Simple Meals Archives | Page 7 of 21

DON’T Make Meal Plans in 2019! (What?!)

December 27, 2018 by Laura Leave a Comment

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Yep. Sit back and let us make your meals plans for you. How fantastic would that be?! We offered this back in September – and it’s back for two days in a flash sale. Drum roll please…

We included an entire years Simple Meals Subscription (worth $52) in this year’s Healthy Living Bundle. That means you can get your first year subscription for just $29.97! That’s almost half price. (Complete real food, simple menu plans every week for $0.58 each!!!!)

PLUS, your purchase instantly gives you 95 other Healthy Living resources that help you learn more about keeping yourself and your family healthy. And if that isn’t awesome enough, we decided to sweeten the pot even more by creating a new Simple Recipes eBook and giving it to you for…

FREE.

Yes. When you buy this year’s Healthy Living Bundle through our links, not only will you be getting an entire year’s worth of Simple Meals complete planning packets for almost half price, you’ll get 95 other products (worth $2235), 6 bonuses…

Then you can email me and we’ll throw our Simple Recipes for Simple Meals eBook into your inbox!

But I don’t want the Healthy Living Bundle!

Oh. Well, I think if you look at all that is included in this year’s collection, you might change your mind about not wanting it. But hey, I get it. Sometimes the idea of having the entire bundle can feel overwhelming.

So say you don’t want the Bundle, but you DO want a One-Year Subscription to Simple Meals. And you want our new Simple Recipes eBook too. But of course.

You can pay full price for both of those if you want to, but I suggest buying the bundle anyway so you can get Simple Meals for $29.97 instead of our regular $52. And you’ll get our free new eBook, regularly priced at $8.95.

(You’ll end up saving $31! Which is more than the cost of the entire bundle!)

Why is this worth it?

The best thing I can say is that we all want to feed our families well so we can be healthy, but there are more important ways to spend our time and energy than planning, shopping, and cooking for hours every week. It is much more important to love God and love people. We must turn our focus from work to love!

That is the inspiration behind Simple Meals. Every week our team creates and sends you super simple, real food menu plans, grocery lists, recipes, and more – so you can very easily put great meals on the table every night. You’ll be able to feed your family tremendous food while spending very little time in the kitchen. This will free you up for:

More family time
More time spent in ministry
More time to rest and find refreshment in God’s word

That’s more of everything that is most important. All while feeding your family well too.

Your kitchen life is about to make a big change for the better.

This Healthy Living Bundle flash sale offer is only good through Friday, December 28.

Take advantage right away! You’ll get immediate access to Simple Meals, and you’ll benefit from it for an entire year. Then email me ([email protected]) and I’ll email you a copy of our brand new Simple Recipes for Simple Meals eBook for FREE!

Then look through all the other (95!) products that are included in the bundle too. They are yours forever, so you can take your time in looking through them all.

I can’t wait to connect with you through Simple Meals!

This offer expires December 28, 2018.

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Simple Real Food Recipes For Your Holiday Break

December 25, 2018 by Laura Leave a Comment

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I don’t know about you, but I’m taking a break right now. I break from blogging and a break from many normal responsibilities. This is why we all need Simple Recipes so we can still feed our families well!

Keep your meals as simple as possible as you enjoy family time and celebrations. Here’s our ever-growing list of Simple Recipes for you to choose from!

Dozens of Simple Real Food Recipes

Want them in your hands?

We’ve got most of these recipes already in eBook format so you can download, print, and hold them in your hands!

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Simple 5-Minute Cheesy Hamburger and Potatoes

November 11, 2018 by Laura 10 Comments

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Add this Simple 5-Minute Cheesy Hamburger and Potatoes recipe to the growing list of reasons it is awesome to have a stash of frozen hashbrowns waiting in the freezer!

Around here, we like our recipes to be both easy to prepare and made with real food. Why?

Because loving God and loving people is more important than well, anything else in this world.

(Matthew 22:36-40)

Therefore, we’re learning to do everything possible to keep our food as nourishing as possible, all while preparing it as quickly as possible. This frees up our time and energy to spend doing what God calls us to do each day.

Frozen Hashbrowns for the win!

I shared in this post about my happy hashbrown find and why I now rely on it for a healthy, convenient option. (In summary, Mr. Dells frozen hashbrowns has one ingredient: Potatoes. Beautiful!)

