Podcast Episode 221: Go-To Recipes & Tools to Revolutionize Dinnertime – Jen Haugen

Welcome to Sound Bites – hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist, Melissa Joy Dobbins. Let’s delve into the science, the psychology and the strategies behind good food and nutrition.

 

Hey everybody, be sure to stay tuned after the episode for some bonus content that includes recipes and tips. Enjoy the episode!

 

[00:00:00] Melissa: Hello and welcome to the sound bites podcast. Today’s episode is about solving the dinner dilemma without the drive-through. If you’ve listened to my show before, you’re probably familiar with my “do more with dinner initiative” and the MORE stands for make ordinary rituals extraordinary. I started this a few years ago, actually more than a few years ago was 2016.

And in the years, since I have continued to do more by spending more or less time in the kitchen, depending on my goal for that week, I’ve tried meal prep kits, cooking with my kids and family. But lately I seem to be trying a lot of new recipes and new gadgets. So it’s a process that’s ongoing and I’m enjoying it.

And I continue to find ways to make more out of our family mealtime. My guest today is my good friend and fellow dietitian, Jen Haugen. Jen is a registered dietitian nutritionist, culinary nutrition coach, and two time cookbook author. She specializes in creating simple family-friendly strategies for healthy eating for her clients, using kitchen tools and recipes to match their health goals and make cooking fun.

And Jen’s new book is called Dinner, Done! Welcome to the show. Jen.

[00:01:19] Jen: Thank you so much for having me. I’m excited to be here.

[00:01:22] Melissa: I can’t wait to dive into this. Now. You’ve been on the podcast before, way back in episode 48, and I also interviewed you for my blog way back in 2014. And that blog was sort of a precursor to this podcast, unbeknownst to me at the time. But I would love for you to tell us more about your background and journey to the work that you’re doing today, including any disclosures you may have, of course. Sure.

[00:01:48] Jen: So I’ve been a registered dietitian for over 20 years, which it’s really odd to say that now, but I’ve had a lot of different experiences from when I first started working as a clinical dietitian, which was actually at Mayo clinic and I’ve seen the sickest of the sick.

And worked with lot in trauma care, actually. So that was mostly people that I couldn’t necessarily talk to, but we were still trying to figure out how to get them the nutrition that they needed. Then after a few years of that, I started having children and had two of them and I wanted to be home more or at least closer to them because working an hour away was a little bit much. So then took a job actually as a supermarket dietitian. And that was really fun. And it actually allowed me to really blossom into things that I really love doing. And so I taught a lot of cooking classes there, did a weekly television segment. And also did a lot with kids cooking and also kids gardening.

So that was a lot of fun. Then – I like variety – so I had to change again. And then I became actually like well, mainly menu planned for the local school district and the food service office. And that was actually at the point where I just wanted a little bit something lower key. But then as I got into that, I also missed the interaction of just teaching and helping people.

So that’s where I decided to become a pampered chef consultant and be able to just have that interaction of teaching people more about cooking and food and how they could just make really good, delicious recipes for their families. And that was 2016 when I started that. And that’s where I’m at now and still continue to be a consultant.

And I also have my own business and teach people how to cook and how the kitchen tools that they have in their kitchen, or maybe that they still need can really make an impact on what they’re eating and how much fun they’re having. So I like to say that I like helping busy moms get dinner done as well as have more fun because sometimes you’re not having fun in the kitchen and tools can help you with that.

But also sometimes you don’t want to be in the kitchen because you want to spend more time with your kids time is fleeting and the tools can help that as well. Exactly. So, that’s where I am today and it’s really fun and I get to work from home, which is really good too.

[00:04:11] Melissa: So I see – what is it, Jen’s joyful kitchen – Is that what you’ve been promoting? I mean, I know you, we go way back. I think we met when you were a supermarket dietitian and being a former supermarket dietitian myself we really connected and became friends. In fact, a fun fact, as you know, we would take my kids to summer camp in Iowa and we’d have to go through Austin, Minnesota.

And of course we had to stop at the spam museum. And so we made it a regular the thing to stop and meet up with you and your family and have maid right burgers. And it’s just been so wonderful seeing you blossom and the joy that you feel in the work that you’re doing now, it just comes through in everything that you do.

[00:04:56] Jen: Thank you. Yes, no, I, I think, cooking is probably my sweet spot. So I’m not saying that I’m a chef, but I have been cooking for my family for 20 plus years. So I just try to help people do the things that they want to do more of whether that’s cooking more or maybe spending more time with their family. So still have a healthy meal, but get back to the other things too.

[00:05:19] Melissa: Exactly. And that’s such a great fit for my do more with dinner initiative. I’ve mentioned this on the podcast recently, I’m in the process of revising and pretty much overhauling my free do more with dinner resource kit. And it’s probably going to take some time because I have some big ideas for it, but listeners stay tuned because I’m really excited about what I’m going to be putting into that new free resource.

But your new book dinner, done…. Well, before I say that, I got to tell you, like you say, you’re not a chef, but I love your recipes. And way back in – Oh gosh – I did a TV segment about soup month and I’m a big soup fan. I love soup. And this was back in 2017 and I reached out to you to say Hey, do you have any recipes that I could use in this TV segment?

And you gave me a lasagna soup recipe. So combining two of my favorite things was lasagna and soup. And it’s so good. And it’s so easy. So you are really good at what you do, and it doesn’t have to be fancy or anything. It’s just good, solid, comfort food. It’s just nourishing and I love it. So your new book dinner done, 40 healthy recipes and five kitchen tools to put menu planning on autopilot and always have an answer to what’s for dinner. And the autopilot, I love that because I feel like whether it’s exercise or nutrition or cooking, or even just family stuff, we kind of struggle. I struggle between being mindful and planning and just falling back onto what’s autopilot. And so I talk about this a lot on the podcast – can we get healthier habits to become that autopilot?

So I love that. So tell us the story of. How this new book came about, by the way, you’re an excellent writer. I loved your, your other book. You want to mention your other book real quick, the mom’s guide to a nourishing garden.

