Easter baskets are so fun to put together. I honestly cherish thinking of my loved ones as I assemble their baskets. If you’re like me and are trying to stay away from all the candy, why not make your own sweet treats? It adds a personalized touch and it’s such a great way to show my family how much I love them.

So, what kind of treats do you put in a basket? You can do anything from mini muffins, homemade candies, and even cookies. Package each one in a cellophane bag or wrap in parchment paper, tie with a string or ribbon and you’re good to go!

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READER QUESTION: Any advice on making healthy meals for two elderly people who are not able to cook for themselves?

If I understand the question correctly, it looks as though you need healthy recipe ideas that can be made ahead of time, portioned out, frozen or cooled and easily reheated.

The good news is we have loads of recipes that will work. The tricky part is what you consider healthy. Here at Simply Recipes we believe a healthy diet is full of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, a variety of animal and vegetarian protein, diary and healthy fats. Basically, if you make it from (mostly) scratch and eat the sweets and fried foods in moderation it’s healthy to us.

If you want to dig around for your own version of healthy check out Recipes for Healthy Eating page. You will find everything from Potato Leek Soup to Salmon Foil Packets.

If I were caring for someone and wanted to stock their fridge and freezer with food these are my top recommendations:

SOUPS AND STEWS

Soup is always good makes a big, batch and is easy to portion out into individual servings. It keeps for up to a week in the refrigerator and 3 months or better in the freezer. Here are some personal favorites:

SMOOTHIES

Smoothies are great for breakfast, a light meal when you’re not feeling well or a mid-day snack. You can easily make ingredient smoothie packets ahead of time so they are ready to go. Or you can blend the whole smoothie up, then freeze individual portions flat in ziptop bags.

Just take a bag out in the morning and set it on your countertop while you get ready for the day. Smoosh it together and pour it in a cup. If you’re going to make smoothies, it’s helpful to have a high-speed blender. Check out our Guide to High Speed Blenders to see if your blender fits the bill. I’ve listed a few favorites below, but you can find more smoothie recipes here.

CASSEROLES

We have a whole page dedicated to casseroles. Some are easier to portion and freeze than others. If you want to see the complete list check out our Casserole page. If not, here’s a few favorites to get you started.

CASUAL FOOD

If you’re looking for something really simple quesadillas are a wonderful option. I do this for my children. You can stuff quesadillas with anything. Cook them, then let them cool. Cut them into quarters, layer the quesadillas between pieces of parchment paper and freeze in a zip top bag. When you need one, take it out of the bag, pop in in the microwave for a minute and lunch is ready. If you want the tortilla to crisp up you do need to put it in a toaster oven or skillet on the stove top.

I hope that’s enough to get you started. Thanks for writing in!

Take care,

Summer, Senior Editor and lover of cooking for others

P.S. Have a question? Email us: [email protected] 

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Description

These gluten-free lemon poppyseed muffins are made with almond and coconut flour and have a bright, lemony flavor. You can top the muffins with the lemon glaze for a real treat or leave it off.

Ingredients

• 5 eggs (at room temp)
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (liquid state/melted)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (at room temp)
• 1/2 Tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 cups almond flour 
• 1/4 cup coconut flour 
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 2 Tablespoons poppy seeds 
• lemon glaze (optional)

Lemon Glaze 

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 12 paper or silicone liners in your muffin tin. 
2. In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, coconut sugar, coconut oil, lemon juice and lemon zest with a whisk. I made a note to make sure your eggs and lemon juice are at room temperature otherwise the coconut oil will solidify and create clumps. If this does happen, you can set the mixing bowl on the warm part of your oven as it’s preheating or set the bowl in a larger bowl of hot water until the coconut oil melts again. Just be sure you don’t get it too hot or else the eggs will start cooking. 
3. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder and poppy seeds. Pour the liquid mixture into the bowl with the dry and stir until mixture is fully combined without any lumps. 
4. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cavity about ⅔ of the way full. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.
5. Let muffins cool in the tin for about 10 minutes or so, then remove and let cool completely on a wire rack. 
6. To make the lemon glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar with lemon juice until no lumps remain. If the glaze is too thick, add a little more lemon juice. If the glaze is too thin, add a little more powered sugar.
7. Drizzle glaze over each muffin just before serving. 
8. Store muffins and glaze in separate storage containers in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

Notes

• Recipe inspired and adapted from this Keto Lemon Cake.
• I haven’t tested this recipe with an egg replacement and I’m not certain it would work well with flaxseed eggs. You’re welcome to test it but the results might not be ideal.