Since discovering these, I’ve come up with a variety of fun Hashbrown Casseroles that my family loves and that take only a few minutes to put together. Many can be made either in the oven or in the crock pot, which means I can make adjustments based on what we have going on each day!

Other super easy (but still real food) Hashbrown Casseroles I’ve shared:

Today we’re adding 5-Minute Cheesy Potatoes and Beef to the list! How can this be made in 5 minutes? Well, with our trusty frozen hashbrowns of course. And also, IF you follow this handy trick of cooking hamburger meat ahead of time, then all you have to do is pull out cooked meat, add it to your crock pot or baking dish with the other ingredients, and in 5 minutes, dinner is ready to bake!

Simple 5-Minute Cheesy Potatoes and Beef

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Author: Laura

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

1-2 pounds ground beef
30-ounces frozen hashbrowns (or 5 medium potatoes sliced thinly)
2 Tablespoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 cups shredded cheese (we use Colby jack)
½ cup chicken or beef broth

Instructions

Brown hamburger meat in a skillet on the stove-top.
In a large crock pot, layer ½ of the potatoes followed by ½ of the cooked meat.
Sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon minced onion, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon sea salt, and 1½ cups shredded cheese.
Repeat with another layer of potatoes, meat, seasonings, and cheese.
Drizzle broth over the ingredients and put the lid on the crock pot.
Cook on "Hi" for 4 hours.

Need some veggies to go with this meal. YES. Always. :) Here are my favorite easy ways to prepare veggies to go with our meals!

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Simple Ham and Hashbrown Casserole

October 21, 2018 by Laura 1 Comment

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I have a secret to tell you about why I keep sharing varieties of recipes like this Simple Ham and Hashbrown Casserole.

The secret? I found an awesome and healthy option for purchasing frozen hashbrowns at the store, and this discovery has my freezer stocked with a lovely convenience item that is still real food.

I used to always make my own hashbrowns, which truly was wonderful and definitely saved us money. I made them during a season in my life that I was home more and had more time (or at least used more time) for making most of our food from scratch.

As our kids grew older and became involved in more activities, then as God began to show us more about what He meant when He said, “Love me. Love your neighbor,” and as God has introduced more and more people into our lives to love including foster kids – well, I simply choose not to use my time making homemade hashbrowns anymore.

Do I compromise and use frozen hashbrowns from the store that have lots of added ingredients in them? (Seriously, read the labels on frozen hashbrowns. What is that stuff?) Nope. I discovered Mr. Dell’s frozen hashbrowns which contains one ingredient: Potatoes.

I stock my freezer with them, both the shredded and the cubed varieties. Now I can make Hashbrown Casseroles super quickly while still feeding my family real, nourishing food.

So there you go. Laura doesn’t make homemade hashbrowns any more. She has discovered hashbrown freedom. :)

So here’s the latest, and probably our favorite of all hashbrown casseroles. I typically use leftover ham for this, which is also fast and easy. I’ve written out an oven baking option as well as a crock pot option so you can make this in whatever way that works best for you!

Simple Ham and Hashbrown Casserole

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Author: Laura

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

3 cups ham cut into bite-sized pieces
3 cups sour cream
3 Tablespoons dried minced onion
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 (28 ounce) bag of frozen shredded hashbrowns
2 cups shredded cheddar or Colby jack cheese

Instructions

In a large bowl, stir together ham, shredded cheese, sour cream, onion, and salt and pepper.
Fold in frozen hashbrowns until all ingredients are well combined.
Spread mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish or into a large crock pot.
Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Oven Baking: Bake uncovered in a 350° oven for 45-60 minutes or until casserole is lightly browned and bubbly.
Crock Pot Method: Cook on low for 6 hours or on hi for 3 hours.

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Simple Creamy Layered Enchiladas (For Oven or Crock Pot)

October 9, 2018 by Laura 1 Comment

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How simple are these Creamy Layered Enchiladas? Well, I was able to throw them together in just five minutes before running out to church on a recent Sunday morning. So I’d say they’re pretty simple!

This recipe is simple in and of itself, but if you happen to have hamburger already cooked and waiting to be used, then you really can throw the rest of this together in just five minutes. (Or use pre-cooked chicken if you prefer!)

