This week Nate and I hosted his two buddies from the Marine Corps and their beautiful families! The youngest was a 2.5 month old girl, a 1 year old baby boy and 3 year old toddler! The house was so lively!

One thing about me is if you’re staying with us, I’m going to make sure you are well fed with plenty of home cooked meals! Since we were feeding 7+ mouths I decided to do every meal buffet style and it was a great way for everyone to come up and make their own dishes they way they wanted. Below is everything we cooked for the week including breakfast, lunch and dinner- all buffet family style. I hope this gives you ideas for the next time you host :)!

Breakfast Buffets Ideas:

Day 1:

Chia Pudding
Toast
Hard Boiled Eggs
Sausage
Fruit

Chia Pudding Recipe:

Ingredients:

6 tbsp chia seeds
1.5 cups milk
3 tsp honey or other sweetener

Step by step:

Pour ingredients into a bowl and mix. Let settle for 2-3 minutes then mix again very well until you see no clumping.
Cover and store in fridge overnight
When you’re ready to eat it, top with your favorite fruit and enjoy cold!

Day 2:

Mini Pancakes
Scrambled Eggs
Bacon
Croissants
Bagels + Cream Cheese
Fruit

Mini Pancakes Recipe:

Ingredients:

Day 3:

Oatmeal Bar
Fruit
Granola
Nut Butter
Honey
Syrup

Oatmeal Recipe:

Ingredients:

1.5 cups rolled oats
3 cups milk
1 tsp salt

Step by step:

In a small saucepan, bring the water or milk and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, stir in the oats and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let the oatmeal simmer for 5 minutes or until it reaches your desired consistency. Stir occasionally. Enjoy with your favorite toppings!

Pro tip: use this double burner pan to cook for more people at once

Lunch Bar Ideas:

Day 1:

Day 2:

Turkey Meatballs
Rice Pilaf
Cucumber Tomato Salad

Cucumber Tomato Greek Salad Recipe:

Ingredients for salad:

1 Cucumber, deseeded
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
5 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
Fresh black ground pepper

Step by step:

Mix the dressing in a small bowl, set aside
In a large bowl add all the chopped veggies, then drizzle the dressing

Rice Pilaf Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups jasmine rice
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
2 tsp salt
Pepper
Dash of cayenne
1/2 chopped parsley, for topping

Step by step:

Brown the rice and add the onions and celery:
While the stock is heating, heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Add the olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, add the uncooked rice and brown the rice, stirring occasionally, for a couple of minutes.
When the rice has browned, add the onions and celery and cook a few minutes longer, until the onions begin to soften.
Add the salt, pepper, and cayenne, mix
Add the stock and cook the rice: Pour the heated stock into the pan with the rice, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, bring to simmer for 20 min (keep covered), after 20 min remove from heat, KEEP LID ON, let sit for 5 min, then fluff with a fork top with parsley, serve and enjoy!

Recipe Credit: Simply Recipes

Dinner Ideas:

Day 1:

Hassle back sweet potatoes & yogurt sauce
Roasted Carrots
Rib Eye

Hassle Back Sweet Potatoes & Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:

4 sweet potatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
S&P

Step by step:

Wash and dry sweet potatoes, preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Make a series of 1/8-inch slices along each potato, slicing 2/3 of the way through
Stir together the butter, oil, thyme, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Rub the potatoes all over with the mixture, getting in between the slices.
Place on the baking sheet and roast until the center of the potatoes are tender and the outside is crisp, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Halfway through the roasting time, remove the potatoes from the oven and run a fork gently across the tops of the potatoes, using light pressure, to fan the slices and separate them from one another.
Meanwhile, stir the yogurt and scallions with a pinch salt and a pinch pepper. Serve the sauce with the potatoes and enjoy!

Recipe Credit: Food Network

Roasted Carrots Recipe:

Ingredients:

12 carrots
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill

Step by step:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Slice the carrots diagonally in 1 1/2-inch-thick slices. Toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to a sheet pan in 1 layer and roast in the oven for 20 minutes, until browned and tender.
Toss the carrots with minced dill or parsley, season to taste, serve and enjoy!

Recipe Credit: Food Network

Day 2:

Taco Salad Bowl
Shredded Chicken
Ground Beef
Cilantro Rice
Pico De Gallo
Sour Cream
Tortilla Chips

Shredded Chicken Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 packet Siete Chicken Fajita Seasoning

Step by step:

Put all chicken in a bag or bowl with lid, season with fajita mix and let marinate for at least 2 hours
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add marinated chicken; sear without moving on one side for 5-7 minutes
Once the seared side is browned and looking crispy, flip to other side and sear, until chicken is no longer pink. If you have a lid to your skillet, you can cover it to speed up the cooking time a bit.
Remove chicken from skillet to a cutting board. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, then shred with two forks.

Recipe Credit: Bowl Of Delicious