How Your Personality Affects Managing Weeknight Routines

by Ruthy Kirwan | Aug 1, 2018 | Blog, Guides and How-To's

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Do you ever look at other parents and wonder how the hell they keep it all together? Especially when it comes to managing weeknight routines and general family craziness.

Since we’re all here juggling too many balls with not enough hands, I wanted to let you in on a secret to managing those weeknight routines: these parents don’t have some magic wand they wave to get shit done. None of us do.

But what they do have, and what you can have too, is a formula that works with their personality. Knowing how to add a routine to your day in the right way, so that you’re feeling on top of yourself, can make all the difference.

The right routine will add structure to your weeknights at home, creating a rhythm to your evenings that runs on autopilot.

And the best part about creating these autopiloted rhythms? Doing so creates more time in the moments between that lets you stop, relax, feel present with your family, and appreciate the day you have.

Creating routines and rhythms that work with your personality to help managing weeknight routines is, in effect, a practice of minimalism. It’s discarding all the stress and bother and worry and ugh-ness of a rushed evening, and embracing one that is simpler, and easy to handle.

And your personality type plays a lot into that!

7 Ways a Mom Working From Home Can Keep Her Sanity

Do you remember taking a personality quiz in high school? I do! I was a big fan of women’s magazine quizzes at the time (and still am, which is why I created this quiz for meal planners), and taking the personality quiz in my psychology class felt just like that. I couldn’t wait to find my “type”.

How do you find your personality type? You can sign up at MeyersBriggs.com to pay and have a comprehensive test taken, or you can take a free version at 16Questions.com. Take it and then come back here for a general outline of how you can approach routine building with your personality type!

Ready to figure out the best way to start managing your weeknight routine? Ok, let’s get started.

Remember: I’m not psychologist. I just think this stuff is cool. And a lot of what is to follow is my own interpretation of the Personality Types. If you’re really into learning more about how your personality type works and how it can affect your relationships with others, I recommend this book.

Guess what!? We’ll be going even deeper into how your personality type affects your stress levels (and what to do about that) in my new membership site, Uncomplicated Kitchen! Click the banner below to learn more and save your seat!

Personality Types, as defined by the mother-daughter duo Myers-Briggs, who first created the test widely used today, are broken into 4 categories:

1. Extraverted (E) vs. Introverted (I), which is how you express energy into the world. Do you feel drained from human contact, or energized by it?
2. Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N), the method by which you receive and process information. Do you tend to take information given to you at face value, or do you fall back on your intuition?
3. Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F), which is how you consider that information vs intuition. Do you tend to react according to strong emotions, or do you prefer to find out facts before action?

Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P), or how you then act upon that information. If you like creating a plan and sticking to it, or if you’re more “take it as it comes”.

So you could look at creating a routine as something that works with your natural tendencies.

This way, instead of working against the grain and going along with what others tell you to do, figure out a way that works for you, instead!

The most important “letter” to look at when determining your best routine style is the last letter, a J or P. This is the letter that determines how you act upon things, how well you work within the confines of a routine.

Personality Types, as defined by the mother-daughter duo Myers-Briggs, who first created the test widely used today, are broken into 4 categories:

1. Extraverted (E) vs. Introverted (I), which is how you express energy into the world. Do you feel drained from human contact, or energized by it?
2. Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N), the method by which you receive and process information. Do you tend to take information given to you at face value, or do you fall back on your intuition?
3. Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F), which is how you consider that information vs intuition. Do you tend to react according to strong emotions, or do you prefer to find out facts before action?
4. Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P), or how you then act upon that information. If you like creating a plan and sticking to it, or if you’re more “take it as it comes”.

So you could look at creating a routine as something that works with your natural tendencies.

This way, instead of working against the grain and going along with what others tell you to do, figure out a way that works for you, instead!

Do you have a whole hour while your husband takes the kids on a grocery run? Use that to make as many lunches as possible for the week, and pack them in the fridge.

Got 15 minutes while Paw Patrol is playing? Grab a basket and throw in a week’s worth of clean clothes and leave them where you can grab them quickly in the morning.

