recipe

DIY Salad Dressing- Easy and Tasty!

Abby H.

Making Salad Dressing is so easy, and for so long I had no idea.

I love cooking, and I have limited experience making salad dressings.

But with the cost of food rising, I thought I’d give it a shot.

Below is my “template” for making a quick salad dressing, and a few ideas for some tasty dressings.

This recipe makes enough to dress a few salads, but not as much as a full mass-produced bottle. With no preservatives, these sauces will last 7-10 days- if they don’t get eaten sooner.

  • 1/4 cup Olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil (Vegetable or canola)
  • 6 tablespoons acid- Citrus juice, vinegar (red wine, champagne, balsamic, rice wine, and apple cider are good choices)
  • 2 tablespoon tablespoons honey or other sweetener (agave, maple)
  • 1 teaspoon emulsifier (Stone ground or Dijon mustard or mayonnaise) 
  • Salt and pepper as needed 
  • Herbs or seasoning as desire

Here are a few of my favorite combinations:

  • Lemon juice, 2 Tablespoons lemon zest, 2 t. powdered ginger, honey, Dijon mustard
  • Red Wine Vinegar, honey, stone ground mustard, 2T. Italian seasoning, 1t. granulated garlic
  • Apple Cider Vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, 1t. granulated garlic

Remember to store these in the fridge after you make them and shake them well before using them!

And if you are looking for some of my favorite salads, here is a great round-up of salad recipes.

Recipe: Cafeteria Noodles

Abby H.

This recipe has been all over social media lately, and for good reason too!

It’s delicious. Easy to make, filling, and pretty inexpensive. It would make an awesome addition to a potluck, to your weekly meal rotations, and the best part is, it reheats really well- if you have any leftovers.

The name comes from the types of noodle dishes served at cafeteria-style restaurants across the south, where the recipe originates.

Ingredients 

Optional but pretty good with the recipe: 2 cups of frozen carrots and peas 

Directions 

  1. In a medium-sized pot bring broth, cream of chicken soup, and better than bouillon to a gentle boil.
  2. Add egg noodles, turn off stove, cover pot with lid. Leave to cook off heat for about 10 minutes. 
  3. After 10 minutes, stir taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. Optional- Add frozen vegetables, and stir to combine. 
  4. Allowed to sit undisturbed for an additional five minutes, stir and taste adjust seasonings as necessary. 

Serves 6 to 8 as a side or 4 to 6 as a main dish. If you want to add a little extra protein, add one cup, of diced or shredded cooked chicken while adding the noodles. 

Both of my kids really liked these noodles, and I took leftovers to work for lunch. Everyone commented how good they smelled.

11/17/2024 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgIt’s our last week of school before Thanksgiving break! It’s going to be chilly this week, so there might be some soups in the future!

With after-school appointments 2-3 days a week, a lot of our meals these days are easy to make and I do most of the prep on the weekends. This weekend I cleaned the fridge, re-organized the freezer and pantry and got a pretty good list of easy meals for this week.

Thanks to the great freebies from Social Nature and Aisle, we’ve been trying new foods lately. It’s fun to try new foods.

If you are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101-style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same.

Breakfast: I’ve been really into protein coffee lately. It helps me hit my protein goals and keeps me full until lunch. I use premade protein shakes like these. The kids request bagels and fruit most mornings. The big kid is on a smoothie kick; his favorites are here. 

Lunch: I have a plastic tote full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. I have a post here about our lunches. School lunches are free for kids in California, but my kids usually bring lunch from home. I pre-plan my lunches for the week and I take a week’s worth of lunches to work on Monday and stash them in the breakroom fridge.

Dinner: The weather will be cooling down this week, so soup is back on the

  • Sunday:  Asian Chicken Cashew Salad, Garlic bread, smoothies
  • Monday: Homemade pizza, fruit salad (Aldi Pizza crust is GOAT and less than $1.50!)

  • Tuesday: Soup and Grilled Cheese, baked apples

  • Wednesday: Greek Salad with Chicken, Hummus, and pita bread

  • Thursday: Smoothies and bagels

  • Friday: Takeout night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Palooza and possible cauliflower cheese soup (depending on how many leftovers we have left0

10/27/2024 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgNow that we are back into the full swing of school, work, and therapies, I feel busy all day from the second my feet hit the floor until my head hits the pillow.

With after-school appointments 2-3 days a week, a lot of our meals these days are easy to make and I do most of the prep on the weekends.

Thanks to the great freebies from Social Nature and Aisle, we’ve been trying new foods lately. It’s fun to try new foods.

If you are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101-style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same.

Breakfast: I’ve been really into protein coffee lately. It helps me hit my protein goals and keeps me full until lunch. I use premade protein shakes like these. The kids request bagels and fruit most mornings. The big kid is on a smoothie kick; his favorites are here. 

