A frozen brick of short rib ragù pasta that reheats like it was just made almost feels like cheating.

It’s basically the freezer-dinner aisle… except you made it yourself, you know exactly what’s in it, and it actually tastes good.

And foodies, if short rib ragù sounds a little intimidating, STAY WITH ME

I’m going to walk you through the EXACT order to do everything so you’re not chopping an onion with one hand while something burns behind you.

I’m walking you through:

• The exact measurements

• What to prep before you even turn the stove on

• The order I cook everything in so you’re not running around the kitchen

• The beginner chef techniques that make the food taste restaurant-level

• What the food should look, smell and feel like so you know you’re doing it right

• Exactly what one finished meal looks like

• What I keep in the fridge vs. immediately freeze

• How I freeze it so the texture actually holds up

• How to reheat it from frozen

• And the estimated macros per serving

Basically, you should be able to put your phone on the counter and cook straight down this page.

No chaos.

And if you’re one of the almost 400 foodies already hanging out here with me, first of all… hi. 👋🏽 🥹

If you’ve been reading along and you’re ready for the full system, this is where we get into it.

Not just more recipes.

A system that makes feeding yourself easier.

Inside, we’re getting into full recipes, freezer methods, meal plans, portioning, reheating instructions, beginner chef techniques and the exact systems I use to make healthy eating actually work in real life.

So instead of constantly asking:

What am I going to eat?

We’re slowly making that question easier to answer.

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⬇️ Foodies your full recipe starts right below. ❤️ ⬇️

Read more

Okay so if you saw my “your freezer could look like this” post over on Instagram this week… hi :) come on in. And if you found me through Substack, I’m so glad you’re here too.

Now, I know reheating food from a frozen brick sounds a little scary, like it would come out watery, mushy, or somehow just not as good as freshly cooked food. BUT STAY WITH ME FOR A SEC a lot of that comes down to how you freeze it and how you reheat it.

So after learning how to do both properly, I can now open my freezer on a random Tuesday and have a bowl of decadent, 4-hour slow-braised short rib ragù in front of me in 10 minutes. I’ll show you the visual too so you can see just how easy it is to reheat and the best part? It’s high-protein and tastes like I just made it.

That feeling of always having something good waiting for me has been the game changer.

And listen… I am a recovering binge eater. Yessss, I was an eaterrrrrr. Big time lol.

I’ve talked before about the psychology behind food for me and how I was able to binge for so long without physically seeing any repercussions because of my fast metabolism. But this freezer system has also made it so much easier for me to mind my portions and avoid those accidental binge-eating episodes.

But whew. That is a whole other article — you can dive into that here.

But anyway, back to the reason you’re actually here:

My beautifully STOCKED freezer. 😍

High-protein mains. Breakfast. Smoothie packs. Sides. The whole situation.

So when a random Tuesday hits and I’m tired, hungry, have zero willpower, nothing thawed, no fresh ingredients, and absolutely no interest in standing over a stove.

I’m not stuck trying to figure out what to eat, ordering something because it’s easier, or piecing together some sad little dinner that doesn’t even fill me up.

And that’s really the part I love most about this whole thing.

I’ve basically made staying on track the easiest option in my kitchen instead of the hardest.

Subscribe for realistic high-protein meals, freezer systems, and the exact methods I using.

Why this actually works (aka why I quit “meal prepping”)

Regular meal prep asks you to be disciplined every week. This asks you to be disciplined three days a month. Big difference. Here’s why the freezer version wins:

• Decision fatigue is the real enemy not lack of recipes. By 6pm my brain is DONE deciding things. A stocked freezer means the deciding is already handled.

• You cook when you have energy, not when you’re starving. Cook days are planned. Hungry-and-cranky at 7pm is not a cooking window, it’s a takeout window, lol.

• Variety is built in. Because you batch a few different things per cook day, you literally will feel like a kid in a candy store thinking of what to pull out and eat next.

• “On track” becomes the path of least resistance. This is the whole game. When the healthy option is also the fastest option, you stop relying on willpower.

The rhythm: 3 cook days, spread across the month

Roughly once every ~10 days, I do one focused cook session. This has opened up so much time for me to indulge in cooking for the love of it again and not just to fuel my body.

• Cook Day 1 — the mains. Big-batch the dinners. Braise meats, Make sauces, Make Sides.

• Cook Day 2 — breakfast + smoothie packs and snacks like high protein banana nut muffins

• Cook Day 3 — the top-off. Refill whatever’s disappeared fastest (usually the mains, always the French toast lol).

That’s the skeleton. Everything else is just assembly.

What’s actually in my freezer right now

This is the part people always want to see, so here’s the honest inventory. 👇

🍲 Three main dishes

I keep three mains in rotation at a time so dinner never feels repetitive:

• My seafood gumbo — the one you all keep asking about. Freezes like a DREAM and somehow tastes even better on day 30.

• [Main #2 — your saucy/shredded one] — the throw-it-over-rice-or-greens hero.

• [Main #3 — your handheld one] — for the nights I want to eat with one hand and not think.

Each one gets portioned into single servings so I’m pulling out exactly what I need, no defrosting a giant brick and committing to it for a week.

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🥤 Smoothie packs (portioned + grab-able)

Genuinely one of the highest-ROI things I freeze. I portion everything into single smoothie packs so my morning is: dump bag in blender, add liquid, done.

• Pre-portioned so there’s no measuring at 7am

• Built to hit a protein target, not just fruit-and-regret

• Lined up so it’s the first thing I grab (visibility = you actually use it)

🍞 Vanilla cinnamon custard French toast

The one that makes people go “wait, THAT’S freezer meal prep??” Yes. Yes it is.

• High-protein, so it earns its spot on a busy morning

• Freezes in individual pieces so you pull exactly how many you want

• Straight from freezer → reheat → tastes like you actually got up early and made it (you did not, lol)

How I portion so it actually gets EATEN

Freezing food is easy. Freezing food you’ll actually reach for is the skill. My non-negotiables:

• Single servings, always. If I have to thaw a family-size block to eat one meal, I won’t. Portion small.

• Label everything - name + date, right on the front. Mystery freezer bags do not get eaten, they get freezer-burned.

• Freeze flat, store upright. Flat bags freeze faster and file like books, so I can actually SEE my options.

• Front-load the winners. The stuff I want myself to grab (French toast, smoothie packs) lives at eye level. Out of sight = out of stomach.

The “I’m not cooking today” nights (aka 27 days a month)

Here’s what a normal, non-cook-day looks like now:

• Dinner: pull a main, reheat, add a quick fresh thing (bagged salad, microwave rice, whatever). 8 minutes.