By thinking ahead, looking a defined list, and taking charge in small pockets of time, you can effectively cross things off your to-do list while also allowing flexibility and not needing to stick so rigidly to a “routine” every single night.

Want to explore this idea further, and see what types of different routines mean different things to you?

We’ll be breaking this and other weeknight strategies down in Uncomplicated Kitchen, the membership site for working parents!

Even better, we’ll do it without taking a ton of time to do so, along with a community of other like-minded women busting through the same strategies and their massive to-do lists, creating time in the evenings to enjoy their families and unwind instead of rushing around.

Weeknights as a busy mom don’t have to suck- Uncomplicated Kitchen can show you how!

The Early Bird list isn’t up for much longer, and at that point, the price will jump significantly! Right now it’s just $55 to save your seat. Click here for more information.

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Why I Love This Easy System of Meal Planning for Busy Moms

by Ruthy Kirwan | Jul 25, 2018 | Blog, Guides and How-To's, Meal Plan Guides, Meal Planning

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Psst; lean closer and I’ll tell you a secret: There’s a way of meal planning for busy moms that’s so unbelievably easy you might not even believe it.

Or maybe, because it’s so easy, you have tried it but you haven’t even realized that’s what you were doing. Which is why today, I’m going to tell you all about my favorite, easiest system of meal planning for busy moms that gets the job done without putting in a whole lotta legwork.

Because sometimes we get all caught up in the “plan” of doing things, of following along a specific set of steps. And we miss the forest for the trees, so to speak.

Because you want to know the real truth of meal planning? It’s that you know how to do it, girl. You got this on lock. Even if you don’t think you do.

What is this magic form of meal planning for busy moms, you ask?

It’s called the Meal Plan Rotation Plan, and yes, the title of it has the word “plan” in it twice. Just go with it.

I even feel a little silly talking about this in a blog post because it’s SO EASY. It’s SO NORMAL.

Basically, the Meal Plan Rotation Plan can be chopped up into two “types” of meal planning.

(By the way, have you figured out your meal plan type yet? Because that’s gonna make this a lot easier to start with. Click here to do so, then pop back over and read the rest of this post)

9 Simple Ways You Can Organize a Tiny Kitchen

Ok. Here are the two types of meal plans, when using the Meal Plan Rotation Plan:

Type One: Just plan dinner and “wing it” for breakfast and lunch.
Type Two: Plan for breakfast, lunch and dinner, BUT! You’ll have the same thing (or close to it) for breakfast and lunch every day, and have a different dinner recipe to serve each night.

The secret sauce? That once you create this meal plan, whether that’s Type One or Type Two, you stick with it. For WEEKS.

Utilizing the meal plan rotation plan means you “settle in” to a meal plan. You can vary this by making a 2-week plan, or even a three-week plan, and rotate those.

But by keeping it simple, by cooking and eating the same things for a period, you’re putting your decisions on autopilot for a while.

YES! Free Meal Planning Kit!

Grab the exact sheets I use to create my meal plans with the handy Meal Planning Bundle! Includes weekly meal plan template, recipe ideas, cheat sheet, and checklist.

Putting a rotating meal plan for busy moms on autopilot accomplishes a lot more than saving the time it takes to sit down and meal plan.

Number one, you’ll save money at the grocery store because you can comfortably buy in bulk, or semi-bulk, and take advantage of sales, space in your cupboard, and conquer food waste a little easier.
Number two, removing the mental strain of decision making, as minor as it may seem, can do wonders for your busy mom brain.

Have you ever heard of ‘the mental load’?

If you’re a mom, you probably know exactly what I mean: it’s the extra load of responsibility for the family that is typically carried by the mother.

It’s remembering doctor’s appointments, switching out winter clothes for summer, organizing the babysitter for date night. It’s the little things that fathers, as important and helpful as they are and can be, often don’t even think about.

And that mental load is draining, right?!

But guess what: creating a solid, simple meal plan for busy moms like implementing a rotation system can ease that mental load.