Lunch: I have a plastic tote full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. I have a post here about our lunches. School lunches are free for kids in California, but my kids usually bring lunch from home. I pre-plan my lunches for the week and I take a week’s worth of lunches to work on Monday and stash them in the breakroom fridge.

Dinner: The weather will be cooling down this week, so soup is back on the

  • Sunday:  Soup, grilled cheese, strawberries
  • Monday: Macaroni and cheese, Fruit Smoothies

  • Tuesday: Homemade Pizza and Salad

  • Wednesday: Roasted Veggie Soup, quesadillas, chips

  • Thursday: Whatever we feel like, it’s Halloween!

  • Friday: Takeout night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Palooza

10/6/2024 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgThis week is going to be bonks. We’ve got appointments every day this week.  I did a bunch of meal prep today, and we’ll be having a lot of grab-and-go pre-prepped meals as a result.

I’ve also fallen off my more regimented eating plan, and I haven’t been able to get to the gym as much as I’d like lately, so I’m buckling down on my personal food intake and sticking to what I’ve planned only (for myself, we’ve got all kinds of back up meals if the kids aren’t feeling what I had planned).

Thanks to the great freebies from Social Nature and Aisle, we’ve been trying new foods lately. It’s fun to try new foods.

If you are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101-style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same.

Breakfast: I’ve been really into protein coffee lately. It helps me hit my protein goals and keeps me full until lunch. I use premade protein shakes like these. The kids request bagels and fruit most mornings. The big kid is on a smoothie kick; his favorites are here. 

Lunch: I have a plastic tote full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. I have a post here about our lunches. School lunches are free for kids in California, but my kids usually bring lunch from home. I pre-plan my lunches for the week and take a weeks worth of lunches to work on Monday and stash them in the breakroom firdge.

Dinner: With everything going on this week, meal prepping has been a huge lifesaver.. Hopefully after this next hot spell, we’ll get some more typical fall weather and I can use my crockpot more often!

  • Sunday:  Soup, grilled cheese, fruit salad
  • Monday: Chicken Nuggets, Watermelon slices, chips

  • Tuesday: Fruit Smoothies, bagels with cream cheese

  • Wednesday: Soup, quesadillas, chips, fruit salad – We have a bunch of soups in the freezer!

  • Thursday: Hashbrown breakfast bake- I didn’t have time to do this one last week

  • Friday: Takeout night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Palooza

New Recipe: Chicken Bruschetta Stew with Orzo

Abby H.

This soup was easy to make, flavorful, and a big hit.

I used Bruschetta from Aldi’s, however, if you don’t have one nearby, Trader Joe’s Bruschetta is great too.

Unlike most of my other recipes, I will not be providing any sort of dietary alternatives. I’m not sure this recipe would come out the same if it was vegan/vegetarian.

Chicken Bruschetta Stew with Orzo 

  • 1 lb chicken cut of your choice, diced into bite-size
  • One bag, onions, and pepper strips defrosted and chopped into bite sides pieces 
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or your favorite cooking oil
  • 1-quart chicken broth or stock
  • 1 14.5-ounce can of petite diced tomatoes with oregano and basil 
  • One small jar (about 6-ish oz), red pepper, and artichoke bruschetta (I bought mine at Aldi’s.) 
  • 1 1/2 cups dried orzo pasta (it is rice shaped)
  • 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning 
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder 
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder 
  • Salt and pepper to taste 
  • Topping: 
  • 2 cups Italian cheese blend, divided 

Directions: 

  1. In a large stock pot, heat oil. Add in bite-size pieces of chicken and cook over medium heat frequently until chicken is no longer pink about 5 to 7 minutes. 
  2. Add in onions and peppers, cooking over medium heat. Stir occasionally, about 5 to 7 minutes until the onions are no longer white, and the peppers are fragrant. 
  3. Pour in a quart of broth and a can of tomatoes. Stir to combine, allow to simmer for about 15 minutes. 
  4. Add an entire jar of bruschetta (approx. 6-ish ounces) to stock pot. Stir to incorporate, and add in orzo and all seasonings. 
  5. Cover pot with lid, turn the stove down to low and allow soup to slowly simmer and orzo to cook for about 15+ minutes. Adjust seasonings as needed, and add salt and pepper as desired. 
  6. soup can be served at this time, or it can be left to simmer on low as needed. 

To serve: ladle soup into a bowl and top with approximately one to 2 ounces of cheese as desired. Serve with garlic bread or hot, crusty buttered bread. Well with a mixed green salad

And as always, the soup is better the next day. This recipe makes 6 to 8 servings and can be frozen.

9/30/2024 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgThis week’s meal plan is very loose. I try to meal prep and plan on Sunday’s, but we have a   Yasukochi Family Farms CSA box coming tomorrow, so I think I’ll be doing the bulk of the meal prep tomorrow. At least veggie-wise.

