I have a confession to make. I really don’t know “how” to cook. I say that in all seriousness. I have taken exactly two classes in my life, and would never brag about my ability to consistently deliver results. What I am excellent at, however, is planning and organizing, and making my life easier every evening.
Seriously, whoever made that meme/tweet or whatever about “The most annoying things about being an adult is figuring out what to eat for every meal ever” is NOT WRONG. Also, feeding kids? That’s beyond annoying. So I am good at sorting things to make my life easier.
I have actually been fortunate lately to help some friends with this effort as well. It has been a fun experience, and I love to know that these skills that I have been honing for the past decade can go beyond just feeding my own family.
That being said, I have gotten good at finding simple recipes that feed and nourish my family at dinnertime.* Are you interested in learning how to do this too? Here are some initial questions to get you started:
How many times each week am I committed to cook?
Follow up to question 1: how much time am I willing to invest on making dinner?
Can I devote time to not only make it to the grocery store, but also get organized for that trip?
What does my family like to eat? Are there any dietary restrictions I should take into account?
Do we eat leftovers? (This is a big one! I try very hard to not have waste, so if there are leftovers, I often times shift my meals around.)
This is a great start to getting on your way to making a plan and sticking to it! Do you have anything to add to this list?
*I have to clarify at dinnertime because breakfast and lunch can still be a nightmare around here, and there is much fending for ourselves on all accounts!
January in Chicago is the pits. There is not much daylight. Sunshine is scarce. The snow starts coming. It’s cold. The wind. And of course we are living with the pressure of a new year and a new us. (But I’m aware that’s everyone!)
Having some extra space to not have to worry about work pressures right now, I’ve developed some really lovely hibernation habits this year that I think I need to incorporate into every January/February in my life going forward, even when I’m back to work.
Tea time and reading. I have always been a reader. (As me about how I used to get in trouble for reading under my desk during other classes as a kid!) Unfortunately life has gotten in the way and I often lose touch with that part of myself. I’m not sure if it’s modern life, but I go through long stretches where I cannot focus on a book. I’m back into the groove, and have been reading incessantly, finding a comfort in an afternoon hour or two with a cup of tea in my bedroom and a good book.
Movement. This is not a new year resolution (I do not do those), but getting older makes me reprioritize the goals behind movement. It’s not losing weight, it’s gaining strength and the ability to feel strong as I age. Lifting weights, walking, and light stretching are filling my cup now, and incorporating that into my routine has been so good for me.
Sleep. I am in my sleep era. For years, I was an early riser, first as a runner, and then as a mom of younger kids. My kids were early risers, so was I. But guess what? At some point, your kids can fend for themselves and you can sleep past 7 a.m. And I have been. What an absolute luxury to be able to lounge in bed til 9 a.m. and feel good about it. I used to feel guilty for wasting the day by sleeping, but truly, I don’t any more. Sleep makes me feel good, so I take it when I can get it!
Food. Again, I don’t make new year resolutions, and the past year, I have started to fight back against the diet culture that has waged war in my brain. As is probably evident to you, I love eating, and I love cooking. It brings me joy, and nothing makes me happier than the ritual of cooking and then enjoying with my family or good friends. So I am keeping that constant this year, and continuing to plan when it works, and enjoy every bite that crosses my mouth.
And to touch on that food one, I promised last week that I would share noteworthy recipes. I have two! The Z family loves pho, and I’ve tried multiple recipes in the past few years. You already know that we love the Mark Bittman vegetarian pho, but as simple as that one is, I have one that is in the slow-cooker. Yes, this one packs all of that delicious pho flavor and comes together in less than 20 minutes. Please make this Slow-Cooker Chicken Pho.
I’ve made this one countless times, mostly with the chicken. (Hot tip if you’re making the chicken version–you can throw your chicken breasts right in there as you’re slow cooking the broth. Pull them out and shred when you’re ready to strain for serving. You’re welcome!) This was the first time I’ve made this recipe since one-fourth of my household went vegetarian, so I tried it with vegetable broth and it turned out great! (She OKed the fish sauce in it for flavor, so please don’t think I’m sneaking animal product on her unbeknownst!) I pan-fried some tofu for her and it went over really well.
