Notes about Recipes in this book

• Chicken and cucumber ribbon salad with peanut butter vinaigrette

  • SpatulaCity on January 26, 2023

    Fresh, light, easy!

• 10 salads using meal prep staples 1

  • SpatulaCity on January 26, 2023

    Absolutely delicious! I usually use simple roasted chicken from Trader Joe’s, so the salad is extra fast to assemble. I do not use her recipe for Balsamic vinaigrette though, because I never stock apple cider, and it’s not worth getting it just for a small bit of dressing.

• 10 salads using meal prep staples 5

  • SpatulaCity on January 26, 2023

    I liked it, my hubby hated it. For me the crunch of the veg and pomegranate seeds, with the freshness of mint and cooking richness of the yogurt was a win! For him it just didn’t jive together well.

• 10 salads using meal prep staples 6

  • SpatulaCity on January 26, 2023

    Good! I don’t often use spring mix lettuces, so appreciated the change up. Pumpkin seeds and apple gave it fall flair. I substituted sweet potato for the roasted squash.

• 10 salads you can make in a pinch 1

  • SpatulaCity on February 14, 2025

    Another greats salad suggestion! I added a bunch of fresh parsley and could see olives being a nice touch too.

• 10 salads you can make in a pinch 3

  • SpatulaCity on January 26, 2023

    As it calls for lentils and beets that are already cooked, the assembly is very easy and fast. It was good.

• 10 salads you can make in a pinch 9

  • SpatulaCity on February 20, 2025

    Tasty and great to throw together. The steamed lentils at Trader Joe’s have more flavor than the canned version, so next time would use those instead. Added half a sweet potato from the fridge as well. Goat cheese would also be a good sub in for the blue cheese

• Springtime pasta salad with tuna and creamy pesto dressing

  • SpatulaCity on January 26, 2023

    I liked this lighter take on a pasta salad. Lots of crunchy veg. I thought the mustard was too overpowering in the dressing though, and as I prefer the flavor of pesto, kept adding spoonfuls of pesto to make that flavor shine

  • hashi on May 04, 2023

    This is such a great twist on normal pasta salad. Use whole wheat penne for some additional texture. Makes an easy, substantial lunch.

• French lentil salad with roasted radishes, peas, and eggs

  • SpatulaCity on January 26, 2023

    Love this French vinaigrette! I didn’t like the roasted radishes though and much prefer them raw and full of crunch and spice. Was okay

• Savory vegetable cobbler

  • Hansyhobs on February 01, 2022

    Nice enough. The biscuit dough was SUPER wet so I added more flour but I def added too much, biscuits were fine but could have been flakier

• Broccoli, rigatoni, and white bean minestrone with fried lemons

  • SpatulaCity on January 26, 2023

    Fine for lunch, but sort of ho-hum for dinner.

• Asparagus and pea pilaf with eggs and mozzarella

  • SpatulaCity on January 26, 2023

    Loved the quinoa/rice blend, and the crunchy veg! Cooking is very easy as well with the quinoa and rice cooking together and popping the asparagus in at the end. The dressing is pretty boring though. Next time will make it a bit more punchy, and have more of it. But otherwise - nice!

• Walnut-crusted avocado, feta, and eggs with pesto rice

  • SpatulaCity on January 27, 2023

    Really liked this! Simple but healthy and tasty. The rice needed more pesto I made extra walnut crumble and stored in the freezer. Made it very simple to grab when needing a little dimension in other lunches!

• Lemon roasted potatoes, chicken, and spinach with tzatziki

  • mjes on July 26, 2021

    Okay, I'd been rearranging bento boxes ... and the photo of this recipe resembled a bento box ...so of course in picking a recipe from this book to try ... The tzatziki recipe is quite acceptable but I prefer the slightly richer version of Ina Garten which adds a bit of sour cream. The sweet potato and checken roasted in lemon is, again, a solid recipe but much like many others. Side salad of baby spinach and kalamata olives, ditto. But the combination is a very nice portable meal to keep in mind.

• High-protein seasonal DIY lunch boxes: spring

  • SpatulaCity on January 27, 2023

    Heated the mix up just to take the chill off. Good! Used slow roasted salmon. Filling but healthy

• Black bean salsa salad with homemade crepe tortillas

  • SpatulaCity on January 27, 2023

    Didn’t make the crepe tortillas, but thought the black bean salsa salad was great! I added extra avocado (needed) and chicken. Will make again.

• Baked squash with brown butter, feta, and chili

  • hashi on November 05, 2023

    Good fall lunch recipe. As suggested, added white beans and a splash of water. Adding next day comments…flavor good, but texture didn’t hold up as nicely as expected; a bowl full of squashy mush.

• Baked sweet potatoes with chicken, cauliflower, date, and sumac topping

  • SpatulaCity on February 12, 2025

    Great option for lunch. Used roasted Japanese Sweet Potatoes. I chopped the potato and added everything to a bed of arugula. Excellent. I would double the mint, date and pine nut toppings.

• Chopped Thai salad with peanut sauce

  • lean1 on July 04, 2023

    made the peanut sauce. It is so easy to mix and has a slightly tangy taste with less sweetness like some bottled varieties. I will make this often and use in salads and pastas and with cooked chicken.

• Butternut squash kale salad with roasted garlic dressing

  • Happykikkers on January 20, 2025

    Taste was good and this was very hands-off, but my pumpkin was a little too soft and my kale a little wilted. Will make again with fresher produce. Used pepitas instead of bread for added crunch.

• Greek chopped salad with crispy peppercorn salmon

  • kastnich15 on May 15, 2026

    This is really good! I'm hard to please when it comes to salmon, but this is delicious, and the salad goes great with it.

• Even more modern ways with toast 5

  • hashi on November 05, 2023

    Love this quick, easy toast idea. It’s a perfect afternoon snack and a great way to get some veggies in!

• Turkish poached eggs with eggplant on socca crepes

  • mjes on July 26, 2021

    I am a bit of a sucker for socca - and this thin version is quite different from what I learned in a baking class. I am equally a sucker for eggplant and for poached eggs. Hmm ... was there any chance I wouldn't love this, Actually, the herbed yogurt and smoked paprika oil transformed this from a collection of my favorites into a cohesive excellent dish. Definitely a recipe to recommend to friends as well as repeat.

• Maple, lemon, and ginger granola

  • Happykikkers on October 16, 2024

    This makes your house smell amazing. I haven’t tried it on top of anything yet but on its own it tastes quite nice (although obviously a little dry). Lowered the fan oven to 140°c 10 minutes in. Baked for about 50 minutes total. I’ll try 45 next time.

• Balsamic vinaigrette

  • SpatulaCity on October 02, 2024

    I really love this vinaigrette, though rarely make it because I never keep Apple juice at home. But when I do, I’m so happy to enjoy this favorite of a recipe! Perfect with Roasted Potato, celery and chicken salad in the book

• Creamy Caesar dressing

  • SpatulaCity on June 14, 2025

    Delicious recipe that is so easy! I add a few glugs of fish sauce to get that touch of umami fish that is missing from the lack of anchovies. I also add a touch more parm. My fail safe, go to Caesar dressing!