the simple me » recipes http://thesimpleme.com living better, one day at a time - employee blog of Spring Partners Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:56:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Simplify entertaining with finger food http://thesimpleme.com/2009/11/04/simplify-entertaining-with-finger-food/ http://thesimpleme.com/2009/11/04/simplify-entertaining-with-finger-food/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:35:25 +0000 rachel http://thesimpleme.com/?p=4294 This post can now be found on Springpad’s new blog.

My favorite part of any party is the food – more specifically, the hors d’oeuvres. They’re cute, easy to hold, and small enough that you can try a little bit of everything! So why not apply the concept to the rest of your meal and serve an array of finger food? Whether you’re hosting a potluck or a holiday party, they’re the perfect thing to dish out. Kids want to eat with their fingers anyway, and adults will be happy to try a variety of foods. Here are a few of my favorite finger food recipes:

Mama’s meatballs Spring the recipe!
Gingerbread mini-muffins Spring the recipe!
Vegan dosas Spring the recipe!
Toasted ravioli with a warm tomato dipping sauce Spring the recipe!
Sweet potato fries Spring the recipe!

Spring all the recipes!

What are your favorite entertaining tips?

]]> http://thesimpleme.com/2009/11/04/simplify-entertaining-with-finger-food/feed/ 4 Weekly meal plan – 4th week in September http://thesimpleme.com/2009/09/20/weekly-meal-plan-4th-week-in-september/ http://thesimpleme.com/2009/09/20/weekly-meal-plan-4th-week-in-september/#comments Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0000 rachel http://thesimpleme.com/?p=3990

Last week’s meals were delicious, especially the tortilla soup – it was a great way to finally transition into fall. I’m really excited to try this week’s dessert recipe – red velvet cake and cheesecake are two of my favorite desserts, and I’m sure the combination will be tasty!

Monday
Lasagna rolls with roasted red pepper sauce Spring the recipe!

Tuesday
Simple carrot soup Spring the recipe!

Wednesday
Ethiopian chicken stew Spring the recipe!

Thursday
Ranch chicken salad Spring the recipe!

Friday
Creamy portobello penne with goat cheese Spring the recipe!

And for a special treat
Red velvet cheesecake Spring the recipe!

What are you eating this week?

Does creating a weekly meal plan simplify my life? Definitely! Especially with the help of the springpad weekly meal planner.

]]> http://thesimpleme.com/2009/09/20/weekly-meal-plan-4th-week-in-september/feed/ 4 Weekly meal plan – 3rd week in September http://thesimpleme.com/2009/09/13/weekly-meal-plan-3rd-week-in-september/ http://thesimpleme.com/2009/09/13/weekly-meal-plan-3rd-week-in-september/#comments Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:00:01 +0000 rachel http://thesimpleme.com/?p=3749

Last week was a little hectic, so I’m glad to be back on schedule with a great new set of meals!

Monday
Spinach and brie chicken with tomato orzo Spring the recipe!

Tuesday
Ridiculously good taco salad Spring the recipe!

Wednesday
Smoked mozzarella and tomato quiche Spring the recipe!

Thursday
Chili piquin vegetarian tortilla soup Spring the recipe!

Friday
Pasta with Goat Cheese and Mixed Mushrooms Spring the recipe!

And for a special treat
Strawberry poppyseed tart with ricotta marscapone filling Spring the recipe!

What are you eating this week?

Has creating a weekly meal plan simplified my life? Of course, and the help from my weekly meal planner goes a long way.

]]> http://thesimpleme.com/2009/09/13/weekly-meal-plan-3rd-week-in-september/feed/ 1 Weekly meal plan – welcome to September! http://thesimpleme.com/2009/08/30/weekly-meal-plan-welcome-to-september/ http://thesimpleme.com/2009/08/30/weekly-meal-plan-welcome-to-september/#comments Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:58:20 +0000 rachel http://thesimpleme.com/?p=3748
I can’t believe it’s September already! Last week’s meals were delicious, and I’ve got a couple of salads planned for this week to help me hold on to summer for as long as I can.