[00:07:22] Jen: Yep. The mom’s guide to nourishing garden. So that’s all about gardening for moms, but not for mom necessarily to do it herself, but to include her kids.

But also there’s a story of self care in there as well.

[00:07:34] Melissa: You’re an excellent writer. I mean, I could just hear you talking, because I know you, when I read your writing. You share some, some really personal side too your family life. And it’s just so relatable. So now tell us the story about how the book came about.

[00:07:50] Jen: Yes. Well, there’s the professional way and there’s the personal way. So I would say the professional angle of it has been, even from when I was working at the supermarket dietitian, I would constantly have people asking me, like, I don’t know what to make for dinner. And there was a statistic once that I had read where 80% of people don’t know what’s for dinner at 4:00 PM, which is a lot, I’m one of them.

And what happens when you don’t know what’s for dinner? Well, let’s order out pizza or let’s go through the drive-through or you start making these seemingly small decisions, but they can really take a toll on lots of different things, whether that’s your health or connecting with your family and all those different things.

So for years, I’ve heard that. And as a pampered chef consultant, too, people will say, well, I have certain tools, but I don’t know how to use them. Or they’re sitting on the shelf. And yet I’m so busy and there’s just all these things, all these pressures. And a lot of people also have decision fatigue after the whole day.

And I think someone yesterday even just told me, like, we make thousands of decisions every single day. They might seem small, but they all add up and they take mental energy. And so by the time you get to dinner, it’s like, you’re done. exactly. You’re done. You’re like, I don’t know what to do anymore.

So that idea had been breeding in my mind because, as a dietitian who had always loved recipes and being in the kitchen and then pairing that with tools that I knew changed my entire way I cook in the kitchen. Like I used to stand at the stovetop and make something as simple as spaghetti, but it would take like three pants, one for the noodles, one for the meat, one for the sauce, you got to sit there and babysit it.

And you realize that still takes time, even though that’s a simple meal, but then the pressure cooker came into my life, the electric one, and it changed everything. And I put it all in there and I don’t have to watch it. And it cooked in a five minute pressure cooking time. And I’m like, okay, everybody needs to do this.

Every busy mom, at least that is always having that hairy hour of dinnertime. So that’s where things came to fruition of starting with the book. But otherwise the personal reason for the book is last summer we took our son to college and he’s a thousand miles away and it’s a military academy.

And so what that involved is a major, transition and change in my life. So writing the book, honestly, it was a little bit therapeutic. It’s all the recipes that I’ve made our family while they’ve been growing up. And it really just allowed me to kind of have a little bit of processing time by writing all of that down and being able to share that with other moms, but then also being able to capture those recipes that my kids have always loved and put them into a book that they can one day enjoy too, when they’re having their own families.

So that’s kind of the two angles that it came from.

[00:10:53] Melissa: Okay. We’re going to talk about what’s in the book, but I have to tell you it’s so interesting you brought up spaghetti because I have said this on the podcast before our go-to fallback recipe, when it’s like, oh, what’s for dinner. I forgot to thaw out some meat – we just need to find something quick and easy – is spaghetti. Boiling pasta on the stove, getting the frozen meatballs out of the freezer, heating up some marinara sauce. And we probably do that at least once a week. And my family loves it. So when I was looking through your book, I saw the spaghetti recipe.

Now you say the electric pressure cooker, is that the same as the instant pot?

[00:11:32] Jen: Okay. So Instapot and pampered chef used to have one called the quick cooker now called the multi cooker. So a lot of brands kind of call it those same things. Okay.

[00:11:40] Melissa: I think, I think instant pot is sorta like saying Kleenex for tissues or whatever.

[00:11:44] Jen: Got it. Yup.

[00:11:45] Melissa: So I saw this recipe and I thought, okay, I’m going to try this. So Jen, last night I made your spaghetti recipe and it was so good. It was so good. I’m not going to lie. I had the leftovers for breakfast. So it was really easy and so delicious and simple. And I’m not surprised because like I said, I’ve had, I’ve tried some of your recipes before and they just really, they turn out and I have to say – I don’t want to throw any of my colleagues under the bus, but sometimes I’m like, did you test this recipe? So there are certain people like you and my good friend, Toby Amidor, who’s been on the podcast before her recipes always turn out. And I love those. I’ve really been getting into one of her, she has so many cookbooks, but she has one it’s the best rotisserie chicken cookbook.

And I’ve really been getting into that one. anyway, I digress, but let’s talk about what people can find in the book, because it’s very interactive. You have this moms forever dinner plan that I want you to tell us about and like this kitchen quiz. And so it’s really a process. It’s not just a cookbook.

It’s helping people figure out what their forever dinner plan is. So – walk us through the mom’s forever dinner plan in this kitchen quiz.

[00:13:04] Jen: So the forever dinner plan is meant to really just take – a pun intended here – take things off your plate. So you don’t have to think about a meal plan, even though like I enjoy menu planning, so that’s probably why I have this part of my book, but not everybody does. In fact, I would say most people do not. Right. So the, so the forever dinner plan is simply a strategy of menu planning that allows you to repeat the cycle, but also basically on your lifestyle. So when I was actually a school dietitian and I was doing the menu planning there, we used a cycle menu and I, and that all out and every four weeks that rotated.

And we were just back to the first week, second week, third week, fourth week, rotate back to first. So the same concept applies. A lot of times we think we have to make things so difficult for ourselves, but we don’t, it can be simple. Simple as oftentimes more sweet anyway, and allows you to have that lifestyle you really want.

So in the course of the forever dinner plan, it’s asking moms or dads, or whoever’s the cook in the family which night is the busiest night. Then that is the one that you want to match up with your pressure cooker night, because that’s going to get dinner done super fast, faster than you can even think of and no babysitting the pot either.

And then which night are you just like, you know what I am done, I’m out of energy for the week, then that is AirFryer nights. And a lot of times we think of air fryer as, oh, I’m going to get the frozen things out of the grocery store. And once in a while, those things are probably going to happen, like French fries, French fries, tater tots, chicken nuggets, those types of things.