• Breakfast: French toast from frozen, or dump a smoothie pack in the blender.

• Zero decisions. Zero drive-thru. Zero “ugh I fell off.”

That’s the whole point. I didn’t get more disciplined. I made the healthy choice the lazy choice. 🧡

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Want me to make this easy for you?

If you’re reading this thinking, okay… but I don’t want to figure out what to cook, how much to buy, how to portion it, or what freezes well that’s exactly why I made the full meal plan.

I already did the planning for you.

Inside, you get:

• ✅ All 5 recipes — 3 mains, vanilla cinnamon custard French toast + smoothie packs

• ✅ Macros for every recipe

• ✅ A printable shopping list so you can get everything in one trip

• ✅ Exact portioning, freezing + labeling instructions

The goal is simple: a freezer full of high-protein food you actually want to eat, without having to cook every day.

[Grab the full meal plan here →]

If you want more breakdowns like this, the actual systems, freezer strategies, and high-protein ideas that make eating well way easier subscribe so the next one lands right in your inbox. 🧡

And tell me this: what would you want waiting for you in your freezer? Reply and tell me. I’m always looking for what to make next.

Leave a comment

P.S. if this made “meal prep” feel less overwhelming, forward it to the friend who texts you “what do I even make” at 6pm every day. That’s the whole freezer, in a text. lol

Why does eating healthy feel like a full-time job sometimes? 😭

You have to figure out what to eat. Make sure there’s enough protein. Get your fiber in. Buy the groceries. Prep everything. Cook it. Clean the kitchen.

And the most exhausting part?

You have to do it all over again tomorrow.

Then there’s times where you feel like you finally get into a groove. Your meals are balanced, you’re drinking your water, moving your body, hitting your protein you feel GOOD.

Then life starts life-ing.

A crazy workday. A birthday. A night out. And the times you don’t even want to be bothered with cooking.😫

Suddenly the groceries are dying in the fridge, there’s nothing ready to eat, you’re hungry right now, and somehow you’re back to figuring out how to “get on track” again.

That constant cycle of planning → shopping → cooking → falling off → starting over is exhausting.

This is exactly why I started relying on my freezer.

Having delicious, already-prepped food available has made staying consistent so much easier.

• Less decision fatigue.
  

• Less time in the kitchen.
  

• Fewer last-minute takeout orders.
  

• And way fewer nights wondering, damn…did I even eat enough protein today? 😭

Between building my business, showing up for myself, and showing up for my daughter, I needed healthy eating to take up less mental space in my life, not more.

My freezer has genuinely become my little savior. 😂

And I want yours to become one too.

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🍴 Here’s How This Meal Plan Works

I’m taking as much of the thinking out of this as possible.

For every meal, I’ll give you:

🛒 Exactly what to buy - including quantities for our bulk-sized recipes.

📥 A printable grocery list - download it, take it to the store, and check things off as you go.

👩🏽‍🍳 How to make it - the full recipe and cooking method.

⚖️ How to portion it - including serving sizes and protein.

🥡 What to refrigerate - for the meals you’ll eat first.

❄️ What to freeze + how to store it - so you’re building meals for later while feeding yourself now.

🔥 Exactly how to reheat it - because freezer food should NOT taste like freezer food. I’ll show you how to bring each meal back so it tastes freshly made.

You shop. You cook in bulk. You eat some now. You freeze some for later.

And every time you do it, your freezer gets a little fuller and your life gets a little easier.

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🥗 So…What Are We Making?

Here’s what we’re cooking in bulk this round:

🍳 BREAKFAST: Vanilla-Cinnamon Custard Protein French Toast

🥤 GRAB & GO: Creamy Piña Colada Protein Smoothie Packs

🍗 MAIN: Slow-Braised Roasted Salsa Verde Chicken

🥩 MAIN: Melt-in-Your-Mouth Red Wine & Garlic Braised Beef

🍅 MAIN: Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Parmesan Turkey Meatballs

Five recipes. Multiple meals. And NO, we’re not eating the same exact plate five days in a row. 😂

I’ll show you exactly how much to buy, how to cook everything, how to portion it, what to keep in the fridge, what to freeze, and exactly how to reheat it so it tastes freshly made.

Plus, your printable grocery list is already done for you.

All you have to do is shop, cook, and let me show you how to make it work.

🤎 This Is What The Balanced Foodie Is About

There are millions of recipes on the internet.

I don’t want to just give you more recipes.

I want to take some of the mental labor of feeding yourself well off your plate.

For less than 70¢ a day, paid subscribers get:

🥗 The Balanced Foodie Meal Plans - like this one, complete with high-protein recipes, bulk quantities, portioning, storage + reheating instructions and downloadable shopping lists.

❄️ Freezer Prep Guides - deeper guides to freezing, storing, thawing and reheating food so you can build a freezer that actually works for you.

🧠 Educational Deep Dives - easy-to-understand nutrition education so you understand the why behind what we’re doing.

🍴 Premium Recipes - flavor-first recipes created with nutrition in mind.

📥 Downloadable Resources - shopping lists, guides and practical tools that make putting everything into practice easier.

Plus free recipes + Notes for everyone following along.

Fewer decisions. Less time in the kitchen. More delicious, high-protein food ready when you need it.

Because healthy eating shouldn’t take over your life.

It should fit into the life you already have. 🤎

Read more

And honestly, most of my bloodwork that came back agrees.

My blood sugar looks good. My inflammation relatively low. My liver markers look good. Even most of my cholesterol numbers look great.

But when I tested over 100 biomarkers, I found a few things I never would’ve known were happening.

And THAT was my aha moment.

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

One of my heart markers, Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), came back elevated. 🔺

In regular-person language? 😂

Lp(a) is a type of particle in your blood that can contribute to plaque buildup in your arteries and increase cardiovascular risk.

And here’s the part that really got me.

It’s largely genetic.

You can exercise.

You can eat well.

You can be at a healthy weight

and still have elevated Lp(a)

Now, this does not mean I have heart disease.

Actually, several of my major heart markers look really good.

That’s what fascinated me.

You can look completely healthy on the outside. However your body is telling a story on the inside. If I hadn’t looked deeper, I simply wouldn’t know there was anything worth paying attention to.

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And Then There Was My Thyroid

My actual thyroid hormones are currently in range, which is great.

But I did find out that my TPO antibodies were elevated.

Basically, my immune system is mistakenly attacking my thyroid a little more than it should.

Now, that does not automatically mean I have thyroid disease.

But it does give me information I can pay attention to early, before my thyroid hormones ever start moving out of range.