Monday
Shrimp, bacon and avocado salad Spring the recipe!

Tuesday
Roasted eggplant with prawns and soy sauce Spring the recipe!

Wednesday
Asian noodle salad Spring the recipe!

Thursday
Lemon chicken with sauteed spinach Spring the recipe!

Friday
Sensational mini meat loaves Spring the recipe!

And for a special treat
Peanut-filled devil’s food cupcakes Spring the recipe!

What are you eating this week?

Has creating a weekly meal plan simplified my life? Absolutely!

]]> http://thesimpleme.com/2009/08/30/weekly-meal-plan-welcome-to-september/feed/ 1 Weekly meal plan – end of August http://thesimpleme.com/2009/08/23/weekly-meal-plan-end-of-august/ http://thesimpleme.com/2009/08/23/weekly-meal-plan-end-of-august/#comments Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:40:45 +0000 rachel http://thesimpleme.com/?p=3623

Last week’s meals went pretty well – and breakfast for dinner was great! I’ll definitely have to do that again. I’m really excited to make this week’s special treat, I found the recipe awhile ago and it looks delicious!

Monday
Pasta with sausage and broccoli rabe Spring the recipe!

Tuesday
Grilled Adobo chicken Spring the recipe!

Wednesday
Parmesan crusted baked zucchini sticks with marinara sauce
Spring the recipe!

Thursday
Braised chicken with orange and scallions Spring the recipe!

Friday
Sea salt and lime grilled fish tacos Spring the recipe!

And for a special treat
Salt caramel molten chocolate cake Spring the recipe!

What are you eating this week?

Has creating a weekly meal plan simplified my life? Of course, and the help from my weekly meal planner goes a long way.

]]> http://thesimpleme.com/2009/08/23/weekly-meal-plan-end-of-august/feed/ 2 Weekly meal plan – 3rd week in August http://thesimpleme.com/2009/08/16/weekly-meal-plan-3rd-week-in-august/ http://thesimpleme.com/2009/08/16/weekly-meal-plan-3rd-week-in-august/#comments Sun, 16 Aug 2009 23:33:46 +0000 rachel http://thesimpleme.com/?p=3622

I’m really happy with the way that last week’s meals turned out… and I’m excited for Tuesday, I’m doing breakfast for dinner! What’s your favorite themed meal?

Monday
Chicken enchilada roll-ups Spring the recipe!

Tuesday
Apple-topped German pancake Spring the recipe!

Wednesday
Homemade pizza Spring the recipe!

Thursday
Chicken artichoke casserole Spring the recipe!

Friday
Open face grilled goat cheese panini with sundried tomatoes and herbs
Spring the recipe!

And for a special treat
Monkeybread Spring the recipe!

What are you eating this week?

Has creating a weekly meal plan simplified my life? Of course!

]]> http://thesimpleme.com/2009/08/16/weekly-meal-plan-3rd-week-in-august/feed/ 1 Tips for “Simplify Your Life” Week http://thesimpleme.com/2009/08/06/tips-for-simplify-your-life-week/ http://thesimpleme.com/2009/08/06/tips-for-simplify-your-life-week/#comments Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:26:25 +0000 rachel http://thesimpleme.com/?p=3532

This week is National Simplify Your Life Week.  So we’re bringing you a round-up of some of our best, simplest posts over the last year!

August 2008:  Organize your home redecoration project

September 2008: Drink more water for your health & to save money

October 2008: Shampoo your hair every other day

November 2008: Save time sorting dirty laundry

December 2008: Organize your kitchen pantry after the holidays

January 2009: Low on energy? Try a caffeine nap

February 2009: Get the perfect table at your favorite restaurant

March 2009: Delicious recipes can be simple!