But you can do those different things at home and they can also be very quick and easy too – and healthy. Exactly. So I have the strategy of five different lifestyle perspectives. I would say your busiest night, your longest day, your day, when you’re out of energy your day, you normally would just stop and grab something from the drive through.

And then I also believe every family needs a family night. So somehow integrating that for us at tended to be on Friday nights. And that is then a whole chapter dedicated to pizza. So each of these nights has a chapter to go with it. So for busy nights, the pressure cooking recipes, that’s all in one chapter.

Then there’s a one-pot meal chapter. There’s a grill and griddle chapter for when you normally eat out. The out of energy chapter is the AirFryer recipes and then family night is pizza. Trying to get variety, but also really using the tools to your advantage. So if someone has their lawn, they’re never going to go outside and start cutting their lawn with scissors.

Cause it’s going to take too long. So instead get that lawn mower out and do it. So it’s super fast. And the same thing applies on the kitchen.

[00:16:03] Melissa: Absolutely. Yes. So the kitchen quiz. I went through that and it’s like, what tool do you use most often thinking about how often do you eat out for dinner and what types of things you like, because you say, Hey, you can take your favorite restaurant food and make it yourself.

And we all know, even if you make something indulgent at home, It’s going to be healthier than what you get in a restaurant typically. Exactly. So I love that.  So we’ve got the kitchen quiz and then you’ve got this sort of structure that you’ve explained like, okay, what night is busy and you’re tired or whatever.

And you match up, like you said, the different tools. And it’s this framework that you can just work off of. And then you’ve got recipes for each, like you said, each chapter has, okay, you got the pressure cooker recipes. You’ve got the griddle recipes.

One of the questions that I had, and like I said, I, I just picked the spaghetti – well, I flagged so many of these recipes. But one of the first things I thought when I was looking through this was – actually, you asked me, what’s your favorite kitchen tools? And well, it’s not the air fire or the instant pot because I’ve tried all these recipes.

And I don’t get it! But you’re going to help me with that because already the spaghetti, I get it, it works. There’s just been, there’s been a couple of things. I’ve tried an instant pot Mac and cheese. I get it. That works. That’s good. But I’ve tried other things that either they didn’t taste great or I did a corned beef and cabbage, but it was such a small amount in the instant pot. I guess I could do that for just a quick night thing. But when I make corn beef and cabbage, or my stews and soups, I like to make double, triple batches. So it’s just not going to fit in the instant pot. But the air fryer – I get it for things like tater tots and French fries.

And I’ve tried to do AirFryer avocado and I don’t know, there’s the coating and everything. It just doesn’t taste good, but I love making pork chops, boneless pork chops in the AirFryer, that works for me. And one of the things that I would love, and you talk about this in your book is with that instant pot, I want to throw in some frozen chicken breasts and some other things, because one of my biggest problems – and you also asked me this  – is what’s my biggest dinner dilemma, and it’s forgetting to thaw chicken or meat ahead of time. So I know there’s at least one recipe where you actually call out – yes, you can even use frozen chicken breast for that. So can you speak to that a little bit because that’s where I’m struggling.

And that’s where I think a lot of people could really benefit.

[00:18:54] Jen: So I think that’s one of the best things about the pressure cooker is that it does allow you the grace of not having to thaw necessarily like, oh my goodness, I totally forgot to do that. It’s okay. Even as something and these recipes that I have in here are, are simple recipes and you can rotate through them so that you don’t have to constantly try to find new recipes, for example, Even like the chicken wild rice soup normally that’s going to be something that you’re going to have – it’s going to take a longer time. So a pressure cooker is going to actually shorten that time by usually around 70% for any recipe typically. And the recipes that I have in my book are meant to be more like you put the stuff in, put the foods in and then it’s going to cook and then you’re done.

You don’t necessarily have to do two parts, three parts type thing.

[00:19:44] Melissa: Because I have noticed that with some of my instant pot recipes where I’m like, wait, I okay, this for two minutes and then stir it and then do this. I’m like, no, no, no, no. I just want to set it and go away.

[00:19:54] Jen: I think that is a barrier for a lot of people with the frozen thawing thing, but also when you have the menu plans, so when you’re using the menu map and my six week plan, you can also get on that habit. I would say of like, okay, this is my week for chicken wild rice soup and crunchy Cod and whatever the things are and you can do a Sunday pull of all of those things to help you if you’re using it routinely.

And I think that really makes a big difference. I also think the type of tool you have. I mean, yes, there are many types of pressure cookers on the market. So getting one that you have a lot of comfort with, and it’s not too complicated, also breaks down that barrier. And that’s something that I do a lot of teaching with, with my customers that I work with.

And even Airfryers, I mean, there’s lots of different types of air fryers. A lot of them tend to be the drawer style, and you can only do like two or three servings of anything. And that’s a problem too, because my recipes I’m like, no, it needs to do dinner, not just a side. So the air fryer that I recommend, which I have on my website has grates just like an oven so you can actually cook.

[00:21:06] Melissa: Sorta looks like a toaster oven.

[00:21:08] Jen: exactly. And so it can do like six servings and you don’t have to try and – moms are always tend to be the person who’s doing the batch cooking and she never gets to sit down. Right. So trying to get it all done at the same time as.

So everybody can enjoy that time together around the table.

[00:21:26] Melissa: That’s something I realized pretty quickly when I purchased my air fryer was, oh yeah. I have the drawer kind. And I’m looking at some of these recipes. I have the kind that doesn’t, you can’t do a large batch.

I got the wrong kind because that’s not working for me. Right,

[00:21:46] Jen: right. And even, even like the air fryer I have, so it’s pampered chef air fryer. Of course it can even make a rotisserie chicken for you or a rotisserie pork tenderloin. Things that you’re like, oh my goodness.

That is amazing. You can get that done cheaper at your house than if you bought it, rotisserie chicken or something like that.

[00:22:06] Melissa: And you say in the book, this caught my attention. The first time you tried the electric pressure cooker, you put in a frozen pork Tenderloin. Yes. And you were hooked, you were like, okay, this is it.