We also had a fun Saturday night dinner of cheese fondue with all the fun dippables. I am a big fan of Swiss fondue with Emmentaler, Gruyère and white wine, which my family has eaten with minimal complaints, but those complains all center around the stinky cheese smell. (As you can imagine, walking by any market with a Raclette stand is torture for them too. As for me, the stinkier the better!) I tried this dupe for Melting Pot which has cheddar and beer, and it was very well received! We dipped vegetarian meatballs, little smokies, steamed broccoli, green apples, bell peppers, and a sliced baguette in this one. Seven out of eight thumbs up! (The littlest Z doesn’t love cheese, so she was kind of meh on it.)
I’ve incorporated a bit more flexibility in my planning the past month or so, mostly due to the fact that my break from work allows me that ability. I can run back to the store if I need, and in an extra effort to be frugal and avoid waste, I prioritize eating those leftovers over making a new meal if it works.
What a holiday season! The time flew by, and truly, I enjoyed it so much more than I have in the past. I’m not sure if it was not having work to distract me from spending time with my family, or just the phase of life I’m in now, but I really enjoyed all of the celebrations and family time.
I also had a two week “strike” from cooking and meal planning! We ate leftovers, ordered in, made random meals, but really, didn’t cook very much at all, aside from breakfast. (I got back to making my favorite homemade hash browns which are an absolute must if you love them crispy!)
We spent last week (the kids’ first week back at school) making their favorites that I’ve already talked about so much–broccoli cheese soup, enchilada casserole, fried rice, and I also had the opportunity to make Ina Garten’s Company Pot Roast again (I made it maybe a year ago and have been thinking about it since.) Served with mashed potatoes, it’s the perfect meal to accompany Chicago’s current sub-zero temperatures!
While last week, I was back to planning, this week with the holiday and the cold temperatures (and bonus days off school), I’m winging it. I’ll keep you posted if I make anything note-worthy.
‘Til next week, my friends. (Maybe. Trying to get back into a routine and keep some variety in the meals over here!)
I have to be honest, I nearly had a small break earlier this week trying to plan for all the holiday festivities. And, before I really say this, please know that I TRULY enjoy hosting dinners, and I love having family over. But honestly, taking into account my kids’ WILDLY different appetites and dietary preferences was the thing that made me lose it. Also, the elf. Moving that dumb elf. Whew. (Truth be told, most days, the elf brings us a source of joy. J and I giggle, the kids love it, but I’m ready for her to return to the North Pole.)
Before I get on with my weekly plan, I have to share (because I promised I would), my friends BEAUTIFUL homemade matzo ball soup, made with love from her grandmother’s recipe. We were lucky to be invited to a Hannukah party and enjoyed this soup, latkes, and some great Jewish deli food.
And…on with another week of planning, with a sprinkle of chaos in there.
This week:
Sunday: Dinner at my mom’s house! (Sometimes self-care is asking your mom if you can just show up for dinner.)
Monday:Tofu lettuce wraps for A, and tipsy turkey lettuce wraps for the rest of us. I skip the lettuce and serve over rice. The tofu was great. I skipped the separate sauce and just added some soy sauce straight to the tofu. She loved it! The other lettuce wraps came from this cookbook that I bought on sale like 20 years ago, and honestly, I can’t find it online to link it. This one from Chrissy Tiegen seems to be sort of similar in flavor.
Tuesday: I had dinner with a friend, so the fam ate leftovers.
Wednesday: I think we will do leftovers again to help clear out the fridge.
Friday: WE ARE GOING TO THE NUTCRACKER! Instead of going out to eat, we are having a quick dinner at home before we head to the show. Swedish meatballs (fake ones for A), buttered noodles, and salad will hold us all over for the amazing dancing spectacle.
