no gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, soy, yeast, peanuts, and artificial sweeteners. 

I'm completely finished with the diet and found no noticeable food sensitivities, though I was also in my first trimester of pregnancy and did experience headaches, bloating, general ickiness, etc. I honestly have no clue whether pregnancy or food is the culprit, but I've decided that for now, I will not eliminate any foods entirely. More on that another time... 

Guys, had I not planned recipes in advance, I would have been in major trouble. I'm not one of those types who can just look in the fridge, throw things together, and make it taste good - at least not without repeating the same handful of meals over and over! Most nights I made enough dinner to have leftovers for lunch, but of course, there were a handful of days we did not. 

This avocado tuna salad caught my eye on Pinterest though, so I tried it and ending up loving it!! It was also perfect for early pregnancy (and any time) because of the extra calories from the avocado and protein from the tuna. Did you know you're supposed to consume about 70g of protein daily when you're pregnant? That is a lot when you're not the biggest meat lover and can't eat yogurt, cheese, peanut butter, etc. 

Even if you're not a huge fan of tuna, I think you could get into this. The avocado, lime, and roasted red pepper are the perfect combination of flavors. I added quite a bit of garlic pepper on top. 

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Most nights I enjoy cooking dinner, but when we don't have leftovers for the next day, coming up with creative lunches is a struggle for me.

Do you have any quick and tasty recipes to share? 

Do you have any tips for getting extra protein?

+, Lauren Aiken

Spaghetti Squash with Bison Marinara

Matt picked up some ground bison at Costco last week and wanted me to make something with it. I was skeptical at first since I don't really care for ground beef but decided to give it a try. After doing a little research, I learned that bison meat has less saturated fat than beef, contains nutrients (zinc, niacin, iron, B6, and selenium), has more flavor than ground beef, and is typically raised in a healthier manner than beef. This meal takes about 20 minutes start to finish, and my family loved it more than traditional spaghetti! We only buy beef on occasion, but from now on we'll be getting bison instead!

Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

1 small spaghetti squash
1 lb ground bison
2 tsp italian seasoning
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 shallot, finely chopped
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
olive oil

Instructions

Using a sharp knife, poke small holes all over squash. Microwave for 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pan, brown ground bison meat over medium heat and add in italian seasoning, garlic, and shallot while browning.

After meat is fully cooked, add crushed tomatoes. Add extra seasoning, to taste. Bring to a simmer, then lower heat.

Once the squash is softened, cut in half, remove seeds using a spoon, then scrape the flesh of the squash  with a fork until all of the strings of "spaghetti" have been removed.

In a separate pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add spaghetti squash and cook 1-2 minutes to remove excess water.

Serve meat sauce over squash.

This meal is even kid-friendly :).

Enjoy!!

+, Lauren Aiken

One-Pan Pasta

Just before the seasons change, I always get a little antsy for what's ahead. Am I the only one?? I'm currently loving PSLs, cozy sweaters and boots (I'm holding out here - it's still 80 degrees in Nashville), spiced and pumpkin flavored desserts, roasted veggie dishes, and one-pot meals. I haven't made a ton of one-pot meals in the past, but this fall I'm on a mission to find some great one-pot recipes! The best thing about them in my opinion? Easy clean up! I don't think Matt will refuse since he washes the dishes most nights :). 

Last week we tried this one-pan pasta from Martha Stewart. I used penne instead of linguine and 2 medium tomatoes instead of cherry, added broccoli, and topped it with crumbled goat cheese. If I were to make this combo again, I'd add more vegetables in. Now seriously, why didn't I think of this before?! As long as you get the pasta/water ratio correct, all sorts of variations are possible!

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Do you have any favorite one-pan meals? 

Please share your recipe with me!

+, Lauren Aiken
P.S. I'm linking up with Blair from W&P today. She is expecting her second child any day now! 

A favorite summer recipe

Since moving into our house in April, we purchased our first grill. You all know that I've been trying as many different recipes as possible...but we've found one that we both love. It has become a summer favorite, and we've already made it twice in the past month! 

I typically find most of my recipes on blogs, but this summer I've been trying a lot of recipes from my magazines. BHG has really tasty meals, and they are generally fairly minimal - few ingredients, minimal time, and maximum flavor, just how we like it around here!! 

The recipe serves 8, but when I make it for two I halve the spices (so the seasoning is actually doubled) and I make the full 8 servings of salsa and divide it between the two of us. There's usually a bit leftover, but I just eat it by the spoonful :). I also substituted a couple green onions for the red onion.

jerk chicken with avocado orange salsa / melamine plates

On an unrelated note, Matt snapped these photos of Nora's long newborn hairs on the top of her head during dinner. She has been pulling on her hair, and they come right out in her little fingers so I asked him to take a few that night. Here we are about a week later and they exist no more :(. Oh Nora girl, you are growing up way too fast! Nora is 9 months today so hopefully she and I will have a little photo shoot soon.

What is your favorite summer recipe? 
We will try it!!

+, Lauren Aiken