December 2023 Recap

December is such a whirlwind. I start the month feeling like there there’s lots of time to eat, drink, decorate, shop, and be festive. It went by so quickly! We saw Santa, went to the movies, T started basketball, C is back to dance, the Nutcracker, birthday parties, both kids had different theme days.

I made some chocolate dipped chips:

Next up came some lasagna bowls:

Then, I did a round up of 5 ingredient dinners.

For January, I’m looking forward to our guy turning 9! The kids will have basketball games and dance classes but we like a little quietness and routine. I switch decor to be snowmen and winter so we don’t go from all to nothing. January as me thinking of another grain bowl or wrap – still sussing out the format and I think there’s a new hot drink coming up too.

The Big Kid:
He’s so into sports stats right now. He loves anything mint flavored so this is a great time of year for him. It was fun to see him shop for his sister – he thought carefully but committed to his decisions and was ready. He’s been working really hard on spelling, despite hating it (I hear ya, kid)!

The Little One:
She had so many ideas for Christmas gifts. Any outfit benefits from a princess dress added on top. She was thrilled to get a pajama day at school. Both kids are still eating halloween candy.

Goals for this year: 
Year of small businesses/artisans/writers: I bought a book by a first-time author.
More meatless meals: pizza beans!
sandwiches and salads: we had salad bar on night
a focus on going to new or places we don’t get to all the time: we’re sneaking a dinner out just as the month ends to Abby Park.
redo photos – oops
what I’m reading: I read Holding Pattern which was fine – not a winner. Then I read The Daydreams and loved it for those who who watched 90s/00s shows from Disney or CW etc and can picture it. I read The Perfect Marriage and liked it. Finally, I read Christmas Orphan’s Club which was very cute and festive.

Fast 5-Ingredient Meals

The countdown to Christmas is on and now’s the time for fast dinners that that are crowd pleasers and most importantly, take minimal thought. I assume you have takeout and regular freezer favorites and pasta covered. These may help bridge the gap of some balance but not magic.

1. Grilled cheese & tomato soup
1 can tomato soup + 1 (28 oz) can of kitchen ready tomatoes + 2 tablespoons cream/half & half
sliced bread + cheese
One can of basic tomato soup and one large can of kitchen-ready tomatoes. Blend it if your eaters want it smooth (like mine!) and a drizzle of milk or cream at the end and it will be perfect. Add anything you like to the grilled cheese. Cut into sticks for easy dipping if you’re feeling fancy.

The Three Bite Rule - French Grilled Cheese

2. Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Biscuits/Crescents
Rotisserie chicken + ranch dressing + bacon + tube of biscuits or crescents
serve with salad/veggies with more ranch
Chicken, bacon and ranch can take a bunch of formats – as crescents, they’ll assemble & go into the oven. The last time we had them, I tossed the shredded chicken in ranch and put onto biscuits like a sandwich. The kids were both into it! Or serve as loaded fries. Or make a Greek turnover.

The Three Bite Rule - Chicken Bacon Ranch Turnovers

3. Pizza Beans
2 cans of white beans + tomato sauce + cheese + any other pizza toppings you like
We have pizza beans regularly – anyone can top as they’d like and it comes together in 10 minutes. These are a good way to use some small amounts of ingredients or sauce from the freezer. Or give a Mexican twist for Taco Beans!

The Three Bite Rule - Pizza Beans

4. Corn Quesadillas in Herb Butter
Tortillas + corn + butter + herbs
These corn and cilantro butter quesadillas are so good and anything added to a quesadilla will turn dinner into a meal. Swap the corn for black beans or butternut squash or mushrooms or chorizo, or any-thing. Serve with black beans or corn (whichever isn’t inside!) and poof! Dinner!

The Three Bite Rule - Corn Quesadilla in Cilantro Butter

5. Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Popcorn chicken + pasta + blue cheese or ranch dressing + hot sauce + greens
I most often have this buffalo chicken pasta as a cold salad but it’s fun hot too! Use crispy chicken or rotisserie chicken. I go with arugula but spinach works too!

The Three Bite Rule - Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

Need one extra? Breakfast for dinner is perfect. Pigs in Sleeping bags (maple sausage in crescents) is a hit here and pairs well with some eggs.

Fed is best, regardless of what’s on the menu in a busy season. You’ve got this.

Lasagna Bowls

I make lasagnas often for Lasagna Love so this idea came to me as the easiest way for those flavors – and in a customized way without a lot of servings OR to use any leftovers! There’s no one way to make a lasagna so treat this bowl the same that you can use what you have or what you love. My fam does not love mushrooms so these would be my addition!

