Sharing a roundup of lazy high-protein dinners I make when I don’t want to cook.

Hi friends! How are you? I hope you’re having a great morning so far. I’m here getting ready for a work trip to San Diego and have coaching calls all morning today.

For today’s post, I wanted to share a roundup of dinner options – specifically high-protein dinners I always come back to when I don’t feel like cooking. The Pilot is gone fairly often, which means I need meals that are nourishing, easy, and realistic after school pickup, basketball shuffles, and general end-of-day chaos.

These are the dinners that save me when I don’t want to think, chop a million things, or be in the kitchen all night.

My go-to staples

I keep these on hand almost all the time:

Rotisserie chicken

Ground beef

Frozen wild salmon (always from ButcherBox)

Frozen or roasted veggies (I’ll roast a big pan once and use them all week)

Easy sauces (I love Kevin’s sauces from Thrive Market)

Rice and gluten-free noodles

Salad kits (lifesaver when you’re in a pinch)

And now… my top 10 lazy, high-protein dinners. Please steal these and then help a girl out by sharing your favorites in the comments.

Lazy high-protein dinners

1. Salmon bowls

I make rice in the Instant Pot (rinse rice, add equal parts rice and water, cook on manual for 12 minutes – perfect every time). While the rice cooks, I air-fry frozen salmon with salt and pepper. I’ll chop a cucumber, microwave edamame, and grab seaweed snacks. Top the rice with salmon, edamame, cucumber, seaweed, and drizzle with tamari and sriracha.

2. Egg roll in a bowl

The kids go crazy for this, and it makes great leftovers for lunch the next day. Easy, fast, and packed with protein.

3. Easy tofu + noodle stir fry

The kids love tofu, so I try to include it about once a week. I drain the tofu, wrap it in paper towels, and put a heavy pan on top for 10–15 minutes. Then I sauté it with veggies and toss with cooked noodles and an easy sauce, like a homemade peanut butter sauce or a Kevin’s sauce.

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Sharing some easy and healthy Airbnb recipes that you can make for longer vacations or when you want to save a little money on your trip.

Hi friends! I hope you had a lovely weekend and that you’re doing ok. After taking some time off at the end of last week, I’m easing back into the swing of things here on the blog. Writing here has always been a bright spot for me and I hope it’s a bright spot for you, too. <3

I’s impossible to ignore the heaviness of recent events: the loss of Charlie Kirk, the tragedy of the school shooting, the woman who was killed on public transportation, and remembering 9/11. It’s been a lot. If you’re feeling sadness or heaviness, please know that I see you, I feel it too, and I’m sending you a big hug through the screen.

In the spirit of focusing on some of the simple joys, I wanted to share something a little lighter today: easy and healthy Airbnb recipes. I’ve been wanting to publish this since we got back from Spain and now we’re in September. No time like the present

Easy and Healthy Airbnb Recipes for Travel

Why We Cook at Airbnbs While Traveling

When we travel, we’ve learned that eating out for every single meal just doesn’t work for us. It gets expensive quickly, restaurant meals can be heavy, and the kids don’t exactly love sitting at a table three times a day.

What works better for us: eating out for one large meal per day (usually lunch or dinner), and enjoying quick bites out, or making the rest of our meals simple and fresh at the Airbnb. Not only is it more budget-friendly, but it also feels fun to shop local markets, enjoy regional specialties, and gather for a casual family dinner. Also, the restaurants and cafes that we dine at are AWESOME; it’s better to splurge on one larger, amazing meal than a bunch of mediocre places throughout the day.

During our trip to Spain, some of my favorite memories were cooking alongside my friend Sam. She’d make a dish or two, I’d make something at the Airbnb and we’d walk it over, and the kids would run around while we shared good food, good wine, and good company. That’s what vacation meals should feel like! We looked forward to our family dinners, and since they live there, they didn’t need to feel like they had to feed all of us or go out to restaurants multiple times each week. We shared the cooking and cleaning load, and it was awesome.

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Sharing some of my favorite lunchbox ideas for teens!

Hi friends! How are you? I hope that you’re having a lovely morning so far. I’ve packed this week with podcast interviews and client calls – here we goooooo – because the Pilot is home and can take over homeschool duties.

For today’s post, I wanted to share some lunchbox ideas for teenagers. I make the girls’ lunches every day, and I love putting them together. Liv’s school offers hot lunch, which is takeout from different fast food restaurants, but it’s super expensive (like $20 for Chick-Fil-A) and they don’t even keep the food warm before serving it to the kids. So for quality and cost reasons, I keep making their food here at home.

Last year, I would sometimes open Liv’s lunchbox to wash it, and quite a bit of it would still be sitting in here.

“Why didn’t you eat lunch? Aren’t you hungry at lunchtime?”

“I’m a little hungry but sometimes I don’t really want a bagel or a sandwich… I’d love a meal.”

“A meal? Like what do you mean?”

“Like ramen, or chicken, or salad or something like that.”

This blew my mind. I was still kind of packing her “little kid lunches.” Don’t get me wrong, they still looked good and had lots of tasty and healthy components, but she wanted an actual meal instead of a bagel or PB&J. It was a huge lightbulb moment for me because I’d feel the same way. I don’t like eating the same cold things every day, and for lunch, I often prefer a *meal* instead of a bagel or PB&J.

