I love to bake, but cooking isn’t really my favorite. It’s not so much that I don’t enjoy the steps of cooking a meal. For me, it’s more about the timing. Right now, Charlie eats at 6 p.m. and then usually has his fussy “witching hour” until I top him off at 8 p.m. and put him down for the night. So we tend to eat dinner around 8:30 or 9 p.m. It’s definitely later than I’m used to. I’m an early riser and definitely not a night owl, so eating this late is a new norm for me. But hey, we make it work.

Here are just a few of my favorite recipes that I use on repeat. I’ve tweaked them a bit to fit our tastes, but what they all have in common is that they are simple and fairly quick. In addition, we almost always have yellow or brown rice on hand, plus sweet potatoes and fresh green beans for roasting.

One Pan Pork Tenderloin

I love a one-pan meal! The sweet and savory mix of the pork and apples and potatoes make this one especially yummy.

My spin: I don’t buy the pre-marinated tenderloin. Instead, I just buy the plain tenderloin and marinate with my own blend of oil and spices. Our local grocery store puts the two-pack of Smithfield’s pork tenderloins on sale for half price every few weeks, so I always buy a pack or two and freeze them.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

I’ve never been a big fan of meatloaf, but my aunt brought us one right after we had Charlie and it was delicious! I found this recipe that’s similar. With the brown sugar glaze, it’s much sweeter than traditional meatloaf…which is probably why I like it. We’ve also found that this recipe is even better the second day when you reheat leftover slices in a cast iron skillet.

My spin: This one is really forgiving, so you can tweak it based on what you have. I generally only do a pound of beef and then cut the other ingredients a bit. I also don’t usually have apple cider vinegar on hand, so I just do equal parts ketchup and brown sugar.

Soy Garlic Salmon

Salmon is one of my favorite foods. Bonus: it’s especially good for you if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. This simple recipe is always a crowd pleaser.

My spin: Frozen salmon! I buy it by the bag of individually wrapped pieces. If I have time, I’ll take them out and let them marinate while thawing. If not, I just pour the mixture right on top before baking and then baste periodically. I bake at 400 degrees in a baking dish covered with foil for about 30-40 minutes.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

This is literally the easiest recipe of all time. Three ingredients. I’ve made this for two people and for twenty people. So it definitely works for a crowd. You can make tacos, burritos, nachos…whatever!

My spin: I use an entire jar of cantina style salsa. I’ve found it makes the chicken even juicier, and if you’re saving leftovers, it’s nice to have the extra drippings so the chicken doesn’t dry out over night. Also, this works great with frozen chicken breasts.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

You didn’t think I was going to forget the desserts, did you? I only eat dinner to get to the dessert! I’ve tried a lot of cookie recipes. A lot. But so far these are my favorite. They come out light and fluffy every time. I always have plenty of baking ingredients on hand, and I can whip up just a half-batch of these whenever we need an after-dinner treat.

My spin: I refrigerate the dough for 10-15 minutes before baking. It just makes it easier to work with the the cookies come out more even. Also, I never measure the chocolate chips. I just eyeball it depending on my mood and current need for chocolate.

Sweet & Salty Peanut Butter Bars

These are so popular at any party or get together. Plus, they’re no-bake. It doesn’t get much easier than that! The saltiness of the kettle chips mixed with the sweetness of the chocolate is the perfect combination.

My spin: These are pretty perfect as is. The only tweak I make is using semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate.

I thought I would love to get creative to make it more interesting in the kitchen, but it turns out that I find a lot of comfort in knowing exactly what we have and what to do with it. Maybe I’ll get more adventurous down the road, but for now, I’m sticking with the tried and true.

What are your go-to recipes?