It's Liz Parker

Oh my gosh, this week has been a blur! I normally work from home, but this week we had our team in for all day meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday. I am pooped!

Okay, Monday - I was famished and did not take a pix of my plate.. But steak is steak and I did have a potato. Everything in moderation is my motto. 😉

Tuesday - TJ's Lasagna.. You guys, so delicious. If you have not tried it, do!
Wednesday - I lagged and did not get the roast out to thaw.. We pivoted to Skyline Chili over pasta it is high in protein and low carb. I ADORE Aviate pasta. My serving had over 24 grams of protein. Dern good for a bowl full of pasta and decadent chili.. It was also under 500 calories.
Tonight - Homemade orange chicken over Aviate fried rice. I will share the recipe for both.

Okay, check back later and have an amazing day!

Well... last week humbled me. I had every intention of sharing Judy's Salisbury Steak with mashed potatoes and corn. Instead, life happened.

We ended up buying Brian a truck, helping Kenna through a stressful situation, grabbing dinner on the run, and before I knew it, the week was over and it is now Sunday evening.

I did make creamed beef over toast (no biscuits), and I even remembered to film it bubbling away in the skillet... I just never hit publish. Friday? Anita's hit the spot.

This week - Monday and Friday are for tenderloin. Normally we would have a salad, but lettuce. LOL! If you have a Costco membership, be sure to check out the whole tenderloins and steak them out. Each steak is between 4-6 oz and is less than $7 per steak. Do it, YUM!

Tuesday and Wednesday I am in the office both days and will be home late. So I am using convenience for both days. WIN! I am excited for Thursday. I am making Orange chicken from scratch using orange marmalade jam from ChocZero. I will share the recipe, 100%.

One thing I'm learning is that building this page isn't about pretending life is perfectly organized. It's about inviting you into my real kitchen. It can be messy! So here's to starting again today. Pull up a chair.

QoTD so I can get to know you better: are you team steak, chicken, or both?

Tonight's dinner is one of Brian's favorites. This recipe is again from his mom, Judy. I treasure that I still have it in her own handwriting. I laminated it so it could love forever.

I made one small change tonight. The original recipe calls for condensed onion soup, but Connor has never been a fan of onion, so I used golden mushroom soup instead. Brian isn't crazy about mushrooms either, but he'll happily eat them when they're part of one of his mom's recipes. Funny how that works.

My favorite part of this recipe isn't even the ingredients. It's the little note she wrote at the bottom. “You could cut down on the amount of meat for the two of you.” She wrote that before Connor and Kenna were born. Back then, it was just Brian and me now, we're making the same recipe decades later, around a table with children who grew up eating it. Recipes are funny that way. They become a part of a family's story.

Tonight we're serving it with mashed potatoes and corn because, honestly, I can't think of a more perfect Midwestern comfort meal. I'm sharing Judy’s handwritten recipe here because recipes like this deserve to live on. If it becomes a part of your family's table too, I think she'd be pretty happy about that. 🥹

Alrighty! We are starting week 2 of eating out of my pantry and freezer. The first week was fun. Second week is harder cause the newness has worn off. When I realize I need something, I am running to leave a Walmart order for a delivery.

Well, I’ve been true to myself and decided to let it go and find something else to make.

Tonight we had Brianchiladas. It’s a recipe that Brian came up with years ago when the kids were 6 and 3. Well before Connor decided he only wanted to eat chicken fingers with Mac-n-cheese. The enchiladas were well rounded with protein from the taco meat and fiber from the beans.

The enchilada sauce was from a can, but I doctored it up. Made a roux and added an 8 oz can of sauce and equal water. I served mine over 1/4 cup rice, dollop of sour cream and the salsa verde have you all the week of 4th of July. Have you made that yet? Delicious.

We have leftovers for days!

Are an enchilada person or equal opportunity for ALL yummy dishes?

Day 5 of our 30-Day Pantry Challenge 🍕

We wrapped up the week with an easy win.

Costco cheese pizza from the freezer topped with turkey pepperoni. No takeout. No extra grocery trip. Just using what we already had on hand.

