A Little Gift for Your Family’s Fall Table
Sometimes we make nourishing food more complicated than it needs to be.
We picture a long grocery list, expensive specialty ingredients, and a kitchen full of dishes. We look up recipes and when we tap to them, they have 17 ingredients and they can't all be found in one store.
And if you’re feeding a family, there’s another question: Will anyone actually eat this after I’ve spent all that time making it?
I have children. Half a dozen at the time of this article. So if you know me, you know I understand that challenge very personally!
But feeding our families well can be simpler than we think. A few familiar ingredients, an easy way to prepare them, and a meal everyone enjoys can go a long way.
That’s why I put together Cozy Fall Recipes, a free gift from the Living Well Holistics kitchen to yours.
Simple Food Still Counts
Eggs, ground beef, sweet potatoes, squash, and frozen vegetables may not look particularly exciting sitting in your grocery cart. But put them together thoughtfully, and you have warm, satisfying meals that nourish your family that have the seasonal flavors you're craving!
You don’t have to buy every ingredient fresh, either. Frozen vegetables are useful! They’re already chopped, ready when you need them, and much less likely to become that forgotten something in the back of the refrigerator.
Keeping a few basics on hand makes it easier to cook without starting from scratch every time you’re hungry. And using what you already have is often one of the best places to begin, which all of these recipes have room for.
A Few Recipes for Real Family Life
Inside this little collection, you’ll find four recipes:
- Pumpkin Muffins: A cozy fall treat to enjoy for breakfast or a snack. Make a batch, enjoy some now, and freeze a few for another day.
- Fall Egg Bites: Eggs, sausage, and sweet potatoes baked into easy individual portions. A good way to use those leftover roasted sweet potatoes! My children love these and so do I. Quick protein!
- Cozy B & B Soup: Beef and butternut squash with vegetables and broth, made in the slow cooker. Warm, hearty, and easy to portion for leftovers. Kids love the sweetness. Parents can add red pepper flakes to their bowls if they like a little kick.
- Thanksgiving Sheet Pan Dinner: Chicken, sausage, apples, and sage with your choice of green beans, Brussels sprouts (or both!) and butternut squash or sweet potatoes. All those lovely fall flavors without preparing an entire holiday meal that's reminiscent of my favorite meal of the year. The sage really makes it, and you can throw some cranberries onto the pan if you really want to theme it out.
These recipes are simple, easy to adjust, and all were chosen with families in mind. Familiar flavors, practical ingredients, and options to help you work with what your household enjoys.
Let Your Ingredients Do More Than One Job
One of my favorite ways to make nourishing meals more affordable is to let the same ingredients show up in different ways.
Sweet potatoes from your sheet pan dinner can become tomorrow’s egg bites. Butternut squash can go into soup one night and onto a roasting pan another. Extra muffins can wait in the freezer for a busy morning.
You’ve already bought the food and done some of the work. Let it help you again!
Before shopping, take a quick look through your refrigerator, pantry, and freezer. You may already have more of a meal than you realize. Then choose a few recipes with overlapping ingredients so you can use what you buy.
It doesn’t have to be an elaborate meal plan. Even knowing what you’re making for the next two dinners can make the week feel easier.
Start with One Meal
If you’re trying to change how your family eats, start with something manageable.
Pick one recipe. Make it this week. Notice what your family enjoys, what fits your budget, and what you would happily make again.
There’s no need to turn every meal into a project. Caring for the bodies God has given us can happen through ordinary, faithful choices: preparing breakfast, putting vegetables into the slow cooker, or saving leftovers for tomorrow.
My hope is that this little recipe gift brings a bit more ease to your day and something warm and delicious to your table as you enjoy the season!
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