April 2009: Save money on beauty products with these homemade tips

May 2009: Send reminders to your mobile phone

June 2009: Keep your purse organized

July 2009: Boil your pasta and vegetables together to save cooking time

]]> http://thesimpleme.com/2009/08/06/tips-for-simplify-your-life-week/feed/ 0 Plan Thanksgiving meal in 45 minutes http://thesimpleme.com/2009/08/05/plan-thanksgiving-meal-in-45-minutes/ http://thesimpleme.com/2009/08/05/plan-thanksgiving-meal-in-45-minutes/#comments Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:00:00 +0000 katin http://thesimpleme.com/?p=3506

Really, it’s possible! You too can plan & shop for your entire holiday meal in 45 minutes…

I was recently at BlogHer, talking to the lovely lady bloggers of the world about all of the merits of springpad. I found myself repeatedly telling the story about how I planned my Thanksgiving dinner last year – so I thought I should share!

Last year, I hosted Thanksgiving dinner at my house, here’s how the planning went:
- I chose nine recipes from all over the web
- I added them to springpad using the clipper
- I used the meal planner to scan the full list of ingredients & made a shopping list of just those that I needed (with a few trips to the kitchen to be sure I had once-a-year things like nutmeg & canned pumpkin)
- I opened up Peapod.com in another window & added all of the things on my springpad list to my peapod list
- I placed the Peapod order to be delivered the next day

45 minutes – done & done!

Did using springpad to plan Thanksgiving dinner simplify my life? Heck yeah!

]]> http://thesimpleme.com/2009/08/05/plan-thanksgiving-meal-in-45-minutes/feed/ 1 Weekly meal plan – It’s finally Summer in Boston http://thesimpleme.com/2009/07/12/weekly-meal-plan-its-finally-summer-in-boston/ http://thesimpleme.com/2009/07/12/weekly-meal-plan-its-finally-summer-in-boston/#comments Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:00:15 +0000 rachel http://thesimpleme.com/?p=3238

Going back to meal planning last week was great for me. It’s finally starting to feel like summer in Boston, and that’s definitely reflected in my meal choices this week…

Monday
Beer can chicken Spring the recipe!

Tuesday
Grilled veggie burgers and perfect french fries Spring the recipe!

Wednesday
Grilled corn with shrimp salad Spring the recipe!

Thursday
Summer spaghetti caprese style Spring the recipe!

Friday
Rosemary ranch chicken kabobs Spring the recipe!

And for a special treat
Frozen watermelon-lime bars Spring the recipe!

What are you eating this week?

Has creating a weekly meal plan simplified my life? Yes, planning ahead with the springpad weekly meal planner always makes things easier!

]]> http://thesimpleme.com/2009/07/12/weekly-meal-plan-its-finally-summer-in-boston/feed/ 2 Weekly meal plan – Welcome to July! http://thesimpleme.com/2009/07/05/weekly-meal-plan-welcome-to-july/ http://thesimpleme.com/2009/07/05/weekly-meal-plan-welcome-to-july/#comments Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:06:15 +0000 rachel http://thesimpleme.com/?p=3082

So, I took the holiday week off from planning, but I did post some great Fourth of July recipes last week. After all of the Holiday BBQ eating, it’ll be good to get back to my regularly scheduled meals! Here’s what I’ve got planned for this week…

Monday
Super Bowl Buffalo Chicken Panini Spring the recipe!

Tuesday
Fried Ravioli Spring the recipe!

Wednesday
Maple salmon with greens, edamame and walnuts Spring the recipe!

Thursday
Chicken tacos with mango and jicama salad Spring the recipe!

Friday
Grilled pizza bella Spring the recipe!

And for a special treat
Whole wheat blueberry buckle Spring the recipe!

What are you eating this week?

Has creating a weekly meal plan simplified my life? Yes, planning ahead with the springpad weekly meal planner has made it easy!

]]> http://thesimpleme.com/2009/07/05/weekly-meal-plan-welcome-to-july/feed/ 1