Instead of meal planning being something you need to take care of every week, you can just cross the meal plan figuring out right off the list. It’s taken care of for a while.

How I Got Started Meal Planning (And You Can, Too!)

You might be asking: But what if I get sick of what we’re eating? Then I say: change it up! A meal plan is not written in stone. The beauty of using a rotation plan is that YOU DECIDE IT. And the freedom it gives adds more space for wiggle room.

Below is an example of a simple Meal Plan Rotation Plan I wrote for my family recently.

For most of last month, my husband was plowing through three long weeks of double shifts at work, and I was solo parenting more than usual.

Times like this, extra busy times, the Meal Plan Rotation Plan really shines. It takes a big weight off my shoulders to not have to think about meal planning, but still feel confident we’re eating healthy and with easy meals.

Breakfast: every day, my kids had whole grain waffles spread with peanut butter, and I had egg salad in lettuce cups. My husband grabbed breakfast at work.

Lunch: I had leftovers, the kids had homemade “lunchables” of cold cuts, cheese, and crackers. Occasionally I changed it up with PBJs and roasted veggies.

Dinner: I kept the ingredients for these dinners on hand and a list of them on the fridge. Then I made what we had time for or were in the mood for that evening.

Meal 1: Sheet Pan sausage and peppers
Meal 2: This Korean Beef Bowl, made with ground turkey and a ton of added veggies.
Meal 3: Spaghetti with meatballs and cherry tomato “sauce”
Meal 4: Baked Chicken and roasted vegetables
Meal 5: Thai Green Curry (my daughter hates spicy food, so she’d get ravioli or similar while my son eats the curry with us)
Meal 6: pizza in the park with friends, we do this most weeks
Meal 7: takeout or freezer clean out (this typically means frozen ravioli or Dr Praeger’s bites for my kids, and I make sheet pan nachos with leftovers)

We had something to this effect every week for about three weeks. I’m getting sick of it all now, so I’ll spend about 10-15 minutes (longer than I usually do when I’m making the 5 Minute Meal Plan, but it takes longer to decide on new stuff!)

So what do you think!? Does this sound like a plan that might work for your family during busy periods? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

YES! Free Meal Planning Kit!

Grab the exact sheets I use to create my meal plans with the handy Meal Planning Bundle! Includes weekly meal plan template, recipe ideas, cheat sheet, and checklist.

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Green Thai Quick Chicken Curry with Vegetables

by Ruthy Kirwan | Jul 20, 2018 | Blog, Dinner, One Pan, Under 30 Minutes

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Stop calling for takeout! This quick chicken curry recipe is packed with Thai flavors, including green curry paste, creamy coconut milk, bell peppers, eggplant, and carrots, all served over steaming long grain rice.

I love ordering Thai food for delivery. It’s my favorite style of takeout food, especially since our neighborhood here in NYC boasts some of the best Thai restaurants in the city.

But making a quick chicken curry at home is actually faster than waiting on my local takeout guy! Plus, I can make twice the amount of food and eat the leftovers for lunch for like, 3 days. As a work at home mom, having something like a quick chicken curry that I can just grab and go is so helpful.

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Grab your copy of the Super Simple Dinner Ideas Cheat Sheet,

and give your brain a rest after 5pm!

In Thai cooking, curries are named after the color of the curry paste that is used as a base: red, yellow, and green.

I’ve always had a soft spot for green curry paste; made with cilantro, lime leaves, lemongrass and galangal (an Asian member of the ginger family), it’s the sweetest and freshest flavor of the Thai curry trio.

This particular Thai curry can be made with any whichever curry paste you use; I usually buy sets of 6 curry paste at a time on Amazon and keep them in my fridge. They make whipping up a quick chicken curry (or vegetable curry, or shrimp curry) on a weeknight twice as easy.

Nabbing the flavors of Thai cuisine usually requires the balance of four specific flavors: creamy, sour, spicy and sweet.

It’s what makes Thai cooking so freaking delicious- it attracts just about every taste bud in your mouth!

