Meals Under 30 Minutes
Avocado, Watermelon & Mint Salad with Feta Cheese
Bursting with flavor and color, this light summer salad complements grilled chicken, fish, and steak beautifully. The simple prep makes it perfect for effortless weeknight meals and casual entertaining alike. My paternal grandmother and my mother shared an extraordinary knowledge of flowers, an ability to use them in artistic ways, and a general love of…
Honey Yogurt Poppy Seed Dressing
Nothing screams “Summer is almost here!” like red, ripe, juicy strawberries. (Side note: This reminds me of one of my sons’ favorite childhood storybooks, The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear. If you have toddlers in your life and like to read aloud to them, this is a fun one!) But…
Special Sauce recipe… and tips for a better burger
The sauce that makes the burger plus all the tips you need for the best backyard burgers! “Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun….” Can you almost hear the music? This iconic McDonald’s jingle was etched into my childhood brain, even though I never quite made the…
Sautéed Shrimp & Asparagus with Crispy Prosciutto & Parmesan
This wholesome, one-pan meal can be on the table in 15 minutes. For a quick meal another night, swap the shrimp with chicken. Variety is the spice of life, as the saying goes, and in my day-to-day work with The Fountain Avenue Kitchen, I’m lucky to have a hearty helping of it. Beyond the…
Easy Taco Chicken Foil Packets
This great tasting, all-in-one meal is easy to prepare and quick to cleanup. For added convenience, the family-friendly packets may be assembled several hours in advance and refrigerated until ready to bake. My mom could have been the original queen of 30-minute meals. At 5:30 every night, she made her way to the kitchen…
Microwave Kettle Corn
To say that popcorn is a favorite snack in our house would be an enormous understatement. My husband enjoys a bowlful nearly every night as dessert. If our sons are nearby, it’s guaranteed that a second round of popping will follow. My mother-in-law gave us a microwave air popper well over 10 years ago. It’s…
Prosciutto Wrapped Pan Seared Halibut (or Tilapia, Flounder, etc.)
No need to sacrifice flavor for the sake of simplicity with this speedy meal, which is as effortless to cook for one person as it is a crowd. As I was sizing up a new machine at the gym the other day, a man headed toward the ellipticals kindly mentioned that he enjoys seeing me…
Parmesan Cauliflower Rice
A short list of ingredients and quick cooking time add to the appeal of this flavorful, low-carb side dish. Pre-riced cauliflower offers a convenient shortcut! When I was a kid, noodles meant spaghetti, lasagna, macaroni or occasionally ziti, and rice meant plain old white (sometimes the minute variety). These days, a plethora of vegetables…
Sautéed Asparagus with Crispy Prosciutto and Parmesan
Three key ingredients turn this much-loved seasonal vegetable into a standout side dish – in about 10 minutes! I think we talked recently about low effort, high reward recipes. Add this one to that coveted list! The funny thing is, when I looked back to see which recipe I described that way, there were so…
Thai Beef Lettuce Wraps
Light yet satisfying and loaded with flavor, Thai Beef Lettuce Wraps are easy to make, fun to eat, and offer advance-prep options. A few months ago, my friend, Jen, was one short week into the Whole30 program when she found herself in need of some inspiration. She was desperate for satisfying recipes that would…
Homemade Chai Concentrate (for iced or hot chai lattes)
To all the coffee drinkers out there, stay with me! 😀 When my teenagers took a liking to iced chai lattes from our neighborhood coffee shop a few years ago, I figured it was time to come up with an economical DIY version. While it may require a trip to the market in…
Baked Mustard Crusted Salmon with Shallots
Don’t you love a recipe that’s easy enough to pull off on a busy weeknight but special enough for company? This is one of those meals. Though it looks and sounds somewhat gourmet, the prep couldn’t be easier and the results are consistently impressive. Plus salmon’s abundant supply of omega-3s make this dish heart healthy–and…