There are autoimmune thyroid diseases like:

• Hashimoto’s disease: The immune system attacks the thyroid and can eventually cause it to become underactive. Think fatigue, feeling cold, hair and skin changes, weight gain, or suddenly struggling to lose weight.

• Graves’ disease: This does the opposite. It causes the thyroid to become overactive and can lead to a racing heart, anxiety, heat intolerance, shakiness, or unexplained weight loss.

And this is something women especially should pay attention to, because autoimmune thyroid disease is much more common in women.

We hear it all the time as we get older:

“I gained all this weight out of nowhere.”

“I work out and eat well, but I cannot get this weight off.”

“My body just doesn’t respond the way it used to.”

Sometimes we chalk everything up to age, when there could actually be something happening underneath the surface.

For me, early detection doesn’t mean I need treatment right now.

It means I know what’s happening.

I can monitor my thyroid levels, pay attention to changes, and work with my doctor if something starts shifting.

I’d much rather know what my body is whispering now than wait until it starts screaming later.

Again, I feel fine.

There wasn’t some giant warning sign telling me to investigate my thyroid.

The information was just sitting there waiting for me to look.

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I Wanted More Than “Your Labs Look Fine”

I’ve always wanted to try a comprehensive blood panel.

But with so many options on the market now, figuring out which one to choose can feel overwhelming.

Then I actually got to meet the Function Health team in person at a health summit called Eudēmonia, a Greek concept centered around human flourishing, basically living and functioning well, not just existing without disease.

I got to talk to the Function team, ask questions, and learn about the work they’re doing to make understanding our health more accessible.

And THAT is what sold me.

Because sometimes healthcare can feel like:

• Go to the doctor when something feels wrong.

• Get a few labs.

• Hear that everything is “normal.”

• Go home until something else happens.

LIKEEEEEE UMMMMMMM where’s the help for real for real and within these massive healthcare systems, sometimes you can leave feeling more like a number than a person.

This is what I love about Function Health.

It gives me a much bigger picture of what’s happening inside my body and actually explains it in layman’s terms.

I can see:

• What each biomarker means and why it matters

• Where my numbers fall

• Foods that may help support areas that need attention

• Supplements I may want to discuss or consider

• How different pieces of my health connect

And they even have an app, so I can follow everything in one place.

Instead of waiting until something feels wrong, I can ask:

What can I do now to support my current body and the one I want to have 10, 20, and 30 years from now?

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Okay, So What Are We Eating? 😂👀

And THIS is where The Balanced Foodie comes in.

Because eating well was already part of my life. Now I have even more information reinforcing why the foods I prioritize matter.

My omega-3 level, for example, came back lower than ideal.

Balanced Foodie translation: more salmon, trout, and other fatty fish.

Want to support healthy cholesterol?

Bring on the soluble fiber.

• Oats

• Beans

• Lentils

• Barley

• Apples

• Citrus

Soluble fiber can help carry some bile acids out of your digestive system. Your liver then uses cholesterol to make more bile acids, which is one of the ways soluble fiber can help lower LDL cholesterol.

That kind of food science is exactly what I LOVE.

Then we have olive oil, avocado, nuts, and seeds for unsaturated fats.

And plants?

More of them.

• Vegetables

• Fruit

• Beans

• Whole grains

• Herbs, and spices

  Give us fiber and nutrients while still allowing us to make food that actually tastes GOOD.

That has always been the Balanced Foodie way.

And Yes, We’re Still Having Dessert 🍰

I’m never going to tell you sugar is poison.

Pahhh-leeeze. 😂

BUT there’s a difference between intentionally enjoying something sweet

and letting added sugars and highly refined foods make up a huge portion of what you eat‼️

So I focus on

• Whole Foods

• Fiber-rich carbohydrates

• Protein

• Fruit

• and being intentional about added sugar.

The same goes for inflammation.

I’m not searching for some magical powder that’s going to “detox” my entire body.

I’m focusing on the things that consistently support health.

1. Good food.

2. Fiber.

3. Omega-3s.

4. Movement.

5. Strength training.

6. Sleep.

7. Stress management.

8. Regular medical care.

Sometimes the best biohacks really are the basics.

This Is The Balanced Foodie

I love food entirely too much to feel like I have to eat perfectly all the time.

The Balanced Foodie has always been about asking:

How can I make the food I love work harder for my body without sacrificing the experience of eating it?

Where’s my protein?

Where’s my fiber?

Can I add omega-3s?

Can I use more unsaturated fats?

Can I reduce unnecessary added sugar?

And most importantly…

Does it still taste GOOD?

Because healthy eating has to fit real life.

Your Health Is Worth Knowing About

If there’s one thing this experience has taught me, it’s this:

Don’t wait until you feel sick to become curious about your health.

Get your physicals. Know your numbers. Ask questions. Follow up when something looks unusual. Learn your family history if that information is available to you. And work with healthcare professionals who can help you understand what those numbers actually mean.

For me, Function Health became another tool in that process.

I was able to look at over 100 biomarkers and get a much broader view of what was happening inside my body.

If you’ve been wanting to do the same, you can use my Function Health referral for $25 off.

👉 [SAVE 25$ TOWARDS YOUR HEALTH]

Looking healthy is one thing.

Feeling healthy is another.

Knowing what’s happening inside your body gives you the information to take care of both.

And now that I know more?

I’m going to keep doing what The Balanced Foodie does best. Eat damn good and take care of this body at the same time. 🫶🏽

If you’re into food that tastes GOOD while still supporting the body you have to live in every single day, subscribe to The Balanced Foodie. I’m sharing the recipes, food science, freezer meals, and everything I’m learning along the way.

The Balanced Foodie

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Disclosure: The Function Health link above is a referral link. If you use my link, I may receive a referral benefit at no additional cost to you.

Okay so I had a few people comment under my post on Instagram like, “well… isn’t gumbo already high protein?” 🤨

Fair question! So let me elaborate on exactly how I took this one UP in protein and DOWN in fat.

Here’s what I did:

• Chicken breast - but to keep it juicy, I let it sit in a quick brine so it holds its moisture while it finishes cooking right in the gumbo broth. Absolutely delicious.

