A week of meal plans for your convenience. These aren't always my own recipes, as I love to try others out and maybe even tweak them for my own spin. But I aim to have fairly easy, family friendly meals. A downloadable + printable PDF of plans are available below as well as links to all recipes.
It's Christmas week and all my family will be home - so I usually plan meals and have lots of great help preparing and cleaning... which is the best part as cleaning the kitchen is my least favorite part of cooking & baking. I pretty much got my start cooking for my brothers and now they are some of my biggest fans!
Homemade Biscuits
**I use Joanna Gaines' biscuit recipe but add kosher salt into the dough as well as sprinkling it on top. I like to mix it up the night before, refrigerate and then roll and bake in the morning.
4 cups self-rising flour, plus more for the work surface
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt + more for sprinkling
3/4 pound (3 sticks) salted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces or grated
2 large eggs, beaten, plus 1 large egg for brushing
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, or as needed, plus 1 tablespoon for brushing
In the bowl of a food processor, mix together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the butter and pulse into the flour until the pieces are even and about the size of peas. Remove and pour into a large bowl.
Stir in the beaten eggs with a wooden spoon until combined. Stir in 1 1/2 cups buttermilk until the dough comes together into a sticky mass. If it is too dry, add more buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition, until it reaches the correct consistency. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scrape the dough onto a floured work surface. Use your floured hands to press it into a round roughly 14 inches across and about 1/2-inch thick.
Use a floured 2 3/4-inch round cutter to cut out about 20 biscuits. If necessary, collect and pat out the scraps to cut more biscuits. You can use a drinking glass or mason jar to cut out your biscuits too if you don't have a cutter.
Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet line with parchment paper, arranging them so that they all are touching.
In a small dish, beat together the remaining egg and 1 tablespoon buttermilk. Brush the mixture on the top of the biscuits. Then sprinkle kosher salt on top.
Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly in the pan on a rack.
** if you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can make it! 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes.
Sausage Gravy
1 lb sausage
1/4 cup flour
4-6 cups milk
salt + pepper, we like to season with Lawry's Black Pepper Seasoning
In a large skillet, cook the sausage until browned. Then stir in flour to coat sausage and cook for 1-2 minutes. Then stir in milk and let it come to a simmer until thickened. Add more milk if necessary. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Homemade Granola
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 heaping cups old fashioned oats
2 Tbsp chia seeds
2-3 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 300 and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk honey, oil, salt and cinnamon. Stir in oats and chia seeds. You can add a cup of nuts too if you’d like as well as any other seeds. Then stir in maple and vanilla. Spread on parchment paper and bake for 10 min at 300. Stir and bake for an additional 12 minutes at 325 degrees. Remove from oven, give a good stir and let cool. Break up into pieces and let cool completely. Store in airtight container for up to a month.
Banana Pancakes
3 ripe or overripe bananas
5 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup oatmeal
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Let batter sit for a few minutes as the oatmeal will thicken the batter over time. Thin with any milk of your choice if it's too thick. We like to stir in chia seeds and mini chocolate chips. '
Baked Oatmeal
1 1/2 cups oats
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix all ingredients together and pour into greased 4 greased ramekins or baking dishes. Sprinkle the tops with brown sugar and cinnamon and baked at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. You can also add chopped nuts to the top before baking for an added crunch, we like pecans! Serve topped with fresh berries and to make it even more decadent, top with a drizzle of heavy cream.
Jasmine Rice in the Instant Pot
2 cups jasmine rice
2 cups water
Spray your insert with oil, add in rice and water, stir & cook on manual for 4 minutes. Natural release for 10 minutes or more. Voila! The perfectly cooked white rice!
Roasted Potatoes
Cut up any kind of potato you prefer, we like yukon golds. Drizzle with olive oil, kosher salt & pepper. Roast at 425 for 30 minutes or until golden.
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Cut brussels in half, toss in olive oil, garlic salt & pepper. Roast at 425 for 20 minutes or until they get a nice browning on them. You can also add some bread crumbs and grated parmesan cheese to step them up a notch!
Crockpot Chicken Thighs
2 lbs Chicken Thighs
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Minced Garlic
1 tsp oregano
Splash of water to thin
Mix all marinade ingredients in a ziploc then add chicken thighs and marinate for at least an hour. Then grill or cook in a skillet on medium high heat to brown each side but not cook through. Transfer to a crockpot on low for 4-6 hours with 1/2 cup water.
Chia Pudding
1 cup oatmilk or almond milk
1/4 cup heaping chia seeds
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Put all ingredients in a jar and shake. Let sit in the fridge for at least half an hour or overnight. Top with your favorite toppings! This makes 2 servings.
Chicken Tacos
2 lbs chicken - thighs or breasts work
3 tbsp taco seasoning
1 cup zesty italian dressing
Place all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove chicken & shred then put back in the juices. Enjoy as taco meat!
You can also do this in the instant pot. Frozen Chicken breasts cook on manual for 15 minutes. Quick release.
Meatballs
1 1/2 lbs hamburger
1 egg
5 oz evaporated milk or oatmilk
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1/4 tsp pepper
Sauce
2 cups ketchup
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Mix all meatball ingredients and form into balls. Place in greased baking dish.
Mix all sauce ingredients in a pan and cook until sugar is dissolved. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until done.
*you can make this without onions and use a 1/2 tsp onion powder in place for flavor.
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
5 lbs yukon gold potatoes, mostly peeled
1 can chicken broth
1/2 block cream cheese
1 stick butter
heavy cream
Salt + Pepper
Peel & dice potatoes. Place into instant pot and pour a can of chicken broth in. Cook on manual for 11 minutes with quick release. Add butter, cut into pieces and mash. Then add in cream cheese and splashes of heavy cream until you get the consistency you want. Salt + Pepper to taste!
Click the buttons with the recipe title below to be taken to the link!
Kristin Cavallari's True Comfort Big Mac Salad
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