“What are we eating?”
You hear it. Every day. Like clockwork.
You can plan menus weeks out. Meal prep on Sundays until your arms ache. But actually getting food onto the table still feels like wrestling a bear.
So we asked Melissa Ben-Ishay how she does it.
If you know Baked by Melissa, you know she builds tiny cakes that look like flowers and dinosaurs. Cute, right? But Melissa is also a mom, a recipe developer, and someone who figures out how to feed people without losing her mind.
We wanted the real deal. Not the glossy Instagram feed version. The “I’m tired and the kids are screaming” version.
Here is how she actually eats.
The Formula Is Dumb Simple
Melissa doesn’t try to be fancy. Not on weekdays.
She relies on two things: grocery delivery and stupidly simple meals.
Grocery shopping is a time sink. You have work, school, sports, the whole circus. Ordering groceries to be dropped on your porch saves a trip. Or use pickup. It’s the middle ground. Saves money. Saves sanity. Keeps the pantry full so you don’t default to takeout when you’re exhausted.
Once the food is there? Keep it bare-bones.
“Most nights dinner is a protein anda veggie.”
That’s it. No complex sauces. No five-stage reduction.
She’ll grab a steak or salmon. Pan-fry it. Fast. Her kids get steamed broccoli. The adults? They eat whatever leftover salad is clinging to life in the crisper drawer.
Then there’s carbs. Pasta or rice. Often leftovers from Tuesday now showing up on Thursday’s plate. It works. It’s not glamorous. It’s food.
Shortcuts aren’t cheating. They’re survival.
Running on fumes? She makes “pizza” by spreading toppings on flour tortillas and baking them. Or she orders out. She says it’s delicious. She’s probably right.
And keep the freezer stocked. Always.
Have those emergency frozen meals ready. The nights where you literally cannot move are coming. They will happen. Be ready.
Recipes That Don’t Hate You
If you prefer having a recipe written down, Melissa has a new cookbook called Come Eat. It has 100 recipes designed for actual family life, not restaurant kitchens.
Here are her go-to moves:
Spatchcock Chicken
Sounds intimidating, right? “Spatchcock” is a big word for a simple task. Cut the backbone out, flatten the bird. It takes eight minutes of prep. It cooks faster because it’s flat. It’s just so good.
Schnitzel
Crispy chicken. What’s the point? Nothing.
Her husband makes double or triple batches every other week. They freeze the rest. When time is zero, you heat it up. Easy.
Steak Tacos
Protein meets produce. Cook steak. Buy mini flour tortillas. Raid the fridge for veggies and cheese. Throw it all together. Done.
Magic Meat Sauce
It’s a red sauce. All the veggies get blended in until they’re smooth. Kid-approved because they don’t see the zucchini. It works with pasta. Or spaghetti squash. Your call.
Moo Shu Chicken
A stir-fry that doesn’t require a wok class. Juicy chicken. Heaps of vegetables. The marinade is made from stuff you already have in your pantry. It becomes a favorite quickly.
Food Is Just Fuel (And Dessert)
We have this idea that eating well means suffering through hours in the kitchen. Or measuring grams of quinoa.
Melissa disagrees.
She thinks of food in its basic form. Medicine. Nourishment.
Mealtime exists to keep you alive and happy. It’s also so you have the emotional stability to enjoy dessert afterwards.
Every time she opens her fridge, she plays a game: What can I make with exactly what I see that tastes good and doesn’t kill me?
No grand planning. Just looking. Acting. Eating.
What would you make with what’s currently in your kitchen?
