Tag: dinner

Easy Ratatouille (with Jarred Sauce)

The Wild Gems1 Comment

Sometimes the best meals aren’t complicated—they’re just made with what you already have, a little intention, and a whole lot of ease. This ratatouille is exactly that. Simple, nourishing, and quietly beautiful.

What You Need:

  • 1 jar marinara sauce
  • 2 green zucchini
  • 2 yellow squash
  • 1 small eggplant (optional)
  • 2–3 tomatoes (optional)
  • 2–3 cloves garlic (jarred minced garlic works)
  • Olive oil
  • Salt + pepper
  • Italian seasoning
  • Optional: parmesan or mozzarella

And:

  • A ceramic pie dish (or any baking dish you have)
  • A knife + cutting board
  • A little time to slow down

Steps:

  1. Start with your base
    Pour your jarred marinara into a sauce pan and mix in:
  • Garlic
  • A splash of olive oil
  • Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning

This is where you quietly turn something store-bought into something that feels like your own.

  1. Slice your vegetables
    Thinly slice:
  • Zucchini
  • Squash
  • Eggplant
  • Tomatoes

There’s no rush here. Let this part feel calm.

  1. Build your dish
  • Spread a layer of sauce on the bottom of your dish
  • Arrange your veggies in a spiral or rows
  • Sprinkle a little seasoning on top
  • Drizzle with olive oil

It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.

  1. Bake
  • Cover with foil
  • Bake at 375°F for 40–45 minutes
  • Remove foil and bake another 10–15 minutes

Your kitchen will start to smell like comfort.

  1. Finish with intention
  • Add a little more olive oil
  • Sprinkle fresh herbs or cheese if you’d like
  • Let it sit for 10 minutes before serving

This is where everything comes together.

A gentle reminder:

This dish isn’t about perfection—it’s about creating something warm, simple, and nourishing with what you already have.

Just like most things in life.

‘Caldo De Pollo’ – Chicken And Veggie Soup

The Wild Gems2 Comments

What You Need:

– 6–8 chicken drumsticks

– 2 corn cobs, cut into 3–4 chunks each

– 2–3 zucchini, sliced thick

– 3 potatoes, peeled + cut into chunks

– 3 carrots, peeled + sliced

– 2 tomatoes, diced

– ½ onion, chopped

– 4 cloves garlic, minced

– 1–2 bay leaves

– 1 bunch cilantro

– 1-2 tsp salt (to taste)

– 1 tsp chicken bouillon

– 1 tsp garlic powder

– 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Steps:

1. In a large pot, heat 1–2 tsp oil on medium. Add chopped onion, sauté 2 minutes until soft. Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add diced tomatoes and cook 2–3 minutes until they begin to soften and release juice. Then blend in blender with some water.

2. Pour the mixture into the pot. Add the chicken drumsticks on top of the sautéed mixture. Add bay leaves + 1/2 of cilantro bunch. Pour in 10–12 cups of water. Stir in salt and bouillon. Bring to a boil → then reduce to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes with lid partially on.

3. Add:

potatoes carrots corn

Simmer 15 minutes until potatoes are almost tender.

4. Add:

zucchini

Simmer 10 more minutes.

Taste broth → adjust salt and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. (You can also add chili powder, dried herbs like oregano)

Serve with:

Lime wedges, Fresh cilantro, Avocado, Corn tortillas Salsa or jalapeños.

Enjoy!

Lemon Baked Butter Chicken

The Wild Gems2 Comments

Ingredients

For the chicken:

– 1.5–2 lbs chicken breast or thighs (cut into chunks or leave whole)

– 1 tsp salt

– 1 tsp paprika

– 1 tsp garam masala (optional but delicious)

– 1 tsp garlic powder

– ½ tsp onion powder

– ¼ tsp black pepper

For the sauce:

– 4 tbsp butter

– 3–4 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder)

– 1 cup heavy cream

– 1 tsp honey

– 1 tsp curry powder or garam masala ½ tsp turmeric (optional for color)

– ½ tsp salt (taste and adjust)

Optional: ¼ cup chicken broth to thin it out

1 tbsp lemon juice

Serves well with roasted broccoli and rice.

Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

The Wild Gems1 Comment

What You Need:

1 recipe of shredded chicken

1 bag of frozen peas and carrots

1 can of cream of chicken

Pepper

1/4 cup of milk (give or take)

1 package of premade pie crust

Olive oil or butter for sautéing

Egg wash (one egg white with a splash of milk mixed)

Steps:

  1. Remove pie crust from package and allow to sit out for 15 mins.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet sauté your frozen veggies with butter or olive oil for ten minutes or until soft.
  3. Add the cream of chicken, milk, a few dashes of pepper, and shredded chicken to the veggies. Mix until warm, doesn’t need to be super hot this will be going into the pie and into the oven.
  4. Lay one pie crust in the bottom of a glass or ceramic large pie dish. Then place the filling from the skillet. Next place the second pie crust on top of the filling.
  5. Use a fork to seal the edges, and create 4 slits in the middle (like an X that doesn’t connect in the middle) .
  6. Brush egg wash over the entire pie and bake at 400 for 25 to 30 mins or until golden brown. If the edges are becoming brown too quickly place foil over the pie.

Enjoy!

“What’s For Dinner?” Meal Planner — Digital Download Available

The Wild Gems1 Comment

Take the Stress Out of Mealtime with the “What’s for Dinner Meal Planner”!

Struggling with the age-old question, “What’s for dinner?” Let this meal planner help you organize your meals for the week with ease! Whether you’re meal prepping for the week or just trying to save time, this planner is designed to make your life easier and your evenings more enjoyable.

✨ Features:

✔ A weekly layout to plan your dinners

✔ Shopping list section to streamline your grocery shopping

✔ Easy-to-use and printable design

Perfect for busy families, meal planners, or anyone looking to save time and reduce stress in the kitchen! Just print it out and start planning your week—say goodbye to last-minute dinner chaos!

CLICK HERE FOR DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

What’s Included:

• 1 High-Quality PDF (8.5×11”) – Ready to Print

• 1 PNG/JPG File – For Digital Use

Make mealtime simple, organized, and stress-free!

Easy Poblano Green Creamy Sauce (Culichi Sauce)

The Wild Gems4 Comments

What You Need:

3 poblano peppers

2 teaspoons of minced garlic

A handful of cilantro

2 cups of hot water

1 tablespoon of chicken bullion seasoning

1/3 cup of Mexican cream

1/3 of a block of cream cheese

1 small onion chopped

Steps:

  1. Place the poblanos on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Broil each side for about 5-7 minutes or until they are nice and charred.
  2. Once the poblanos are roasted immediately place in a ziplock bag, seal, and allow to steam for 10 minutes.
  3. When the peppers are down steaming place in a blender with the remaining ingredients and hot water (except the onion) and blend well.
  4. Sauté chopped onion with a little bit of olive oil until soft and translucent. Pour sauce into skillet and simmer for 5-8 minutes.

That’s it!

My favorite way to enjoy this sauce is with some cooked shrimp and rice on the side. Mix the shrimp with the sauce and then scatter shredded Monterey cheese and broil until nice and melted.

OR, this taste great with some spaghetti noodles and shredded rotisserie chicken. Top with cilantro!

Enjoy!

Easy Pork Loin Crockpot Recipe

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What You Need:

  • 3-4 Pounds boneless pork loin
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • 2 cups broth – I prefer chicken broth
  • cooking spray or unsalted butter

Instructions

1. Spray the bottom and sides of your crock pot with cooking spray or you can substitute with butter.

2. Slice your onion into round circle slices.

3. Lay your pork loin on top of the onions, fat side up.

4. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the pork loin.

