Making life easier, one bite at a time
Busy Girl’s Guide to Meal Prep (printable guide) Hi Busies! The biggest reason I’m writing this blog is to share my meal prep ideas with all of you, in the hopes that sharing my ideas can help make your busy life a little more manageable. …
Hi Busies! So, A) I know it’s February and I’m just now making/posting this Fall Harvest Bowl. *shrugs* And B) I know I’m low-key obsessed with everything quinoa/veggie/power bowls. *shrugs again* I literally can’t help myself – these bowls are just a busy girl’s best …
Hi Busies! Ahh, ramen. If you’re anything like me, that word immediately conjures up the college student stereotype, desperately eating microwaved ramen from a styrofoam bowl at 3AM the night before that final paper is due. But I’m here to tell you that ramen can …
Black bean burgers! I’ve been loving meatless Monday recipes lately – cooking seems to go so much faster when you don’t have to prep meat. If I’m prepping meat, it usually involves way too much hand washing, not to mention disinfecting every surface that touched …
THAILAND! After looking forward to this trip for close to 2 years, it’s hard to believe it’s all over. A few peaks and pits, and then the vacation in pictures. Stay tuned to the end for the highlight – ELEPHANTS! Peaks: Beautiful scenery! Between the …
Raise your hand if you’re looking for new ways to use zucchini 🙋🏻♀️🙋🏻♀️🙋🏻♀️
I love zucchini as much as the next girl, but by the end of summer, I can be a little burnt out on summer squash. I’m always looking for new and creative ways to keep zukes in my life. Enter, zucchini boats. I went with taco boats this time, but I can tell this is the beginning of a beautiful new relationship. Buffalo chicken boats, I’m coming for ya! Pizza boats, you’re next!
Zucchini boats are perfect for meal prep because you can prep all the filling, portion it in the freezer, and thaw as needed. Then, pick up the freshest, greenest, zukes (bonus points if they’re from the farmers market!), and just scoop, fill, and bake! The best weeknight dinners are the most simple – and these couldn’t be easier.
So, taco night has definitely gotten an upgrade. I didn’t even miss the tortilla at all! I used a fork and knife (lame I know), but the zucchinis hold their shape enough that they could be eaten sandwich style, no problem. The hardest part was deciding how many ingredients to put in the filling of the boat. I ended up putting some ingredients on the side, because the zukes can only hold so much filling. The great thing about this meal is it’s super easy to customize – you can add whatever you want to the filling and just put anything else on the side!
I’ll keep the zucchini boats coming as summer winds down. Seriously guys, where did this summer go?! I feel like we just got back from our Southeast Asia trip (reality check, that was in May) and suddenly, football is about to start. Kids are going back to school. The weather is bearable on our morning walks. Although I’m sad that summer flew by so fast, I am looking forward to plenty of things about fall! Cozy sweaters, apples, pumpkins, bonfires…yay!
Ok, but before all that – enjoy the last days of summer & go make these zucchini boats! You won’t regret it!
GREEK BOWLS Y’ALL! These immediately became a regular in my meal prep rotation. On these hot summer days, there’s nothing better than a bowl of fresh, clean veggies. Even better, these can be served cold, making them even more refreshing. What I love: Minimal cooking, …
HI! It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?! Maintaining a food blog has definitely been more work than I first realized. I consciously made the decision to take a break during busy season and our trip to Southeast Asia, and life has gotten away from me for …
Okay you guys, these spaghetti squash pizzas sat in my freezer for 5 weeks before it was time to eat them, and I thought about them pretty much every day. Let me just say, the payoff was worth it. I think everyone appreciates the heavenly experience that is biting into a pizza – crispy crust, rich sauce, and allthecheese just being ooey-gooey and amazing. This spaghetti squash pizza brings all the flavor of that perfect pizza experience – just with less carbs!
