Happy weekend!!
I don’t know if it’s the sunshine, my eczema-free eyelids (blessed), or maybe something to do with the moon not being in retrograde (don’t quote me), but I’ve been feeling good — and cooking a lot.
Kyle was in the office this week (he usually works from home) — and no, that’s not why I’m in such high spirits, haha. But I will say: major newfound respect for anyone cooking solo. We normally split the cooking and cleaning, which I now realize is the glue holding my sanity together, because by day two I was side-eying the frozen nuggets and bagged Caesar salad like it was Michelin-star meal.
I did rally though, mostly because I couldn’t stand the idea of letting the week’s groceries go to waste. And it reminded me that sometimes, even my version of “easy” might not be easy enough. So, I’m challenging myself to create even simpler, even tastier recipes, and share them with you.
This week I also shared a few clean-out-the-fridge meals on stories, and it seemed like you loved them! So, inspired by my solo week of survival meals, I thought I’d share a few MVP proteins I always keep on hand to make a fridge clean-out meal substantial.
cooked chicken sausages: the ultimate lazy girl protein. I keep a pack in the freezer and toss them (still frozen!) in the air fryer. 10 minutes later, they’re good to go. I’ll slice them and eat with mustard or add them to pasta, rice, whatever starch is closest. They’re low-effort, high-reward.
tofu: now I know not everyone loves tofu but it has a long shelf life in the fridge, freezes beautifully (for an even better texture), and takes on any flavor. I go for extra-firm cause Costco sells a 5-pack for like $12, which is basically a gift. When I’m feeling low-effort, I grate it raw into salads (you can barely taste it, promise). When I’ve got more energy, I cube or tear and toss it in the air fryer with whatever sauce is around.
skyr or cottage cheese: skyr is my go-to sour cream stand-in and I use it on baked potatoes, in dressings, anywhere. I barely notice a difference and I feel much better about absolutely dousing my baked potato in it than sour cream (not that there’s ANYTHING wrong with that - but I like the added protein). And cottage cheese? I love blending it into marinara and tossing it with chickpea or lentil pasta. It’s creamy, cozy, and sneakily high in protein.
Obviously this isn’t everything, but I’ll stop here before this turns into a novel. If you want more staples to keep on hand ideas (and maybe a few truly lazy dinner formulas), like this post and I’ll make it a weekly thing ❤️
ICYMI, videos from this week
carrot cake overnight oats with yogurt “cream cheese frosting” | recipe | that actually tastes like cream cheese frosting!!!
tomato toast | it may be a bit early in the year for tomatoes, but I saw this beauty at the shop and had to have it
pickle sandwich | I received the original video in my DM’s over 2 dozen times so naturally I had to try it.
this weeks recipe: dumpling-ish chicken burgers with chili crunch mayo
TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes
SERVES: 4
For links to all my kitchen faves check here.
Chef’s knife
Cutting board (not my exact one but very similar)
Large frying pan
Veggie peelers
Mixing bowls
Mini sheet pan
Tongs
Note these are all US links, if you’re looking for Canadian links check here.