Lasagna Bowls
Ingredients: (for 2-3 servings)

~4 lasagna noodles OR ~3/4 cup orzo
2 tablespoons Parmesan
1 zucchini
1 pint mushrooms
1 cup tomato sauce OR meat sauce 
~3 meatballs (optional)
1/2 cup ricotta (or blended cottage cheese, or skip all together)
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella 

Directions: 
Boil salted water for the lasagna noodles or orzo and cook accordingly. 
Chop the zucchini and mushrooms. In a large skillet, sautee the zucchini until getting soft through the center (~4 minutes) and add in the mushrooms for the last two minutes. 
Warm the tomato sauce (or the meat sauce or the tomato sauce + meatballs. I used tomato sauce with chopped-up meatballs to be a meat sauce).  
Warm the ricotta/cheese mixture. 

Assemble with noodles (lasagna noodles chopped if using those!) tossed with parmesan, and top as you like – with ricotta, tomato/meat sauce, veggies, and shredded cheese. 
Enjoy! 

I loved this. I always have a partial box of lasagna noodles but orzo also seemed so useful too so I did both and packed another portion to be a work lunch. My ricotta was vegan “ricotta” I had leftover but I’d normally go with regular or a drizzle of leftover alfredo would also feel fitting.  

Swap any veggies you like! I love warm and cold for a bowl so I secretly wanted to dump a handful of arugula dressed in Italian dressing on top. The noodles + sauce + maybe a meatball and some tomato/mozzarella salad on top would also be great with ricotta on the bottom of the bowl. Next time!

Chocolate Dipped Chips

This does not exactly need a recipe but these are a fun treat for the non-bakers out there – like me! Pretzel rods are much easier but the chips felt very fun. I love any sweet and salty. These are good idea for your back pocket if you need something to bring to a host.

It is a little bit of a labor of love – melted chocolate means you need to be ready before it cools and hardens or keeping it low to not seize up. It probably isn’t a task for a perfectionist, but I think the toppings help disguise any irregularities.

Chocolate Dipped Chips
Ingredients:

Chips
1 cup chocolate chips
sprinkles
heath topping/sea salt/nuts/any toppings you like

Directions:
Set up the toppings, the melting station, and wax paper to let them dry/cool on.
Melt the chocolate chips – either a double boiler, or in the microwave in 30 second bursts.
Dip the chips and use a spatula to better spread it or to wipe off if there’s too much.
Lay the chips down and sprinkle with toppings within a minute or two – before they dry.

Let sit and dry/harden/cool for about 15 minutes. Then store in an air tight container for a few days or until you’ve eaten them all!
Enjoy!

November Recap 2023

November was so full – Thanksgiving! End of soccer! Busy time at work! Seeing all the friends!

I made this Mexican Chicken Salad which definitely reinvents taco leftovers!

Then I loved this Parmesan Peppercorn Cheeseball with a brown butter panko crust. It will fit nicely for all your gatherings.

The Three Bite Rule - Parm/Peppercorn Cheeseball

Caesar Chickpea Wraps have the flavors we love with a warm vs cool and light vs filling.

The Three Bite Rule - Caesar Chickpea Wrap

My blog turned 13! I was glad to wrap up practices and have easier dinner time. December will have a few fun things and maybe some speedy or few-ingredient ones!

The Big Kid:
He finished soccer and got going into basketball with some clinics. It is very nice to have more wiggle room in our schedules. He LOVED seeing an author/illustrator talk at the library and is drawing so much – lately there’s been a lot of athletes. His recent choice for snacks is always kettlecorn.

The Little One:
She scored a goal at our last soccer game! She’s now awaiting dance to start in a few weeks. The Paw Patrol movie reinvigorated her interest in the dogs – all day, everyday, there are magnatile command center for the Paw Patrollers. I’m shocked she’s not all that into fruit currently. She questions the school lunch options in the morning and then is content with her choice come lunch time.

Goals for this coming year: some of these are are just a few weeks old…
Year of small businesses/artisans/writers: I found a very cute hat at the craft fair. C’s been wearing an old one from them for 3 years.  
More meatless meals: we had grilled cheese and tomato soup and it only went over ok. Sometimes they love it.
sandwiches and salads: the chickpea caesar wraps!
a focus on going to new or places we don’t get to all the time: dinner with friends at Liberty on Main and we ate AT our fav Mexican restaurant and the kids thought it was so fun.
redo photos – not this month
what I’m reading: I couldn’t put down Pineapple Street and it was one of my top of the year – they were all endearing and the family dynamics were so good. Woman on Fire was an exciting art-history-journalism-theft story. I read Hey, Hun: Sales; Sisterhood and Supremacy and other Lies behind Multilevel Marketing which was eye opening, even after following a ton of these stories, but never from the top. I loved the New England boarding school setting with homocide, podcasting in I have Some Questions for You.