This easy pot roast with vegetables comes together so quickly! I threw a giant pan brimming with fresh veggies smothering a roast underneath, then seat out with the brood for an afternoon walk. Don’t get woozy on me with images of a “perfect family” because this is the FIRST time the guy who shaves ever…
Vegetarian Pasta Bake: Creamy Mushroom, Butternut Squash & Spinach
I saw a recipe for a DELICIOUS looking mushroom lasagna the other day but, oh the layers. Who has time to produce all those layers? So I gave it the Foodlets treatment (easier, healthier and therefore more kid/parent friendly)…and yum. This vegetarian pasta bake–loaded with creamy mushrooms (which happen to be awesome for you!), butternut…
Sausage, Kale and Bean Soup: A Nutritious Soup Kids Love
Soup season is the best. I love a hearty dinner full of fresh ingredients that comes together quickly, reheats like a dream (Lunch is ready!) and freezes beautifully for another dinner altogether. Our newest family favorite is Sausage, Kale and Bean Soup, a simple recipe that kids (and husbands) love! We get our sausage (and…
The Best Grilled Salmon Recipe Is So Easy: 3 Steps & My Kids Love It!
You need exactly 2 ingredients to make the best grilled salmon recipe I’ve ever had. This recipe is a hit with all four of my kids eat AND my go-to crowd pleaser for dinner parties. I learned how to make this grilled salmon recipe from my mom and brother when we were home in Washington…
Easy Shrimp Pasta
This easy shrimp pasta comes together in 15 minutes! All you need is pasta, large shrimp, a handful of cherry tomatoes, garlic and butter. Toss on a few herbs and dinner is served in less time than it takes for Wendy Williams to dish out the Hot Topics. Plus, our easy shrimp pasta got a…
10-Minute Buttery Chicken with Zucchini & Herbs
The fastest chicken dinner I’ve ever made started yesterday at 4pm, when we finally rolled through the door. A sweaty group of kids fussing at each other. You know, the basic after-school mode. And on Wednesdays — hooray! — there’s an extra hurdle to leap over: gymnastics starts at 5pm. I don’t even have to…
Fun Dinner Ideas for Families
Adorable ideas to get everyone excited about eating dinner! These fun dinner ideas for families are 100 percent tried and true favorites for my crew of six. And best of all, most of them are simple enough to pull off any night of the week to serve with some lovely Patterned Dinnerware. Fun dinner ideas…
One-Pot Instant Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
This is the one-pot spaghetti that my kids can’t stop asking for — and it’s made in the Instant Pot! I’ve made this Instant Pot Spaghetti four times in the last month. Four. Everyone loved it every single time. What I love about one-pot Instant Pot Spaghetti It’s easy. If you’re new to Instant Pot…
The Best Lentil Recipe: Lentils with Kielbasa
Lentils are so good for you! Full of protein and fiber (which kids often don’t get enough of), the health benefits of eating lentils are huge. But today I want to talk about something else… The best lentil recipe I’ve ever made. We’ve done lentil soups here and there, but feels heartier. A main dish…
A Healthier, Faster Meatloaf Recipe: Replace Half the Beef with One of the Most Nutritious Ingredients
I’ve made this healthier version of meatloaf for a total of 10 kids and 9 adults now and I’m pleased to say that everyone, except one holdout, loved it. Even the kids. Even the dads. If you’re looking for a way to boost nutrition (better for your bodies!) while lowering your family’s beef consumption (better…
No-Rise Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough
I always put making homemade whole-wheat pizza dough in the same category as making your own milk. From cows you raised. Same amount of effort, right? But I was wrong. So wrong. Making homemade whole-wheat pizza dough is actually one of the easiest things I’ve ever done in my kitchen. Check these out grid-nigeria ….
Super Simple BBQ Chicken Tenders
I love this BBQ chicken so much that I’ve served it every week for the last three weeks straight. You can prep it days in advance or in the middle of a busy morning to eat later that night. Both make delicious results. For the marinade, make a shortcut and use your favorite Italian dressing…
Shortcut Tomato Pie
When I posted a picture of the VERY HARD TO MAKE tomato pie the other day, my friend Liz shot me an email immediately. “Try this shortcut version!” she cheered. We did. It was a little spicy. So we tried a second version and here’s what my kindergartener said: “This is SO good and so…
Chicken and Bell Pepper Pasta Bake
There’s nothing I like more than a yummy dinner that can be made from the leftovers of ANOTHER yummy dinner. Cook once, eat twice, cheer, relax and repeat. Tonight’s dinner started with our awesome lemon chicken earlier in the week. This time I cooked it on the grill but you could certainly throw your chicken…
What to do with Eggplant: Ratatouille 2 Ways (Your Kids Will Love Them Both!)
For the first time ever, I planted eggplant in my garden. And guess what? There’s now an Eggplant Situation out there. So you can guess what’s going on in here. All the eggplant recipes. I’ve experimented with Baked Eggplant Parmesan in summers past but this new idea is even simpler. Put a whole bunch of summer…
Buttermilk Roasted Chicken from “The Farmhouse Chef”
(Excerpted from “The Farmhouse Chef” by Jamie DeMent.) This recipe is the happy result of a late afternoon meltdown. I had planned to cook fried chicken for a crowd at the farm and, as often happens, the day ran away with me. Pigs got loose and tore up a freshly planted bed. I spent the…
Best-Ever Taco Bake: The Taco Casserole Makeover (with Fresh Veggies) Kids Love
There’s only one thing better than a one-pot meal full of fresh ingredients: A one-pot meal that everyone LOVES. That’s this easy taco bake. A four-thumbs-up hit. Our fresh taco bake takes a classic dish and gives it the Foodlets treatment: making it healthier, simpler and as kid-friendly as ever. What’s special about our best-ever…
Country Carbonara with Bacon
You know my rule about posting recipes here. At least three out of my four children have to give it a thumbs up. But… Sometimes I have to make an exception. Because sometimes those crazy kids just don’t know. I’ve made this carbonara for a dozen adults now and every single one of them LOVED…
Veggie-Filled Tomato Sauce for Pasta, Pizza & More
When I started experimenting with a veggie-filled tomato sauce to add to pizza and pasta, I knew it needed to be FULL of good-for-you ingredients but all the sweet potatoes in the world wouldn’t matter if the result wasn’t tasty. I have four small kids, ages three, five, seven and eight and whether anyone will…
These Quiche Cups with Tomatoes, Cheese & Spinach are a hit for Dinner + School Lunches Too
Make these quiche cups for dinner and you’ve also got school lunches ready to go later in the week! I like to pair these hand-held quiches with a big salad on warm days or a deliciously simple soup on cold nights like we’re having now. Last night we had “Fairy Soup”, which starts with a…