Meal Prep Magic: Time-Saving Tricks for Stress-Free Cooking
Cookbook By: Catherine McCord
Years ago I had the opportunity to meet Catherine McCord at an even in NYC and she was one of the sweetest people I have ever met. I loved her previous cookbook Smoothie Project and was excited when I saw Meal Prep Magic: Time-Saving Tricks for Stress-Free Cooking release.
Her recipes are always easy to understand, make and are super tasty! This cookbook is no different and I am excited to share with you the recipes that I tested and what I thought of them below.
Ricotta Soft-Scrambled Eggs
Eggs are a staple in my diet – it doesn’t matter if it’s for breakfast, lunch or dinner – they are always a great meal. I think I’ve tried every type of eggs over the years and my top three are scrambled, over easy (cooked in bacon grease), and eggs benedict. Finding the perfect recipe for scrambled eggs can be a bit of a challenge. When flipping through Meal Prep Magic the very first time I saw these Ricotta Soft-Scrambled Eggs and knew immediately that I wanted to make them.
The recipe for these eggs is super simple, and the ingredients aren’t hard to get – you may even have everything in your fridge. I had to pick up some ricotta cheese, but all the rest of the ingredients are things I keep on hand in my kitchen.
I followed the instructions but had a little hiccup. My stove is a glass stove top electric stove and when I turned my burner down to low, I wasn’t thinking about how on my stove it is more of a warm/simmer than actual low. After I had cooked the eggs for the four minutes, I realized they weren’t coming together and immediately turned my temperature up one level, but they still didn’t come together. I wound up adjusting the temperature of the burner to medium low to get the eggs to cook. If you have an electric stove I would recommend starting at the low temperature and if the eggs don’t cook, then turn it up no more than one notch for two minutes and if they still don’t cook than you can turn it up another notch. The most important thing is to make sure you don’t scorch the eggs. I’ve made similar recipes use a gas stove and it is so much easier to get the correct heat with a gas stove. (When I move again – getting a gas stove will be on the top of my list!)
The Ricotta Soft-Scrambled Eggs were so tasty! It seemed like a lot of cheese to me but it was the perfect amount. This recipe is going to be come my normal scrambled egg recipe from now on. I can’t wait to have them again. Plus, you can store leftovers in the fridge and have them the next day!
Buttermilk-Brined Chicken Nuggets
I have a secret to admit, even though I am an adult I love chicken nuggets. To me they are always a great quick lunch and can be really filling. This buttermilk-brined chicken nuggets recipe is different than most I’ve seen as it doesn’t use eggs instead it uses buttermilk.
You have to soak the chicken in buttermilk for at least 4 hours before cooking – I let mine soak overnight in the fridge. It was a super simple recipe, and the ingredients are things you most likely have at home. I love the fact that you can prep the nuggets beforehand and then flash freeze before storing for up to 4 months in your freezer. Having a stocked freezer always makes life easier when you are in a hurry or don’t feel like making a lot of effort.
The buttermilk-brined chicken nuggets were delicious! I made the dipping sauce with yogurt instead of sour cream and didn’t love it. So, I just pulled out some tzatziki I had in the fridge, and it went perfectly with the chicken nuggets.
I will definitely be making this recipe again – next time I will probably make a double batch so I can put some in the freezer too!
Meal Prep Magic: Time-Saving Tricks for Stress-Free Cooking is another home run cookbook from Catherine McCord. It provides a wide variety of recipes with options to make prep ahead to have easy meals ready for you in those busy moments. I’m adding this to my favorite cookbook list and will be using it on a regular basis. Have you tried any of these recipes yet?