15-Minute Homemade Beef Lo Mein with Bok Choy

For this quick chicken curry, the sauce includes coconut milk (creamy), lime juice (sour), curry paste (spicy) and a dash of white sugar (sweet). Balance each of these flavors together and you’re rocking at this curry business.

I can’t talk about making a quick chicken curry without making a shout out to our go-to rice. With kids running under my feet as I cook most evenings, I’m not always in the mood to cook rice on the stovetop or by hauling out the Instant Pot (which doubles as a rice cooker).

My husband and I discovered VeeTee Quick Cooking Rice a few months ago (you may remember it from this Weeknight Kimchi Fried Rice recipe!). We loved it so much we started buying it off Amazon in bulk!

I like that the rice can be made in just 2 minutes in the microwave and comes out tasting exactly the same as the rice I used to spend 20 minutes babysitting at the stove; it’s perfectly cooked through and seasoned.

So, I’ve joined with VeeTee Rice to give you a three-part blog series of my all-time favorite rice dishes! This quick chicken curry is the first, and I’ve got one recipe coming in August and another coming in September. VeeTee has saved our weeknight dinner making on more than one occasion. So I’m thrilled to be able to bring you some recipes in the next few months that highlight some of our favorite VeeTee flavors!

Thai Green Curry with Chicken and Vegetables

Author: Ruthy Kirwan

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large carrots peeled and cut into 1" pieces
2 bell peppers, membranes and seeds removed diced
1 small eggplant, diced (about 2 cups)
1 pound chicken breast diced
4 ounces Thai green curry paste (about 5 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon dried ginger
3 teaspoons fish sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon white sugar
13.5 ounces coconut milk
1/2 cup chicken broth

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat until oil is shimmering. Add the vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots have softened, about 10-12 minutes.
Add the chicken, curry paste, dried ginger, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar and toss to coat.
Stir in the coconut milk and chicken broth. Let the mixture come to a hard simmer, then let cook, stirring occasionally, about 12-15 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and starts to thicken.
Remove the sauce from the heat and serve over cooked long grain rice.

Which is your favorite curry- green, red, or yellow? I can’t decide but I’d love to hear your take in the comments!

This post sponsored by VeeTee. All opinions and recipes are my own.

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Grab your copy of the Super Simple Dinner Ideas Cheat Sheet,

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Tabbouleh Salad (Easy to Make Side Dish & Meal Prep!)

by Ruthy Kirwan | Jul 18, 2018 | Blog, Make-Ahead or Freezer Meals, Side Plates, Under 30 Minutes, Vegetarian

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This bright and zingy tabbouleh salad is an incredibly easy to make side dish since it can be thrown together in as little as 15 minutes!

Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern salad typically made by combining bulghar wheat (also known as cracked wheat), cucumbers, parsley or mint, fresh tomatoes, and lemon juice.

I’m changing the traditional version of this easy to make side by adding a few “extras” that I think brighten this dish as a whole.

I included bit of fresh mint leaves alongside parsley, sweet cherry tomatoes instead of the usual diced vine tomatoes, and lime juice in place of lemon. The mint adds a freshness that blends well with peppery parsley. Cherry tomatoes lend a pop of juicy sweetness, and lime juice is brightens with less of an acid overtone than lemon.

Depending on who makes it, it can be heavy on the veggies, or mostly parsley, or be made with a majority of bulghar. It’s super customizable and comes together crazy quick.

And speaking of customizable, just because there are traditional ingredients in a tabbouleh salad, it doesn’t mean you can’t play around with it. I don’t usually add cucumbers as I’m not a huge fan, but I will toss in diced bell peppers, cooked eggplant, grilled asparagus- namely, all the summer vegetables.

Related:

Balsamic Glazed Button Mushrooms

Grilled Peach, Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

One thing that’s always served on top of my tabbouleh salad? A big dollop of Greek yogurt.

The tang of Greek yogurt paired with the zesty herbiness of a well-seasoned tabbouleh salad creates the perfect easy to make side.