• Turkey sausage - higher in protein with less saturated fat (and you lose none of that smoky flavor, promise)

• Shrimp -lean protein just doing its thing

• And then… boom 💥 top it all off with some bougie pieces of crab 🦀

• Less oil + flour in the roux - so the whole pot comes in lighter on fat without giving up that deep, dark flavor

And like I always say being a balanced foodie means we’re STILL eating what we love. We’re just making healthier swaps when we can… and still landing that same soul-food flavor. 🖤

If you want a visual here is the video → High Protein Gumbo

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When I first started creating food content, I figured out really fast that I was going to have to find a balance between eating “healthy” and eating what I actually wanted. And believe me I tried to go super extreme and eat strictly “healthy”. But I’d always drift right back to those decadent, delicious meals with a vengeance and would BINGE eat the heck out of them 😕

and here’s the thing nobody warns you about (or they do warn you but if you’re like me you just didn’t listen 🥲😅) the older you get, the harder it gets to keep that extra weight off. So instead of giving up the foods I love, I found a way to have my cake and EAT IT TOO!!! lol and honestly, that’s what being a balanced foodie is all about.

Because I LOVE LOVE LOVE to eat. So today I’m giving you a healthier (but still ridiculously delicious) Blueberry Cheesecake French Toast.

This is for when you want breakfast that tastes like cheesecake except every layer is quietly working for you:

• Sourdough gets a protein-loaded custard soak

• The cheesecake whip is secretly blended cottage cheese

• The blueberry compote adds just enough tartness to keep it from tipping too sweet

It comes together in about 30 minutes, freezes beautifully, and still hits your protein goals.

Why This One Works

• Real protein, no chalk blended cottage cheese + cream cheese = genuinely creamy whip; the protein powder is a supporting player, not gritty filler

• Sourdough holds up sturdy crumb soaks the custard without turning to mush, so it crisps and freezes well

• Make-ahead built in every component keeps, so you can batch on Sunday and eat all week

If you would like to see a visual of the process here it is → High Protein Blueberry Cheesecake French Toast

Read more

Between work (or building your business), the kids (pets included) your relationship, the gym, drinking your water, actually seeing your friends & loved ones, and trying to get to bed at a decent hour… when are you supposed to cook a real meal every single day?

There just aren’t enough hours in the day. We all feel it.

And here’s the part nobody admits: even when you do meal prep, even when the food is genuinely good, by day three or four you’re already over it. You open the fridge, see the same container waiting for you, and ordering out suddenly sounds a lot better than one more bite of Sunday’s chicken.

So you don’t cook. You grab something quick on the way home, spend money you didn’t need to spend, and still end up standing in the kitchen thinking, “Wait… what am I actually eating tonight?

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If Any of This Sounds Like You, Keep Reading 👀

• You start the week strong prepped and motivated and by Wednesday you’re ordering out again.

• You’re spending real money on takeout you don’t even enjoy that much.

• You let the meal or food spoil that you had the best intentions of eating

• You get home starving, stare into the fridge, and “figure it out” which usually means cereal or delivery.

• You want to eat well. You’re just tired. And tired-you does not want to cook from scratch.

Here’s what I finally realized: I never had a willpower problem. I had a system problem.

My Breaking Point

Honestly? It came down to wanting a real life.

That’s my whole mission with food: Make Healthy Eating Fit Real Life not force your life to bend around your meal prep.

But for a long time, mine did. To stay disciplined, I gave up my entire Sunday to cook for the week. A couple of Sundays like that are fine. But every single one? That meant skipping Sunday brunch with my friends and turning down plans, because my whole week of eating was riding on that one day in the kitchen.

And real life doesn’t run on that kind of schedule. Things come up. Family plans a Sunday bbq now there goes my prep day, and the whole week falls apart with it.

And when you have real goals especially in your thirties your nutrition isn’t optional. The gym is maybe 20% percent of it. What you eat is the rest.

I’m working. I’m raising my kid as a single mom. I’m trying to move my body, take care of myself, and actually enjoy my life. Giving up every Sunday and all my flexibility with it just wasn’t sustainable.

I was done.

So I Started Freezing and Everything Changed

The first thing I ever froze was my salsa verde chicken. I remember thinking: how nice would it be to always have really good chicken and rice in the freezer, ready whenever I need it?

Because one brick isn’t one meal. It’s a dozen. I pull it out and I can:

• Build a loaded taco bowl

• Make fresh tacos in minutes

• Drop it into a fresh pot of soup (I’m a soup person for life gumbo, chowder, anything cozy and I’m in)

Now I can go to the gym and cook a fresh breakfast if I feel like it or just grab the breakfast burrito already waiting in the freezer. Knowing there’s always something good to eat completely changed my energy. No scrambling. No stress.

At any given time, my freezer has a soup, a protein, some rice, and my flavor stash sauces, chimichurris, sofritos, stocks, garlic cubes. That’s the whole trick. When the hard part is already done, eating well stops feeling like a chore.

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Here’s What a Busy Night Actually Looks Like

Take the chipotle bowl in the photos up top. It starts as a plain frozen brick not much to look at. But about twenty-five minutes at 350°, plus a pile of fresh toppings, and it turns into this:

• Smoky, tender shredded chicken

• A warm bed of cilantro-lime rice

• Cool, creamy avocado crema

• Bright, tangy pickled red onions

• A generous shower of cotija

• Fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime to finish

It tastes like I cooked all afternoon. I didn’t. I changed out of my gym clothes, took my time and showered, moisturized, relaxed while the oven did the work.

Why 350° and not the microwave: The microwave heats the outside while the middle’s still frozen, and it steams everything into mush. A low, slow 350° oven warms the whole thing evenly the protein stays juicy, the edges even get a little color so it tastes freshly cooked instead of reheated. Cover it with foil if it looks dry, and add a splash of water or broth to loosen it back up.

Even Pasta is Basically Already Done

Craving a big bowl of pasta? I’m not making a sauce from scratch the sauce is already frozen and waiting too.

I thaw the sauce and the protein, boil some fresh pasta, chop a little greens, and toss it all together. That’s it. A real, comforting bowl of pasta in under 30 minutes, with almost no effort.

The hard part was done weeks ago. Tonight, I just eat.

The Questions I Know You Have 😅

“Doesn’t it taste like freezer food?”

No. That’s what the 350° oven and the fresh toppings are for. Warm base plus cold, fresh ingredients tastes brand new every time.

“Doesn’t it get soggy or mushy?”

Not when you freeze it right and reheat it low and slow. The fresh stuff goes on after, so you always get that just-made texture.

“Won’t I get bored, like I do with regular meal prep?”

This is the whole reason my system works. Same brick, different meal every time, depending on what you do with it. Chipotle bowl today, tacos tomorrow, soup the next day. That’s what fixes the day-three burnout.

“I don’t even have time to meal prep, though.”

I hear you. That’s exactly why I’m not making you do it alone. Keep reading. 👇

Want to start prepping? Here’s everything I use 🛒

The containers, trays, and tools I use to build, portion, and freeze my bricks all in one place, so you don’t have to guess:

👉🏼 [Shop my prep essentials link my Amazon storefront here]

Grab the basics, and you’ll be stocking your own freezer in no time.