This spaghetti squash pizza is loaded with layers of flavor – a base of spaghetti squash and pizza sauce starts you off, followed by a layer of filling made with ricotta cheese, spinach, and savory Italian sausage. Then, another layer of pizza sauce and your favorite pizza toppings finish it off! The mozzarella and parmesan on top get to be the perfect combination of melty/browned/crispy, and the crunch from the spaghetti squash is a great contrast from all the soft, gooey, cheesey goodness.
And these held up SO well in the freezer! Meal prep for these spaghetti squash pizzas included roasting the squash, making the filling (the same filling as used for these pizza stuffed shells), and I even got Drew involved when it was time to top them. We layered pizza sauce, filling, pizza sauce, then toppings, and wrapped them up in aluminum foil. A few weeks later, I thawed them overnight in the fridge, then baked them at 400°F for 20 minutes wrapped in foil, then 20 minutes uncovered.
Stuffing the cooked squash with ricotta filling and pizza sauce
These could easily be modified to vegetarian by using mushrooms in the filling instead of Italian sausage, and loading up all the veggies on top! Half of a medium sized squash was perfect for one serving. I roasted 2 squashes, which ended up as 4 meals for us.
My version because black olives = NEED
Drew’s version with green peppers!
What are your favorite pizza toppings?! Let me know in the comments below!
Spaghetti squash, stuffed with ricotta, spinach, and Italian sausage filling, and covered in your favorite pizza toppings. This freezer friendly meal is perfect to stay on track with low carb eating!
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and drizzle with olive oil
Slice each squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds, sprinkle with salt and pepper, place skin side up on the prepared baking sheet. Bake 30-35 minutes or until tender.
Saute Italian sausage over medium heat until browned and cooked through. Drain fat and set aside. Wipe out the pan and saute spinach until wilted. Season spinach with salt and pepper.
In a medium sized bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup pepperoni, cooked Italian sausage, 1/2 of the diced green pepper, 1/4 cup mozzarella, and spinach.
Carefully flip squashes so they are skin side down. Spread 1-2 spoonfuls of pizza sauce in the opening, then place ~1/4 cup of ricotta mixture in the wells. Add another layer of pizza sauce, then top with remaining mozzarella cheese and any desired toppings.
To freeze, let pizzas cool to room temperature for ~1 hour, then wrap completely in foil and place in the fridge overnight. Place foil wrapped pizzas in a gallon size ziplock bag and freeze.
Thaw pizzas overnight in the fridge. Bake at 400°F ~20 minutes wrapped in foil, then ~20 minutes uncovered or until cheese is hot and bubbly. Top with other pizza toppings like fresh basil, pepper flakes, or parmesan cheese.
This recipe can easily be modified to vegetarian by subbing in mushrooms for the Italian sausage. Enjoy!
As weeks go y’all, these March weeks are some of the busiest ones for me. You’ll notice that most of my pictures this week are of snacks, breakfasts, or weekend meals, because at work we order dinner from a restaurant every night, eat at work, …
What is the Freezer Meal Method? The freezer meal method is a new approach to cooking. Instead of cooking dinner every night, you plan ahead and cook in bulk, then portion and freeze the meals to eat over a period of time, usually a month …
Pizza. AND. Pasta. While that double trouble combo sinks in, feast your eyes on these babies 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 which are basically all the good parts of lasagna, pizza, and pasta all perfectly contained within a stuffed shell so that each bite is a *perfect* combo of cheesy, savory, pizza flavors.
Seriously, could there be ANY better comfort food than taking cheesy delicious pizza toppings, and stuffing them into a noodle?! These were made for Drew to eat on nights that I get dinner at work, so I loaded it up with his faves. This filling has ricotta and mozzarella cheese, Italian sausage, mini pepperonis, spinach, and green peppers, but can easily be modified to however you like your pizza. Meat lovers? Go for it! Veggie lovers? My people!
Taking a bite of these stuffed shells is like falling into a soft pillow of ricotta cheese, and then once the pizza flavors explode, it’s game over. Comfort food at it’s finest, y’all.
