What's for Dinner? Spring Quinoa Salad

photo courtesy of fullplateplanet.wordpress.com

Are you tired of ordering pizza, subs, or Chipotle (yes, that's me!) as your default meal? Are you looking to eat healthier this spring but don’t want to compromise taste in the process? Are you a novice in the kitchen but want to cook more, starting with “easy” meals? Well, if you answered yes to one or all of these questions than don’t stop reading!

Toddler Approved Healthy Cookies

I was on a mission yesterday to find a cookie that met 2 serious requirements: They had to be healthy, and they had to be something I could make WITH my 22 month old toddler. I found the recipe at shape.com. Yesterday I made the quinoa and stored it in the fridge overnight. Today my little guy and I made the cookies and it was such a great experience! Here is the recipe:

What's for Dinner? Spicy Black Bean Soup

Yeah, ok...so I'm into soups right now. It's February in Michigan. Need I say more?

While planning my meals this week I stumbled upon a picture of black bean soup and I knew I just HAD to make it. Plus, we are trying to reduce our grocery bill a little by adding in at least one vegetarian meal each week and this fits the bill: it's filling, nutritious, has adequate protein, warms the body and it's vegetarian.

In search of a good recipe I came across many online, but nothing quite seemed right (I felt like Goldilocks and the 3 Soup Recipes...one was too bland, one was too labor intensive, etc, etc.) until I found this Black Bean Soup recipe from The Novice Chef blog. The beautiful picture drew me in...

Spicy Black Bean Soup from TheNoviceChefBlog.com

and the recipe seemed totally doable on a weeknight AND sounded like it would taste good...and when she said the soup was "even ass friendly" I KNEW a chef with a sense of humor was worth a try!

What's for Dinner? Miso Soup

This is a daily million dollar question everyone faces (parent, or not). I hope to revisit this question with future blogs containing seasonally relevant recipe ideas for busy families like ours. Look for this series of blogs starting with the same question..."What's for Dinner?"


Tonight I'm whipping up a quick and easy one-pot meal - Miso Soup. Not only is Miso Soup easy, but it is the best dish for when you are feeling chilled to the bone, have an upset tummy, or feel a cold or flu coming on.