Saturday: Christmas Eve Eve, or as they call it in Norway, Teeny Tiny Christmas! (Did anyone else watch that Christmas movie? I’m making a roast beef for the meat eaters, and my small vegetarian will be enjoying salmon for the holiday. Mashed potatoes and some broccoli will round out the dinner, plus I will probably make some gravy for the roast because mashed potatoes and gravy all day, please. (I still have to plan on a dessert. Stay tuned!) I’m also making these cinnamon rolls for breakfast which are so much work, but truly incredible and worth it.
YES I AM STILL PLANNING, KEEP READING!!!!
Sunday: Christmas Eve. I think we’ll have a fair amount of leftovers, and we have no plans for this day, so I think it’ll be whatever anyone feels like eating from the fridge!
Monday: Christmas Day. Same story as Christmas Eve, but I know that the girls do want me to make homemade hashbrowns, so we will start the day with that, as well as J’s homemade bloody marys (well, not for the kids, obv). We will have dinner with J’s family, so no planning there.
Tuesday: (I AM STILL GOING) We will be hosting the “sibling Christmas” and last year we did crabs, so we decided for a repeat. I still have to sort out sides, but the crabs are in the fridge, and apparently we should have warned Zoe because “they scared me” when she opened the fridge.
And now you know why I nearly had a full on menty b. I’m tired. Catch you next week, and I’ll let you know how I ended up rounding out some of these meals!
Merry Christmas if you celebrate, and if you don’t, I hope you take a break this weekend through next and catch your breath. I know I’ll try!
I’m not going to lie, I’ve fallen off my usual planning a bit. This time of year is tough to stay on task, and frankly, my social life has been busy. (I’m so incredibly grateful for my friends and the people that fill my life with joy. I don’t apologize for having lots of things to do!) But I DID plan something this week, see below.
Speaking of holiday season, we had a lovely afternoon of baking with my two girls and their friends. I won’t get into my sugar cookie fail, but I have to share this wonderful recipe for Gooey Chocolate Crinkle Cookies that my ten year old and her friend made almost entirely by themselves. They were SO good, and apparently, we have to make them again for Santa. (As one of Santa’s helpers, I suppose we can make that work!)
This week:
Sunday: We did taco bowls! I made tofu tacos for me and my veggie girl and then tried out this recipe for chicken tacos for the smallest person in our house who cried when I told her I was making tofu. Again. This tofu recipe is fabulous, highly recommend. The carnivores said the chicken was good too! I made some rice and also did some sweet potatoes in the air fryer for our bowls. (Also, lots of leftovers for later in the week!)
Monday: I had a lunch that went long (really leaning into this ladies that lunch thing, unapologetically!), and so we did oven fish (both actual and plant-based) and then some frozen broccoli. It’s not exciting, but it got the job done!
Tuesday: I’m trying a new one, ALLEGEDLY The Best Potato-Leek Soup Recipe. I’ll report back. My kids aren’t wild about potatoes and if I showed them a raw leek and told them they would be consuming them, they would likely cry, so…I might be setting myself up for a painful night. However, as a mom, I am WHOLLY committed to ensuring that my kids try different things, so off we go!
Wednesday: Our busy night, so I’ll be doing quesadillas/tacos with the leftover taco stuff from Sunday.
Thursday: Another soup night, this time a White Bean Soup, which everyone loved before!
Friday: We have a birthday party/Last Night of Hannukah party to attend, and I was promised homemade matzo ball soup, so I’m not cooking!
Saturday: Our lovely neighbors are having their annual holiday soiree, so again, no cooking for me!
I’m a bit late this week, my apologies. I made a lovely little plan for the week and thanks to some sort of germs, I was down for the count for the first two days this week. We also have SO MANY LEFTOVERS from late last week.
Lasagna report: J and I loved it. LOVED it. The kids? I think they just don’t like lasagna. (Hence my plethora of leftovers, right?) We’re finishing it up this week.
I did make this soup on Monday night, as three of the four people who live in my house cannot.stop.coughing and I just didn’t feel like myself either. It was SUPER well-received, and will be going into my rotation. It takes basically all staples (we almost always have some baby carrots and some celery in the fridge), and despite not having any chicken, really fits the bill when you need that “I have a cold and all I want is chicken soup” craving.