That’s really what this challenge is about.

It’s not about making every meal from scratch or creating Pinterest-perfect dinners. It’s about making smart choices, reducing food waste, saving money, and proving that your pantry and freezer are probably more stocked than you think.

This week we made:
🥢 Chicken Fried Rice
🥗 BBQ Chicken with Coleslaw
🍝 Spaghetti Squash & Meatballs
🥪 Peanut Butter & Jelly Night
🍕 Costco Pizza Night

Five dinners.
Zero last-minute grocery runs.
Lots of money left in the budget.

What was your easiest dinner win this week? I’d love to hear what you pulled together from your pantry or freezer!

If you know of anyone who loves pantry and freezer challenges, be sure to share!

Friends…I am here to tell you recipe testing after shot day is really challenging. 😂

I have to taste this. I have to judge the texture because I added some crunchy elements. I have to figure out whether the peanut butter comes through. And then I have to work my way past the overwhelming amount of butterscotch I accidentally added.

After shot day, this is about the last thing I want to eat…but I’m doing it for you. 🫣

What you’re looking at is my very first test batch of a sugar-free Butterfinger-inspired candy.

Butterfingers were one of my favorite candy bars growing up, right alongside a Snickers, and I wanted to see if I could recreate that nostalgic flavor with better ingredients.

Did I make a Butterfinger? Nope. 😂

Did I create an AMAZING crunch?
Absolutely. 🤤

So now I know exactly what I’m changing for the next batch. Less butterscotch. More peanut butter. More crunch.

And who knows? I may not end up with a Butterfinger at all. I may end up creating a brand-new sugar-free candy that’s even better.

That’s how recipe development works.

I really do test these recipes over and over because I never want you to waste your money on expensive ingredients or spend an afternoon making something that isn’t worth it. I’d rather make the mistakes in my kitchen so the recipe works in yours.

Now, I need to buy more peanut butter chips because apparently I’ve used them all testing Buckeyes, peanut butter ganache, and now this. 😂🥜

Be sure to check back and do you can see what other recipes are in development. 🫶🏻

Day 4 of my 30-Day Freezer & Pantry Challenge

Confession. I completely changed the dinner plan. Taco bowls were on the menu. Instead, we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Honestly? It was exactly what we needed.

Brian was exhausted after work. I wasn't very hungry and was getting ready to leave to babysit. Neither of us wanted to spend time cooking a meal we weren't excited to eat.

So I grabbed what we already had.

Low-carb sourdough bread.
Jif No Sugar Added peanut butter.
ChocZero Black Cherry Jam.
A handful of Trader Joe's Chili & Lime Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips.

And BAM! just like that, dinner was on the table in just a few minutes.

Sometimes we make eating healthy so complicated that we forget to listen to what our bodies are telling us. Not every meal has to be Pinterest-worthy. Not every dinner has to be homemade from scratch. Sometimes the smartest choice is the simplest one.

One of the biggest lessons I'm learning through this pantry challenge is that using what you already have isn't just about saving money. It's also about giving yourself permission to adjust the plan.

We were full.
We enjoyed dinner.
Nothing went to waste.

I'd call that a win. 💛

If you are enjoying this series, please drop me a 🍽 emoji below and consider sharing this with your friends and family. 🥪

Day 3 of my 30 day freezer and pantry challenge.

One of the biggest money-saving tricks in my kitchen is refusing to throw away those half-empty jars in the refrigerator.

Last night’s meatballs started with half a jar of Costco marinara that wasn’t quite enough.

Instead of opening another jar, I added ½ cup of water, one tablespoon of Rao’s pesto, and let it simmer on low for about an hour while the spaghetti squash roasted.

I finished the squash with a drizzle of Graza olive oil and Trader Joe’s Aglio Olio Garlicky & Spicy Seasoning. That seasoning was the sleeper of the whole meal.

Sometimes the best dinners don’t come from buying more groceries. They come from making what you already have taste even better.

What’s one ingredient in your refrigerator that always seems to have “just a little bit left?”

Share with your friends if you think they can relate! 🫶🏻