But what really is my fave thing about a tabbouleh is this: while it comes together quickly, the real magic lies in letting this salad sit for a while. If you make a big batch of it and then portion it out into containers, you’re basically winning at life and meal prep. It’s a hearty and hardy salad that keeps, stored in a tightly covered container in the fridge, for up to 5 days.

Whip together this easy to make side dish for your next picnic, potluck, or meal prep session!

FREE DOWNLOAD

Grab your copy of the Super Simple Dinner Ideas Cheat Sheet,

and give your brain a rest after 5pm!

Tabbouleh Salad

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

5 mins

Total Time

15 mins

This is an easy to make side that comes together in under 15 minutes. Add in whatever fresh vegetables you have on hand for a fresh twist!

Servings: 2

Author: Ruthy Kirwan

Ingredients

for the tabbouleh:

1 1/2 cups bulghar wheat
1 pint cherry tomatoes sliced in half
2 tablespoons torn fresh mint
2 tablespoon roughly chopped Italian parsley leaves only
1/4 cup lime juice
Salt to taste

for serving:

Greek yogurt to taste

Instructions

Bring a small pot of water to a boil over high heat, then add the bulghar wheat. Boil, uncovered, for about 8-10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and drain the water. Fluff the wheat with a fork and set aside.
In a large bowl, toss the bulghar wheat with the mint, parsley, cherry tomatoes and lime juice.
Season to taste with salt, if needed.
Serve chilled, with a dollop of Greek yogurt on top.

Want more info on the new membership site, Uncomplicated Kitchen?

Prices are rising fast during the Early Bird launch!

FREE DOWNLOAD

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and give your brain a rest after 5pm!

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DIY Freezer Meal Kits Will Save Your Unplanned Dinner Night (starting with these Chicken Enchiladas!)

by Ruthy Kirwan | Jul 14, 2018 | Blog, Dinner, Make-Ahead or Freezer Meals

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Busy parents need all the help they can get in the evenings, which is why having a few DIY Freezer Meal Kits packed away will make your freezer your new BFF.

Having a freezer filled with ready-to-go freezer meal kits as a backup on busy nights means you can rest easy no matter what the week throws at you!

What’s a DIY Freezer Meal Kit, exactly? Think of it as though a freezer meal and a delivery meal kit had a baby. In your kitchen.

It’s way more awesome than it even sounds, trust me.

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of delivery meal kits, like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh, here’s how they work:

Once a week, a box arrives on your front step containing a recipe and all the ingredients you need to cook a few simple meals. Many of the ingredients are already broken down or at least have been packaged in a way that preparing them for cooking is a snap.

Cooking dinner from a meal kit may not look like less work from the outside – after all, you still have to cook, right?- but the energy it saves is huge!

This is energy saved not only in the physical labor of grocery shopping and much of the ingredient prep, but mental energy as well; deciding what to make, finding a recipe, seeking out the ingredients, figuring out what to do with leftover ingredients and leftovers from the meal, etc.

3 Easy Make-Ahead Smoothie Bags for the Freezer

It’s a formula that works, and that’s why meal delivery kits are all the rage with busy parents.

But they’re expensive. You don’t get to choose the individual recipes. And sometimes, you dont get a chance to make the recipe, meaning you’ve got to figure out what to do with those leftover ingredients!

That’s where DIY Freezer Meal Kits come in. You choose the price point that works for you. You choose the individual recipes. And you choose when to make the dish, so you’re not on anyone’s time clock but your own.

Guess what!? We’re making make a big batch of DIY Freezer Meal Kits JUST LIKE THIS in my new membership site, Uncomplicated Kitchen! Click the banner below to learn more and save your seat!

How exactly do you create a DIY Freezer Meal Kit, though? Can you just throw the ingredients of any dish in the freezer and call it good?

Well, kind of. While it’s true that not every dish is amenable to being made into a freezer meal kit, the fact is that yes- you can freeze just about any ingredient.

Here are a few unexpected ingredients you can totally freeze:

Eggs? Sure, if they’re out of the shell and raw.
Sour cream? Yep!
Milk? Yep!
Breadcrumbs? Of course!
Cheese? Yes- especially if it’s been shredded and cubed to cut down on moisture.
Vegetables? You bet!

