This dish is great for a time crunch. I was always intimidated by quiche - it’s so french…. But if you just buy the frozen crust - you’re golden. It’s super easy and you just let bake! The recipe from the Farm to Table Cookbook calls for roasted red peppers. I have a personal vendetta against them - slimy squishy peppers don’t do it for me. So I added a regular yellow bell pepper instead, for a little crunch. It’ll probably look prettier if you do red something though. The pie crusts usually come in packs of two, so you could make enough for a larger dinner party or save one for another easy dinner. They also DO NOT need to be defrosted. We actually had my sister-in-law over for dinner last night, fed the 3 of us, my husband also had seconds, and there’s just enough for our lunch today! This basic recipe is great, and you can change the veggies depending on the seasonality. Since the recipe doen’t have a link, I’ll type it out for you guys.

Summer Quiche

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, sliced 1/2 inch thick

2 ears corn, shucked

One 9-inch baked pie crust

1 red bell pepper, roasted and chopped (or you can use a non roasted pepper)

2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

2 large egg yolks

2 large eggs

1 cup half-and-half

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 pinch nutmeg

ground black pepper

1. Position the oven rack in the middle and preheat oven to 350F. Heat the oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, add the onion, and saute, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to caramelize, about 8 minutes.

2. To shave the kernels from the corn, hold a cob upright at a slight angle on a cutting board and cut off the kernels with a sharp chef’s knife, being careful not to cut the cob. Add the kernels to the saute pan and cook for 1 minute. Place the pie shell on a baking sheet, add the corn mixture, bell pepper, and goat cheese.

3. Whisk the egg yolks, eggs, half-and-half, salt, nutmeg, and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl. Pour mixture into the pie shell and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the edges are set and a knife inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean (the filling will continue to set after the quiche is removed from the oven). Allow the quiche to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

One of the first things I knew needed to change in our diet was our fruit and veggie intake - which I think applies to a lot of us. We were eating a lot of meat and pasta and cheese (yummy, not heart healthy). So my first weeks menu includes just 2 dinners with meat. I used to be a vegetarian, which my husband is thankful I’m not anymore, but I felt so much more healthy while doing it. I also want to try to buy organic and antibiotic free meats, so less meat is less $$$.

I’ve planned out our whole week’s dinners, with plans on leftovers for lunches. This is another goal of ours - smaller portions so there are leftovers.

I also want this to be realistic. I’m not an expert cook - I just watch a lot of Food Network and pour over cook books. I’m going to share my failures (not easy for me to do) as well as things that have worked well for me. I also know lots of people work 9-5, or work on different schedules. I’d love to hear how you cook and shop! I have many friends who are actors and artists, and keep really different schedules from most people. Together we’re our own experts.

So, here’s the menu for the week - things may shift depending on how much time I have

Monday - Eggplant Parmigiana - Jamie Oliver

Tuesday - Honey Chicken Skewers and Corn Salad - Real Simple

Wednesday - Tomato Basil Soup w/ crusty bread - The Farm to Table Cookbook

Thursday - Summer Quiche - The Farm to Table Cookbook

Friday - Moroccan Lamb w/Carrot Salad - Real Simple