Perfection Pending

By Meredith Ethington

  • My Books
    • The Mother Load
    • Mom Life: Perfection Pending – The Book
    • Free eBook: Sometimes Motherhood Sucks
    • How To Grow Your FB Following
  • Motherhood
    • Inspiration
    • Encouragement
    • Childhood
    • Humor
    • Parenting Memes
    • Friendship
    • Marriage
  • Kid Ideas
    • Recipes
    • Practical Tips
    • Babies & Toddlers
    • teens and tweens
    • The Elementary School Years
  • Mental Health
    • Mental Health
    • Anxiety
  • About
    • Favorite Posts
    • My Portfolio
    • Privacy & Disclosures

Main Courses Recipe

10 Easy Recipes Your Family Will Love

  • Share
  • Tweet

I’ve been trying new recipes again. And, I’m happy to say that out of the 6 pinterest recipes I’ve tried, only one was a fail. That is a HUGE success. So, I thought I’d share the 5 new recipes I’ve found that were crowd pleasers in my family, and also include the 5 of my own that you may have missed in past posts.

These are all kid approved, taste good, and pretty simple to make. So here are my 10 Easy Recipes Your Family Will Love:

10 Recipes Your Family Will Love. I know Because I've Tried Them All

Some of these 5, I’ve already made twice because they are that good!!

07fb37af0de86fbdcdd5b3da701c7459

 

Kheema: Indian Ground Beef with Peas via Natural Noshing

 

I love this recipe for Kheema: Indian Ground Beef with Peas because it is an Indian food recipe without a lot of work. This is one you can whip together super easy at the last minute. Last time I made it, we just ate it on top of store bought Naan.

e35a9ed31bf21070ef8cd461acecea43

Red Beans and Rice with Turkey Sausage via NoBiggie.net

We’ve made this one twice and it will be a new staple in our house. Just super easy, and all the kids love it which is a huge bonus!

c529b6d5b62cde174750f926c0dafa97

Hash Brown-Crusted Quiche with Sausage via Very Culinary

I tried this one and one other similar recipe, and this one was DEFINITELY the winner. I love the fact that the crust is hash browns. Super yum. The kids loved it too. Everyone had seconds. We will definitely make this again.

f6dcbd43e774eb95461e16c5b8d0249b

Slow Cooker Jamaican Jerk Pork Chops via The Shabby Creek Cottage

Oh my gosh you guys. If you try any of these recipes on this list, try this. We are making it again for a huge get together we are having this weekend. It’s easy, and I literally wanted to lick my plate and drink the juice. My two year old had thirds, which says it all.

2fc988ea9b29664496b352467f1bde42

Spinach Artichoke Pasta via A Life of Flavor

If you love artichoke and spinach dip, you’ll love this. My husband wasn’t as crazy about this as I was, but the kids ate it, so that makes it perfect in my book. Super creamy and SO good.

Cilantro-Black-Bean-Salad1-639x1024

Cilantro & Black Bean Salad via Perfection Pending

This is one of my husband’s favorites. It’s good all by itself, but is amazing as a dip with chips or as a garnish on top of something else like enchiladas or burritos.

Turkey-Greek-Pitas-with-Cucumber-Tzatziki-Sauce

Easy Turkey Greek Pitas via Perfection Pending

This is LOVED by my whole family. My 7 year old requests this all the time. So good.

Easy-One-Dish-Pork-Chops-and-Wild-Rice.-Easy-dinner-for-weeknights-that-you-kids-will-love

Easy One Dish Pork Chops and Wild Rice via Perfection Pending

This is one of my go-to meals when we’re in a hurry, and we never have leftovers because the kids love it so much!

Hawaiin-Haystacks1

Easy Slow-Cooker Hawaiian Haystacks via Perfection Pending

I just made this a couple of nights ago for family we have in town. My niece and nephew made me feel like I was the most amazing chef ever and they ate thirds which of course made me feel awesome.

Balsamic-Baguette-Bites-A-Light-Simple-Dinner-Idea-for-Summer-from-Perfection-Pending

Easy Balsamic Baguette Bites via Perfection Pending

I love this recipe because it’s quick, easy, light, and my kids love any excuse to eat bread for dinner. I called them mini pizzas and my two year old thought they were so fun.

And since we’re talking about Pinterest, you should totally be following my recipe boards if you love trying new things, or just want to wait and see what I’ve tried!!