I’m like, okay, so you got my attention. I’m listening.

[00:22:20] Jen: for sure. I was very intimidated actually by pressure cooking. I avoided it really, as long as I could, I’d seen them on the market. I heard people talking about them and I was perfectly fine with my slow cooker. I’m like, oh, I’m fine with just doing it the eight hour way.

As a consultant, we often get the new products to test, which is really fun. And I got that pressure cooker and immediately it made me remember when my mom would pressure cook and she had the hissing disc kind. So right on the stove top. And she’d always alert us. Okay, I’m pressure cooking. So don’t come in the kitchen cause the little disk can fly off.

And I’ve heard of actually people saying that they were little at, that happened in their kitchen, so, these are things that I was like, no, I don’t need this in my kitchen, but right.

[00:23:06] Melissa: Well, it’s so funny you say that, and I know you put that in the book, because I’ve said this before on the podcast, I worked at the state nutrition extension office in grad school.

And I had to answer a lot of questions about pressure cooking, and I had that same fear of eElectric pressure cooker or the instant pot, because I was like, the thing might explode. So what makes the new electric pressure cooker safer or different than the old.

[00:23:32] Jen: Oh, yes. So many things. I mean, just the electric panel of how you can control what setting or how long you want it to cook for versus the more manual version, which was just a pot that locked the lid and you had to kind of time it and watch the pressure, that was much more involved where this is just almost that set it and forget it mentality. So there’s so much more technology that goes into the electric pressure cookers that allow you to just literally press the button for chicken and okay,  I’m cooking chicken. So that’s how long it’s going to take. So. There’s just huge differences and so many more safety differences too.

So the lid locking, the pressure indicator. The way that mine, for example, is not metal where any metal pressure cooker, you can be burned by, especially if you have young kids that are reaching on the counter for things, the way that you carry it. Some of them have the handle on the top and then the bottoms would drop out and totally ruin it.

The one I have has handles on the bottom one on each side, so you can lift it and move it safely. So there are some different upgrades that you can even get within electric pressure cooker brands. So great.

[00:24:47] Melissa: So tell us about some of your favorite recipes in the book. I mean, I know they’re all your family favorites, but I’m looking for which is the next one.

I, I, of course I have some of the pages flagged, but maybe just to kind of get our listeners a little excited about what’s in it.

[00:25:01] Jen: There’s so many good ones. I mean, like right now, I would say a good one to try would be creamy chicken pesto pasta. It’s delicious.

[00:25:11] Melissa: That was probably my next one.

[00:25:12] Jen: Egg roll in a bowl. These are pressure cookers.

That looked really good too.

Egg roll in a bowl is so fast. Like you literally set it for a zero minute cooking time. And you’re like, is that right? Did she write that right? Yes I did. Because it’s just going to quickly steam those vegetables and finish cooking the meat.

So I would say those would be great. There’s so many good ones though. So I’ll just mention a couple from each chapter. The crunchy Cod from the air fryer is so delicious and so good.

[00:25:40] Melissa: Definitely trying that.

[00:25:41] Jen: The coconut shrimp is very good as well. I mean, it just takes you away to Hawaii.

That’s where I had really good coconut shrimp. So that’s kind of why I named that one that. And then for the grill and grill, I think paninis are underrated oftentimes we’re like, oh, let’s just make grilled cheese. Okay. But you can upscale that just a little with making a panini and putting out some different toppings and everybody can make their own thing.

A combination. And if you have like a smart grill, smart grill, where it’s cooking from the top and the bottom, you can literally have sandwiches done in two minutes.

[00:26:16] Melissa: And it’s just so easy. I love my panini maker and I, I don’t do much variety with it, but I know that that possibility is there, but I love that thing.

[00:26:26] Jen: And even like, cause a lot of times we’ll buy sandwiches like that somewhere. So that’s a great one to just replicate at home or smashed sliders. So smaller amounts of beef, but you know, people can have more than one, but it makes it so it cooks faster. And then you can just have all kinds of toppings for burgers.

And it really doesn’t take that long. I mean, you can put together a slider night in 10 minutes because the burgers will cook in less than five. And you have your toppings, and yeah.

[00:26:54] Melissa: And you can have your own fast food at home.

[00:26:56] Jen: exactly. And it’s healthier because you can choose the type of meat you’re using for example, and put more vegetables on it, on the bun and all those things.

The one-pot recipes. Oh my goodness. I mean, so I live in Minnesota. So Midwest cooking is tater tot casserole, otherwise known as tater tot hot dish here in Minnesota. That is a winner anytime of the year

[00:27:19] Melissa: What’s so funny is, I saw that recipe in the book and I took a picture and sent it to my mom.

I’m like, is this what you used to make that my brother loves that – I don’t know why, but he calls it thingy. Oh, have you ever heard it called that? No, never. Okay. And when my mom was like, oh, it’s from Minnesota! Because well I was born in Iowa and we didn’t live in Minnesota, but it’s close to Iowa.

Yeah, just a total Midwestern dish for sure.

[00:27:43] Jen: And barbecues would just be something similar to that. So most people call barbecues sloppy Joe’s, but we’ve always called them barbecues. This is like the way my mom has always made them. And so I’ve made them, my kids. I mean, when my son is home, can you make barbecues?

So they request it. Chicken pot pie all those different things.

[00:28:04] Melissa: I’m definitely doing that one too.

[00:28:05] Jen: And then pizza recipes. I mean, I love pizza, so. Any type of pizza for me is great. I would say definitely if you’re in a rush, if you’re always one of the people that needs something quick and easy, make the five-minute homemade pizza dough.

It literally takes five minutes to make there’s no rising time at all. And you can use it instantly. It’s made with Greek yogurt. Wow. And it just comes together so well. And then you can use it, whether it, maybe you want to even grill pizza, like you could grill both sides of the Joe and then add your toppings.

Or you can just put the dough right on a pizza pan, pizza stone and add your toppings and pop it in the oven. I love pesto. So Italian sausage pesto, taco pizza, chicken fajita pizza. These are all some of my favorites, but literally I could pick any recipe in this book and I’d be like, okay, I’m so excited we’re having that because they’re all favorites.

