Meal planning has taken off in popularity lately for a host of reasons. Meal planning involves deciding what meals you’re going to have throughout the week, stocking up on the necessary ingredients, and even beginning to prep some of them ready to cook. Some people begin to meal plan for financial reasons. Meal planning allows you to make sure that all of the ingredients you buy are used up over various dishes throughout the week. For example, if you have a meal incorporating potatoes on a Monday, meal planning can make sure that you use the whole bag of potatoes by the end of the week. Some people meal plan for health reasons. It allows them to make healthier choices and avoid reaching for convenience foods after a long shift at work or a day out and about. Whatever your reason for meal planning, you might want to consider switching yours up and incorporating some winter dishes. Here are some suggestions!
Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken provides you with plenty of protein, while dumplings are a little more stodgy and provide you with carbs. Preppy Kitchen’s chicken & dumplings recipe is a wholesome, flavor packed stew with shredded, tender chicken and biscuit-like dumplings, providing you with a big bowl of nourishment. You will need to start the stew with a classic mirepoix – a base made from a mix of aromatics, such as onions, carrots, and celery. Other necessary ingredients include chicken stock – which can be bought for convenience or created from scratch for authenticity – flour to thicken the soup, baking powder to keep the dumplings fluffy and milk to make the stew smoother and more flavorsome.
Mushroom Stroganoff
The most famous form of stroganoff is beef stroganoff. This is a dish that was initially created by a French chef who worked for a wealthy St. Petersburg family and made the dish for a cooking contest in 1891. Named after his employer, the stroganoff is a dish of sautéed pieces of beef served in a sauce of mustard and smetana (sour cream). But why not consider a vegetarian alternative? The mushroom stroganoff replaces beef with thickly cut mushrooms for a similar texture and a deep, full flavor. Serve with mash for an extra dose of carbs.
Kale and Gnocchi Bake
Creamy, warming, and filling, a kale and gnocchi bake is a perfect winter dish. Not only does this taste great and pack you with long-lasting carbohydrates, but it gives you a good serving of greens in the form of kale. You will need kale, shallots, garlic, all-purpose flour, dijon mustard, potato gnocchi, and cheese. It takes a while to bake to perfection, so prepare it well in advance of when you actually plan to eat.
Rice Pudding
Looking for a winter dessert? Rice pudding could be the perfect option for you. Rice pudding is a traditional dish made from rice mixed with water or milk. People often choose to incorporate additional ingredients or flavorings, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, or raisins.
These are just a few different meals that you might want to incorporate into your winter meal plan. Hopefully, each will make its way onto your personal menu!
I recently sat down with Kate from She’s Cookin in Brooklyn to learn some of her favorite recipes! Kate specializes in healthy family-friendly meals. I love following her and cooking together. This week we made her Cauliflower Rice, Blueberry and Banana smoothies. You can watch our live video HERE. I have included the recipe for you below….Remember to follow Kate and stay tuned for more of our cooking episodes!!!!
1/2 C Frozen Riced Cauliflower
1/2 banana – Frozen
2 Scoops Vanilla Protein Powder
1 T Flax Seeds
1/4 C Blueberries – Frozen
Pinch of salt
Handful of Spinach
1 C Almond Milk
Mix all ingredients in a blender until desired consistency…
Do you dream of being a genius in the kitchen? If so, this post is for you. In it, we take a look at some of the things you can do to become a whizz-kid in less than 15 minutes a day. Read on to learn more.
Slice And Freeze Your Bananas
Bananas have a nasty habit of going brown all at once. And when that happens, you feel like your only choice is to gobble the whole bunch and then face the lavatory later.
But you don’t have to take such extreme measures. Just cut them into slices and freeze them when they are about to go brown. It’s that simple. Then you can put them in the blender and whip them into a soft serve later.
Keep Your Scallions Fresh By Putting Them In A Vase
Scallions go dry and brittle quickly, even if you put them in the refrigerator the moment you bring them back from the store. However, treating them like roses can extend their useful life considerably.
