2020 has been a whirlwind of a year for all of us. Some were, unfortunately, hit much harder than others and we’ve all had to adapt to uncertainty. It has given many us a chance to spend less time with some, and more time with others. It has given all of us the chance to spend more time with ourselves. While that has been a curse for some, it has been a blessing for others. 2020 has provided some of us the chance to hit the reset button and finish old goals, start new projects, and lighten our load.
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What To Cook For Labor Day
We’ve got some delicious Labor Day inspired recipes coming out later this week, but today I’m excited to share some of my favorite picnic-themed recipes to inspire you for the upcoming holiday weekend. We did an array of research and came up with our best entries from our readers and past articles. Whether you are planning to start the summer fun with a picnic, meal delivery kit, barbecue or just a simple picnic with friends and family, we have put together the perfect menu ideas for Memorial Day 2020.
Corona Quarantine Kitchen Cupboard Challenge
What a mouthful! As we move into our fourth week of self-isolation, we can count the number of times we’ve left the house on one hand. Alana left once, to take Noke for a hike at a local trail that isn’t very heavily used. I’ve made a few trips to the grocery store to replenish our food supplies, although looking back at it, we were still living a little too luxuriously. I wouldn’t say that we were being careless, but we definitely didn’t need the groceries that I bought. While milk and yogurt certainly aren’t that much of a stretch, we think we could make it through this with less. Thus, the Corona Quarantine Kitchen Cupboard Challenge was born.
Easy Meals in 2020
2020 is the year to do more with less. 2020 is the year to work smarter and not necessarily harder. (Although, we are strong supporters of hard workers.) 2020 is the year to see through all the myths and make the right decisions. We’re here to help you do that. We might be a week late, but we’ve been working on our own plans for this new year.
So, how are we going to do this? By making simple and delicious meals at home of course–without spending too much money. Here is our first recipe of the year, but this is about much more than this $7 meal for two. This is about you starting to understand how to balance the three important aspects of your diet: flavor, nutrition and cost.
Leftover Magic: BBQ Brisket
If you’re anything like us, you usually make WAY too much food for important events, holidays and family get-togethers. If you went to our wedding, you’d know this. No one had any room in their stomachs left by the time first dessert was served. Second and third desserts weren’t even touched. I don’t think people even looked at them. For St. Patrick’s Day, we always make far too many corned beefs, and in some cases, we buy so many of them that we don’t even cook some. Either way, whether you have cooked ones sitting in the fridge or uncooked ones, we found a fun way to repurpose them… by making BBQ!
How to Make Corned Beef and Cabbage
This really should read how to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, at home. We don’t need to tell you how to find a local Irish pub to down some Guinness and eat some traditional fare… that’s pretty easy, depending on where you live. It is, however, very fun to celebrate at home with your family. Growing up, my mother made a big deal out of this holiday. She was one of nine kids, in a family that was raised in a very Catholic Irish-American household, even though they had lots of other ethnicities in them as well. They didn’t grow up with a whole lot of money, and like them, many other large Irish American families that came over to the New York City area were large and suffering, so they decided to make this very cheap and relatively easy meal as the base for the celebration.
Vegetarian Instant Pot Pumpkin Chili
I hope you’re not sick of pumpkin recipes because WE STILL COMIN’ ATCHYA. This one is a quintessential Fall recipe because not only is it pumpkin, but it’s also chili. This recipe will be so nice for those of you who live in a place where the weather is getting chillier. Chillier. Get it? Anyhow, this pumpkin chili recipe is surprisingly wonderful. I was lucky enough to find it from Bowl of Delicious–a really delightful food blog.
Fit’s Go-To Healthy Lunch: Salad Kit + Tuna
If you see us on social media, you often see us going big when we eat. Sure, we definitely enjoy dining out and eating big, but most of our meals are pretty dang healthy. That’s how we can afford to eat whole pizzas or all-you-can-eat sushi! Fit works from home which means she typically has the pantry at her disposal. This can mean glory or disaster. Luckily, we keep a pretty clean pantry (ignore the sour candy that Fit stashed behind the electric beater), so there’s not many “bad” options to fall for. Still, she tries to decide what she’s going to eat for lunch at the beginning of the day, or better yet–at the beginning of the week.
On most days, you can find Fit in the kitchen (usually on a phone call or meeting), assembling her lunch. Yeah, I said assembling because she plays it smart. Fit’s go-to healthy lunch is half of a salad kit and a can of tuna. It takes under five minutes to whip up, even when she puts some flair into it! Salad kits are a blessing. Sure, they may not be quite as cost-effective as a huge tub of spinach and some carrots, but they have variety and make a healthy lunch delicious and easy. Making salads from scratch can be somewhat tedious with all the chopping. She usually waits until they’re on sale for like $2.99 and then buys a bunch for the week. And because she has a “baby belly,” she only needs half of one per lunch.
Whole-Wheat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Whew, that title is a bit of a mouthful, huh? Well so are these cookies! Though they be small, they are mighty with flavor and warmth! Yes, another pumpkin recipe. And don’t expect it to be the last! Fall is my favorite season of the year, I think, and although Los Angeles isn’t very good at crisp weather, I’m still gonna do the pumpkin up! Whole-wheat pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, here we come! I based this recipe off of Tried and Tasty’s wonderful recipe!
Instant Pot Pumpkin Curry
It’s FALL! Do you know what that means? PUMPKINS, PUMPKIN EVERYTHING. And we thought, with our new little toy called the Instant Pot, that we would make some pumpkin Instant Pot recipes! Although the weather doesn’t get too cool during a Los Angeles October, Hungry and I still enjoy a good curry. So, what was the next natural step? Pumpkin Curry! This recipe is inspired and based off Piping Pot Curry’s recipe. This pumpkin curry is smooth, flavorful, and warm. We served it over brown rice, but you could also serve with any type of rice, naan, or flatbread you desire.