How I Got Started Meal Planning (And You Can, Too!)

And while most of these items won’t thaw and revert back to their original state prior to freezing, they will cook up perfectly fine- which is why DIY Freezer Meal Kits lend a ton of flexibility.

Let’s take the example of Chicken Enchiladas, one of my favorite meals to make into a freezer meal kit.

Step One: Look at the recipe and see what happens right before it gets put in the oven. You’re looking for what components, if any, are prepared in a separate way before everything gets combined and cooked. So, with Chicken Enchiladas, you’ve got shredded chicken, cooked and seasoned black beans, and salsa verde, all made (or purchased!) and then it’s all rolled up in tortillas and topped with cheese before baking.

Shredded chicken, salsa verde, seasoned black beans, tortillas and shredded cheese are the components of Chicken Enchiladas, so that’s what gets frozen in separate bags or containers.

Step Two: Divide those components into separate, freezer-safe containers or ziplock bags. No matter whether you’re purchasing ready-made salsa verde or making it from scratch, put it in a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag and label it with the date. Do the same with each component. Then, place each wrapped component in the final baking dish (a casserole dish, either reusable or disposable) and wrap tightly. You can also pack everything together in a big gallon ziplock bag, if it’s big enough to hold everything. Clearly write the name of the recipe and the date on top with a Sharpie, and place it in the freezer

Step Three: When you’re ready to cook, pull the whole dish out, thaw the items (here’s a primer for thawing) and then assemble and cook as directed.

YES! Free Meal Planning Kit!

Grab the exact sheets I use to create my meal plans with the handy Meal Planning Bundle! Includes weekly meal plan template, recipe ideas, cheat sheet, and checklist.

A’s to common Q’s on Freezer Meal Kits:

Why wouldn’t you just throw everything in the freezer and find it later? The organization helps your brain on busy nights. You’re not looking in the freezer and trying to think, “ok, I see ricotta, what can I do with that?” Nope. You’re expending less mental energy on the long days by seeing that bag of prepped, frozen items all grouped together and thinking, “oh, lasagna! I can make that tonight!”
Won’t this take the same amount of time as just, like, cooking? Individually frozen items thaw faster than when they’ve already been assembled with everything else. “Faster” as in 20 minutes under cold running water, instead of overnight in the fridge (though that always works, too). If you wanted to cook the dish from fresh, it would take you longer in the kitchen to prepare those individual components and then assemble and cook than it would to just thaw, assemble, and cook. Those first few steps of prep work are already done for you, and you can thaw without needing to be in the kitchen!
What kind of difference does freezing this way make? Wholly cooked, frozen meals usually taste…. not as good as they were when they were freshly made. But if you freeze these items separately, then assemble, it takes just about the same amount of time as reheating from frozen, and it tastes way better. Cooked-from-fresh better. With the same amount of work!
Why would I bother having these kits instead of just cooking dinner from scratch? You’re in charge of what you’ve got on hand. It’s like having Blue Apron at the ready for whenever you want, not when they tell you their delivery times are. Plus, freezer meal kits make great options for the nights when you haven’t gotten to the grocery store and you have a hungry family waiting, or you’ve got a friend who just had a baby and you want to drop off some food but you don’t have time to cook much. It’s a great backup plan to keep for times when you need it.

So what do you think? Are DIY Freezer Meal Kits a great backup option for your family? Try the Chicken Enchilada recipe below as a DIY Freezer Meal Kit, and let me know how it turns out for you!

Chicken Enchilada with Black Beans and Salsa Verde

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

40 mins

This simple weeknight dish of chicken enchiladas, packed with shredded chicken and black beans and smothered in salsa verde and melty cheese, also makes a perfect DIY Freezer Meal Kit. Siply freeze each component of the dish in separate containers and store together in the freezer. The ingredients thaw faster this way, and the dish tastes like it's made from fresh- with less of the work on the night of!

