Quick Staple Recipes for Busy Weeks (MTHFR-Friendly)
Simple Recipes We Use on Repeat!
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This page is a collection of very simple, no-frills recipes that come up often in my meal planning. They’re the quick staples I rely on during the week, the kind of things I make without really thinking about them anymore.
You’ll see these recipes referenced throughout my Real-Life Family Dinners meal plan posts. Rather than repeating the same instructions over and over, I’ve gathered them here so you can easily jump to what you need, right when you need it.
If you’re looking for the full context of how these fit into our weekly rhythm, you can start here:
👉 View Real-Life Family Dinners for Cozy Seasons
Think of this page as a practical kitchen notebook… quick recipes, smart swaps, and small upgrades that support MTHFR-friendly eating without making dinner feel complicated.
Homemade Chicken Sausage
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 9 g breakfast sausage seasoning
Directions: Melt butter in large mixing bowl, stir in 7-9 grams of breakfast sausage seasoning (depending on how spicy you like it!), combine with 1lb of ground chicken breast. Form into patties and brown in a skillet over medium heat until cooked through.
Quick Bone Broth Rice (or Polenta/Grits)
This is one of the easiest upgrades I make in my kitchen. Any time a recipe calls for water, I simply substitute chicken bone broth. That’s it. No extra steps, no extra effort, just more nourishment. Using bone broth instead of water adds minerals, collagen, and glycine, which can support digestion, gut health, and overall nutrient absorption. It also gives polenta, rice, or grits a richer, more comforting flavor.
Ingredients
- Polenta, rice, or grits (prepared according to package directions)
- Chicken bone broth (used in place of water)
- Salt, butter, or cheese (optional, to taste)
How to make it
- Check the package directions for your polenta, rice, or grits.
- Replace the water with an equal amount of chicken bone broth.
- Cook exactly as directed, stirring as needed.
- Finish with butter, salt, or cheese if desired.
Notes
- This works for polenta, rice, and grits.
- If you’re avoiding synthetic folic acid, be sure your grain is unfortified.
- For grits-style dishes, organic polenta is an easy, reliable substitute.
💡 This is one of those small changes that adds up over time — simple, cozy, and nourishing.
🥕 Crispy Veggie Fries (Quick Staple Method)
A simple, repeatable way to turn vegetables like zucchini or asparagus into crispy, kid-friendly fries using pantry basics. My kids love these with ranch!
Vegetables that work well:
Zucchini spears, asparagus, green beans
📝 Quick Method
- Place flour in a gallon zip-top bag.
- Add 2 beaten eggs to a second gallon zip-top bag.
- Mix ½ Italian panko breadcrumbs + ½ grated parmesan in a third gallon zip-top bag.
- Add vegetables to each bag in order (flour → egg → breadcrumb mixture), gently shaking to coat.
- Bake on sheet pan at 375 degrees until golden and crisp (~15 min).
The amount of flour and breadcrumb mixture will vary depending on how many vegetables you’re coating. Use what you need, and add a little more if the bag looks sparse, you’ll know.
🌿 MTHFR-Friendly Note
This at-home method avoids seed oils, artificial dyes, and additives commonly found in frozen veggie fries. The parmesan adds enough salt and flavor on its own, so no extra seasonings are needed. Be sure to check labels on flour and breadcrumbs to avoid enriched or folic-acid-fortified products.