Find a vase and dump your scallions in it. Then add some water and put them in sunlight. They’ll keep growing for a week or two, and they’ll stay nice and moist in the process.
Add Red Wine To Boring Pasta Dishes
Pasta dishes can get a little boring after a while. There’s nothing particularly exciting about them.
Fortunately, you can bring them back to life with a dash of red wine. You don’t need much, but it can change the entire character of the recipe. You can also learn how to cook bacon in the oven and then chop it up and add it to creamy pasta sauces.
Baste Your Steak
Most people take a steak out of the packet and immediately dump it in the pan. But that’s not the best approach to cooking this meat.
What you should do instead is baste it first in a salt rub and then let it sit. This method helps to lock the moisture in the meat and helps it taste better, too. Let it sit for at least an hour.
Put Cooked Veggies In Ice Cold Water As Soon As You Finish Cooking Them
Vegetables have this annoying habit of showing up as gray on your plate after you cook them perfectly. That’s because they keep cooking in their own heat once they hit your plate.
The way around this is to dunk them in ice-cold water as soon as you finish cooking them. Leave them there until just before you serve. Then fry them quickly in butter to give them a golden sheen.
Put All Batters In Squeeze Bottles
Trying to pour the batter from a bowl is always a disaster. Pancakes wind up being the oddest of shapes.
That’s why kitchen pros always keep their batters in squeeze bottles. This way, they can control how they look with a high degree of accuracy.
You can get special squeeze bottles with a filling end, application end, and shaker spring in the middle to mix your batter as you go along.
This week’s recipe is from one of our sponsors, Nutritionist Sarah Davis of Body Balance 365 .
Apple season is in full swing, and we just can’t get enough. 🍎 Sliced with almond butter, chopped in a kale salad, 🥗 or baked with cinnamon and maple syrup. 🍁We’ve even upped our oatmeal game, adding apples before baking it in the oven. This breakfast is worth getting out of bed for!
Also, check out Sarah’s Body Balance INSTAGRAM page for more great nutrition tips!!!
Baked Oats with Apples and Cinnamon
– 1/3 cup oats
– 1/2 banana
– 1/2 cup almond milk
– 1 Tbsp chopped apples
– 1/2 tsp cinnamon
– 1 tsp baking soda
– 1/4 tsp vanilla and salt
Preheat oven to 350. Mix the ingredients in a ramekin dish and cook for 20 minutes. Enjoy!
Yeah, it’s finally the weekend. This week felt extra long today. I am off on assignment again tomorrow and I cannot wait to share everything with you soon. In the meanwhile, my fabulous sponsor Katy of She’s Cooking in Brooklyn sent me this awesome cocktail recipe to share with you. It looks amazing. I know you are going to love it as much as I did!!! Cheers and Enjoy your weekend Fashionistas!!!
FRESHLY SQUEEZED APPLE & CINNAMON COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup (6-8 apples) freshly squeezed apple juice
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2/3 cup tequila
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• Ground cinnamon
DIRECTIONS
Juice the apples and lemon together. Add to a meal prep container with the tequila, maple syrup and a dash of cinnamon. Shake well and pour over ice to enjoy.
I am obsessed with this recipe. It is amazing and your whole house will smell fabulous while cooking. This is also one of my favorite recipes not because it is so delicious but because it takes 5 minutes to put together and is ready in only 1-2 hours. This is perfect before work or school on chilly mornings and perfect for guests!! And keeps well for up to a week, so you can have it on hand for many mornings. Bon Appetit!!!
Slow Cooker Banana Bread Oatmeal
- 2 cups unsweetened oat or almond milk
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 2 ripe bananas
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional or any nut that you prefer)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Spray a 2-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. I bought this one on Amazon.
- Mash bananas.
- Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker and cover.
- Cook on High for 1 to 1 ½ hour. You can also cook on low for approx. 2-3 hours.
- Spoon into bowls, drizzle with more maple syrup and serve.