[00:29:03] Melissa: And so the pizza works really well with family night and family game night and all of that and getting everybody you can each make your own individual pizza and you have your own toppings.

[00:29:14] Jen: Exactly exactly. I know growing up, Sunday nights, actually where our, it wasn’t necessarily designated family night, but we would have pizza night and then we’d be able to actually sit in front of the TV and watch a movie –  which never happened – this was the one time and it was the only time we ever got to have soda pop. We call it pop in Minnesota. So that was always special and it just reminded me of that. So I’ve done that with my own kids, as well as once a week we’re doing pizza and these are just some of our favorite pizzas.

[00:29:45] Melissa: Wonderful. Of course I’ll have links to all this information in my show notes and perhaps if you have any of these recipes on your website, sort of give people a taste of it or perhaps sharing one that I could put on my website?

Oh, definitely.

Just to let people get a chance to try it and they’ll be convinced that this is the book for them.

[00:30:07] Jen: definitely. And I think another great thing too I have in here is a shopping list and grocery shopping list.

[00:30:14] Melissa: Because there’s a lot of different moving parts and you have, You have shopping lists and also more information about like the different gadgets.

[00:30:21] Jen: So, because I used to be a supermarket dietitian I always spent so much time at the grocery store.

I actually don’t enjoy the grocery store anymore. So I try to limit myself to one trip a month. I know that’s not always doable with fresh produce and things, but for the big trip I try to do once. And so that’s why I have the full like pantry essentials, fruits and vegetables, different meats and things to put in the freezer, things you need for the refrigerator.

So having all of these things available allows you to have that flexibility of making any of these recipes. So that’s why I put that together. And then also, top kitchen tools to make your meals easier. I really believe that when your kitchen is set up with the right tools, that you will have much more fun in the kitchen, you’ll save more time in the kitchen.

You’ll get the healthy meals that you want to have on the table. And so I have a listing of different tools I recommend, based on what they do. So if you’re constantly like, oh, I hate chopping up vegetables, it just takes too long and you would eat more of them if it was easier then I have a whole list of things that you need to get so that your meal prep is faster. Cook time, speeding up. So those are some of the main things that are focused on in the chapter. So the pressure cook the air fryer the grill and grill. Having those things really can make an impact. A lot of times we’ll go for – maybe because I sell kitchen tools, some people will buy things like a measuring cup, which is great, but it’s, it’s probably not going to revolutionize their life whereas a pressure cooker will absolutely change how you do everything in the kitchen. So I try to encourage people to be intentional about what they purchase as well, because I think it really can make a huge difference in how much time you spend, but how much you enjoy it.

What other things maybe you can do because you’re not spending as much time in the kitchen. And then there’s some basics. I mean, every kitchen needs some good cookware. I think every kitchen needs a great cast iron skillet of some sort, because I think that there’s so many different uses for them. Even a Dutch oven, but also a pizza stone can really make some great pizza crusts, it just gives that crispiness on the outside, chewiness on the inside. And of course, A really good set of knives and tongs and spatulas. And so I’ve got that listing in there too. So trying to give people the tools, literally so you can stock your kitchen with kitchen tools, but also the right foods.

And then have this listing of recipes in a menu strategy format of the dinner, done or forever dinner plan. So you really don’t have to think about it anymore. Frees up all that time. Exactly. Whether you’re a new cook or still in the thick of it with your kids, it’s a great book to help you.

[00:33:17] Melissa: And, and I love what you said about making sure your freezer or your pantry is stocked with the things that you might need and then the fresh stuff, that’s when you think, okay, these are the fresh items I’m going to need for this recipe, but I already have all the other stuff, right. And then shop your kitchen for that.

[00:33:34] Jen: And you can do gardening too. Obviously I like gardening. And so a lot of times in the summer, that’s where I’m getting my fresh produce or fresh vegetables at least from, so incorporating that if you can, or maybe you like the farmer’s market and grocery store too. So if you can streamline that.

Always have certain things available. I know when I was working at the supermarket, I think at one point I counted over a hundred different things that you could purchase from the produce section that were different fruits and vegetables, but we all tend to gravitate towards the same three to four of each category.

And that’s okay. But you know, making sure you have some variety and that’s where I have different side dishes listed as well in each chapter. So you don’t have to think about that too. I mean, yes, you can make your chicken wild rice soup, but what are you going to have with it? I don’t want you to have to think about what – I’ve already got that here for you.

So for example, the pressure cooker chapter, the side dishes are all salads. So just pick a salad and get the ingredients for that and use that in your rotation for that night of the week.

[00:34:38] Melissa: And you make it so simple because you have a Cobb salad. This is what’s in it. You don’t even have to do measurements or anything.

These are just the different things that would go in a cobb salad. These are the different things that would go in a Southwest salad. Right. And I love how simple your sides are. I remember one of the things I started doing when I first started my do more with dinner was – it was summertime.

And I’m like, I have a bowl of fresh, raw veggies. That is your side, grab it out of the bowl. Yep. It can be that simple. Yeah, it can be. One of the things I noticed in your book, I think is what you said was like, I love my Dutch oven. I have several different sizes. I love to make soups and stews, but I think you said that there are Dutch ovens that could also go in the microwave.

And certainly the metal ones the enamel coated ones, they cannot go in the microwave. Did I get that right? Is there a type that does go in the microwave?

[00:35:33] Jen: Yeah, actually. So as a pampered chef consultant, we actually have two and one of them is microwave safe, that one actually is called a rock crock.

Okay. So it’s actually made from clay. And it’s been glazed, so it’s, it can go on all heat sources in your kitchen and even on the grill. So in the microwave, on the stove top, in the oven, under the broiler and on the grill. So it is a very versatile piece of cookware. So if people are  – I don’t have a lot of room in my kitchen and I just want one piece of cookware, that is a great piece because it’s super flexible in how you use it. And then yes, the metal ones. Yeah. They’re made from enameled cast iron. I can go on the stove top, but also in the oven. So it just depends on what kind of one you have and how much storage you have in your kitchen.