I usually cook big batches of chicken breasts all at once in the crockpot, then shred and store for recipes like these. If you're starting from scratch, poach the chicken in water until cooked thoroughly, then shred using two forks or a hand mixer on low.

I really recommend using flour tortillas in this recipe as opposed to corn; they're more durable and hold up to cooking much better, meaning there's fewer enchiladas falling apart while you're trying to serve.

Servings: 4

Author: Ruthy Kirwan

Ingredients

for the salsa verde:

2 tablespoons olive oil
8-10 large tomatillos papery shells discarded and rinsed
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro optional if you're a cilantro hater

for the enchiladas:

2 cups shredded chicken about 16 ounces cooked chicken breast
13.5 ounces black beans cooked and drained
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
8-10 large flour tortillas
12 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

Make the salsa verde: Halve the tomatillos. Heat the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering, then add the tomatillos and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have started to brown and soften. Add the lime juice and cilantro and stir to combine. Transfer to a food processor or blender and process until smooth, then set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400*F.
Roll the enchiladas: In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, black beans, salt, and cumin. Stir to mix.
Place 1/2 cup of chicken and black bean mixture in the center of a flour tortilla and roll the tortilla around the mixture in a long cylinder. Transfer the tortilla cylinders to a 9"x13" baking dish, nestling them next to each other in one long row.
Once all the tortillas have been rolled and placed in the dish, pour the salsa verde over the tortillas, using a spoon to smooth the salsa verde into any cracks and crevices.
Sprinkle the enchiladas evenly with cheese and place the dish in the oven.
Bake until the cheese has melted and is bubbly, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let col slightly before serving.

YES! Free Meal Planning Kit!

Grab the exact sheets I use to create my meal plans with the handy Meal Planning Bundle! Includes weekly meal plan template, recipe ideas, cheat sheet, and checklist.

Want more info on the new membership site, Uncomplicated Kitchen?

Prices are rising fast during the Early Bird launch!

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Here’s Why You Should Join the Uncomplicated Kitchen Membership Site

by Ruthy Kirwan | Jul 10, 2018 | Blog, Guides and How-To's

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If you follow me on Instagram, Facebook, or like, life, you’ve probably heard me touting my new membership group Uncomplicated Kitchen.

And I know, I know, every day you’re inundated with things to buy and join and buy, everywhere you go. But Uncomplicated Kitchen is different. Today I want to tell you how – and why – if you’re a working parent, you’ll want to join, stat.

First things first: The quick & dirty lowdown. Uncomplicated Kitchen is a small-group membership site launching in mid-September, 2018 (right after kids start school). Right now, it costs $39 $43 $55 to join for the first 90 days.

Throughout that 90 days, you’ll have access to a “roadmap” of sorts that will take you from a hot mess on a weeknight to cool, calm, and somewhat collected. We’ll use expert interviews, recipe cook-a-longs, tutorials, cheat sheets, challenges, and more.

I say “somewhat” cool, calm and collected because come on. We’re parents. And nobody’s perfect.

But Uncomplicated Kitchen is the perfect first step to getting your ‘ish together on a weeknight. Members can partake in weekly challenges, tutorials, recipe cook-a-longs, expert interviews, and have the option to get a members-only subscription box filled with useful things for working parents.

Each of the three months will focus on a particular “topic”, and work will be gathered around that theme.

These topics are Sheet Pan/One Pan Meals, my 5 Minute Meal Plan System, and Freezer Meals.

Here’s more of a breakdown of the benefits of the membership site:

Tutorials and Cook-a-longs

Together, we’ll break down recipes and make them alongside each other – or you can just watch, whichever is easiest- so you can get comfortable with a roster of simple, easy-to-make recipes you can keep in your back pocket for busy nights.

Expert Speakers

I’m still nailing down interviews, but I’ll have experts in chatting about how they approach the topics we’re covering. Got an idea for someone you’d love to hear from, or an author you just read? Hit me up and I’ll try to get them booked!