[And for the friends out there who might be wondering why she didn’t pack her own lunch, she was dancing 10+ hours a week last year across town and had hours of homework each night. It’s also one of those things that I’m happy to do for them – I enjoy it!]

I started asking her for lunch ideas, and taking her to Costco and Whole Foods with me to pick out things that look good to her. Now I make her *meals* for lunch that are still just as fast as making a PB&J or bagel, but they’re more satisfying and enjoyable.

Here are some of the things that are in the rotation:

Packed lunch ideas for teen

Main course:

Pasta salad

This is the best pasta salad in the world and you can make it in advance to enjoy throughout the week.

Chopped salad with homemade dressing

Liv loves a chopped salad and I’ll usually add different types of greens, a protein (like leftover chicken or sliced deli turkey), garbanzo beans, edamame, poshi artichokes or asparagus, grated cheese, olives, veggies, and a homemade dressing.

Jennifer Aniston salad

We all LOVE this salad and it’s so easy to pack for lunch with grilled chicken on top.

Egg bites

These can also be made in advance and frozen. We all love these

Sharing some of my go-to meal prep ideas for kids, especially as we’re in the back to school season. We’ve also made a mission to reduce packaged snacks, but I still stock up on pantry essentials and faves from Thrive Market. <— my link gets you 40% off your first order

Hi friends! How are you? I hope that you’re enjoying the week so far. We’re finding our new routine with the homeschool situation + Liv is taking a break from dance (I’m admittedly a little sad, but definitely don’t miss driving 30 minutes there and back twice a day). Now that we’re on the go and packing lunches again, there are a couple of things I’ve tried to do differently.

Meal prep for kids and reducing packaged snacks

– Meal prep a ton.

It’s so helpful to have a fridge full of healthy staples for snacks and meals.

Here are some of the things I’ve been making each week:

– Fruit prep. If there’s fruit, ready to go in the fridge, they will absolutely eat it instead of grabbing a bar or packaged treat. Melons are in season and so good right now, so lately I’ve been picking up a couple of different melons (the kids especially love Piel de Sapo and golden watermelon) and chopping them to store in glass containers. I also soak berries in water and vinegar for 2-5 minutes (1 part vinegar to 3 parts water), rinse, and let them dry completely. Then I put paper towels in the bottom of a glass container with a lid. They last so much longer this way! We usually do a mix of berries: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. I also soak grapes and plums in water + vinegar for about 15 minutes, dry, and store in an open glass bowl in the fridge. The kids will just grab handfuls of grapes throughout the day and I love that we’re all eating more fruit!

– Energy bites. I have quite a few different recipes here on the blog (like these!) but a favorite is equal parts cashews and pitted dates, cinnamon, a little salt, vanilla extract and a drizzle of maple syrup.

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Sharing a roundup of high volume low calorie recipes if your goal is to increase your fiber but not your total caloric intake. 

Hi friends! How are you?? I hope that you’re having an amazing week! We’re here in Spain living.the.life. I’m excited to share some of the fun in Friday Faves and I’m posting a ton on IG if you’d like to follow along.

Today, I wanted to chat a little about volume eating and share some of my favorite recipes that are high in volume and flavor, but still light and refreshing.

Ever finish a meal and feel like you barely ate? You’re not alone. When you’re trying to eat a little lighter, hunger can sneak up fast, and it’s not fun. That’s why I love high volume, low calorie recipes. You can eat generous portions that leave you feeling full and happy, without overdoing it on calories and feeling like you need a nap afterwards. Whether you’re working toward a health goal, trying to keep your calorie intake in check, or just want to eat more fruits and vegetables, these meals check all the boxes.

All of these meal ideas are loaded with whole, nourishing ingredients like lean proteins, fiber-rich veggies, and satisfying textures. Many are gluten free, simple to prep, and perfect for lunch, dinner, or meal prep.

What Makes a Meal High Volume?

Let’s chat about what makes a meal “high volume.” These types of meals usually include foods that are high in water or fiber, like leafy greens, berries, or green beans, and are lower in calories. That combo helps you eat more food (volume!) without racking up the calories.

What Are High Volume Low Calorie Foods?

High volume low calorie foods are filling, satisfying, and easy to love. Think big salads, soups, hearty veggie stir-fries, and meals that are piled high with lean protein and colorful produce.

These types of meals support healthy weight loss by keeping you full and reducing the need to snack all day. Plus, they’re a great way to get more nutrient dense foods into your diet.

Low Calorie High Volume Recipes

Egg Roll in a Bowl

This one-pan favorite is a lighter twist on a takeout classic. It’s packed with ground turkey or pork, cabbage, carrots, and a dash of garlic and ginger.

Calories per serving: ~250-300

Main ingredients: ground turkey, cabbage, carrots, garlic, coconut aminos

Gluten free and great for meal prep!

 Try this version from Skinnytaste

Sushi Roll in a Bowl

A deconstructed version of sushi that’s quick, fresh, and totally customizable. Use cauliflower rice for a low-carb option.

Calories per serving: ~350

Main ingredients: rice or cauliflower rice, cucumber, avocado, nori, shrimp or crab, coconut aminos