Recipes to Try

Recipes I’ve Tried and Love

Vegan/Vegetarian Recipes

Perfection Pending Recipes


5 Comments

« Mom U. Now Offering Even More Courses to Save Your Sanity.
Mom University: Tween Edition »

Comments

  1. Kim says

    June 25, 2014 at 12:34 pm

    These look delicious… I’ll be trying several of these. Now I’m off to pin them!

    Reply
  2. Claire @ A Little Claireification says

    June 26, 2014 at 1:39 pm

    What a delicious round up!! Thanks so much for featuring my Slow Cooker Jamaican Jerk Pork Chops. Pinned! xo

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      June 26, 2014 at 10:03 pm

      Thanks for stopping by Claire! I LOVED your recipe. We are making it this weekend. So YUMMY! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Stephanie @ Mommy, for Real. says

    June 27, 2014 at 3:14 pm

    I love your family-friendly recipes! As you know, we loved the haystacks, and I think we’ll do the pork chops this weekend! Yay! Thanks for these! Pinning now… 🙂

    Reply
  4. Kayla Tyburski says

    June 30, 2014 at 7:10 pm

    Yumm! I am going to pin this so I have a few of these for next week! I am looking forward to the artichoke pasta, Jamaican Jerk Chops and your bean salad!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Welcome! I’m Meredith.

Mom. Writer. Diet Coke connoisseur. Born and raised Texan. Lover of real talk and laughter with a hint of sarcasm mixed in.

The Mother Load

Perfection Pending on Instagram

Meredith Ethington

perfectpending

Mom • Author • Mental Health Therapist In Training
Grab my new book, The Mother Load, available now. 👇👇

Night night! 😤 Night night! 😤
If you missed my last post about how raising teens If you missed my last post about how raising teens can wreck you mentally….wellll this is part of the reason why. So lonely! But we are in this together somehow. 😂 Make sure to check out my latest substack and grab a copy of my book —- The Mother Load!
NEW ---> "When there are problems in these big kid NEW ---> "When there are problems in these big kid years, it’s no longer really acceptable to call a friend and air the annoyances of the situation. At least not the specifics.

Sure, you can commiserate with a fellow parent about teenagers being the worst.

But, to be honest - they’re not the worst. They’re kind of amazing. But their problems make me tired to my core." 

Read the latest on my substack. I promise you'll relate. ❤️
So sweet. ❤️ Follow me @perfectpending and bet So sweet. ❤️
Follow me @perfectpending and better yet buy my book or subscribe to my substack to support me.
"I don’t know about you, but I don’t really wa "I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want same-ness anymore. I want messy. I want admissions that shit is hard and we don’t have it all together. I want to have a makeup free, messy bun in my sweats run in with a mom friend and not feel worried she’s checking out my un-groomed eyebrows.

I don’t want to try to give off this illusion that I’m control of my life any better than the next person. It’s a shitshow for all of us, and we continue to hide it for fear of what? Being human?"

Read the rest on my Substack. Link in profile.
WHAT IF THIS IS THE HAPPIEST I’LL EVER BE AND I WHAT IF THIS IS THE HAPPIEST I’LL EVER BE AND I MISS IT? What if I miss the best time of my life. What if it’s right this second?
What if it’s right now while I’m in finals week of grad school, and have a kid that’s sick? 
I already miss so much. The gummy smiles of babes without any teeth. The squeaky voices of 2 year olds. The babbling of a baby that’s just trying so hard to say mama. The grammar mistakes my kids make when they’re talking that I don’t have the heart to correct because I love it too much. 

I miss a lot about those younger years that have already slipped away. My youngest is sick, much like in this picture, but he is too big to snuggle in my arms now when he’s running a fever. 

Today I had the thought, what if this is it? What if this IS the happiest I’ll ever be?
For a moment, I lingered in that thought as I stood over my sink and did the dishes. I started to cry.
Am I missing it? AM I? I felt a tug that maybe I was. Maybe I wasn’t relishing enough, and enjoying enough, and being present enough.
But, then I realized, it will never be ENOUGH. 

Read the rest in my substack ❤️
New year, same me. 😂 #mentalhealth #anxiety #de New year, same me. 😂
#mentalhealth #anxiety #depression
"I don't care" as I literally care about every sin "I don't care" as I literally care about every single thing.
I’ve got to admit - I’m kind of over all of th I’ve got to admit - I’m kind of over all of this. *sweeps arm generally at planet earth*

Look, I’ve never been a half glass full kind of gal. I can ALWAYS find the negative in every situation. 

