Author name: Alida Ryder

Meal Plan #33 of 2026

This week’s meal plan includes Peri-Peri Spatchcock Chicken, Masala Baked Fish, Creamy Tomato Beef Pasta, Mushroom Chicken and Easy Shrimp Tacos. Where appropriate, we’ll include seasonal swaps so you’re not eating hearty soups and st…

The BEST Peppermint Crisp Tart

If you’re South African, Peppermint Crisp Tart needs no introduction. If you’re not, let me be the one to introduce you. This iconic dessert makes a constant appearance at birthdays, braai’s, family gatherings and it’s synonymou…

7 Day Family Meal Plan on a Budget: Part 3

This is the third edition of my budget meal plan. Another full week of meals for a family of four: seven dinners, breakfast every morning and lunch every day. No skipped meals, no sad food and no compromise on flavor. This week features some of the mos…

Ground Beef Curry / Curry Mince

This ground beef curry (or Curry Mince, if you’re South African) is a delicious, budget-friendly dinner. Ground beef cooked with onions, garlic and warm spices in a rich, saucy base, served over golden turmeric rice. Curry mince is a South Africa…

Easy Banana Baked Oatmeal

Easy baked oatmeal is the make-ahead breakfast of dreams. Warm, comforting and endlessly customizable, this has quickly become one of our family go-to’s. The base is rolled oats, milk, eggs, a little sweetener and whatever flavors you want to add…

Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy

Bangers and mash has been one of our family favorite dinners for years and years. It’s pure comfort and so incredibly simple. Good quality store-bought pork sausages, creamy mashed potatoes and a super easy, showstopper onion gravy. What more cou…

Meal Plan #32 of 2026

This week’s meal plan includes Cheese and Tomato Pasta Bake, Tandoori Chicken, Pork Sausage Meatballs, Moroccan Chicken Couscous Bowls and Baked Beef Tacos. Where appropriate, we’ll include seasonal swaps so you’re not eating hearty s…

Easy Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice Salad

Meet my new hyper-fixation meal. Crispy rice, tuna, cucumber and avocado all tossed in a creamy, spicy dressing. Perfect for an easy, high-protein lunch or light dinner. The crispy rice is the star here. Cooked rice seasoned and air fried until golden …

Meal Plan #31 of 2026

This week’s meal plan includes Chicken Chickpea Curry, Spicy Tuna Rice Bowls, Creamy Beef Taco Pasta, Juicy Indian-Spiced Lamb Chops and Chicken Tacos with Pico de Gallo. Where appropriate, we’ll include seasonal swaps so you’re not e…

Garlic Butter Naan

My Naan recipe delivers soft, pillowy naan drenched in garlic butter and is honestly sometimes the only reason I crave curry. The dough comes together quickly and can be made either by hand or with a stand mixer. Homemade naan sounds intimidating but i…

The 15-Minute Dinner Formula

Every 15-minute dinner I make follows the same formula. Once you know it, you’ll never stare at the fridge wondering what to cook again. The formula has four parts: one quick-cooking protein, one easy starch, a sauce or dressing to bring it toget…

Moroccan Chicken Couscous Bowls

These Moroccan chicken couscous bowls are one of the most satisfying meals I make and they come together so quickly. Warmly spiced chicken over fluffy couscous with marinated chickpeas, diced cucumber and jewel-like pomegranate seeds scattered over the…

Easy Shakshuka

This is a super easy, absolutely delicious Shakshuka recipe that makes for an effortless breakfast, lunch or dinner. We love it topped with plenty of herbs, sliced chillies and crusty bread for mopping up that delicious sauce. We absolutely love Shaksh…

Spicy Tuna Rice Bowl

This Spicy Tuna Rice Bowl has become a firm favorite for a wholesome lunch and speedy dinner in our home. We love topping our bowls with avocado, cucumber, sliced radish, edamame beans and a good drizzle of chilli crunch for spice. This bowl is packed …

Meal Plan #30 of 2026

This week’s meal plan includes Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs, Taco-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, Marry Me Chicken Orzo, Smashed Lamb Wraps and Chicken Burgers. Where appropriate, we’ll include seasonal swaps so you’re not eating hearty soups…

All The Kitchen Essentials You Need

You don’t need a kitchen full of gadgets to cook well. You need good basics that you use every day and nothing that sits in a drawer collecting dust. These are the kitchen essentials I reach for constantly, the tools I’d buy first if I was …

Meal Plan #29 of 2026

This week’s meal plan includes Chicken Skewers, Shrimp Tacos, Spaghetti Bolognese and delicious Arroz con Pollo. We also have the easiest burger tacos for the weekend! Where appropriate, we’ll include seasonal swaps so you’re not eati…

Meal Plan #28

This week’s meal plan includes Taco-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, Baked Lemon Chicken and Rice, Lasagna Soup, Creamy Sage Chicken and Shrimp Curry. We’ve also had some requests to include season-appropriate alternatives to some of the dishes (thi…

Pantry Staples: How To Stock A Pantry

A well-stocked pantry is the difference between “there’s nothing to eat” and “I can make something with this.” It’s the thing that saves you on the nights when you haven’t planned dinner, haven’t been to …

Meal Plan #27 of 2026

This week we are making Butter Chicken Meatballs, Spaghetti alla Nerano, Peri-Peri Baked Chicken, Chicken Noodle Soup and Smashed Burger Tacos. We’ve also had some requests to include season-appropriate alternatives to some of the dishes (think s…

Non-Sandwich Lunchbox Ideas Kids Will Actually Eat

If your kids come home with an uneaten sandwich every day, this post is for you. Savory bakes, fritters, muffins, nuggets and handheld options that pack well, travel well and actually get eaten.  I asked my Instagram audience about their biggest lunchb…

Seed and Nut Rusks

These easy Seed and Nut Rusks are a South African classic. Ever-so-lightly sweetened, crunchy with plenty of texture from the seeds and nuts and the perfect snack or breakfast served with a hot cup of coffee or tea. If you grew up in South Africa, you …

Prep Once, Eat All Week

This is not a full meal prep Sunday where you spend four hours batch cooking and portioning 20 containers. This is one hour on Monday evening while you cook dinner, and that single hour sets up the rest of your week so every other dinner comes together…

Butter Chicken Meatballs

These butter chicken meatballs are everything you love about butter chicken but in meatball form. Juicy chicken meatballs simmered in a rich, creamy, warmly spiced butter chicken sauce and served over rice with naan for scooping. Ingredients and Substi…

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