Want a little help putting meals together?
THIS + THAT = DINNER
A guide to building healthy meals without recipes
By Kath Younger, RDN
Dinner doesn’t need another complicated plan.
I’m known for putting a little of this with a little of that and making a healthy meal out of what I have. Most Tuesdays, I just want to open the fridge, see what’s there, and get dinner on the table without using every pan in the house.
This 19-page digital guide shows you how I think through breakfast, lunch, and dinner with flexible ingredients, practical formulas, and real-life examples, all with a nutritional balance in mind.
Inside this guide
A flexible kitchen, one meal at a time.
01 Welcome to my kitchen · page 3
02 The way I build a meal · page 3
03 Building a balanced plate · page 4
04 Stock ingredients that do more than one job · page 5
05 Build a meal: the equations · page 7
06 Change the flavor, keep the groceries · page 11
07 The seasonings that do the most work in my kitchen · page 11
08 My favorite shortcut pantry foods · page 12
09 Shop for possibilities, not seven assigned dinners · page 13
10 Use it up without eating the same meal twice · page 14
11 The “I have nothing to eat” page · page 14
12 Breakfast and lunch can work the same way · page 16
13 The kitchen tools I actually reach for · page 18
14 Keep this page handy · page 19
Same groceries. Three different dinners.
One pot of rice can become a salmon bowl with cucumber and avocado, a taco bowl with beans and salsa, or a Mediterranean bowl with chickpeas, feta, and hummus. Swap the rice for greens or a baked potato and you’ve changed them again.
That’s the point of This + That = Dinner: more possibilities from the food you already have, with less pressure to follow a recipe.
The way I build a meal
When I stare into the fridge, I look for four parts. They don’t have to be separate foods, and every meal doesn’t need all of them.
- Carbs: Bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, tortillas, oats, or crackers.
- Protein: Eggs, beans, yogurt, chicken, fish, steak, cheese, or leftovers.
- Produce: Something fresh, frozen, roasted, or even fruit on the side. The rainbow!
- Flavor: Pesto, salsa, hummus, dressing, lemon, spices, or a sauce you like.
Finishing touch: Crunch, creaminess, acidity, or something fun—nuts, avocado, feta, pickles, herbs, or tortilla chips.
Ready to make dinner feel easier?
This + That = Dinner is a 19-page digital PDF by Kath Younger, Registered Dietitian and the blogger behind Kath Eats Real Food since 2007.
$25.99 · Digital guide