How to Find New Recipes Your Whole Family Will Enjoy

December 29, 2022 By Anne

Finding new recipes that the whole family will enjoy can be a challenging task, especially if you have picky eaters or dietary restrictions to consider. However, with some effort and creativity, you can discover tasty and satisfying meals that everyone will love. Here are some tips to help you find new recipes your whole family will enjoy.

Involve your family in the process

One of the best ways to find recipes that your family will enjoy is to involve them in the process. Start by asking for their input on what they like to eat and dislike. This can help you narrow down your search and find recipes that are more likely to be well-received. You can also encourage your family to help you search for recipes and plan the weekly menu. This can be a great way to get everyone excited about trying new recipes and to ensure that everyone’s preferences are taken into account.

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Look for recipes that can be customized

Many recipes can be easily adapted to suit different tastes and dietary needs. For example, you can use different vegetables, proteins, or sauces to customize a recipe to your family’s preferences. You can also experiment with different cooking methods, such as grilling, roasting, or sautéing, to give a recipe a different flavor profile. Look for recipes that can be easily customized and make a note of any changes you make so you can replicate them in the future.

Experiment with different cuisines and ingredients

Trying new cuisines and ingredients can be a great way to find new recipes that your family will love. You might be surprised by how much your family enjoys a recipe from a different culture or a dish that includes an unfamiliar ingredient. Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and try something different. You can start by trying a few dishes from different cuisines and seeing which ones your family likes the most. If you want to try Indian cuisine, for example, this easy butter chicken recipe might be worth a try.

Use recipe websites and blogs

There are countless websites and blogs that offer a wide variety of recipes for all kinds of dishes. Many of these sites allow you to search for recipes based on specific criteria, such as ingredients, dietary restrictions, or cooking time. This can be a great way to find recipes that fit your family’s needs and preferences. You can also use these resources to find inspiration for new meals and discover new ingredients and cooking techniques.

Get inspiration from your favorite restaurants

Do your family members have a favorite restaurant or takeout dish? Try to recreate it at home! Many restaurants and takeout places are happy to share their recipes or give you tips on how to recreate their dishes at home. You can also find copycat recipes online that mimic popular restaurant dishes. This can be a fun way to try new recipes and bring a little bit of the restaurant experience into your own kitchen.

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

How to Step Up The Quality Of Your Meals

June 15, 2022 By Anne

If you’re going to do something, you may as well do it right. And this is especially true when it comes to the food that we eat. All too often, people have low standards for their dinners, and we think that’s a shame. While preparing meals is something that we have to do, it’s also something that can be deeply enjoyable and rewarding. But that’ll only be the case if we do things correctly.

In this blog, we’re going to look at some useful tips that’ll help to step up the quality of your meals. Take these on board, and you’ll find that you feel much better about getting into the kitchen!

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Research New Dishes

Looking to make your dinners more interesting? Then look at researching some new dishes. All too often, people tend to fall into the habit of making the same old recipes over and over again. While there’s something to be said for having some comfort dishes, it’s also recommended that you branch out from time to time! In doing so, you’ll be expanding your range of cooking skills and diversifying your food, too.

Quality Ingredients

You could follow the same recipe twice and get two different results. The influencing factor would be the quality of the ingredients that you use. If you use the best that you can get, then your dish will taste a lot better than if you used the lowest quality ingredients on the market. This is especially true when it comes to sauces. If your meal requires tamarind paste, then look at making it yourself, rather than buying it pre-made from a store; it doesn’t take much effort yet will make your dish taste much better. Don’t assume that you’ve got the best ingredients in your pantry. There could be another option out there that makes your food taste even more delicious.

Focus on Presentation

You’ll have noticed how restaurants put a lot of effort into not only the taste of the meal but also the presentation. So why not incorporate some of that thinking into your own meals? Making your plate look nice doesn’t take much time — in fact, it can take as little as thirty seconds — yet it will help to set the tone for the meal. It’ll make it feel like you’re having a restaurant-worthy meal, which, in actual fact, you are.

