A Main and a Side

A friend asked me what my favorite recipes were.  She knew I cooked for a family of 6 and was wondering if I had any new ideas she could add to her repertoire.

I told her I had a website.

As we continued to chat, I realized that she was a casserole baker.  All her recipes were piles or pans of pasta, tortillas, and rice with a little meat and a bunch of filler.  Sometimes there was a vegetable or potato in the mix.

Things like lasagna, chicken and rice casserole, baked pasta, enchilada casserole, tater tot casserole, and other dishes.

Our meals look very, very different.

The more we discussed what she usually makes for her family I deduced that casseroles are a bunch of work.

Casserole-making world –

1. Cook the meat (like chicken or ground beef)
2. Boil the pasta (or steam the rice)
3. Assembling the pre-cooked meat and the pre-cooked starch with various processed goods (like cans of creamed soups or envelopes or packages)
4. And then bake it again

That’s not too hard, but not exactly easy either.

Not to mention there are [usually] a bunch of ingredients mixed in there that I don’t want to eat or feed my family.  No one said casseroles were easy or healthy (or fast).

I told her I usually make a Main & a side.

My favorite way to cook

Not only is making a Main & a Side easy and simple – it is often much healthier.  

When we put organically grown vegetables and pastured meats on our plate- the food is nutrient-dense.

Add vegetables that were vine-ripened, grown locally and prepared fresh and you have a super healthy meal.

We simply don’t need a main, 2 sides, a salad, and dessert.

Not only is too much work, but it is also too much food.

We are all overfed

Eating whole, organically grown foods greatly increases the value of our diet.

• • A farm-fresh egg from a pastured hen can nearly provide for our daily sustenance.
  • Bread made with freshly milled wheat contains almost everything we need, “In fact, 40 of the 44 known essential nutrients needed by our bodies and naturally obtained from foods are found in fresh-milled wheat.” – Sue Becker (Source)
  • Juicing easily provides the 11 recommended servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

The truth is, if we are eating nutrient-rich superfoods, we don’t need to consume a menagerie of sides, dishes, and courses. 

If your diet consists of whole foods like fresh eggs and homemade bread, you are probably getting the nutrition you need.

Everything else is gravy.

A MAIN AND A SIDE

We went on vacation with another family this summer.  We stayed at a lakehouse and had a wonderful time.

I like vacations where I can hang out, catch some rays, read good books and eat “at home.”

My girlfriend and I schemed together to feed our 2 families.

We wanted the meals to be simple and delicious.  I wanted to spend my day floating on the lake, not slaving in the kitchen.

We concocted a list of easy dishes that all fell into the “Main and A Side” category

What did we eat?

Sheet pan balsamic chicken with peppers and mushrooms

Grilled Lemon-Pepper Wings and Baked Sweet Potatoes

Pork Carnitas with Cilantro Rice

We feasted and we didn’t slave in the kitchen either.  It was superb.

Fantastic Main & a Side Meals

When you resolve to a Main and a Side, the evening meal is a piece of cake.  Simply prepare the main dish and a beautiful side. That’s it.

Frequently, this can all be done in one pan.

Roasted Leg of Lamb and Baby Potatoes – Roasts easily in one dish.

Pork Chops with Sage Cream Sauce & Fresh Asparagus – The pork chops come together quickly on the stovetop while the asparagus roasts in the oven.

Grass-fed Pot Roast with Root Vegetables – This is the best pot roast I’ve ever had,  and this is another one-pot meal that cooks itself.

Chicken Cacciatore with Peppers & Onions – This fresh version of the classic is unbelievably tasty and so simple.  Chicken and veggies all roast together while you do something else.

Lamb Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash – These meatballs bake in the oven!

Braised Brisket with Creamy Mashed Potatoes – The only thing fussy about this dish is it must cook a long time.  Prepare it ahead and let it roast low and slow.  Simply Scrumptious!

Not only is this sort of meal simple to prepare it is also delicious!

If you want to ditch the store-bought processed food and eat farm-fresh we have the answer.

The recipes are proven.  The menus are family-friendly.  The food is real.

If you are interested in crafting simple, delicious meals that focus on feeding healthy people without spending hours in the kitchen, you should consider joining the site.  As a premium member, you’ll get the bi-weekly menu plans AND everything else!

It’s called, Just Tell Me What to Cook and it does just that.

• Receive menus
• Printable Shopping Lists
• Try New Recipes
• And Get Inspired

Worried you’ll have buyers remorse?  In addition to the menu’s, you’ll also have instant access to the entire site.  That means, hundreds of premium posts, hundreds of Members Only recipes, homesteading videos, free eBooks, Organic Gardening Class, Breadmaking course, AND MORE!

To learn more go here.

To get your meal plans today go here.

XO,

Candi