Come fill your freezer with me — LIVE 🧊

Here’s what I’m building, and I want you in it.

The Freezer Club is where we stock our freezers together. I go live and we cook I walk you through my system step by step, and you cook right alongside me in real time. Ask questions, follow along, and by the end you’ll have real, ready-to-go meals in your freezer, plus the exact method to keep it stocked for good.

You won’t walk away with a random pile of containers. You’ll walk away with a system you’ll actually keep using the thing that finally makes hitting your food goals feel doable instead of exhausting.

Our very first live is Sunday, August 30th. 🎉

Here’s how it all works: a few of my posts are free (like this one), but the good stuff lives behind my paid subscription. That’s where The Balanced Foodie really opens up.

Inside The Freezer Club you’ll find:

• ✨ Monthly cook-alongs where we fill our freezers together

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You don’t need more willpower. You need a system that works on your busiest weeks.

Imagine opening your freezer after a long day and knowing dinner is already handled. No takeout. No decision fatigue. Just high-protein meals that support your goals and give you your evening back.

That’s exactly what we build together inside The Freezer Club.

Every month you’ll batch cook alongside me, stock your freezer with delicious meals, and walk away with a plan that saves hours, reduces food waste, and makes healthy eating fit real life.

If you’re ready to spend less time wondering “What’s for dinner?” and more time enjoying your life, I’d love to cook with you on the 30th.

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Life has only been getting easier since I decided to start freezing my meals. I’ve been constantly testing recipes to see which ones hold up best in the freezer, so I can keep a whole stock ready to mix and match cook way less and spend a lot more time just enjoying my life.

I also just hit 60,000 followers on Instagram 🥹 so I figured I’d celebrate by making these bowls, because… who doesn’t love hibachi?

This one has a few stars of the show a high-protein yum yum sauce (the reason you’re really here, I already know 😏), veggie-loaded fried rice, garlic-butter hibachi steak, and miso butter shrimp but I promise none of it is hard. Season with intention, get your pan screaming hot, and you’re basically running your own hibachi grill at home. Let’s dig in.

Here is my instagram page and the visual → Steak & Miso Butter Shrimp Hibachi Bowls

*Stay tuned I’m showing you exactly how I reheat these from frozen over on my Instagram this week. 📲

Why these bowls work

Hibachi tastes like a whole event when you order it out, but at home it really comes down to a handful of simple components cooked with a hot pan and good seasoning. You get the buttery steak, the bright lemony shrimp, that toasty fried rice, the grilled veggies, and a creamy sauce to bring it home.

And here’s why I keep coming back to it: it was made for the freezer. Everything cooks in separate components, portions out clean, and reheats beautifully which is exactly the kind of recipe I’ve been hunting for my freezer stock.

What you’ll need

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Im going to keep telling y’all, i’m not making anything that is not approved by my taste buds. I 👏🏽don’t👏🏽 play 👏🏽 when 👏🏽 it 👏🏽 comes 👏🏽to 👏🏽flavor. This is the dish you make when someone asks you can you cook 🙂‍↔️ and the kicker is, it’s not hard to make at all. Your only job is to season the shrimp well, don’t over cook it and make the condiments. Guacamole, pickled onions, elote, mango salsa, pico de gallo, these are the star of the tostada show! So lets get into to it.

Here is a visual of the process if you need it: Shrimp Tostada

Why these tostadas work

A great tostada is all about contrast: the crunch of the shell, the cool creaminess of guac and crema, the sweet-tart pop of mango salsa and pickled onions, and that smoky, chili-kissed shrimp holding it all together. Every bite hits a little differently, and that’s the point.

Best part? Almost everything can be made ahead. Prep your condiments, sear the shrimp last, and you’re pretty much running a build-your-own tostada bar.

What you’ll need

For the shrimp

• 1½ lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined

• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, minced

• 3 tbsp adobo sauce (from the same can)

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 2tsp Badia all-purpose seasoning

• 1/4 cup olive oil

For the roasted elote

• 1 can of corn, well drained (or ~1½ cups fresh corn)

• ¼ cup fresh-grated Parmesan (or cotija)

• Juice of ½ a lime

• 2 tbsp mayo (I used light for less fat)

• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

• Tajín, chili powder, and smoked paprika, to taste

• A pinch of salt

For the quick pickled onions

• 1 red onion, thinly sliced

• ½ cup apple cider vinegar

• ½ cup water

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

For the mango salsa

• 1 mango, diced

• 1 jalapeño, diced (seed it for less heat)

• ¼ red onion, diced

• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

• Juice of 1 lime

• Salt, to taste

For the quick guacamole

• 3 ripe avocados

• ¼ red onion, finely diced

• Juice of 1 lime

• ½ tsp cumin

• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the lime crema

• ½ cup lactose-free sour cream

• 2 tbsp mayo

• Juice of ½ a lime

• 1 tsp lime zest

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• A splash of milk, to thin

• Pinch of salt + black pepper

To build

• Tostada shells

• Optional: pico de gallo

📥 Download the printable grocery list

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Let’s make it

Step 1: Prep and marinate the shrimp

1. Peel and devein 1½ lbs shrimp, lay them on a paper towel, and pat them completely dry.

2. In a bowl, combine:

• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, minced

• 3 tbsp adobo sauce

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• A few shakes of Badia all-purpose seasoning

• A drizzle of olive oil

3. Add the dried shrimp, toss to coat, and marinate for 15 minutes.

Why pat them dry: Water is the enemy of a good sear. A wet surface has to boil off its moisture before the pan can brown anything so instead of searing, your shrimp steam and turn out pale and rubbery. Bone-dry shrimp start browning right away, kicking off the Maillard reaction that’s where all the deep, savory flavor lives.

Why only 15 minutes: Adobo has a little acidity, and acid slowly “cooks” shrimp the same way lime does in ceviche. Fifteen minutes lets the chili and garlic sink in while keeping the shrimp firm and snappy instead of mushy.