Taste Critically

You should be proud that you’ve put together a great dish. But that doesn’t mean that you should give yourself a massive round of applause each and every time, at least not automatically. You can improve your cooking skills by thinking critically about the quality of your meal. When you eat it, try to really taste all the flavors that are coming through. You might find that you’ve added too much salt or not enough. There could be one ingredient that doesn’t quite work. Whatever it is, you’ll know for next time, which means you’ll be able to steadily improve as you continue your cooking journey.

Anne

How to Eat Healthy When You’re Busy at Work

April 6, 2022 By Anne

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So you want to eat healthier at work? The difficulty of eating healthy and enjoying it can be a hassle, but it should be a priority no matter what. The importance of nutrition is becoming more prevalent in today’s society. With the busy lifestyle, people are trying to find ways to improve their health without sacrificing their time. Let’s take a look at how you can do that in this post.

Why is Eating Healthy So Hard in the Workplace?

With the constant influx of unhealthy food in the workplace, it can be hard to stay on track with your eating habits. Eating healthy is not always easy in the workplace. Many of us spend a lot of time at our desks and during lunch, so it can be difficult to avoid the temptation of grabbing a quick bite from the vending machine or going out for lunch with coworkers. But it’s important to try and make healthier changes here.

Choosing a Healthier Lunch Option for Work

We all know that lunchtime is the time when we have a break from work. But, what if the work wasn’t so hard? What if you could bring your own lunch and get on with your work? The idea of packing your own lunch for work is not new. There are many benefits to it. You don’t have to worry about going out and buying food, you can eat healthy foods that you enjoy, and there are no more excuses for unhealthy lunches. But you also need to know what to take. It could be a homemade salad, a chicken salad sandwich, soup, or even leftovers. The idea of planning ahead can help you here.

Making Break Time for a Healthier You

When eating in the office, it’s important to keep in mind that small changes can have a big impact on your health and wellbeing at work. For example, if you take your lunch break away from your desk and walk around instead of sitting down, this will help increase blood circulation and oxygen levels which is good for overall health.

If you want to avoid snacking at work, be mindful of what kinds of foods people typically reach for when they need a quick snack – these are typically high in sugar. Instead, plan ahead and bring healthier snacks with you.

How to Find Time for Nutrition in Your Busy Schedule

There are many questions that come to mind when you think about nutrition. How can I fit it into my busy schedule? What’s the best way to get started? How much should I eat? The first step is figuring out how much time you have available for nutrition. If you have 30 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the evening, and two hours on weekends, then your schedule is pretty flexible.

The second step is deciding what type of meal prep system will work best for you. You could do a meal plan with recipes and grocery lists or just buy pre-made food from a grocery store like Whole Foods that has ready-made meals and snacks.

Anne

How to Cook Nutritious Meals for Your Children During the Week

April 5, 2022 By Anne

Cooking nutritious meals for your children during the week can be a daunting task. Between work and school, it can be hard to find the time to cook something that is both healthy and tasty. However, with a little bit of organization and planning, you can easily create nutritious meals that your whole family will enjoy! This blog post will discuss some tips and tricks for cooking delicious and nutritious meals during the week.

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1) Plan Ahead

One of the best ways to ensure that you can cook nutritious meals during the week is to plan ahead. This means creating a grocery list and meal plan for the week and sticking to it! When you have a plan in place, you will be less likely to resort to unhealthy fast food options.

Additionally, planning ahead can help save you money. By creating a grocery list and sticking to it, you will avoid buying unnecessary items at the store. Additionally, planning out your meals can help you use leftovers in creative ways, which will help reduce wastefulness.

Finally, planning ahead can also make life easier on busy weeknights. By having a set menu for the week, you will know exactly what you need to cook and can avoid last-minute scrambling.

