Weekly Menu Plan – Jan. 8 to Jan. 14

Here is your meal plan for next week!

Monday: Easy Baked Chicken Thighs

Tuesday: Korean Ground Beef

Wednesday: Baked Maple Mustard Bacon Salmon

Thursday: Chocolate Banana Smoothie Bowl

Friday: Instant Pot Curry Chicken

Saturday: 20 Minute Tomato and Basil Angel Hair Pasta

Sunday: Whole Roasted Chicken

READ: Weekly Menu Plan – Jan. 8 to Jan. 14

20 Minute Tomato and Basil Angel Hair Pasta Recipe [+ Video]

This 20 minute cherry tomato and basil angel hair pasta recipe comes together in a jiffy, and will satisfy the whole family, even the kids!

Every time the holidays are over and new year rolls around, I’m immediately drawn to a simpler way of cooking – lighter, healthier meals, fresh ingredients, less ingredients, and just an all around relaxed attitude. I don’t like anything too fussy or involved, and this 20 Minute Cherry Tomato and Basil Angel Hair pasta is the perfect example of what you might find on our dinner table this month.

Cooking Class in Italy

I’ve made a variation of this sauce for years – ever since I studied abroad in Italy. On the back end of my trip, my family came over, and my Mom and I took a cooking class for four days on the Amalfi coast in a little town called Positano. We learned the basics of Italian cooking – how to make the best margarita pizza with only the freshest ingredients, how to make pasta dough with our bare hands, and how to make a killer tomato sauce using only cherry tomatoes, olive oil and garlic.

I can still remember closing my eyes while I ate, and wondering if I’d ever taste something as delicious as that sauce back at home – or if I’d even come close to being able replicate it myself.

Less Than 30 Minute Dinner Recipe

Since then, I’ve made a bazillion different variations, all equally as delicious as they were in Italy. I’ve used it as a topping on fish or grilled chicken, slathered it on garlic-rubbed crostinis and tossed it with scrambled eggs, but I think today’s version may be my favorite adaptation yet. Not only because it’s simple and delicious, but because the cooking time from start to finish is less than 30 minutes – pure gold in my book.

Ingredients for Tomato Basil Angel Hair Pasta

You will only need 8 simple ingredients to make this easy angel hair pasta recipe! A whole meal with just 8 ingredients in less than a half hour…you can’t get much better than that! Here is what you will need:

• Angel Hair Pasta: it cooks up quickly and soaks up the flavor of the tomatoes and garlic
• Olive Oil: used to sauté the tomatoes and garlic, extra virgin olive oil is preferred for best flavor
• Garlic: adds bold delicious flavor
• Cherry Tomatoes: or grape tomatoes
• Fresh Basil: adds bright fresh flavor, if you don’t have fresh basil, use 2 teaspoons of dried basil
• Salt: adds flavor
• Granulated Parmesan: adds depth of flavor
• Lemon: a pop of citrus rounds out the dish perfectly

All the measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Cherry Tomato and Basil Angel Hair Pasta

You will want to start by cooking the angel hair pasta. Get a large pot of salted water going on the stove top until the water is boiling. Add the p

Savory chunks of chicken mingle with sweet grapes, crunchy walnuts, and crisp apples in this easy Chicken Waldorf Salad. This is a lunch you will put on repeat!

Chicken Waldorf Salad

This chicken salad recipe is so ridiculously good. It balances so many different things all at once. It has savory and sweet flavors. It’s got crunchy, crisp, and tender ingredients. And, it’s so easy to make!

There is a reason that Waldorf salad has retained its popularity for over a hundred years. Adding chicken to the classic salad and turning it into a heartier meal, makes it a guaranteed win.

Give it a go and you’ll likely find yourself like me, making it on repeat for two weeks. It’s perfect for a quick lunch or picnic, or make a big bowl for your next potluck.

What is a Waldorf Salad?