Step 2: Quick pickle the onions

1. Thinly slice 1 red onion and add it to a heatproof jar or bowl with 2 crushed garlic cloves.

2. Warm together in a pot until the sugar dissolves :

• apple cider vinegar

• water

• sugar

• sea salt

• crushed garlic cloves

3. Pour the hot brine over the onions and set aside. They’ll turn pink and mellow out while you keep cooking.

Full recipe with all my ratios linked below. 👇🏽

Pickled Onions

Step 3: Roast the elote

1. Drain 1 can of corn and pat it really, really dry same rule as the shrimp: dry surface browns, wet surface steams.

2. Spread it on a sheet pan and roast at 450°F until it takes on some color.

3. Toss the roasted corn with:

• fresh-grated Parmesan

• Juice of ½ a lime

• mayo

• chopped cilantro

• Tajín, chili powder, and smoked paprika, to taste

• A pinch of salt

A happy accident: I roasted mine a touch too long and it came out crunchy total accident, but the texture and deeper roasted flavor were so good I’d do it on purpose. Roast longer for crunchy, pull it earlier for chewy. Whatever floats your boat.

Full elote recipe linked below. 👇🏽

Elote made with canned corn

Step 4: Make the mango salsa

1. Combine in a bowl:

• 1 mango, diced

• 1 jalapeño, diced

• 1/4 cup red onion, diced

• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro

• Juice of 1 lime

• Salt, to taste

2. Stir and let it sit. Bright, sweet, a little spicy it’s the pop this plate needs.

Step 5: Make the quick guacamole

I already had mine made, but here’s the simple version for anyone who needs it:

1. In a bowl, mash 3 ripe avocados to your preferred texture.

2. Fold in:

• 1/2 cup red onion, finely diced

• Juice of 1 lime

• 1 tsp cumin

• handful chopped cilantro

• Salt and pepper, to taste

3. Taste and adjust. Real simple.

Step 6: Whip up the lime crema

1. Stir together:

• ½ cup lactose-free sour cream

• 2 tbsp mayo

• Juice of ½ a lime

• 1 tsp lime zest

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• Pinch of salt + black pepper

2. Thin with a splash of milk until it’s drizzle-able.

I put this over my elote tostada, but drizzle it on whichever one you please.

Step 7: Sear the shrimp

1. Heat your pan over medium-high until nice and hot.

2. Add the marinated shrimp in a single layer (don’t crowd them).

3. Sear 1 to 2 minutes per side, until just done. Don’t walk away.

The most important tip on this whole page: Shrimp go from perfect to rubbery in about 60 seconds. As they heat, their proteins tighten and wring out moisture that’s what makes overcooked shrimp tough. Watch the shape:

• Loose “C” + opaque/pink = done. Pull them now.

• Tight little “O” = overcooked.

Pull them the second they turn carryover heat finishes them off the pan.

Step 8: Build your tostada

Here’s where you get to play. Start with a tostada shell, spread on a layer of guac, and pile on your shrimp. Then go wild:

• Version one: shrimp + roasted elote + pickled onions + pico de gallo + a drizzle of crema

• Version two: shrimp + mango salsa + pico de gallo

Mix, match, stack, drizzle. There’s no wrong answer here that’s the beauty of the tostada bar.

That’s the whole show, y’all. Season with intention, respect the shrimp, and let those condiments shine. If you make these, I want to hear about it drop a comment and tell me which version you built. 💛

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Charred Mexican street corn flavor from a can no grill, no husks, no excuses

Real talk: I love elote, but I do not love standing over a grill husking corn in July.

So here’s my shortcut canned corn elote, with all that smoky, tangy, creamy, chili-lime magic, made on the stovetop. Ready in about 15 minutes, works in the dead of winter, and honestly? Nobody can tell.

Full confession on my last batch: I used Parmesan instead of cotija (it’s what I had), light mayo to keep the fats in check, and I let the corn roast a little too long which gave me this gorgeous, crunchy, deeply-caramelized texture I’ve now decided was on purpose. 😅 More on how to control that below.

Let’s make it. 👇

Wait is canned corn actually okay for elote?

Yes. Let me put your mind at ease. 🙌

• ✅ Canned corn is picked and packed at peak ripeness, so it keeps most of its nutrients

• ✅ It’s already cooked, which means it chars fast in a hot pan

• ✅ No husking, no cob, no waste just drain and go

• 💡 One tip: rinse and drain it well. Less water = better browning, and rinsing cuts the sodium.

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If there’s one thing I want living in your fridge door at all times, it’s a jar of pickled onions.

They’re the fastest way I know to make a boring lunch feel like you meant it. A fistful of tangy, jewel-pink ribbons over almost anything, and suddenly dinner has a personality.

But here’s what I love most: they’re not just a pretty garnish.

That little jar is quietly working in your favor. Let’s get into it. 👇

👩🏽‍🍳 In a hurry? → Jump to Recipe

Pickled vs. Fermented: the 30-second science

This trips a lot of people up and it changes what your jar actually does for you.

🥒 Quick pickling (what most of us make at home):

• Onions soak in an acidic brine of vinegar, water, salt, and a little sugar

• The acid preserves them and creates that signature tang and color

• Fast, foolproof, ready the same day

• No live probiotics the acidity keeps bacteria from growing

🫙 Fermenting (the slower cousin):

• Onions sit in a simple salt brine no vinegar

• Natural bacteria work over days or weeks

• They develop live cultures, like sauerkraut or kimchi

• Contains probiotics

The takeaway: both are good for you they just help in different ways. Today we’re making the quick kind.

So what are pickled onions good for?

Quite a lot, actually. Here’s the short version:

1. They feed your gut. 🦠

Even without live bacteria, quick pickles keep the raw onion’s best asset a prebiotic fiber called inulin. Prebiotics are food for the good bacteria already in your gut. You don’t have to eat the bacteria to feed them.

2. They’re packed with quercetin. ✨

Red onions are one of the richest food sources of quercetin, an antioxidant studied for calming inflammation and supporting heart health. Fun fact: red onions carry more of it than white or yellow.

3. The vinegar pulls its weight. 🍎

The acetic acid may help support steadier blood sugar and gentle digestion.

4. They tame raw onion’s bite. 😌

The brine mellows the sharpness while keeping the crunch all the benefits, none of the “why does my mouth burn.”

The health benefits, at a glance

• 🦠 Feeds your gut - prebiotic inulin fiber

• 🔥 Fights inflammation - antioxidant quercetin

• ❤️ Supports your heart - linked to healthier blood pressure and cholesterol

• 🩸 Gentle on blood sugar - thanks to the vinegar

• 🪶 Light + guilt-free - low calorie, virtually no fat

• ✅ Easier to digest than raw onion

💡 Want probiotics too? Skip the vinegar and try a salt-brine ferment instead a post for another day.

The Recipe: Quick Pickled Red Onions

Ready in under an hour • Keeps up to 2 weeks • Costs about a dollar

Makes: one pint jar

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I need you to trust me on this one. I know anchovies scare people. I know raw garlic feels aggressive. But this dressing is the reason I keep making Caesar salads three times a week, and once you taste it, you’ll get it.

