Category Archives: main dishes

Korean BBQ Egg Rolls in the Air Fryer

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I received free products in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.

I’m always up for a challenge so I was excited to jump in when JSL Foods asked me to cook up something fun using their egg roll wrappers! We are big fans of traditional egg rolls – and Asian-inspired flavors in general – but I knew I wanted to switch it up and try something a little different with these!

I created these egg rolls with versatility in mind. They’d be a perfect appetizer for the big game or game night at home, but they’d also be a great option for lunch or lighter dinner paired with a salad.

Instead of the traditional chicken and cabbage flavored with soy sauce, these rolls are stuffed with chicken smothered with a Korean-style BBQ sauce, pineapple and red onion – and then cooked in the air fryer to keep them lighter.

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Vegan Chickpea Shawarma in the Air Fryer

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Happy #Veganuary! When’s the last time you had a vegan meal?

Our family is not vegan, but I do try to mix vegan meals into our meal plan regularly. I both appreciate the lessened environmental impact of these meals and like exposing the kids to lots of different cuisine options.

This vegan meal is perfect for a busy family because it comes together in less than 30 minutes and is made with things I always have in the fridge or pantry.

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Grinders in the Slow Cooker

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How’s your pandemic cooking fatigue? Yes, it’s a real thing. Chances are even if you dove into cooking projects with gusto back in March, it’s not bringing the same joy.

You know what? It’s okay. It’s okay to dial back. It’s okay to ask to share the load. It’s okay to take the easiest option.

I found myself burning out hard a little more than a month ago, so I made a conscious effort to switch up my meal planning. After I pick our meals for the week, I sit with the list and go though asking – what can I do to make this easier? In many cases, that means putting off new blog experiments for things I know will work.

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Vegan Butternut Squash & Apple Burgers with Balsamic Caramelized Onions

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I feel like I’ve been avoiding fall. The weather has been really mild here – enough that I haven’t even had to break out a sweatshirt most days and I’ve still been picking tomatoes from the garden regularly. It’s made it easy to pretend summer is just ending.

But, I can’t pretend forever – our first frost is coming tonight and it’s finally kicked my brain into fall mode. I’m officially craving all the autumn flavors – and this vegan burger just hits the spot.

These have just a few simple ingredients but they flavors are incredible – fresh, and perfectly seasonal.

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Creamy Alfredo Dump & Bake Pasta

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Confession time: I hate boiling pasta.

I know, I know. It’s such a basic cooking skill and such an odd thing to hate! But, I always feel like I’m wasting time hanging around waiting for the water to boil. It drives me nuts.

The kids have been super into pasta lately, so I’ve been playing with recipes that don’t require boiling the pasta ahead of time – and this dump and bake pasta was a clear winner.

There’s just enough liquid in this to perfectly cook the pasta and leave behind a creamy, cheesy sauce.

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Slow Cooker Italian Sandwiches

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How’s life lately? I mean really – are you hanging on?

I’m hearing from so many friends that they’re overwhelmed. There are so many balls in the air that things like dinner just get pushed to the back burner. They want to make dinner but they can’t handle more work.

This is a great meal for those nights.

Hot sandwiches make a great, easy dinner. These are individually wrapped – making them easily customizable for each family member – and warmed in the slow cooker – which makes the cook time flexible.

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Bacon Wrapped BBQ Chicken with BBQ Dipping Sauce

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Disclaimer: I recieved free product in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.

What is it about kids and dip? I swear, when my kids see dip on the dinner table, they go all starry-eyed. I’ve been making it more of a point to make dips to go with our meals – it always means more enthusiastic eating for us!

When we got a chance to try out Bar-B-Que Beast’s sauces, I knew I wanted to make a dip – and this came out perfect! The cream cheese was the perfect balance to the sauce sauce – and a nice foil to the smoky bacon on the chicken!

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Peach Panzanella Salad

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We put in a big garden this spring. It’s something we’ve had plans for but with quarantine, we finally made the jump and did it. We knew it would be a learning year – and it is. I’m having more fails than successes.

One huge success? Our tomatoes.

This simple salad is one of my favorite ways to use up our tomatoes. If you’re going to make this, I highly suggest using tomatoes from a farm or your garden – they’re just so good right now!

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Marinated Vegetable Sandwiches

Posted in lunch, main dishes, vegetarian, veggies by

If there’s one thing I could eat all summer, it would be sandwiches loaded with vegetables. All the vegetables. Usually toasted and loaded up with some melty cheese.

These sandwiches are one of my favorite variations – the veggies are marinated in a sweet-but-savory marinade for a few hours before being cooked, which gives them a really nice extra layer of flavor.

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Strawberry Chicken Chopped Salad

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Lettuce has been in our CSA share every week. And it’s not a little bit – it’s always a big ‘ole head. We’ve also got some in our own garden. As such, salads are a staple. We have side salads nearly every night with dinner – and big, bountiful salads for lunch.

This salad was one I whipped up for dinner one night. Full of produce from our farm share and topped with a homemade dressing, it’s summer in a bowl.

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