Weekly/Monthly Challenges

This is a big part of the “How” of the group. Running through a challenge with others keeps you accountable, makes things fun and interesting, and you can see in real-time how others do at the same tasks as you, and gain inspiration or wisdom from their mistakes and wins.

Members-Only Subscription Box

This is separate from your initial payment, but it’s one of the items in the membership that I’m most excited about! The subscription box will focus on the things truly helpful to the group and cover what we’re learning: so, for example, we’ll have items that help make better sheet pan dinners. Items that are useful for getting freezer meals made. Things that help make your meal planning go faster.

I’ll have more of a sneak peek at the box and its items once we’re closer to the launch date.

Community and Collaboration

This is the heartbeat of the membership site group, and the reason I think you’ll love it inside the most. You’ll be a part of a tribe of other parents who are going through the same steps you are. This isn’t like a typical e-course where you’re given access to a bunch of tutorials and then sent on your merry way. This is done within a community aspect, so you can talk to other people, connect, even find who’s close by to you and meet up in real life.

Because it takes a village, you know?

Me (Ruthy 🙋)

I mean, not to toot my own horn, but…. Beep! I’ve been honing my skills at organization and meal planning for almost 20 years now. I’ve run professional kitchens, balanced food budgets and inventory, have a culinary degree, and can create a recipe from nothing.

I know how to work with specific personalities, schedules, abilities, and constraints in order to help people figure out their own best path to success. I’ve been to the brink where we were broke, always running out of food due to poor planning, overwhelmed at the aspect of getting dinner on the table every single night for my family – and I relied on my skills to set up systems and routines to make my nights easier, run smoother, and my mind less cluttered.

I can help you do the same in your own home!

I'M IN! SAVE MY SEAT!

Uncomplicated Kitchen is a special place, and I really hope you’ll join me on the inside! Watch this space for more details and sneak peeks inside the system- I’m currently uploading everything into the new platform and am stoked to show you guys what it looks like when it’s all put together.

If you’re not on the mailing list, hop on! I’ll be sending out updates over the next few months as everything is put together, plus announcing the expert speakers, some pre-membership workshops that are free for anyone to join (so you can get a taste of my teaching style) and more.

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The right routine will add structure to your weeknights at home, creating a rhythm to your evenings that runs on autopilot.

Ready to figure out the best way to start managing your weeknight routine? Ok, let’s get started.

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YES! Free Meal Planning Kit!

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Below is an example of a simple Meal Plan Rotation Plan I wrote for my family recently.

YES! Free Meal Planning Kit!

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This bright and zingy tabbouleh salad is an incredibly easy to make side dish since it can be thrown together in as little as 15 minutes!

I’m changing the traditional version of this easy to make side by adding a few “extras” that I think brighten this dish as a whole.

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Want more info on the new membership site, Uncomplicated Kitchen?

Prices are rising fast during the Early Bird launch!

DIY Freezer Meal Kits Will Save Your Unplanned Dinner Night (starting with these Chicken Enchiladas!)

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If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of delivery meal kits, like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh, here’s how they work:

It’s a formula that works, and that’s why meal delivery kits are all the rage with busy parents.

Guess what!? We’re making make a big batch of DIY Freezer Meal Kits JUST LIKE THIS in my new membership site, Uncomplicated Kitchen! Click the banner below to learn more and save your seat!

How exactly do you create a DIY Freezer Meal Kit, though? Can you just throw the ingredients of any dish in the freezer and call it good?

YES! Free Meal Planning Kit!

YES! Free Meal Planning Kit!

Want more info on the new membership site, Uncomplicated Kitchen?

Prices are rising fast during the Early Bird launch!

Here’s Why You Should Join the Uncomplicated Kitchen Membership Site

If you follow me on Instagram, Facebook, or like, life, you’ve probably heard me touting my new membership group Uncomplicated Kitchen.

Each of the three months will focus on a particular “topic”, and work will be gathered around that theme.

Tutorials and Cook-a-longs

Expert Speakers

Weekly/Monthly Challenges

Members-Only Subscription Box

Community and Collaboration

Me (Ruthy 🙋)

Welcome!

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