This isn’t the gloppy, too-sweet stuff from the grocery store. This is bold, garlicky, salty, creamy perfection the kind of dressing that makes you want to eat salad. Fresh cracked black pepper, extra grated garlic, and that yummy salty umami flavor from the anchovies. I could literally eat this by the spoonful (and honestly, I have).

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A little commotion for the FISH! Lawd whenever I want some seafood that’s budget friendly this crab stuffed salmon never disappoints. Feeds a ton of people so it’s great for cookouts, family gatherings, small parties, where ever you want to be the star of the show really. There are several key tips you have to do in order for it to stay flaky and juicy and have a crab on top nice a crispy like a freshly seared jumbo crab cake. My mouth be watering even writing up these articles lol here is my full proof method.

Why You’ll Love This Crab Stuffed Salmon Recipe

This baked crab stuffed salmon is the ultimate easy seafood dinner that looks like it came straight out of a fancy steakhouse. We’re talking a whole side of wild caught salmon layered with a creamy lump crab meat filling that bakes up golden and crispy on top. It’s the perfect seafood recipe for holiday dinners, Sunday dinner, date night at home, or anytime you want to impress without spending restaurant prices.

The secret? A cream cheese based crab filling. Cream cheese is my preference for stuffed salmon because it gives you that luxurious steakhouse-style filling that stays rich and creamy while the panko topping gets that beautiful golden crust.

Ingredients for Crab Stuffed Salmon

( gather your ingredients first for a smoother cooking experience)

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Building the life of your dreams means spending money wisely and right now I just can’t afford some of my favorite facial treatments Botox is $400+ a session and microneedling another 600+ 💀 So right now in this transitionary period of my life i’m eating the things that are going to keep my skin plump and acne free. So let me just give you the whole protocol, because gatekeeping is not cute.

The Daily Protocol 📋

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There’s pho, and then there’s pho made with oxtail.

Once you’ve had a broth built on oxtail and brisket simmered low for six hours, the restaurant version starts tasting like it’s holding something back. Because it usually is. Time. Real pho isn’t hard it’s just patient. And patience is free.

Let me walk you through exactly how I do it, including the science, because once you understand why each step matters, you’ll never skip them.

🛒 What You’ll Need

The beef & bones

• 3 lbs oxtail 🐂

• 2 lbs brisket ( whole pieces don’t cube it)

• 2–3 lbs beef bones (marrow or knuckle bones are perfect)

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Food has always been my comfort, and our relationship hasn’t always been “healthy”. I was never really happy with my body. I’d throw myself at extreme diets trying to build a more “shapely” body, because I hated being “skinny” even though looking back now I can’t believe I ever said such terrible things about that hot bod 😱

Casue now half the time I just want my “skinny” 140-lb frame back. PLEASE Make it make sense. 🤭

Those diets back then looked like egg whites with ketchup and for dessert spinach salads with canned tuna, just Pitiful. And then the weekend would hit and I’d be Ubering donuts, crab boil, Haitian food, Thai food anything that actually tasted like joy. Then I’d shame myself, go back to work twice as hard, and punish myself for it.

Here’s what I couldn’t see back then: those were never “bad” foods. It was my self-talk. And for years I never dealt with any of it, because I was still skinny. My fast metabolism kept all the receipts hidden.

That’s the part nobody warns you about. When your body doesn’t show the damage, you never have to face it. I got to eat for the dopamine, eat for the pleasure, and eat a ton more because I’d spent all week calling those foods bad and forbidden, and forbidden always tastes better.

All through my 20s I neglected the things I already knew I had to face. Why would I look? The mirror kept lying for me.

Then my 30s walked in and the metabolism started to clock out. That same binge eating I’d been outrunning started showing up around my waistline, and suddenly I couldn’t fake it anymore. It was the first time I actually started asking questions about the stories I tell myself, especially around food because the weight was building quick, which I had never experienced before.

And it wasn’t just food. I started noticing the exact same pattern in every other “bad” habit I had. Because here’s what I finally understood:

Your life is your inner dialogue.

Turns out my eating was connected to something far more intricate. It was about a girl who never sat with the stories that was running through her mind about who she believed herself to be. So she performed perfect all week and fell apart all weekend. Extreme or nothing. On the plate and in my life.

But here’s what’s beautiful now: I don’t get to coast anymore. I have to actually look. And the woman I’m becoming the one with the integrity, the one I’m proud of, she doesn’t abandon herself for a weekend and hate herself on Monday. She shows up. She speaks to herself with grace. She lets herself actually enjoy the indulging.

I finally love myself and it was all sparked by losing my extremely fast metabolism.

So what actually changed? Not a diet. Let me be clear about that.

Here’s what I actually did:

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💛 Before we start…

Can we talk about how Costco really did their thing with these drumsticks? 😂

I grabbed a pack for around $10 (almost 6 pounds!) and turned it into a meal that honestly tastes like it simmered at somebody’s grandma’s house all day.

✔️ High protein

✔️ Budget friendly

✔️ Meal prep approved

✔️ Hits your macros

✔️ Fancy enough to serve guests

And the best part?

You don’t need canned cream of mushroom.

You don’t need cream of chicken.

You don’t need heavy cream.

Just a few simple ingredients and understanding how braising actually works. 👏🏽

🧠 The biggest mistake I used to make…

For YEARS I thought I just couldn’t make good baked chicken.

It always came out…

🥴 watery

🥴 pale

🥴 bland

🥴 never developed that rich onion gravy

Now I know why.

Chicken naturally releases a lot of liquid while it cooks.

If you pour a bunch of broth or water into the pan before it even starts cooking, your chicken doesn’t braise…

…it boils.

And boiling chicken and braising chicken are two completely different things.

✨ Braising = gentle cooking in just enough liquid so the chicken slowly becomes tender while concentrating flavor.

Too much liquid dilutes everything.

So today we’re letting the onions create most of that moisture naturally, then adding just enough seasoning and flavor to build an incredible gravy.

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Listen…

This burrito had absolutely no business being this good. 🤤

It started with eggs and turkey bacon, but the real MVPs were the little extras.

🧊Some habichuelas guisadas I had frozen.

🧊 A little frozen salsa verde.

🍅 Fresh pico.

🥑 Avocado.

🥬 A handful of wilted kale.

Suddenly this wasn’t just breakfast anymore.

It was one of those meals that tastes like you put in way more effort than you actually did. 🤍

And honestly, that’s why my freezer stays stocked.

A scoop of beans here.

A little salsa verde there.

Maybe some leftover protein or a sauce I made a few weeks ago.