There are two great options for cooking this casserole: Crock Pot or Oven.

I use the Crock Pot on days I don’t want to heat up the house with the oven or on Sundays when I want to have our meal ready and waiting when we get home from church. I use the oven when I have these enchiladas made up ahead of time in a casserole dish. Then all I have to do is slide it into the oven and let it bake while I get other work done!

Simple Creamy Layered Enchiladas

Simple Creamy Layered Enchiladas (For Oven or Crock Pot)

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Author: Laura

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
sea salt to taste
2 cups salsa
1½ cups sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
8 whole wheat flour tortillas (or corn tortillas)

Instructions

Brown meat. Stir in salt, salsa, sour cream, and ½ cup of cheese.
Lay 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Spread half of meat mixture over tortillas.
Layer again with the 4 remaining tortillas.
Spread remaining meat mixture over tortillas.
Top with 1½ cups cheese.
Bake uncovered at 350° for 20-25 minutes.
OR Layer ingredients into a crock pot. Cook on Low for 6-7 hours or on Hi for 4 hours.

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Simple One Dish Chicken Florentine (For Instant Pot or Crock Pot)

September 27, 2018 by Laura 11 Comments

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You guys. This entire, delicious meal takes me only 7 minutes of work to prepare. 7 minutes to make One-Dish Chicken Florentine. Meat, pasta, and veggie all in one dish. With 7 minutes of total prep time. Hoorah!

Now, I can’t say for sure because I don’t know the specific needs of the picky people in your life. But I dare say that even picky people might not mind the spinach in this dish. Why? Because you can’t taste it. It doesn’t really create a weird texture. It really just adds color variety (and hidden nutrients, shh!).

I personally like to serve a tossed salad on the side of this dish, because the more greens, the merrier. But in a pinch, just serve this quick-to-make dish all by itself and you’re golden!

Can we all stand and applaud the fact that we don’t have to precook our chicken or pasta when making this? That’s why it only takes 7 minutes of prep time! Raw chicken, uncooked noodles, dump it all into an Instant Pot or Crock Pot and dinner takes care of itself!

Simple One-Dish Chicken Florentine

Simple One Dish Chicken Florentine (For Instant Pot or Crock Pot)

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Author: Laura

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

1½ pounds boneless chicken thighs or breasts
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced or 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
Sea salt to taste
6 cups fresh spinach leaves
16-ounces whole grain spaghetti (uncooked)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 cups chicken broth
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. (I use kitchen shears for this which makes it super fast!)
Place prepared chicken in the bottom of your Instant Pot or Crock Pot.
Sprinkle with garlic, salt, and spinach leaves.
Break spaghetti noodles in half and place on top.
Pour on chicken broth and cream.
Top with shredded cheese.
Seal Instant Pot and cook on the "Poultry" setting for 15 minutes, doing a quick release after the time runs out.
OR Cook in a Crock Pot on low for 6 hours.
Stir and serve.
Garnish with grated parmesan if you like!

Don’t have an Instant Pot? I held back for years before jumping on the bandwagon. But now that I have one I LOVE how much time and energy it has saved me in the kitchen. This Chicken Florentine is just another recipe to prove how great my Instant Pot makes my real food kitchen life.

But a Crock Pot works too, and will still allow you to create this recipe with just 7 minutes of effort, so use whatever you have!

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The BEST Way to Make Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot

September 20, 2018 by Laura 10 Comments

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Sometimes a girl thinks she is onto something when she learns to make Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot. Then her friend Leesa is like, “Girl, you have to try it my way instead.” And then you try making Mashed Potatoes Leesa’s way and you fall down dead.

How is it that the best foods we all love can actually taste even better when we tweak a few ingredients and methods? Can it be that these Mashed Potatoes take so little effort to make? And is it actually possible that making Mashed Potatoes in the way I am about to describe actually adds more nutrients to this delicious dish?

Yes. So these potatoes are better tasting AND better for us, all without any extra work. Hoorah!

The BEST Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot

What takes these great Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot from good to BEST? Chicken broth. Indeed, instead of simply cooking our potatoes in water, then draining and adding milk and butter later – we are going to cook the potatoes in chicken broth and milk. No draining needed! The nutrients and flavor absorb into the potatoes, we mash them and add butter and salt, then voila. Amazing Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot!

