I love cooking, BUT now that I’m an empty nester, I sometimes prefer my favorite snacks over pricey takeout when I'm not in the mood for cooking — roasted sweet potato and chickpeas on rice with sriracha mayo is my go-to-girl dinner.
What’s a girl dinner? According to the interwebs, it’s like a grown-up trendy twist on Lunchables: simply throw your favorite bites on a plate, and there you have it! For me, it's all about effortless meals that bring joy after a hectic day. It doesn't have to be fancy; it just needs to make you smile. Check out Bethenny Frankel's playful takes here, here, and here.
Now, what's your go-to girl dinner? I'd love to see what's on your plate! 😄🍽️
My go-to is harissa honey carrots, roasted cauliflower with Ras el Hanout, manoush (flatbread with olive oil and za'atar which I usually make from scratch but you can easily buy a flatbread and just dress it up and broil it quickly!). Sometimes, I'll make kofta meatballs or kebobs to go along, but only if I have time and feel like adding meat to the meal. I'm 100% happy without it, too. I also love to make harissa mushrooms! {I'm eating some version of this every week}
My go-to meal usually involves a roasted sweet potato topped with chili garlic crunch, that addictive concoction from Trader Joe’s. Along with that, I often roast broccoli or whatever veggies are in the fridge and add microwaveable brown rice to the mix.
I'm impressed!! ^^ I'm more of a cheese and crackers, Amy's burrito, or bowl of cereal person. After 20 years of cooking for my kids, I'm as lazy about cooking as they come!
Fast and easy: I cut 4 skinny rectangles of firm tofu and 2 skinny rectangles of plant-based “garlic and herb” Mykonos cheese in an almond flour tortilla (Siete brand is the best, from refrigerated case at Whole Foods), roll it up, and toast it in a pan greased with a little olive oil. (Can serve with chopped kale tossed in tahini and olive oil, but let’s be honest—if you’re over 50, you don’t need a full dinner because you now have sluggish digestion and are likely gaining literally a pound a day.)
Hummus/guac/tzaziki with baby carrots or pretzel slims. Popcorn. If all else is lost: a frozen dinner with a separate bag of microwaved steamed veggies mixed in and maybe extra pasta sauce.
Once again the Tik Tokkers steal our trends haha! My girl dinner is usually cheese, crackers, cherry tomatoes, maybe an avocado. Sometimes I just eat ramen zhuzhed up with an egg, corn, seaweed, etc. Definitely some sort of cookie for dessert.
I buy an organic roasted chicken each week from Whole Foods (and mock the "organicness" of the sparkly green elastic band used to truss it). That becomes lunches and/or dinners (the bones are brothed along with some chicken feet...it's the witchiest recipe). It's edible cold or reheated. Sometimes, I'll add it to frozen cauliflower rice and mixed veg with some coconut aminos (like a combo of soy and teriyaki sauces) and mimic a stir fry ('cept it's steamed). I'll roast a veg (broccoli or cauliflower, bagged, pre-cut) and/or a potato (yam, Japanese sweet or Yukon gold)...425 for 30 mins, and avocado oil will change your life. I use my toaster oven for that, so I can walk away and do other stuff; it'll ding when it's done and turn itself off. I am a boring creature of habit. I don't want to have to overthink what I'm going to wear or what I'm going to eat. Perhaps this "girl dinner" thing is a food version of a uniform/capsule wardrobe? xo
For me my favorite go-to-girl dinner (also sometimes quick lunch) is a rolled-up lebanese bread (or good tortilla), filled with two slices of cheese, a generous scoop of cole slaw and home made kimchi: spicy from the kimchi, creamy from the cole slaw and filling from the cheese. Healthy and easy to make, what more could I ever want... 😆 I love it
Zabars = girl dinner, lol. But now that I'm on the west coast for a project, I've been making due with Trader Joe's vegan tzatziki, smoked salmon/gravlax, cherry tomatoes, the pre-sliced, extra-lazy fresh Jícama sticks, pre-washed snap peas, and those fancy rosemary fig crackers to pretend I like fiber! At the end, I'll polish it off w/ some chocolate Oatly ice cream and declare myself righteously healthy--probably mostly a lie. Ha. I also love cereal for dinner, but don't tell my kids. 😂
Been doing this forever but I call it a snacky plate, and it involves zero cooking. Baguette or naan, manchego and gouda goat cheese, frescatrano olives, fig jam, hummus, vegis, mixed nuts, roasted red bell peppers from a jar, red grapes, berries.😋
I absolutely NEVER thought of cottage cheese as a vehicle for all this snacking goodness, TY!
My go-to is harissa honey carrots, roasted cauliflower with Ras el Hanout, manoush (flatbread with olive oil and za'atar which I usually make from scratch but you can easily buy a flatbread and just dress it up and broil it quickly!). Sometimes, I'll make kofta meatballs or kebobs to go along, but only if I have time and feel like adding meat to the meal. I'm 100% happy without it, too. I also love to make harissa mushrooms! {I'm eating some version of this every week}
Ohhh, can you share the recipe you use for Ras el Hanout? Sounds like something I would definitely get into, thanks!