The Waldorf salad originated in New York City, specifically at the Waldorf Hotel, which eventually became the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. It was created by the hotel’s maître d, Oscar Tschirky in the late 1800s, using just celery and apples.

Over time, the recipe evolved to include nuts, grapes, and various proteins. This chicken Waldorf salad recipe was inspired by my friend Gina’s Tuna Waldorf Salad. I used canned chicken, but you can use a rotisserie chicken, too.

For what it is worth, I have made this with both types of chicken and it turns out that I prefer it with canned chicken. (Making it about as easy as can be!)

Read more

Beef Barley Soup

Beef barley soup is a hearty and comforting soup full of tender beef, pearl barley, wild rice, mushrooms and savory umami flavor.

I didn’t even know that beef barley soup was a thing. I guess whenever I heard someone mention a barley soup I just went into a mindless state because barley didn’t sound delicious. But it’s the best soup I’ve had in years and that says a lot considering how much my family loves soup. Have you tried “The Soup“? Or maybe our roasted tomato basil soup? We love soups!

If you search for beef and barley soup recipes, you’ll find a lot of the same style of soup — carrots, celery, beef, barley, etc. We have changed things up for this. This is a little different, and more scrumptious imho, than anything you’ll find out there.

Why is This the Best Beef Barley Soup?

My friend and I decided that there are a few small things that are musts in a beef barley soup…

1. No carrots or celery. This isn’t stew and we don’t want it to look, smell or taste like stew. That’s a different recipe!
2. Use wild rice along with the barley. It adds a toothy, flavorful oomph that you will miss if you skip it. You can add as much or as little as you’d like.
3. WHOLE ROAST slowly cooked. We aren’t cutting this baby up, though if you were short on time you could certainly use stew meat and half the baking time. But a whole roast slowly cooked will bring out far more flavor and tenderness in the meat.

Ingredients for Beef Barley Soup

At first glance, this list may look long, but don’t worry! Most ingredients are pantry ingredients and everything combined creates a depth of flavor that is heavenly. Here is what you will need…

• Chuck Roast: you will cook this whole like you would a pot roast
• Olive Oil: helps brown the roast
• Salt and Pepper: adds flavor
• Red Wine Vinegar: helps deglaze the pan and adds acidity
• Water: helps deglaze
• Red Onion: adds flavor and caramelization
• Baby Bella Mushrooms: adds earthy flavor and chewiness
• Pearl Barley: you can find this right by the rice at the grocery store
• Wild Rice: adds an extra layer of flavor and different texture to the soup
• Au Jus Packet: adds bold savory flavor
• Onion Powder: adds flavor
• Garlic Powder: adds flavor
• Oregano: you can also use Italian seasoning if you don’t have oregano
• Balsamic Vinegar: adds a slight sweetness and more acidity
• Worcestershire: our favorite brand is Lea & Perrins
• Beef Broth: helps cook

Some foods are so basic, so incredibly simple, that it can be difficult to describe their awesomeness. That’s how I feel about cottage cheese with fruit. Two ingredients. Just TWO.

And yet, cottage cheese and berries have a permanent place in my refrigerator. Whether this is my breakfast, an afternoon snack, or a sweet bite after dinner, I eat this nearly every single day.

Cottage Cheese with Fruit

About a year ago, a friend mentioned to me how much he enjoyed eating cottage cheese with berries after his workouts. I hadn’t tried that combination before, never having been a huge fan of cottage cheese. (I was always a Greek yogurt girl before and usually with a bunch of other things added to it.)

If I’m being honest, the amount of protein in the cottage cheese was what finally got me to try it. Oh. My. Word. I had been missing out! (Sorry, Lynne, for all the times I messed with you for enjoying cottage cheese so much. Turns out I just hadn’t tried the right combination.)

Cottage Cheese with Berries

Growing up, we always had cottage cheese in the house. It was usually eaten plain and that’s about all I remembered. I’ve certainly baked with it and I