• Category: Breakfast
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 muffin (without glaze)
• Calories: 291
• Sugar: 16g
• Sodium: 163mg
• Fat: 21g
• Saturated Fat: 9g
• Unsaturated Fat: 2g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 28g
• Fiber: 3g
• Protein: 7g
• Cholesterol: 77mg

Keywords: lemon poppyseed muffins

While strictly speaking this is not a French dish, it has all the characteristics of a warm and cozy meal you could imagine having at a local corner café in France. If you can’t travel, you might as well eat like you are!

This bistro-style crispy chicken is braised with carrots, potatoes, and, for good measure, greens in a mustard and lemon seasoned chicken broth. It all comes together easily in a skillet and adds up to a satisfying, flavorful meal.

THE BONUS TO BRAISING CHICKEN

Braising is one way to cook meat with moist heat. It cooks food gently, keeps it from drying out, and requires only a small amount of liquid in the pan. Stewing, on the other hand, contains a lot more liquid, enough to submerge the meat.

The real bonus here, though, is that the small amount of braising liquid on the bottom of the skillet allows the chicken skin to become crisp in the oven, while the vegetables cook in the juices. The liquid in the skillet creates a kind of flavor exchange—the vegetables give the broth extra richness, and the chicken permeates the vegetables.

WINNER, WINNER SKILLET DINNER

After you brown the chicken on one side, set it aside on a plate and give the potatoes and carrots a head start. Return the chicken to the pan with the stock and pop it in the oven for half an hour or so. The chicken takes another turn on a clean plate while you cook the chard leaves in the pan on top of the stove. Finally, set the chicken atop the vegetables and serve with a squeeze of lemon.

WAYS TO ADAPT THIS RECIPE

When it comes to cooking, you can always find ways to tweak recipes.

• No big skillet? No problem! Cook the chicken in batches in the skillet and transfer them to a baking dish or use two skillets and divide the ingredients between them or use a Dutch oven.
• Swiss chard substitute? Use greens of your choice such as kale, baby kale, or spinach. If you stick with chard, know that it’s much sweeter than kale, and if you’re not used to cooking with it, I strongly urge you to try it. Trim the leaves from the stems and cut the stems into pieces. They’re sweet and delicious, and the stems add another element to the dish.
• Not a fan of chicken thighs? Thighs stay moist and make a delicious change from chicken breasts, but you could use chicken breasts, too. Look for small breast halves with the skin and bone, so you can dig into that crispy skin. Boneless breasts will take a lot less time to cook, so if you use them, you will need to cook the vegetables in the oven for about 25 minutes first, sauté the chicken separately, and then add it to the pan to finish cooking for a few minutes.

HOW TO PREPARE THIS DISH AHEAD OF TIME

I recommend cooking this dish all the way through, cooling it, then freezing it to reheat at a later date. This is a perfect make and reheat meal if you’re caring for someone or bringing a dish to friend who may not need to eat it now but could reheat it later.

Although you could safely freeze this for up to four months, two months is optimal for preserving good flavor and texture.

• One to two days ahead: Cook the entire recipe to the end. Store the chicken and vegetables in separate containers in the fridge. About 30 minutes before serving, spread the vegetables in the bottom of a baking dish, place the chicken on top, and heat, uncovered, at 375˚F until the vegetables are hot all the way through and the chicken is crispy. The same goes for leftovers!
• Freeze for up to 2 months: Cook the chicken and vegetables. Place the vegetables in a freezer bag and place the chicken on top of the vegetables. (You will need at least two bags.) Seal the bags so they are airtight. Freeze flat. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat as per the method above.

MORE CHICKEN SKILLET DINNERS

Skillet Chicken Thighs with Potatoes, Carrots, and Greens Recipe

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