Go To Meals

At Nana’s house, 1981. Age 5. Say hello to the most delicious Albondigas Soup Recipe…  When I get sick, the only thing I can think about is Phil Donahue and soup.  It’s true. As a child, when I would get sick, my mom (who was a working, single parent), would take me to my Nana and Papa’s house, where I would rest and be treated like a royal queen. (It paid to be the only grandchild). On these days, I can vividly remember getting wheat thins from this ginormous pantry that always smelled like red wine vinegar, the uber 70’s wallpaper in the kitchen, watching Phil Donahue in the afternoons, and Nana making me ...Read More
Let me cut to the chase: weeknight meals stress me out just like you but I made a BOMB chicken tortilla soup that you and all those picky eaters (husbands, I’m talking to you), will love! This simple soup recipe is a variation on a family recipe. The key to me on this soup is grinding up the tortillas and adding them to the soup, then blending the soup, veggies and all, with the tortillas to create a super thick but still chunky consistency. (I make sure to leave some of the veggies and and tomatoes out). You’ll add the corn, beans, and chicken after which give it a chunkiness too. Oh, ...Read More
Like most kids, when my son gets home from school he is starving. Though I send him a well-rounded and plentiful lunch, it usually gets half eaten because, recess. Duh. Often times, we have a slew of (sweaty) boys over for a playdate. Sometimes, it’s just me or my babysitter at the helm, other times, it’s kids and their moms for one big round of “don’t throw that down the stairs, boys play nice, please no jumping on the bed” extravaganza. The biggest hurdle for me and these playdates: Coming up with healthy but satisfying snack solutions that won’t require too much clean up or too much fuss. (He got more ...Read More
Right now I’m on a meal planning kick. I’m not just focusing on dinners though. Instead, I’ve got my mind on lunches– trying to come up with easy ways to continue to eat clean (when I’m not eating “Klean”) and not just grab a handful of pretzels and hummus and call it a lunch. Working from home, it’s pretty easy to graze- this is an issue I know for a lot of moms both working and stay at home. So in an effort to fight the cabinet-calling monsters and eat well-balanced meals, I’ve been scouring Pinterest for inspiration and ideas. One of the recent pins I saw was for a crock ...Read More
I’m pretty sure at some point since the inception of Perfectly Disheveled, I’ve confessed how every now and again (every time) I go to Traders Joe’s (or Costco… or Whole Foods… or any supermarket, really), I hope and pray that there is some sort of “stample,” as Jonah calls it, being given out.  Luckily, there’s a TJ’s in my hood and I can always guarantee that no matter what time I’m there, there will be a jolly guy with a beard serving up some sort of brilliant, but totally funky concoction. Fried rice with honey and spinach feta balls?  Who knew?! A few weeks ago, they were giving out samples of ...Read More
Is this fancy iPhone work, or what?! As if life isn’t hectic enough, (and that doesn’t include wedding planning), I’m hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year for 23 people. Thankfully, everyone is bringing a dish, so all I have to do is cook the turkey (hi, mom), and make the table look pretty (hi, Pinterest). Needless to say, this past week has been a little crazy. In an effort to stay sane (and healthy) during “go, go, go time,” I’ve been leaning on some “go to” recipes that I know I can whip up easily.  Some of my go-tos are meatloaf, crockpot turkey chili, shredded chicken tacos and takeout ...Read More