NOTE: Never fear the fat! These are full of good fats, so let’s emphasize the GOOD in that sentence. Broth, real butter, and whole milk are all good, nourishing foods. Our brains need good fats for good health. So give a cheer for mashed potatoes that taste amazing and offer great nourishment too!

Don’t have an Instant Pot?

Make these in the Crock Pot instead! Cook on low for 8-10 hours or hi for 5 hours. Mash, add butter and salt, and serve!

Wait. You don’t have an Instant Pot?

I was with you for years, putting it off forever, not wanting to jump on the Instant Pot bandwagon. Then so many worked to convince me that I finally jumped. I’ve found that investing in this lovely appliance truly has saved me time and energy in my real food kitchen.

I LOVE my 8-Quart Instant Pot (because I always make large amounts of food). Some prefer the 6-Quart Instant Pot because it comes to pressure faster.

Beyond the mashed potato, my favorite way to use my Instant Pot is to cook 5-7 pounds of frozen hamburger meat in 30 minutes. For real!

And now for my friend Leesa’s wonderful Mashed Potato recipe and instructions!

The BEST Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot

The BEST Way to Make Mashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot

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Author: Laura

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
1 cup chicken or beef broth
1 cup whole milk
Butter to taste (I use one stick)
Sea salt to taste

Instructions

Wash and quarter potatoes.
Put them onto the trivet inside your instant pot along with the chicken broth and milk.
Seal and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes.
Quick release the pressure.
Don't drain the liquid!
Add butter and salt to your liking (the more butter the better, I always say!)
Mash with a potato masher and serve!

These Mashed Potatoes are a must try! Let me know what you think!

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Simple Baked Beans Recipe

September 16, 2018 by Laura 3 Comments

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I love that Simple Baked Beans is such an easy side dish to put together and pair with so many great meats and veggies!

Truly, it is the simplest of foods that make our meals so much better! (Did you download our Simple Ingredients for Simple Meals list yet? It’s FREE! And oh so helpful!)

These Simple Baked Beans take little effort, and are just sweet enough to make us all fall in love. I love adding these as a side dish (along with other veggies and fruits) to a basic meaty main dish.

Consider these Simple Baked Beans when you decide what to serve with any of these Simple Meals recipes:

Phew, so many possibilities!!

If you haven’t joined Simple Meals yet, I encourage you to take the plunge! We do all the planning for you, then provide you each week with a beautifully laid out menu plan, grocery list, side dish ideas, bonus recipes, and so much more. Every week. For one dollar. Seriously.

Get a sample Simple Meals menu plan here.

As for these Simple Baked Beans, you’ll love having this recipe in your back pocket to add protein and goodness to your Simple Meals.

Ready for the super simple recipe? Soak and cook your own beans, or keep some canned beans on hand to throw these together at a moment’s notice.

Simple Baked Beans

Simple Baked Beans Recipe

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Author: Laura

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

32-ounces canned pork and beans (or soak and cook your own pintos or navy beans!)
¼ cup ketchup (give or take)
1 Tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
3 Tablespoons dried minced onion
1 Tablespoon honey or brown sugar (optional)

Instructions

Stir ingredients together in a 8x8 inch baking dish.
Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until bubbly.
(In a hurry? Cook in a pot on the stove for 10-15 minutes in a pinch!)

I love that if I plan ahead, I can bake these in the oven. Or if I need to throw these together in less time (story of my life), I can simply stir this recipe into a pot and heat it to bubbly on the stove. So simple and good!

P.S. Make these beans into a main dish by adding leftover cooked hamburger and/or cooked bacon!

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Stick of Butter Rice – AMAZING!

September 11, 2018 by Laura 23 Comments

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Now that I have discovered how to make this Stick of Butter Rice, I will never go back to making it “the regular way.” Wow, wow, and then some. It’s because of the butter, of course. Wait until you try this!

Some people be like, “Go easy on this rice because it’s so high in fat because of the butter!” But Laura be like, “What a great and delicious way to add good fat to a whole grain carb dish!”

