Author name: Alida Ryder

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…

Creamy Peri-Peri Spatchcock Chicken

This creamy peri peri spatchcock chicken is two of my most popular recipes combined into one show-stopping dinner. The spatchcock technique from my baked peri peri chicken (butterflied for faster, more even cooking and crispier skin) meets the creamy p…

Meal Plan #26 of 2026

This week we are making Arroz con Pollo, Creamy Tomato Bacon Pasta, Lamb Chops, Chicken Stir Fry and the BEST Seafood Risotto. We’ve also had some requests to include season-appropriate alternatives to some of the dishes (think soups and salads w…

7 Day Meal Plan On A Budget Part 2

This is the second edition of my budget meal plan and this time I approached it differently. Instead of planning the meals first and then shopping, I started with the specials. I went through the promotions at the stores local to me, spotted deals on t…

Easy Fried Rice

This easy fried rice is a recipe I make often. It’s budget-friendly, great for clearing out the fridge (making it endlessly customizable) and doesn’t call for expensive ingredients you might not always have on hand. The beauty of fried rice…

Easy Overnight Oats

These overnight oats are the breakfast I make when I want something delicious waiting for me in the morning without doing a single thing before coffee. Four ingredients, 5 minutes of prep the night before and you wake up to a creamy, ready-to-eat break…

Meal Plan #25 of 2026

This week we are making Baked Chicken Breasts, Masala Baked Fish, Creamy Tomato Pasta, Chicken Meatballs and Easy Grilled Chicken Burgers. We’ve also had some requests to include season-appropriate alternatives to some of the dishes (think soups …

Meal Plan #24 of 2026

This week we are making Smothered Chicken, Pork Sausage Meatballs in Tomato Sauce, Butternut Squash Soup, Chilli con Carne and Burgers. We’ve also had some requests to include season-appropriate alternatives to some of the dishes (think soups and…

Easy Homemade Chicken Stock

This chicken stock costs nothing to make. It’s made entirely from things you would have thrown in the bin: rotisserie chicken bones, vegetable scraps you’ve saved throughout the month, a few herbs that are past their prime and some garlic c…

20+ Easy Ground Beef Recipes

Ground beef/beef mince is one of the most versatile proteins in my kitchen. It’s affordable, it cooks fast, it takes on any seasoning you throw at it and it’s the starting point for some of the most loved dinners in the world. Bolognese, ta…

One Shop, 5 Dinners #2: Simple Weeknight Dinners

One trip to the grocery store. Five completely different dinners. No second stops, no specialty ingredients, no midweek panic about what to cook. That’s the concept behind One Shop 5 Dinners and this is the second edition. If you missed edit…

Easy Chilli Con Carne

This chilli con carne is rich, smoky, subtly sweet and the kind of meal that tastes like it’s been simmering all day even when it hasn’t. High in protein and fiber from the beans and vegetables, this is a family favorite and one I make ofte…

Meal Plan #23 of 2026

This week we are making Rotisserie Chicken and Mushroom Soup, Cottage Pie, Butter Chicken Curry, Easy Creamy Tomato Pasta and Taco-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes. We’ve also had some requests to include season-appropriate alternatives to some of the dish…

5 Easy Freezer Meals

These 5 easy freezer meals are all cost-effective and great ways to stock your freezer with meals that come in handy on busy nights when cooking from scratch just isn’t an option. You’ve stocked your freezer with meatballs, marinated chicke…

Classic Cottage Pie

This Cottage Pie recipe is a family dinner favorite across the world and one of the recipes my readers asked for the most. My recipe is simple and classic, flavored with a mirepoix, garlic, fresh rosemary and red wine. Easy but delicious comfort food. …

Meal Plan #22 of 2026

This week we are making Greek Chicken, Chakalaka Baked Potatoes, Easy Taco Pasta, Creamy Peri Peri Chicken and rice and the perfect Steak au Poivre. We’ve also had some requests to include season-appropriate alternatives to some of the dishes (th…

Meal Plan #21 of 2026

This week we are making Tandoori Chicken, Creamy Tomato Beef Pasta, Creamy Chickpea Butternut Squash Curry, Breaded Chicken Cutlets and Smashed Lamb Wraps. We’ve also had some requests to include season-appropriate alternatives to some of the dis…

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