Back to regular planning next week, but let this underscore the importance of having a stocked pantry and a willingness to just go with the flow occasionally. It makes life easier.
Hope everyone that celebrated had a restful and delicious holiday. I had turkey twice (Thanksgiving plus Friendsgiving two days later), and then stuffing waffles twice. (Have you made these ever? I’m convinced it’s the best way to use the waffle iron. I’ll leave the VERY best way to make this a breakfast at the end of this post.) I believe as of today at 1:02 p.m. I have eaten my last turkey sandwich. Until 2024, big birdie!
This is what happens when you have Chef friends who make your turkey.
But yes, back to it. Back to my mostly vegetarian lifestyle, and back to planning a full week of dinners. Sort of.
This week:
Sunday: At Z’s request, Broccoli Cheese Soup. I also had time to bake this bread which was heavenly on the side. (Yes, I made the bread from scratch, and no, I’m not better than you. I just have more time right now. And I REALLY love homemade bread!)
Monday: Fried rice. Here’s the scoop on this: I used to follow a recipe, but now I just throw it together from memory. Remind me to write down how I do it. But the beauty of it is this: you can’t screw it up too much. We add edamame for all of us (but not A), and extra soy sauce for the parents.
Tuesday:Southwestern Lentils and Rice Skillet. Have I talked about this one yet? Everyone loved it, but since Zoe mostly doesn’t like rice, I just don’t bring attention to it.
Wednesday: I have plans, so it’ll be a leftover night!
Thursday: I have plans again (’tis the season), so either more leftovers or breakfast for dinner!
Friday: I’m trying out a new one. Smitten Kitchen doesn’t do me wrong, so we are trying her perfect vegetable lasagna. I’ll report back on this one!
Saturday: Finally, we get to celebrate A’s bday with her friends, and she is taking them all for a cooking class. They’ll be making homemade pasta. I hope they feed the parents. I’ll probably make a little something for the parents’ table, but I haven’t decided yet.
HOW TO SERVE THOSE STUFFING WAFFLES (breakfast edition):
Follow your waffle iron instructions, but use the leftover stuffing instead of batter. Once they are done (they take longer than a typical waffle in my opinion), top with a beautiful fried egg or two and some leftover gravy. You’re welcome.
I feel like I have written this story down in a previous blog, but who knows where it is. If you have heard it before, just click “jump to recipe” for the recipe. (HA! Joke’s on you, I don’t have that feature. But you can scroll on down.)
Back when J was younger and going to holiday dinners with his mom’s side of the family, his aunt would always make this creamed corn recipe that everyone loved. One year, Jason was hosting a friendsgiving, so he emailed his mom, sisters, Aunt Kathy, and grandma for the recipe. His Aunt Kathy responded first, and we have this email from her that we see every year as we search for the recipe, as this corn has become a family staple.
In her honor, I want to share this recipe with you. It really is such a lovely side dish for Thanksgiving, or even as a side if you’re roasting a chicken. So here ya go!
“FRESH” CREAMED CORN
Ingredients:
Two 16 oz packages frozen whole kernel corn
6 T. butter
6 T. sugar*
3/4 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
1 cup milk
Directions:
Place frozen corn in food processor fitted with metal blade. Process for 1 minute or until half of the corn kernels are cut up.
Melt butter in a large, heavy skillet.
Add corn, sugar, salt, pepper and milk. Stir. Cook over low heat 15 to 30 minutes until liquid is reduced to creamed corn consistency.
Stir occasionally. More milk may be added if mixture becomes too dry.
* Sometimes I don’t add the full amount of sugar if the corn I’m using is on the sweeter side. You can likely get away with less.
Happy Turkey Week, if you enjoy the holiday! (Or else, happy hopefully shortened and lighter work-week for those of you that don’t like it?) Me? I’m a turkey stan. Or really, it’s all about the gravy. Turkey gravy once a year (or for however long the leftovers last) is my favorite thing ever. On turkey, obviously. (That dry meat needs something, right?) Mashed potatoes? YES. Stuffing? Absolutely. Cranberry sauce?* Well, I like to pretend that it is an accident, but that salty/sweet/savory mix is what I live for this week.