5. Sprinkle garlic, onion powder, black pepper, salt and paprika over pork loin. Give it a quick rub to ensure that the spices are distributed evenly.

6. Add two cups of broth to the bottom of the crock pot.

7. Close and cook the pork loin in your crock pot on LOW for 6 hours or on HIGH for four hours. Your meat should register at an internal temperature of 145 with a meat thermometer.

Enjoy!

Cheesy, Saucy, Baked Pasta

The Wild Gems1 Comment

What You Need:

Between 1 1/2 lbs and 2 1/2 lbs of ground beef or sweet ground up sausage or you could do a lb of each of meat

2 jars of your favorite marinara pasta sauce we like ragu

1 lb of your favorite pasta noodle (ziti, rigatoni, macaroni, or spiral pasta are all good ones)

3 zucchini’s chopped green and yellow

3/4 of a sweet onion finely chopped

4 – 5 tablespoons of Olive oil

1 heaping tablespoon of jarred minced garlic

2 cups of Mozzarella cheese or extra depending on your cheesy level

1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese

Steps:

1. Heat up a large skillet while you chop your onion, and zucchini. Once skillet is heated through add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the onion, zucchini, and garlic until soft. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Then set aside.

2. Cook pasta as directed in a large pot. (Tip: once the water begins to boil, add a few dashes of salt. THEN add your pasta. That will flavor your pasta) Once cooked, drain your water, and add the pasta to a 9 x 13 baking dish.

2. In the same skillet you cooked your veggies, add your meat. If using ground beef season as you normally would (I like to use salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, a little turmeric, and maybe a little oregano.) If you’re using the sausage you don’t need to season, should already be seasoned. Once cooked, drain fat if needed.

3. Add the veggies to the meat and mix well. Add both jars of pasta to the meat and veggie sauce, reserving about 1/2 cup of sauce. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the sauce and a tablespoon of Italian seasoning mix. Allow the sauce to cook for just of minutes or until heated through.

4. Add the reserved pasta sauce to the naked pasta in the baking dish and mix well. Along with a tablespoon of olive oil.

5. Next add the meaty and veggie sauce to the pasta and mix well. Then add in 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, give or take and mix well.

6. Once fully mixed, top with the rest of the Parmesan cheese and then top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake at 375 for 25 mins covered with foil. Once the 25 minutes is completed, removed foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

7. Allow to sit for a few minutes, garnish with fresh parsley (optional ) and serve with your favorite crusty bread with unsalted butter.

Enjoy!!!

Super Easy Chicken Thigh And Veggie Sheet Pan Dinner

The Wild Gems1 Comment

What You Need:

1 1/2 lbs of chicken thighs (bone in and skin removed)

1 large sweet potato peeled and chopped into bite size pieces

1 yellow squash sliced with skin on

1 head of broccoli chopped

1/2 of a sweet onion chopped into bite size pieces

1 tablespoon of olive oil plus 2-3 extra tablespoons

1 tablespoon of jarred minced garlic

1 packet of McCormick Seasoning Farmers Market Chicken And Vegetables SHEET PAN

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 400 and line a cookie sheet with foil. While the oven is heating up prepare your veggies and remove skin from chicken.

2. Place veggies and chicken on sheet pan. Prepare McCormicks seasoning packet. Rub majority of mixture on the front and back of the chicken. Any additional mixture add onto veggies.

3. Drizzle the extra olive oil on veggies, next add a few dashes of salt and pepper on veggies, and then add the minced garlic throughout the veggies. Mix well with your hands.

4. Ensure the chicken is directly on the foil surrounded by the veggies (see photo below) . Bake at 400 for 30 mins. Once complete, allow the chicken and veggies to rest for 10 mins.

Best served with rice or potatoes.

Enjoy!

The seasoning packet
Before pan enters the oven
After the pan has been removed.

Happy cooking! 🙂