After two weeks of vacation and a trip to Pennsylvania to celebrate my dad’s birthday, I came home to an empty fridge and a strong need to cook. All the eating out and celebrating was fun, but I was excited to make some simple, good food for my family. So I got to work creating my Capsule Kitchen plan for the week. No need for major meal planning or an extensive grocery list. With a well-stocked pantry and freezer, I mostly needed to replenish perishable items like fruit, veggies, and oat creamer (can’t live without it!).

What I Made:

Velvety Cauliflower Alfredo – I always make this when I get back from a trip because it comes together in minutes and I always have the simple ingredients in house: onion, garlic, frozen riced cauliflower, nutritional yeast (or parmesan cheese), coconut milk, nutmeg, and pasta. The whole family inhales it.

15-Minute Skillet Stew – This is another one I make when I’m just coming back from extended time away because like the alfredo, I always have beans, petite-diced tomatoes, and spices on hand. If I can just get scallions (or onion) and fresh herbs, I’m in business. We made the Chili Bean variation and served it over rice with sour cream, hot sauce, and chopped scallions and cilantro.

Quinoa Base – There isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t make a big pot of quinoa. It’s just so easy to pop that on the stove and then I have the makings of a satisfying Green & Grain Salad, Quinoa Skillet Supper or Quinoa Cakes at the ready.

In The Bank:

Then, there’s what I had in the bank from previous weeks! This is the real gift of the Capsule Kitchen.

*When I had been home for a few days in between trips I had made a batch of Sundried Tomato Pesto, so I had that for one meal to make Vegetable Pesto Pasta, a family favorite.

*I also had a 1/2 portion of Lentil-Walnut Mix in the freezer, so I was easily able to turn that into Lentil-Walnut Taco Mix in minutes.

On a week that would typically be quite stressful to pull together meals, I effortlessly got Planetarian dinners on the table five nights in a row – lunches, too! So sketch out a simple plan with a few elements from the Capsule Kitchen and see how it transforms your week. And if you’re wondering, we’re getting take-out pizza tonight! Even if cooking can be easy, its still nice to close the kitchen and have a night off.