But yeah, there’s a place for definitely having a Dutch oven. I would definitely recommend that.

[00:36:27] Melissa: Okay. I’ve never heard of that. So that’s really cool. And by the way, your recipes do have the nutrition information, which is also really nice. Thank you for doing that.

[00:36:34] Jen: Yes. Yes. I had to as a dietitian.

Some don’t!

[00:36:40] Melissa: Exactly. Yes. Now of course, like I said, I’m a fan of your recipes and you say in the book when your son was home, there really weren’t any leftovers, but I just have to ask you, do you have any tips or ideas to share with us, like how do leftovers fit into this whole meal planning strategy?

[00:36:58] Jen: Yeah. And especially, if you’re transitioning with kids and some of them that are out of the house, it is a different cooking experience because you’re so used to making more.

So leftovers. definitely. So you mentioned you ate spaghetti for breakfast and I, yes. And I tend to do that myself. So if there’s leftover whatever from dinner, I think those are great servings actually for, perhaps for some people could be breakfast, but even more so probably lunch. And so just having that as a routine where you don’t have to worry about packing a lunch, you have the leftovers.

So the recipes that I have in the book are typically serving four to six. So if you have less than that in your family, then yes, you’ll have a few leftovers, but it also makes for easy cooking for lunch.

[00:37:49] Melissa: Yeah. I noticed that difference. My daughter just graduated from college. So about four years ago when she went off to college, all of a sudden we had leftovers where we might not have had them before, but now my son who’s in eighth grade – he’s a growing boy, we’re having fewer leftovers, but we still do have some.

[00:38:07] Jen: Yep. He’s making up the difference.

[00:38:10] Melissa: But my husband and I are eating less and less and less. So I don’t know.

[00:38:14] Jen: Yeah, it’s a transition. So I mean, another thing you can do is half the recipe so sometimes when I’m making the five minute pizza dough, for example, I’ll just cut it in half.

And if it’s just for my husband and I, then I save the half portion and put the dough in the fridge and just use the other half to make the pizza. So things like that, that you can do to kind of pare down a little bit too.

[00:38:36] Melissa: Right. Well then I know we’re talking a lot about kitchen tools and gadgets.

I do need to ask because not everybody has unlimited kitchen space or funds for these types of things. So do you have your top tips for people who really don’t have a lot of gadgets or are not able to, to get them and use them?

[00:38:58] Jen: So I would say, I mean, there are some basic things that I would definitely recommend a person have: a cutting board and knife, a good pan.

And I would say a pan that can be used in a versatile way so that you don’t maybe have to have 10 pans then, but perhaps you have one pan or maybe two pans, like a Dutch oven would be a great one. And then also a skillet so that you have both of those options. The recipes in here can be adjusted for, if you don’t have certain things – it’s always good if you can get them.

But I understand too, that not everybody can. So I would say menu planning is a great resource, if you don’t have access to a lot of kitchen tools. The menu planning strategy that I have along with the recipes will help save money as well. So, especially right now, when we’re all thinking how we can all save money. Food prices are going up.

Exactly. So, I mean, I think there’s just some basic things and then you can find some good quality tools in different place. If you don’t have access sometimes even like thrift shops will have some different things or salvation army types of, I don’t know what they’re actually called, but they usually have a store that they sell things that people have donated.

And those would be some of my recommendations. Even, and I’ll just add this because this is always an option for people, and I always suggest this as a pampered chef consultant, I have kitchen tools for people to purchase, but I also have ways for people to save money on those as well, because by hosting, for example, like a virtual shopping experience, Otherwise known as a party or something like that.

You can save a lot of money and also get some things that you really do need that will last a long time. Because I do think it’s worth having high quality tools versus buying a new pan every year that you think, oh, I’m getting this pan for $40, but I have to buy it every year. You’re going to spend more money doing that than if you got a pan that actually is very high quality and lasts a long time and maybe only have to buy one. So, I always like helping people figure out, what are the absolute things they need to have? And I think that’s where having that kitchen assessment or a kitchen quiz that I shared that helps you figure out what you really do need.

[00:41:21] Melissa: and it might be worth investing in. And I don’t know if grocery stores still do this, but one of my favorite pans I got with, it wasn’t coupons, but you collect these stamps or whatever, I guess. Awesome. Free pan from the grocery store. Are there any tools or gadgets that you feel are sort of underappreciated or that you’re surprised that more people would really benefit if they knew about this?

[00:41:49] Jen: Well, I would probably really strongly say the five things that I share in my book. Sometimes people look at them as oh, it’s too expensive to buy a pressure cooker, but the amount of time it saves and the amount of money it saves you from not going through the drive-through or going out all the time is tremendously huge.

So a pressure cooker, a good pizza stone, because it just really changes the way your pizza cooks up and really makes you feel like you’re at your own pizzeria. I think a lot of times our dinner it’s about the experience too, right? It’s not just putting out food on the table, but does it look like something that could have come from a restaurant?

It makes you feel a little bit more upscale like, oh wow. I did that. You feel more confident. You’re going to maybe more likely make something again, because you feel great about how it turned out and how your family really enjoyed it. I think having some kind of pot that can go everywhere.

So one of my favorite pots is an enameled cast iron skillet that’s about four inches deep, I would say. So it acts a skillet, but also it’s almost half the size of a Dutch oven. So you can almost use it interchangeably – goes on the stove top, goes in the oven. So that’s what I tested all of my one-pot recipes in is that.

[00:43:10] Melissa: Oh yeah, you’ve got the one pot and the sheet pan recipes too.

I love one pot sheet pan. I love it.

[00:43:15] Jen: I think everyone needs a sheet pan and air fryers. Everybody talks about air fryers, like, oh my goodness. Got to get. And that was, it was kind of similar for me with the pressure cooker thing. Nope, don’t need a pressure cooker. Got my slow cooker.