I’ll be roasting cauliflower, squash, and other veggies with some of these Urban Accents kits.  The Citrus pepper is my favorite.

Thanks to the great freebies from Social Nature and Aisle, we’ve been trying new foods lately. It’s fun to try new foods.

If you are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101-style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same.

Breakfast: I’ve been really into protein coffee lately. It helps me hit my protein goals and keeps me full until lunch. I use premade protein shakes like these. The kids request bagels and fruit most mornings. The big kid is on a smoothie kick; his favorites are here. 

Lunch: I have a plastic tote full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. I have a post here about our lunches. School lunches are free for kids in California, but my kids usually bring lunch from home.

Dinner: I’m working on a couple new recipes this week, so meals may get swapped around based on my free time. We’ve got therapy every week, so that cuts into our time at home (and my time to cook). Meal prepping has been a huge lifesaver on those busy days. Hopefully after this next hot spell, we’ll get some more typical fall weather and I can use my crockpot more often!

  • Sunday:  Spaghetti with veggie/meat sauce, garlic bread (I have leftovers from last night)
  • Monday: Chicken Nuggets, Watermelon slices, chips

  • Tuesday: Italian Chicken (recipe coming up this week), fruit salad

  • Wednesday: Fruit Smoothies, bagels with cream cheese

  • Thursday: Hashbrown breakfast bake (new recipe coming up this week)

  • Friday: Takeout night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Palooza

Celebrate National Baking Day!

Abby H.

I love baking- cookies, bread, even biscuits. To celebrate National Baking Day, here are a few of my favorite recipes:

Want cookies but don’t want to turn on the oven? Try these:

9/22/2024 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpgI’m back to posting Meal Plans. I took some time away to try and get back into the back-to-school/work swing of things.

I’m working on batch cooking to have soups/stews in the freezer. I made chicken noodle soup and chili from scratch this weekend. I split each batch into three: 1 for the fridge, one for the freezer, and one for my mom.

I add a lot of veggies to my soups and stews to increase the fiber content and help us get in our five a day.

Thanks to the great freebies from Social Nature and Aisle, we’ve been trying new foods lately. It’s fun to try new foods.

If you are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101-style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same.

Breakfast: I’ve been really into protein coffee lately. It helps me hit my protein goals and keeps me full until lunch. I use premade protein shakes like these. The kids request bagels and fruit most mornings. The big kid is on a smoothie kick; his favorites are here. 

Lunch: I have a plastic tote full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. I have a post here about our lunches. School lunches are free for kids in California, but my kids usually bring lunch from home.

Dinner: I reorganized the freezer over the weekend and discovered some spaghetti sauce, and a few other things that were buried under frozen fruit. Because we’ve got a busy week ahead (doctor’s appointments after school/work), we’ll be utilizing a lot of batch-prepped foods.

  • Sunday:  Spaghetti with veggie/meat sauce, garlic bread
  • Monday: Chicken noodle soup or smoothies with avocado toast

  • Tuesday: Chili, tortilla chips, fruit

  • Wednesday: Chef Salad, garlic bread

  • Thursday: Breakfast for dinner- Probably Quiche

  • Friday: Takeout night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Palooza

8/18/2024 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

0a5e9dab796cea8a07eabe4eb4795b9e.jpg4 days until school starts for us… Not that I’m counting.

I meal planned for the next two weeks last night as I was inventorying the kitchen. But to make it easier, I am only posting 1 week at a time

I’m trying hard to increase the kids’ fiber and protein intake. I can tell the difference when they are filling up on both- if nothing else, it helps them sleep better.

Thanks to the great freebies from Social Nature and Aisle, we’ve been trying new foods lately. It’s fun to try new foods.

If you are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101-style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same.

Breakfast: I’ve been really into protein coffee lately. It helps me hit my protein goals and keeps me full until lunch. I use premade protein shakes like these. The kids request bagels and fruit most mornings. The big kid is on a smoothie kick; his favorites are here. 

Lunch: I have a plastic tote full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. We eat lunch at home most days, and I pack snacks and water for us when we are out having summer adventures. Now that we are focusing on BTS, I reorganized the snack totes (yes there are two) and set up for making school lunches. I take my lunch to work and meal prep lunches once a week.

Dinner: Now that I’m back to working full time, I’m leaning heavily into meal prepping. I’ve got all kinds of meals in the freezer, and hopefully, once the temperature drops- It’ll be soup time!!

  • Sunday:  Dream Dinner, Salad (Dream Dinner Deal here)
  • Monday: Beans, Rice, and Quesadillas, Salad

  • Tuesday: Pasta Bake, Green Beans, Garlic Bread

  • Wednesday: Mac n’ Cheese, Smoothies, chips (first day of school)

  • Thursday: Breakfast for dinner- Pancakes, smoothies, sausage

  • Friday: Takeout night!
  • Saturday: Leftover Palooza