2) Choose Healthy Ingredients

When creating nutritious meals for your children, it is essential to choose healthy ingredients. This means opting for whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats rather than processed foods. Additionally, you can add in lots of fruits and vegetables to boost the nutritional value of your child’s meal.

Some good examples of healthy ingredients include:

– Whole grain pasta

– Lean protein such as grilled chicken or fish

– Fresh vegetables such as broccoli or kale

– Nutritious fats such as olive oil or avocado

By choosing healthy ingredients, you can be sure that your child is getting the nutrients they need to stay healthy and happy.

An excellent example of a healthy and delicious meal is baked ziti with ricotta and meat sauce. This dish is packed with nutrients, and it is sure to please even the pickiest of eaters! Click here to find the baked ziti recipe.

3) Get the Kids Involved

One of the best ways to ensure that your child will enjoy their meal is to get them involved in the cooking process. This can be as simple as letting them help chop vegetables or stirring ingredients together. Not only will this make them feel important and included, but it will also give them a sense of ownership over their meal.

In addition, getting the kids involved in the cooking process can teach them valuable skills and help instill a love of cooking at an early age. Who knows – they may even want to become a chef one day!

A great way to get your kids involved in cooking is to let them help prepare their own lunch or dinner. Some easy recipes that kids can make themselves include:

– Grilled cheese sandwich

– Peanut butter and jelly sandwich

– Fruit salad

– Veggie sticks with hummus

By letting your kids help in the kitchen, you can ensure that they will enjoy their meal and get the nutrients they need.

Cooking nutritious meals for your children during the week can be a daunting task, but it can be quickly done with a little bit of organization and planning! By choosing healthy ingredients and getting the kids involved in the cooking process, you can create delicious and nutritious meals that your whole family will love.

Anne

Essential Italian Recipes You Need To Master

October 13, 2021 By Anne

If you are keen to try and cook Italian at home as well as possible, there are many essential recipes that you will need to master along the way. Italian food is arguably some of the most delicious food in the world, and it is a well-loved cuisine which pretty much everyone enjoys eating at least some of the time. If you are keen to improve your Italian cooking, first consider getting these basics down as strongly as you can. You will then find that the rest follows in turn pretty easily and quickly, and you are going to be able to keep a lot of people happy this way.

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Marinara Sauce

Every great Italian restaurant or household has its own marinara sauce. This is simply a basic tomato sauce, but the beauty of it in Italian cooking is that it can be used as a base for many other meals that are important in Italian cooking, from pizza to pasta dishes and beyond. Good marinara recipes are straightforward and yet complex; easy to learn but hard to master. But once you have your own homemade marinara sauce down, you will find that your Italian cooking improves greatly thereafter.

Pizza Dough

What would Italian cooking be without its pizza? This is arguably the single most popular Italian cuisine export, as it is now one of the most beloved foods all over the world. If you want to make true Italian pizza at home, you will first need to learn how to make a fantastic pizza dough. There are many methods to do this, but a traditional Napolina pizza dough consists of 00-grade pasta flour mixed with a little strong bread flour. And the really important thing is to leave it to rise for a long time, and always stretch the dough to size – never roll it with a rolling pin!

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Homemade Pasta

Pasta is one of those beautiful things which appear to be very difficult to make but are actually very easy indeed to make – and yet, it’s absolutely delicious, and one of the most versatile foods in the world. To make pasta, all you need to do is combine 100g of pasta flour with an egg yolk, mix it with a fork or just with your hands on a work surface. Knead it into a dough and then you can roll it through a pasta machine, or simply use a rolling pin. Fold it over and roll it out again and again to make it silky. The more work you put into it, the better of course. Then it’s just about turning it into whatever preferred shape you might have in mind, and adding it to your favourite sauce or recipe. Carbonara, anyone?

Those are three of the most important Italian recipes to master at home. Each of them is perfectly within your grasp, if you want to learn them. And you will find them incredibly satisfying to create for yourself, your friends and your family.