Nope. I don’t need an air fryer. I’ve got my oven, but the amount of time savings like I don’t have to preheat my air fryer. So the 10 to 15 minutes it takes to have my oven gets to 400 degrees. I can just turn on my air fryer instantly. It’s on and going. That’s a good point. And so you’re, you’re spending less money on your utilities because it’s not such an energy drain and in the summer, when you don’t want to heat up your kitchen more, because your air conditioner’s going.

This is another reason that that can be helpful too, and really looking at the type of AirFryer then we talked about that, but will it serve more than two servings I think is really important. So sometimes we can get caught in the hype of a product, but if you do your research or find someone that can help you as a kitchen consultant, I’m constantly trying to help here’s some benefits of this type, for example.

[00:44:23] Melissa: Yeah, and I like what you said about, and this goes back to the kitchen quiz I think, where if a barrier for you to getting more vegetables is you really don’t like chopping them. Then there are tools that can help you out with that. And I remember a few years ago, I don’t know I had given away my salad spinner because I wasn’t using it because I was using all these pre-bagged salads.

But then. I kind of got away from the pre-bagged salads. And I was like, where’s my salad spinner, I guess I gave it away. So I got a new one because I really missed having it. And I knew that having it would help me eat more fresh salads. And that was a total game changer.

[00:44:59] Jen: exactly. I think that that is, I mean, we have a new tool that’s actually called the rapid prep mandolin.

And a lot of times Mandolins kind of get a bad rap because they kind of are unsafe and you can cut your finger off. And I agree there are some like that, but this one is just so safe and it really makes chopping vegetables, not only fast, but kind of fun because you’re just like and it’s done in seconds.

And so those types of things can really just change how you eat, like you said, with the salad spinner.

[00:45:32] Melissa: I love that. Well, the last chapter in your book is titled “Next steps”. Talk to me about this because this is where I almost started crying because you’re talking about the kids growing up and moving on and cherishing that time with your family.

But there’s also some nice takeaways with regard to – start with picking one tool and make those five dinners and how that can give you confidence and so on. So tell us about this last chapter and of course, where people can find more information.

[00:46:07] Jen: So the last chapter, I think when I wrote it, I was crying because I remember there was some tears shed and one thing that I remember is from kindergarten on, I had this scrapbook and there was always this one line in there that always said, well, what do you want to be when you grow up?

I don’t know if you had something like that. But every time I was asked that question in the same book and I’d fill it out every year. Because my mom would make me I’d put, I want to be a mother. I want to be a mother. And so that was what I wanted to be. And then I was fortunate enough and blessed enough to become a mother.

And when my son left, I felt like a part of me left too. And so trying to figure out your purpose again, even though my daughter is still at home too, but you know, it feels like you lose half yourself. So that’s where this chapter came in and just trying to figure out what can you do next?

So what are those next steps? So enjoying that, all those moments, even when your family is busy and you feel like things are chaotic, that’s why I wanted to write this book. So that families can still enjoy each other, make those memories as long as they can, because quickly enough people move out of the house and they start their life.

And it’s just totally different. And I think that one thing as moms maybe you want to improve things. Maybe you didn’t have time to do those things when you were in the thick of things, raising children. That’s where this can help as well. So you can develop that confidence in the kitchen, try and pick a tool.

And I know you mentioned at the beginning how you were kind of having fun with trying new gadgets. And I think that is part of the things that we can do and maybe develop a new hobby or develop a new skill or learn more about something makes life more interesting. It makes cooking more fun.

Perhaps you even start cooking with your spouse. So it’s just kind of something that you can do and once you get comfortable. I mean, if you’ve never used a pressure cooker, then yes, I would definitely recommend just go to that chapter, pick out five recipes and just make it a whole week of pressure cooking.

Especially if you have one that’s just sitting on the shelf and you don’t use it, you’re intimidated by it. The recipes that I share are easy and they’re delicious. And that’s what I hope people do is get that off the shelf because it really can make such a huge difference and an impact in your life. I also have a dinner done planner.

[00:48:39] Melissa: I’m glad you mentioned that.

[00:48:40] Jen: So at the front of the book, there’s a little web link that you can type in and that’s a free download, it’s a printable menu map. It’s got the six week done for you menus. It’s got a weekly menu where you can literally print it out.

And if you’re one of the people that likes to hang menus on the fringe or laminate them or whatever you want to do, it just has everything done for you. Plus the ingredient shopping list and tools that I recommend as well.

[00:49:09] Melissa: And it’s so helpful because even though I’ve been trying new recipes, I do have a little bit more bandwidth to do that now, but I still get frustrated when I spent a lot of time looking for this and I tried this recipe and it didn’t turn out.

And so I just love that yours taste good. They are easy. They’re tried and true they’re your family favorites and that’s where I want to go right now. I just want to go to something that is pretty much a sure thing and could become one of our family favorites. And in that regular rotation,

[00:49:42] Jen: exactly.

I think that that’s my wish and hope for people is just to enjoy the recipes that I’ve prepared and hopefully they can bring enjoyment to their families as well.

[00:49:52] Melissa: And thank you for mentioning that free downloadable we’ll link to that as well, because it accompanies the book. And again, if people don’t even have the book yet, they can still get a feel for how they would use this.

And Meal planning, like you said, most people don’t enjoy it. I don’t enjoy it. I’ve done it, but then like anything else, like you just kind of get tired of it and you just go back to your autopilot. So I really love how this is like this framework or structure that you don’t have to start over anew every week, right. You still look at your schedule might change from week to week, as far as what night is busy or when you would be going out to a restaurant or whatever, but it’s like dinner done. You do this, you don’t have to keep redoing it.

[00:50:33] Jen: Exactly. Yep. Just keep going with the cycle.

[00:50:36] Melissa: Well, thank you for sharing all this information and inspiration with us. Is there anything else that you wanted to share about the book or gadgets or recipes?

[00:50:46] Jen: Well, if anyone is interested in things that I recommend, you can come to my website and I’m also accessible on social media too.

So if you have specific questions, you can definitely reach out to me there. And I always like hearing from people too. It’s funny because I’ll have, I don’t some people I know that have gotten the book and there’s a lot of people I don’t know that have gotten the book, but it’s fun to hear from people.