Those little things can take a meal from basic to dang, this is good in minutes.

That’s the beauty of keeping components on hand.

You’re not freezing meals.

You’re freezing options.

And when the healthy choice is only a few minutes away, it’s a whole lot easier to stay consistent. ✨

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The smell of onions slowly caramelizing in a pan has to be one of the greatest forms of aromatherapy.🙂‍↔️

By the time the lamb is browned and simmering away in a rich gravy, the entire house smells like dinner is going to be worth waiting for.

And maybe that’s part of why meals like this are so satisfying.

Long before you take the first bite, your brain is already building anticipation. The aroma, the color, the sound of something bubbling away on the stove it’s all part of the experience.

These smothered lamb chops are exactly the kind of meal I want more of in my life.

High in protein. Rich in flavor. Comforting without feeling heavy.

The kind of meal that makes eating at home feel like a luxury instead of a compromise.

Tender lamb, sweet caramelized onions, and a savory gravy spooned over creamy mashed potatoes.

This isn’t “diet food.”

It’s just really good food.

And I’ve found that consistency becomes a whole lot easier when the food you’re eating feels this satisfying. 🤍

🛒 Ingredients

🥩 Lamb Chops

3lbs lamb chops (about 6-8 pieces)

1 tbsp avocado oil

Seasoning Blend:

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp dried thyme

⸻

🧅 Smothered Onion Gravy

2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 cups low-sodium beef broth

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

⸻

👩🏽‍🍳 Method

1. Season the Lamb

Pat the lamb dry with paper towels.

Mix together:

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp dried thyme

Season all sides generously.

Let sit for 20–30 minutes while you prep everything else.

⸻

2. Sear

Heat a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.

Add:

1 tbsp avocado oil

Sear lamb for 3–4 minutes per side until deeply browned.

Work in batches if necessary

🚫 do not over cook 🚫

Remove and set aside.

⸻

3. Build the Gravy

Reduce heat to medium.

Add:

2 sliced onions

Cook 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply golden.

Add:

5 cloves garlic

Cook 30 seconds.

Sprinkle over:

2 tbsp flour

Cook 1 minute.

⸻

4. Deglaze

Slowly pour in:

2 cups beef broth

Then add:

1 tbsp Worcestershire

1 tbsp Dijon

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

Whisk until smooth.

Scrape up every browned bit from the bottom of the pan.

⸻

5. Smother

🛑 Don’t Overcook the Lamb

Lamb chops cook quickly and don’t need a long simmer. Once the gravy is finished, return them to the pan for just 3–5 minutes to warm through and soak up some flavor.

Return the lamb chops to the skillet and spoon the gravy over top.

✨ Gravy Tip: If the gravy gets too thick, add a splash of beef broth. If it’s too thin, let it simmer uncovered for a few minutes longer.

I like mine thick enough to coat a spoon but still loose enough to run into the mashed potatoes. 🤍

⸻

6. Finish

Remove bay leaf.

Taste and adjust with:

Additional salt if needed

Fresh cracked pepper

Splash of balsamic if you’d like a little more depth

⸻

🥔 What I Served It With

Creamy Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed

6 tbsp unsalted butter

¾ cup whole milk

¼ cup heavy cream

1½ tsp kosher salt

Fresh cracked black pepper

Method

Place potatoes in a pot and cover with cold, salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender, about 15–20 minutes.

Drain well, then return the potatoes to the hot pot over low heat for 1–2 minutes. Shake occasionally to release excess moisture.

✨ This helps the potatoes absorb the butter and cream instead of becoming watery.

Warm the butter, milk, and cream together in a small saucepan until the butter is melted.

Rice or mash the potatoes until smooth.

Slowly fold in the warm dairy mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately with plenty of onion gravy spooned over top.

🧠 Kitchen Note

One of the simplest ways to improve mashed potatoes is drying them briefly in the hot pot after draining. Removing excess moisture concentrates the potato flavor and creates a creamier texture without needing extra butter or cream.

⸻

🤍 Corissa’s Note

There are some meals that feel like a reward for being an adult.

The kind you eat slowly.

The kind that make your kitchen smell incredible for hours.

The kind that remind you that eating at home can be every bit as satisfying as going out.

These smothered lamb chops are exactly that.

Rich, comforting, and just impressive enough to make an ordinary evening feel special. ✨

This is the kind of meal that keeps me consistent not because it’s “healthy,” but because it’s genuinely delicious. 🤍

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These are the three meals I come back to over and over - not because they’re trendy, not because they’re complicated, but because they work. Every single time. 🙂‍↔️

1. Salsa Verde Chicken

This one changed everything for me. It’s the meal I make when I want something that tastes like I tried but I really didn’t. Tender, flavorful, high protein and it goes with literally everything.

Here’s what I make with it all week:

🌯 Breakfast burritos- eggs, salsa verde chicken, wrapped devoured

🥗 Lunch bowls - throw it over rice with whatever’s in the fridge

🌮 Dinner burritos or taco bowls- feels like takeout, costs nothing

🍚 Over rice with a little sauce when I want something simple

👉🏽 This recipe is available for my paid subscribers Salsa verde chicken

2. Ground Taco Meat

Season it. Brown it. Done. I keep this in the fridge all week and it makes every meal feel like a choice instead of a compromise.

Here’s how I use it:

🌯 Breakfast burritos with scrambled eggs

🥩 Taco bowls with rice and whatever toppings I have

🌮 Burritos for lunch that actually keep me full

🍚 Over rice with a little sauce when I want something simple

Pro Tip: make a big batch on Sunday and thank yourself Wednesday night 🙏🏽

3. Turkey Chilli

This is my secret weapon. I make a big pot, put it in the fridge, and it feeds me for days. It’s warm, it’s filling, it’s high protein - and it requires zero decisions once it’s ready.

Here’s what I do with it:

🌯 Breakfast burrito base, yes really, try it

🥣 Straight from the bowl for lunch with some crackers or cornbread

🍚 Over rice for dinner when I have nothing else planned, add some cilantro, avocado, lime and cheese omg 🤤

🌮 Inside a burrito or taco bowl with cheese and sour cream

Good seasoning and at sauce is all it takes to make any of these exciting. More on that soon.✨

These aren’t just recipes. They’re a system.

And the system is what makes consistency possible not willpower, not motivation, not having a perfect week.

Just good food, ready to go.

I will be sharing more ways that have allowed me to go from 175 to now 163 without overly restricting myself or eating some impossible diet.

Which one are you trying first and what is your go to chaotic week friendly meal? Hit reply and tell me. I read every single one. 🙏🏽

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