The best thing about meal prepping these is that you can make extra filling and use it in my spaghetti squash pizzas. Recipe coming soon! It’s basically like double duty meal prep. Both recipes are super freezer friendly, which is top priority for me during this busy time of year. After thawing, just reheat with a little extra pizza sauce and sprinkle with parm and Italian herbs for a delicious finish. All these pictures were taken post-freezing – I promise that using the freezer does not mean compromising on taste, flavor, or texture!
What are your favorite pizza toppings? Let me know in the comments below! If you try this recipe, please leave a rating and tag me on Instagram @busygirl_bites so I can see the results!
Pizza and pasta, the best of both worlds combined! Freezer and meal prep friendly, and easily modified to vegetarian.
Cook Italian sausage in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking up into small pieces, until browned and cooked through. Drain fat and pat dry with paper towel.
Stir together cooked sausage, pepperoni, bell pepper, and Italian seasoning. Add ricotta cheese and stir to combine.
Set aside or refrigerate until ready to make shells.
Cook pasta according to package directions, less 1-2 minutes. Add a drop of olive oil to the boiling water to prevent sticky noodles.
Drain pasta and let cool until safe to touch.
Prepare pan: line a casserole dish or 9x13 pan with foil. Spread ~1/2 of the pizza sauce along the bottom of the pan.
Add about 1-2 tablespoons of filling into each shell and place into the pan.
Cover with remaining pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese.
Let prepared shells cool, then transfer to meal prep container or ziplock bag. Refrigerate 3-4 hours or overnight, then transfer to freezer.
Thaw overnight. Reheat in microwave or oven (350°F for ~15 minutes should do it). Garnish with your favorite pizza toppings, like parmesan, fresh basil, or red pepper flakes.
To make this recipe vegetarian, leave out the pepperoni and sausage and sub in mushrooms.
To make this recipe gluten free, use gluten free pasta shells.
Extra filling can be frozen for later use!
Adapted from The Chunky Chef
As some of you may know, our sweet pup Watson was diagnosed with cancer in November of last year. He hadn’t been eating right for a couple of weeks. A dog who used to vigorously lick every last crumb of food from his bowl …
Hi Busies!
The arrival of January in our household brings a feeling of dread. The cold weather itself is miserable, plus it means the dogs stay cooped up in the house more and get restless. All the holiday fun is over, and I have 4 months of long work days ahead of me. Like, 12-16 hour days. Yuck!
One thing that gets me through this tough time of year is food. Food is fuel, and keeping my fuel healthy this time of year is extra important, since I’m getting less sleep and dealing with cold weather. I’m convinced this is one of the reasons I haven’t gotten sick during a busy season yet!
On the other hand, winter means my body is craving warm, comforting, carb based dishes. Fighting those cravings are hard, so I like to find compromises that satisfy those cravings, but also keep things lighter and healthier. Enter this Bbq Pork Mac & Cheese. The cheese sauce is made with pureed butternut squash, so it’s slightly sweet, which is perfectly enhanced by the drizzle of barbecue sauce that goes over top. Sprinkling a little smoked gouda over top tricks you into thinking you’re eating a decadent, cheesy sauce, when really you’re getting a secret serving of veggies and lean protein! And, this freezes like an absolute gem. It was enough for 3 dinners for Drew and I, plus I had leftovers for a couple of work lunches that I kept frozen for a separate week.
Seriously y’all, this Bbq Pork Mac & Cheese is everything a winter meal should be: warm, filling, and cheesy. The pork cooks with just 5 mins of prep in the crock pot until it’s fallaparttender, and the sauce whips up in a snap after roasting butternut squash (meal prep bite – roast the squash for this and the sweet potato for this Mexican Sweet Potato Hash at the same time!). I recommend storing the pork in a separate container from the mac and cheese, then combine when you’re ready to serve and drizzle with a bit of extra barbecue sauce.
