Five Family-Friendly Dinners for Your Weeknight Rotation

How has your week been? When weeks turn crazy, it’s tempting (and sometimes necessary) to put in the least amount of thought and effort as possible into family dinners. The savior? A weekly menu plan. When there’s a plan in place and you can confidently end your day knowing what you will make for dinner that night, it relieves one bit of the stress. 

Ollie may be in development, but we didn’t want to wait to help you reduce the weeknight stress. Here are five easy family-friendly dinner recipes that we generated with AI and taste-tested by our internal team of busy parents (see the proof in our very real photos below!). Plug them into your weekly meal plan and cross this off your to-do list. 

(Need recipes that are a little more personalized to your family’s preferences? Try GPT for AI recipes.) 

Swiss Chard and Fennel Pasta

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped
• 1 fennel bulb, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Juice from half a lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 8 ounces whole grain pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Optional: pine nuts or chickpeas

Instructions:

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, and sauté until garlic is fragrant.
3. Add sliced fennel to the pan, and cook until it begins to soften and caramelize, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Add chopped Swiss chard, and continue to sauté until chard is wilted.
5. Drain pasta, reserving a cup of pasta water. Add pasta to the pan with the vegetables, adding pasta water as needed to create a sauce.
6. Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir in pine nuts or chickpeas if using, and serve.*

Potato and Leek Frittata with Dill 

Ingredients:

• 6 small red potatoes, thinly sliced  
• 1 leek, thinly sliced
• 6 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill
• Salt and pepper, to taste 
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Optional: parmesan cheese 

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Thinly slice the red potatoes and leek. In a skillet, sauté the potatoes and leek in olive oil until tender.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, fresh dill, salt, pepper, and cumin.
• Pour the mixture into an oven-safe skillet or a greased 9-inch pie dish.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the frittata is set and the edges are golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
• Optional: top with grated parmesan

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad with Grilled Chicken 

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 2 large chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Juice of 1 lemon

Instructions:

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
2. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then brush with olive oil. Grill for 5-7 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). Let rest before slicing.
3. In a large bowl, combine chickpeas, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, olives, feta cheese, and parsley.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, dried oregano, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to create the dressing.
5. Pour dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
6. Slice the rested chicken and serve it on top of the chickpea salad.

Chickpea Curry with Naan 

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, adjust to heat preference)
• 1 can (14 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped, for garnish
• 4 naan breads, for serving

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 5 minutes.
2. Add garlic, ginger, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, and cayenne. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. Stir in the chickpeas, crushed tomatoes, and coconut milk. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
4. Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the curry is slightly thickened.
5. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
6. Serve hot with warm naan on the side.

Grilled Lemon-Rosemary Chicken with Red Potatoes and a Side Salad 

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 lbs red potatoes, quartered
• Juice of 1 lemon (reserve half for salad dressing)
• Zest of 3/4 lemon (reserve 1/4 for salad dressing)
• 7 tablespoons olive oil (reserve 3 tablespoons for salad dressing)
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 head of lettuce (e.g., romaine, butter lettuce), torn into bite-size pieces
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Optional: cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, or radishes for added texture and color

Instructions:

1. Prepare marinade and marinate chicken and potatoes: In a small bowl, whisk together juice of 1/2 lemon, zest of 1/2 lemon, 4 tablespoons olive oil, minced rosemary, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Divide between chicken and potatoes in separate bowls or zip-top bags, tossing to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
2. Grill chicken and potatoes: Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Grill chicken breasts 6-7 minutes on each side or until fully cooked (internal temperature of 165°F). Wrap potatoes in a foil packet and grill for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally, until tender.
3. Prepare salad: In a large salad bowl, combine torn lettuce and any optional salad vegetables. For the vinaigrette, whisk together juice of 1/2 lemon, zest of 1/4 lemon, 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl or jar. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad just before serving and toss gently to coat.
4. Serve: Allow the grilled chicken to rest for a few minutes after grilling. Serve the chicken and red potatoes alongside the fresh lettuce salad dressed with lemon vinaigrette.

Bonus: Instant Grocery List 

Do you like what you see here? Here’s an instant grocery list you can cut and paste into Notes, text or any other tool and start shopping. 

Ollie Does the Work for You

Ollie’s mission is to help you feed your family healthy meals without having to think about it. Here’s a little of what you can expect from Ollie: 

• Recipe Customization: Swap ingredients, tailor portion sizes, and adjust seasonings. Ollie can instantly update recipes to your specific taste or needs.
• Instant Meal Plans: Before you can even think of it, Ollie will generate a meal plan based on your family’s preferences complete with a ready-to-go grocery list so you can cross this job off your list. 
• Real-life flexibility: Ollie knows that you may not want to cook five new meals a week. More often than not, you want to cook something familiar and easy to please. Ollie adjusts its meal plans to your schedule and incorporates your tried-and-true meals into the weekly schedule so you have a plan that you can really use.

We’re just getting started. Ollie will be released soon. If you’d like early access, join our waitlist here.