As this unusual summer draws to a close, it’s time to start moving into new routines for fall. Having a routine dinnertime can be so helpful when the world feels like it has turned...
Mediterranean Inspired Recipes
You can never have enough easy side dish recipes, am I right?? I like to keep my side dishes simple so they don’t steal the show from my main dish, and they don’t add...
Are y’all ready for the next installment in the no-cook lunch box series? The Hummus Lunch Box is a classic, one that I’m sure many of you have made before, but it definitely deserves...
I’m a little embarrassed to admit that the first time I ever heard of Pasta Puttanesca was in the movie Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, over 15 years ago. In the movie,...
Y’all know I’m all about the bowl meals, right? It’s pretty routine for me to just go into my fridge, grab whatever odds and ends I have, and throw them into a bowl for...
I’m all about the simple meat and vegetable dinners. By changing up the seasonings, the mix of vegetables, and cut of meat, you can have an endless number of simple go-to meals. This week...
Another day, another salad! I try to make some sort of salad each week that I can build meals on or just eat as a quick meal on its own when I’m on the...
You guys, I am SO IN LOVE with this meal! Browned beef full of warm spices, a medley of roasted vegetables with caramelized edges, and a bed of warm rice makes a fabulously well rounded...
This Tuscan White Bean Pasta is definitely my type of recipe. It’s quick, uses a lot of fresh ingredients, is very filling, and flavorful. This pasta packs protein (white beans and parmesan), veggies (tomatoes...
It’s totally been one of those weeks, guys. I didn’t get to my meal prep this week, but I did prep the ingredients for these Greek Chicken Wraps. Because of all the chaos, this is...
You guys know how I love sweet potatoes, right? They’re pretty much the perfect vegetable. They are inexpensive, shelf stable, and are sooo versatile. The fact that I can use them in both sweet...
Need a main dish that’s full of flavor but only requires a few ingredients? I’ve got you covered. This Chicken Piccata is simple and flavorful, yet elegant enough to impress a date or your...
OMG yum yum yum! This recipe is an instant new favorite! I’ve been all about the skillet and one-pot meals lately because I’m super busy, so today I made this Greek Turkey and Rice...
Years ago I tried my hand at Chicken Shawarma and the marinade that I made was so tasty that I swore I’d use it as a dip some day. Soooo, I finally did it. These...
The aroma from this salad is the most deliciously fresh aroma of cucumbers, parsley, and crunchy green peppers, and it’s beyond delightful. The only thing better than the aroma is the flavor. In short,...
If you haven’t started making your own homemade hummus, you’re totally missing out. It only takes about five minutes, you can adjust the taste to be juuuuuust the way you like it, and you can...
I’m trying to stock my fridge with some healthy options for the week ahead because I didn’t do so well last week. So, this morning I threw together some of my favorite flavors (garlic,...
A few weeks ago my friend Jenni sent me a link to this recipe for Tzatziki Pasta Salad with the comment that, “it isn’t too Budget Bytes friendly (too many splurgy ingredients), but it’s really...
You know that movie You Don’t Mess with the Zohan where the guy uses hummus for pretty much everything? Well, my obsession with hummus is pretty much at that level (minus using it for non-food purposes)....
Ahhh creamy carbonara! It’s the original poor man’s pasta with its bare bones ingredient list and rich, belly satisfying flavor. But, as times change so do the availability and prices of ingredients. The once...
I guess we’ve hit that time of the year where just I want to eat cold salads every day (Hi, summer!). So I decided to take one of my favorite pasta salads, Lemony Cucumber...
If there was ever a recipe worthy of “breakfast for dinner” it would be shakshuka. This rich, saucy dish is full of smoky spices, hearty beans, and rich eggs. Make sure to buy or...
I’m experimenting with a new grain this week, farro, and the first thing I wanted to make was a salad. Farro is a delightful chewy grain with a neutral flavor that will make any...
Today I had this insane craving for cold and crunchy vegetables all wrapped up inside a fluffy pita (it’s weird how specific my cravings are sometimes). So I threw together this super simple Roasted...
I’ll openly admit that I’ve tried to make paella on more than one occasion and failed miserably. It’s probably a combination of not having the right paella pan or not using the correct method,...
I discovered Mujaddara probably about ten years ago at this little Lebanese lunch spot in Baton Rouge, called Serop’s Express. I didn’t know what the brown crumbly mixture was, but I ordered on a...
You may be looking at that picture and thinking, “But where is the falafel?” Well, it’s not a salad with falafel, it’s a salad made out of falafel ingredients. Falafel Salad, get it? You see, I was...
One of my all-time favorite recipes is Oven Fajitas. It’s easy, flavorful, and healthy. So, I decided to try the same concept with different flavors. For this version, I chose Greek inspired vegetables (bell pepper,...
Need something easy and flavorful to throw on the grill this weekend? This Greek Marinated Chicken is it. The marinade for this chicken (similar to what I used for this Chicken Shawarma ) takes...
Mmmmm… I LOVE spinach pie. Whenever I eat at Greek restaurants, I always make sure to order some spanikopita. I love the flakey crust and the rich, warm, spinach filled interior. Popeye totally knew...
I LOVE quesadillas. Crispy on the outside, all warm and melty on the inside… Oh so good. While I don’t think I can top my favorite black bean quesadillas, these mediterranean quesadillas are an...
That’s “keen-wah tab-ooh-lay.” Don’t let the name scare you away from this incredibly simple and refreshing salad! I’ve been obsessed with tabbouleh since I first tried it as a child. It’s full of texture...
This dish is a little more fancy and expensive than the usual Budget Bytes fare, but when you compare it to the cost of a restaurant meal, it still can’t be beat. I get...
I’m always trying to work beans into my diet because they’re just so good for you, and I happen to think they’re delicious. These quick marinated white beans are one of my favorite side dishes because they’re so...
The marinade for this Chicken Shawarma has to be the very best marinade that I’ve ever made. Ever. The marinade was so good that I might even use it as a sauce in the...
I had never really cooked with ground turkey before (okay, maybe once and it wasn’t good) but I think I discovered the key. You have to season it up really really good. I added so...
I was so excited, so drawn in, so salivating when I saw this recipe for falafel from Living The Pie Life a few weeks ago. The only problem was that I didn’t have a food processor....
Oh the fascinating world of flat breads… Although the ingredients for this Homemade Pita Bread are different from my Homemade Naan, the execution is almost exactly the same. The only difference here is that you...
One of my favorite things to order when I go to Mediterranean restaurants is Stuffed Grape Leaves or Dolmas. I’ve always shied away from making them at home because they seemed like they would...
I have a whole menu of Mediterranean food planned for this week so I decided to start with the Tzatziki, since it goes with just about everything. Tzatziki is a delicious sauce made with...
I’m going to admit right now that I have never made Baba Ganoush before today so if you have any suggestions or recipe variations, please share! If you have never heard of Baba Ganoush,...
I had a hankering for some balsamic marinated mushrooms the other day but after searching for recipes, I decided to try a batch of regular marinated mushrooms before trying the balsamic variety. There were...