My meal-planning looks light this week due to the holiday. The kiddos are enjoying some quality family time while I continue a toy purge. (This is one of my least favorite things about parenting–the constant need to purge all things toys and clothes. Do not recommend.) Before I get to our plan, a quick recap from last week, and reporting back from the new recipes.
The kids did not love the Creamy Tomato Rigatoni. We loved it. Sigh. Kids can be such haters.
The Chickpea and Vegetable Coconut Curry was a hit (again). I didn’t have frozen peas, which is my own fault. Usually I do a quick audit of the pantry staples, frozen peas are usually plentiful in here. Alas we were out. I subbed broccoli for the cauliflower and used curry powder instead of paste (it tends to be less spicy, as I live with two people who are more sensitive to spice), and it turned out wonderfully.
Onto the Thanksgiving week! While we have hosted Thanksgiving (and a Friendsgiving!) the past several years, we are headed to family and friends for both this year. I’ll be bringing some mashed potatoes (this is my favorite recipe if I am following one and not just winging it, which is usually what I do), J’s Aunt Kathy’s creamed corn (will share the recipe on the blog!), and the best stuffing in the universe. (Seriously, I am not a stuffing person and this recipe has fully converted me.)
What are your Thanksgiving faves? Are you pro-gravy? And the important question (H/T to my good friend on this one), do you love or hate pumpkin pie?**
Have a wonderful week!
*Yes, I prefer the jelly cranberries out of the can. No, I will not debate you on this because I’m correct.
For those of you who have been around since the blogs before this one, you might be shocked to learn that my Beebs is turning ten on Saturday. Two digits. I struggle to believe that I have been a parent for this long. It also seems like just yesterday? Parenting, am I right? But our almost ten year old is still a vegetarian, so I have planned yet another week of vegetarian entrees!
And, of course, we had to incorporate some birthday celebrations into the week for her!
But first, I promised to report back on the Vegetarian Stuffed PeppersI planned for last week. Everyone liked them! It may have been a little spicy (thanks to the Trader Joe’s taco seasoning, which tends to be spicier than other kinds), so I added some extra corn for the kids. I also had quite a bit of the rice mixture leftover (I think I used smaller peppers), so I ate that for lunch topped with a little cheese and fried eggs. We will call that one a keeper!
We also skipped the fish sticks night, as we had plenty of leftovers, so I opted to work through those as opposed to making something new. (A key to menu planning is building in some flexibility. I hate wasting, so I like to build in leftover nights, and include some things that can hold over from week to week.)
This week:
Sunday: We did leftovers last night. Not exciting, but also, very easy.
Monday: Black bean soup! This is my favorite recipe right now, but we have some in the freezer we should use, so we will thaw that. But seriously, make that recipe, the lime crema is next level. We love it with fritos too!
Tuesday:Chickpea and Vegetable Coconut Curry. I almost always sub out the cauliflower for broccoli, it just looks prettier, and I use curry powder instead of paste. (I have kids that balk at spicy, so the powder seems to be a more subtle flavor.) This is crowd pleaser!
Wednesday: Leftovers again. Wednesdays are our busy nights, as both kids have activities, so I aim for speed/efficiency, and can’t really plan on cooking a full meal these nights.
Thursday: Trying a new one: Creamy Tomato Rigatoni. Will report back! Will likely serve with a salad.
Friday: At request, orange chicken. Yes, I buy the frozen bag, and yes, I generally plan this when I am out for the evening. For those vegetarians out there, Trader Joe’s does a good faux orange chicken that is Beebs-approved!
Saturday: The birthday night! She’s requested “real ramen,” so we are taking her out. I’ll be making her cake, however, and have never gone wrong with Smitten Kitchen’s “the ‘i want chocolate cake’ cake.” It’s really that good, and very simple too!
Can you believe it’s Thanksgiving NEXT WEEK? I won’t be normally menu planning, but I absolutely will share what I contribute to the holiday on the blog next week. Have a great week, all!
Allegedly Delicious 