I’ll have people text me and say, oh my goodness, I made this recipe was so good. It’s almost like, oh, I’m so glad. It’s just super, I guess, validating. Also nice that it’s people are actually using the book. I don’t want it to just sit on the shelf. It’s basically kind of like a cookbook workbook.

[00:51:36] Melissa: it is, it is. I love that. And your website is Jenhaugen.com and like you said, you’re on social media, Facebook, Instagram, even YouTube. I have to check that out. I don’t think I’ve gone to your YouTube channel. I have to subscribe.

[00:51:49] Jen: Yes. And I do recipe videos there. So you can see different tools in action too, and get some tips for those two.

[00:51:57] Melissa: Awesome. We’ll have all those links in my show notes as well, but thank you so much, Jen. It’s been great connecting with you. I have been so inspired and excited for you with this new book and everything that you’re doing.

[00:52:10] Jen: Thank you so much. I am so excited that we got to talk today and yes, it’s been fun to share these stories with you.

[00:52:17] Melissa: And your son’s doing well.

[00:52:19] Jen: Yes. So he just finished his first year and. It is hard to believe. Proud mom. It’s a, it’s an emotional roller coaster as a parent, I think. But you know, it’s stressful for them too. It’s not like an easy cakewalk by any means, but

[00:52:37] Melissa: right, right. My daughter like I said, she just graduated and you may have seen this on Facebook, but she got a teaching job in my hometown, so we got her all settled in there and it’s just been so much fun and cool.

I keep focusing on the exciting, fun aspect of it, not the sad part, but you know, I still have my son home for another four years. Thank goodness. So.

[00:52:58] Jen: Yes, yes. Enjoy all the moments. I know. My daughter is home for another year. See what she decides to do after that. And then, my son he’ll be in the military for quite awhile.

[00:53:10] Melissa: Well, I know you’re really proud of him and I’m definitely very excited for y’all. Thank you so much. And for everybody listening as always enjoy your food with health in mind and get dinner done! Till next time.

Thank you for staying tuned – I hope you enjoyed this episode and are inspired to do more with dinner and with meal planning.

First of all – Jen is giving away one copy of her book Dinner, Done to one lucky winner! To enter – all you need to do is post about the episode on social media with a link to the episode (soundbitesrd.com/221)  (Instagram, twitter, linkedIn or facebook) and tag me and Jen (go to my shownotes at soundbitesrd.com/221 to see all of our handles or search for us – I’m @MelissaJoyRD on IG and twitter

I wanted to share a little bit about the recipes I’ve tried from Jen’s book since the interview was recorded.

We discussed the spaghetti recipe during the episode – and since then it has become a family favorite and we have it on a weekly basis – in fact, it has pretty much replaced my weekly standby of pasta, marinara sauce and frozen meatballs. And it’s actually healthier because I use lean ground beef which has less fat, saturated fat and calories and more protein than the frozen meatballs. The recipe only has 5 ingredients and like Jen said – it’s all in one pot instead of one for marinara sauce, one for pasta and one for meatballs.

I’m happy to tell you that Jen is letting me share this recipe on my website in the shownotes at soundbitesrd.com/221 so check it out and let me know what you think!

So the spaghetti is by far my favorite recipe so far. Another one that I’ve made several times and will continue to make often is the Crunchy Cod – made in the air fryer. It’s so much easier than other fish recipes I’ve tried in the air fryer and tastes great. Simple, easy and will definitely help make it easier for us to eat fish more often (you know we should aim for fish/seafood at least twice a week). And we still have some fish in our freezer from our fishing trip to Alaska last summer so I’m excited to have this simple go to recipe.

 

Another recipe that will be a regular for us – I’ve only made it once but again – it was so simple and tastes great – it’s the mac-n-cheese in the pressure cooker. I had already found an instant pot mac-n-cheese that my family enjoyed and made on a regular basis but this one is EASIER, simpler and tastes better! And it actually uses half the cheese of that other recipe (therefore saving fat, sat fat and calories) – and/but it tastes great.

So those are my three favorites, so far! I’ve made 9 recipes from Jen’s book – I think that has to be a record for me for the number of recipes I’ve made from any cookbook! The others I’ve made are the Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta, Egg Roll in a Bowl, (both pressure cooker recipes) Crispy Chicken Tenders (in the air fryer), and Chicken Pot Pie and Tater Tot Casserole which are both one-pot recipes.

I haven’t tried her pizza recipes but am definitely going to try her pizza dough recipe because if that’s good then I’m sure we will make it often. I also haven’t tried any of her sheet pan dinners or soups but definitely will.

Now – if you don’t have the pampered chef appliances – and I do not – then you may need to adjust the instructions to your appliance. For example, Jen’s crunchy cod recipe says to set the air fryer to “roast” but my ninja air fryer doesn’t have that setting so I looked up the time and temp my appliance suggests for fish – aka 390 degrees for 8 minutes or until fish is at 145 degrees – and it turned out perfectly. Another example is when I made the egg roll in a bowl I used the “saute” setting instead of “sear” setting.

One more tip- and this goes for any instant pot/electric pressure cooker recipe that cooks pasta – many times when you open the valve it splatters pasta water everywhere so I read online that you should let it rest before you open the valve. That may mean the pasta is cooking longer so you may have to adjust your recipe as needed. But I’m guessing you’re like me and you don’t want starchy pasta water all over your kitchen.

If you don’t have a pressure cooker or air fryer or grill/griddle – you may want to consider getting the pampered chef version – do some comparison shopping and see what you think. And for the air fryer – I definitely suggest getting one of the larger ones not the smaller basket kind like I have – because if you do like the air fryer you’ll be able to do so much more with the larger one!

 

Thanks again for tuning into this bonus content – let me know if you try any of these recipes or tips – post on social media and tag me @MelissaJoyRD and #domorewithdinner

And do stay tuned for my free do more with dinner resource kit that I’m still working on revising – I will be including recipes and tips in the kit along with links to my favorite resources.