I’m not a huge fan of empty carbs, which turn to sugar in our bodies, which offer little if any nourishment, and therefore can turn to fat in our bodies as they try to serve some sort of purpose for us. So if there’s any reason to go easy on this rice, it is because our bodies don’t need loads of carbohydrates or grains for nourishment (unless we are avid athletes with rigorous daily workouts).

As for me? I enjoy this wonderfully flavored, high fat rice in small quantities with a large side of veggies and a delightful portion of meat.

The flavor of this rice, though!!! Wow, you must try it. Between the broth, the onion, and the butter (the obvious MVP of this dish), I think you’ll be like me and decide to never go back to making plain rice again!

See how simple this Stick of Butter Rice is?

Measure uncooked rice and minced onion into a baking dish. Cut butter into pats and add to rice.

Add salt and chicken broth and stir.

Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for one hour. Your job here is done.

We love serving some sort of shredded meat with this rice, such as:

Those are our favorites, though this Stick of Butter Rice makes a great side dish with just about any meal!

Enjoy the simplicity of this wonderful dish! Once you try it you’ll never go back!

Stick of Butter Rice

5.0 from 4 reviews

Stick of Butter Rice - AMAZING!

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Author: Laura

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

2 cups brown rice (uncooked)
4 cups beef or chicken broth
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 Tablespoons dry minced onions
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)

Instructions

Measure rice, broth, salt, and onions into a 9x13 inch baking dish and stir.
Cut a stick of butter into 8ish "pats" and spread over the dish.
Cover dish and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.

Become a Simple Meals member! Every week we’ll send you a great menu plan full of Simple Recipes like this one. We’ll equip you with a grocery list. We’ll break everything down so that your meal prep is as simple as possible. We’ll give you bonus tips and recipes and freebies. And this is all for just $1 each week. You’ll love it!

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3 Big Ways I Cheat in My Real Food Kitchen (Without Compromising Taste or Health!)

September 9, 2018 by Laura 2 Comments

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Want to hear the 3 biggest ways I cheat in my real food kitchen without compromising what actually matters? Come closer, my friends. Learn a little bit more about my crazy (or perhaps brilliant?) ways and methods.

First a story —>

Malachi (our 13-year old) had a friend over this summer who watched incredulously as I opened 7 pounds of frozen hamburger meat and put it into my Instant Pot.

Malachi’s friend: “What are you making with all that meat?!”
Me: “I’m not sure.”
Friend: “Uhhh???”

Just another day at the Coppinger house in which I affirm that Mama Copp is a little bit nuts.

While it doesn’t seem to make sense that I would cook a huge batch of hamburger meat without a firm plan, it actually makes perfect sense in my mind because when I have 7 pounds of cooked hamburger meat on hand, I can very quickly make up any of these 33 meals:

Hmmm, seems that Mama Copp isn’t quite so crazy after all. (Except that she is, but hey, at least she has lots of good food on hand.)

That is just one of the ways I get ahead in the kitchen in order to make our real food life so much simpler. If you ask me, when trying to keep up with a busy family without having stress over those 3 meals a day everyone must eat, keeping it simple is THE ONLY WAY.

3 Ways I Cheat in My Real Food Kitchen (Without Compromising Taste or Health!)

1. Cook meat ahead of time (so you can throw together meals quickly).

I obviously just shared this above, but the same goes with chicken and other favorite meats that are easily stirred into casseroles or soups. Cook meat in large batches, then freeze or refrigerate in meal-sized portions. Meal prep goes so much faster and simpler this way!

2. Serve easy fresh fruit and veggie sides.

I cannot emphasize this enough (though if you’ve been reading my blog for a long time, you know that I do say it over and over!). It is ridiculously easy to wash strawberries and serve them with your pizza. It takes no effort to steam green beans, peas, or broccoli to go with your casserole. Make your simple main dish, then slice a few peaches and set out a salad. IT IS SO EASY.

3. Buy mixed greens so you don’t have to make salads.

Please allow me to remind you of the magic of a container of mixed greens. This fabulous container takes all the work out of making salads. Plus it provides excellent nourishment and did I mention that THERE IS NO WORK INVOLVED? No washing, no prepping, no work. Just set it on the table and have at it. Add baby carrots and grape tomatoes if you want more in your salad than just greens.

And there you have it. My three favorite cheat methods for putting great meals on the table without going to extra trouble or compromising on nourishment!

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