Meal Plans

This month, welcome Sara Bir. Sara Bir is the author of two cookbooks, Tasting Ohio and the IACP award-winning The Fruit Forager’s Companion. She also moderates and replies to your comments here on Simply Recipes. Follow her @sausagetarian.
As much as I love the holidays, there’s something liberating about how free-form January is. The only seasonal obligations I can think of are simply making it through dreary weather.
On nights when it’s just us, my daughter and I have taken to playing Connect 4 at the dinner table. Violating the sanctity of a family meal this way is something I never would have gone for a year ago, but nowadays it’s how we spice things up after spending yet another day in the house together.
With that in mind, these recipes bring spice, heat, or warmth in one form or another. Whether it’s playing games while distracted by food or turning the thermostat up a few degrees higher than normal, this January, I’m loosening up my wintery demeanor and leaning into the coziness we create. LEGGI TUTTO

This month, welcome Sara Bir. Sara Bir is the author of two cookbooks, Tasting Ohio and the IACP award-winning The Fruit Forager’s Companion. She also moderates and replies to your comments here on Simply Recipes. Follow her @sausagetarian.
When I have an idea of what I’m making for dinner ahead of time, I feel more centered. Usually, I jot ideas down the week before, sometimes taking inventory of foods we’ve had kicking around a while that need a final destination. (Pile of winter squash, I’m looking at you!)
And inevitably, the meal plan changes the week of execution. Our moods change and we switch up the order, or a meal gets bumped because of unforeseen events and I get a late start. But you know what? It’s okay. We cook the food eventually. We sit down to some form of dinner every night. That’s success in my book.
It’s all worth it, because I know we’re covered. We hope our meal plans give you a little peace of mind, too. LEGGI TUTTO

This month, welcome Sara Bir. Sara Bir is the author of two cookbooks, Tasting Ohio and the IACP award-winning The Fruit Forager’s Companion. She also moderates and replies to your comments here on Simply Recipes. Follow her @sausagetarian.
Congratulations! You made it. 2020 is old news and 2021 is the proverbial babe in diapers, toddling out into an uncertain world. Maybe you did a deep dive into celebratory foods over the holidays. It’s okay—the holidays are for celebrating, after all. But I, for one, am ready to retire cookies as a food group for a good, long while.
I don’t know one person who’s not ready for a fresh start. Now you can switch it up and give your body the lighter, simpler foods you may be craving. We’re still knee-deep in this global pandemic, and that’s why it’s extra-important to take care of yourself and the folks you love.
I miss eating in restaurants, hugging my friends, and sending my kid off to her neighborhood school. But I still have walks in the woods with my dog, weekly Zoom trivia, and holds to pick up at the library. And there’s still dinner, which (even if I don’t always look forward to making it), I look forward to eating.
These are recipes to power you up for tackling the winter months with energy and positivity. So, yay for Meatless Mondays, Weekend Baking, and new beginnings. Because you don’t need a new year to start fresh—every day is a new beginning. Let’s get to it! LEGGI TUTTO

Let’s end 2020 with comfort food like chicken noodle casserole, a healthy and fresh vegetable soup made with Freekah, and Hoppin’ John for good fortune. Continue reading “Finish 2020 with 5 Tasty Weeknight Meals” » LEGGI TUTTO

This month, we welcome back Marta Rivera for more of her meal plans. Marta is a trained chef, mom of twins, an Army wife, and a Simply Recipes recipe tester and developer!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!!!
I don’t know if I’m more excited about Christmas, or about the fact that we only have a week left until we’re out of 2020! (It’s the latter, in case you’re wondering.) But, I am excited to make all of the indulgent holiday recipes which I consider to be a few of my favorite things.
This week’s recipes are pretty straightforward, easy to double, and freezer-friendly. Well, all with the exception of the prime rib for Christmas Day, but that’s part of the plan. Let’s go easy on the days leading up to the holiday, then go all out with a meal made for a Dickens’ novel. LEGGI TUTTO

This month, we welcome back Marta Rivera for more of her meal plans. Marta is a trained chef, mom of twins, an Army wife, and a Simply Recipes recipe tester and developer!
Family-style dining and meals are best served during busy holiday months. Not only do they take the burden of extensive prep off of me, but they’re also a no-frills option that allows for buffet-style (AKA serve yourself) dining. I just set the dish out on the table and everyone digs in.
This week I’m focusing on some family favorites and comfort food. We are talking pot pies, a hamburger skillet (think hamburger helper but better because it’s made from scratch), ginger pork bowls, and vegan sloppy joes.
Make these meals and watch your family dig in! LEGGI TUTTO

The world is full of incredible cuisines, and this week’s meal plan explores flavors and ingredients across the globe. Transport yourself to India with Chicken Korma or Puerto Rico with Bacalao Guisado (Salted Cod Stew) or you could hangout stateside with a TexMex variation on Chile Rellenos. Continue reading “5 Dinner Ideas from Around the World” » LEGGI TUTTO

This month, we welcome back Marta Rivera for more of her meal plans. Marta is a trained chef, mom of twins, Army wife, and a Simply Recipes recipe tester and developer!
Oh, the joy of leftovers! How I love to swing wide the door of my refrigerator and see bins of imagined leftover faces smiling back at me.
I realize that there are some who can’t stand the thought of eating “old” food. For you, I propose not leftovers, per se, but food that is reimagined into another meal. Hopefully, that sounds a lot more approachable if you’re not into leftover, leftovers. If you’re a fan like me, this week is made for you.
Bake a couple of loaves of bread on Sunday to go with soup to use up leftover ham or for sandwiches to make the most of what remains of turkey dinner. Don’t forget about the the odds and ends you didn’t cook! The extra sweet potatoes intended for a casserole or that pie pumpkin you didn’t need can find new life as twice-baked potatoes or pumpkin chili.
I even tossed in a non-leftover recipe for salmon to make the leftover haters among us happy. LEGGI TUTTO