What I Made for Dinner as an Avid Gardener

Fresh produce and meal prep shortcuts star in this dinner diary.

As winter approaches and we’re faced with another year of determining what's for dinner, we're sharing a glimpse at how BHG readers gather for a meal. Welcome to our new series, Dinner Diaries, where we're asking readers to anonymously share how they get dinner on the table including grocery shopping, budgeting, cooking, and their favorite family recipes. Here, a two-person household relies on garden-fresh produce and well-stocked pantry to get dinner on the table.

• Occupation: Homemaker

• Location: Belleville, MI

• Age: 52

• Cooking for: 2
  

Related: What I Made for Dinner as a Working Mom of Two in Rural Iowa

Q: How often do you go grocery shopping?

Once a week.

Q: What's your average weekly grocery budget?

$150 or under. I have a massive vegetable garden and a mini orchard. In the winter, our budget is maybe $170.

Q: Do you make a grocery list?

Yes. I meal plan, so unless it’s on the list I don’t buy it.

Q: What grocery stores do you shop at most frequently?

Busch’s and ALDI.

Q: Who is going to cook dinner?

Myself, unless we’re grilling and then it's my husband.

Q: What are things you always have in your fridge or pantry?

For produce, we always have a variety of berries, apples, stone fruits, grapes, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, and a variety of fresh greens including spinach, kale, mesclun greens, and Swiss chard.

In the fridge, we keep eggs, cream cheese, butter, cheese including fresh mozzarella, homemade skyr, plain whole milk yogurt, and almond milk.

In the pantry we have nuts, brown rice, quinoa, farro, steel cut oats, orzo, dried beans including black beans and varietal mixed lentils, dried peas, dried mushrooms, teas, coffee, crushed tomatoes, salsa, yeast, and all varieties of flour from King Arthur Flour. We also have flavored olive oils, balsamic vinegars, and Penzeys spices. You'll also find cartons of chicken broth, seafood broth, beef broth, and consommé .

Q: How do you share the labor of cooking, cleaning, and grocery shopping?

I always do the grocery shopping and the cleaning of our home. My husband does help with the upkeep on weekends and we share the outdoor chores including our massive vegetable garden and mini orchard. During the summer we both love farmers markets, so whatever I don’t have to harvest that week for meals we will buy locally from farmers markets.

Q: What are your go-to meals or family-favorite recipes?

On weekends for breakfast I make sheet pan pancakes so my husband has breakfast in the mornings. I also make frittatas. During the week it's roasted whole chicken, a spatchcock chicken (it cooks in under an hour on the grill) or grilled chicken breast for dinner. I then use leftovers for lunches or other meals, and I always make homemade broth. Other times it's homemade soup, oven-roasted salmon and grilled or cooked shrimp (I use the shells tails to make a seafood broth). I also make homemade pasta and pizza crust, as well as homemade bread and scones. We also love scallops. All it takes is two and a half minutes to cook them for a quick and fast meal. Sometimes we have burgers too.

Related: How to Spatchcock Chicken, According to Our Test Kitchen

Q: Do you cook daily or do you meal prep for the week?

This is a tricky question because I do both. I cook daily but I always have fresh vegetables and fruit cleaned and ready to go. Everything is prepped and in glass containers in the refrigerator. I have an Instant Pot Duo Crisp Air Fryer which I use to make fresh yogurt and skyr. I also use it to make a large pot of steel-cut oats, beans, and grains. I usually just have to just add a protein like beans, chicken, or seafood to make a meal. I am very lucky to have a Vitamix with all the attachments, a Kitchen aid with all the attachments, and a good set of Wustoff knives. It makes prepping a breeze. I have a well-stocked fridge and pantry so making meals is easy. Usually in summer it’s salads with a protein, or I will make a charcuterie board with fresh fruit, cheeses, nuts, homemade canned jam, and bread or crackers, that’s if I’m very tired or it’s just to hot to eat.

Q: What was the last meal you cooked at home?

Last night I made roasted potatoes, fresh green beans in a Dijon mustard sauce, and sautéed pork chops with mushroom sauce.  

Q: Would you make it again?

I sure would. My green beans were from our garden, the pork was defrosted, and I had potatoes on hand.

Q: Do you often have dessert with dinner?

Sometimes I bake a pie or cake we enjoy for a few days.

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