This sounds SO good.
here's a recipe to make the spice mix https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/150574/ras-el-hanout/
I also like this Baharat blend (NYtimes gift link) https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021924-baharat-blend?unlocked_article_code=r9UQhWmMIkwBR3TdUBEP61NFTmfNLX1poAkl4axO2d5wp_Xb-fmH1rq8JRskHrI-U5sf3Syb4uYmemAbv1Ly6bqlOP8MO-TCKOXmFz2Ms7BzgU6mlmO7Zqiw92WXKwPAHJiaL2vQQcOjMBTNch9FpVqjXKwLicr9Bvazc85bfEXDxGPI7KBRAeYTZPFt9LKuvV2cw3OaZBA6q8yJSx9zXEXO3l3-sS9HAw9TK1CHYQBnSb4xcCq1p8C1_SYrFMg3nu19iqJ_xwgqXg4D57sa8bUMUOalE5tdgDXlIj0RqJ33tJHlbHPzNau9GNOS8eYsO2Q&smid=share-url sorry it's so long but not sure who subscribes!
PS if you buy za'atar there is none better than https://www.zandzdc.com/
happy cooking!
Gracias!!
My go-to meal usually involves a roasted sweet potato topped with chili garlic crunch, that addictive concoction from Trader Joe’s. Along with that, I often roast broccoli or whatever veggies are in the fridge and add microwaveable brown rice to the mix.
*googles chili garlic crunch at Trader Joe's* 🤤
I'm impressed!! ^^ I'm more of a cheese and crackers, Amy's burrito, or bowl of cereal person. After 20 years of cooking for my kids, I'm as lazy about cooking as they come!
Cheese and crackers. The end.
😂
Cereal. And milk (for calcium). That's all folks!😅
Breakfast for dinner, YES!
Baguette, oil, balsamic. Cheese probably. Chocolate. Mmmmm.
My household generally doesn’t do big dinners. So Popcorn and banana ice cream from the vitamin. At least once a week.
Fast and easy: I cut 4 skinny rectangles of firm tofu and 2 skinny rectangles of plant-based “garlic and herb” Mykonos cheese in an almond flour tortilla (Siete brand is the best, from refrigerated case at Whole Foods), roll it up, and toast it in a pan greased with a little olive oil. (Can serve with chopped kale tossed in tahini and olive oil, but let’s be honest—if you’re over 50, you don’t need a full dinner because you now have sluggish digestion and are likely gaining literally a pound a day.)
Which reminds me... never read comments on food-related posts... hungry!
Hummus/guac/tzaziki with baby carrots or pretzel slims. Popcorn. If all else is lost: a frozen dinner with a separate bag of microwaved steamed veggies mixed in and maybe extra pasta sauce.
Once again the Tik Tokkers steal our trends haha! My girl dinner is usually cheese, crackers, cherry tomatoes, maybe an avocado. Sometimes I just eat ramen zhuzhed up with an egg, corn, seaweed, etc. Definitely some sort of cookie for dessert.
yes
Fruit, cheese, bread, wine. No need to reinvent the wheel. :)
Agreed!!
Grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup from a can. Not the healthiest but definitely comfort food!
One of my absolute faves quick but soooo good meals!
In the summer, it's corn on the cob and tomato and mayo sandwich. Other seasons it's bread, cheese, maybe hummus. In all seasons, wine.
My future son-in-law was all aghast at my eating a tomato and mayo sandwich the other day... soooo good with fresh Jersey tomatoes!
I buy an organic roasted chicken each week from Whole Foods (and mock the "organicness" of the sparkly green elastic band used to truss it). That becomes lunches and/or dinners (the bones are brothed along with some chicken feet...it's the witchiest recipe). It's edible cold or reheated. Sometimes, I'll add it to frozen cauliflower rice and mixed veg with some coconut aminos (like a combo of soy and teriyaki sauces) and mimic a stir fry ('cept it's steamed). I'll roast a veg (broccoli or cauliflower, bagged, pre-cut) and/or a potato (yam, Japanese sweet or Yukon gold)...425 for 30 mins, and avocado oil will change your life. I use my toaster oven for that, so I can walk away and do other stuff; it'll ding when it's done and turn itself off. I am a boring creature of habit. I don't want to have to overthink what I'm going to wear or what I'm going to eat. Perhaps this "girl dinner" thing is a food version of a uniform/capsule wardrobe? xo
I'll roast (and eat) any veggie that I can... soooo good... and we've switched to avocado oil, too... thank you!
For me my favorite go-to-girl dinner (also sometimes quick lunch) is a rolled-up lebanese bread (or good tortilla), filled with two slices of cheese, a generous scoop of cole slaw and home made kimchi: spicy from the kimchi, creamy from the cole slaw and filling from the cheese. Healthy and easy to make, what more could I ever want... 😆 I love it
Zabars = girl dinner, lol. But now that I'm on the west coast for a project, I've been making due with Trader Joe's vegan tzatziki, smoked salmon/gravlax, cherry tomatoes, the pre-sliced, extra-lazy fresh Jícama sticks, pre-washed snap peas, and those fancy rosemary fig crackers to pretend I like fiber! At the end, I'll polish it off w/ some chocolate Oatly ice cream and declare myself righteously healthy--probably mostly a lie. Ha. I also love cereal for dinner, but don't tell my kids. 😂
Cheese, crackers, olives, cut up veggies and hummus.
Been doing this forever but I call it a snacky plate, and it involves zero cooking. Baguette or naan, manchego and gouda goat cheese, frescatrano olives, fig jam, hummus, vegis, mixed nuts, roasted red bell peppers from a jar, red grapes, berries.😋