But, right now it’s easy to say that I’m over it. It being.....

The state of our economy. Social media. People being unemployed. People being racist and homophobic. The debate over politics. People judging people. ALLLLLL of it. 

Everything is crap right now. We joke about it a lot. We have to in order to survive. 

It’s the one millionth day of January but Spring feels so far away. 

I’m over these four damn walls that we call home. 

Yeah, I know. Even as I’m typing this it all sounds like a bunch of ungrateful whiney BS. I hear it. I don’t need you to point it out, Karen. 

But, my guess is you’re reading this right now and realizing you’re over it too. Whatever “it” is in your life.

Some days the world feels like total crap. Everything is a mess. Everything costs too much. For E-V-E-R-Y-B-O-D-Y. 

Yes, even for you Karen. ➡️➡️ to keep reading.
Yes. Boundaries are healthy and good. And they mea Yes. Boundaries are healthy and good. And they mean someone loves you that much to communicate them! Love this wisdom from @wittyidiot
NEW POST ----> "This is not a post about loss of a NEW POST ----> "This is not a post about loss of a loved one. Or loss of a child. Those things are real, and they’re heart wrenching. And, this post is certainly not to compare that loss with the one I’m going to talk about.

But, the loss of yourself in motherhood is real. And It’s not talked about enough." 

Do you feel like you lost yourself in motherhood? How? I really want to know. 

Psss - I am in grad school to become a therapist, and am not ashamed to ask that you subscribe to my paid substack. I just lowered the cost to $36/year! That's like $4/month and you'll have access to all my previous posts, and some new weekly short posts to give you ideas to help with balancing motherhood and your own mental health. I'm learning a lot in school, and will only continue to do so, so subscribe and we'll support each other. ❤️
This memory made me laugh this morning. 🤣 This memory made me laugh this morning. 🤣
Saaaame. @womenwhorunwiththemoon Saaaame. @womenwhorunwiththemoon
I’m sorry are you really wearing doc martens and I’m sorry are you really wearing doc martens and a dress with spaghetti straps and a Tshirt under it while you’re telling me I’m doing it wrong? 🤣 Life is wild. Teenagers are fun.
Found in my pediatricians office. 🤣 What’s th Found in my pediatricians office. 🤣 What’s the moral of the story friends? If you think your household is always sick - it’s because they probably are. Kids make everything more germ-y
Here’s what I do know 👇 No one knows what th Here’s what I do know 👇

No one knows what they’re doing. 
We all feel like imposters. 
Our kids love us anyway. 
We’re all going to be OK. 
You’ve got this (as much as any of us do) 😘

#momspiration #momlife #funnymoms #memtalhealth #parentinglife #parentingquotes
"By trying to be perfect, we're actually trying to "By trying to be perfect, we're actually trying to avoid being human." 

Do you struggle with perfectionism? Parenthood has helped me quite a bit, but It's something I've battled my whole life. I still struggle occasionally, although it's gotten better. But, let's stop trying to avoid being human and instead embrace ourselves an in turn embrace the entire human race. ❤️ I'd love to hear how you embrace being imperfect. 

#perfecționism #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #anxiety #imperfect #perfectpending #themotherload #thementalload
Mood. Mood.
Some of you wanted sources on my last reel where I Some of you wanted sources on my last reel where I said we only need to be getting it right 30% of the time for our kids to have secure attachments. Well I wrote a bit more about the concept of being the “good enough mother” a term coined in the 50’s by a researcher and pediatrician. Check it all out in my newest post. Link in profile.
It’s true! Researchers have found that as long a It’s true! Researchers have found that as long as you’re doing the repair after mistakes the other times - then 30% is enough! Sometimes I worry I’m not doing it right but I definitely know I’m doing it right 30% of the time! 
Probably a whole lot more to be honest. I bet you are too. #momlife #encouragement #momspiration
Load More Follow on Instagram

You might also like

The Greatest Gift Is To Watch Your Child Leave You

Mom holding baby in nursery and yawning

When Does Parenting Get Less Exhausting? Newsflash – Never.

Dad holding tired girl after trick or treating during Halloween in the 80's

Halloween in The 80’s Was the Best Ever

mom forcing a smile with fingers and blue background

Stop Complaining About Motherhood. Here Are 21 Reasons You Shouldn’t

Here’s How to Deal With Hating Being a Parent

Copyright © 2025 · Perfection Pending · Designed by Krizzy Designs

Copyright © 2025 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in