Making Room by Gather

Everyday Eats: Simple Healthy Recipes for Real Life w/ The Defined Dish

• Kayty Helgerson

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There are some recipe creators that quickly become a part of our family, and for me, The Defined Dish has always been one of them! 

I welcomed her on the show this week to talk about some of the things she does best - tips and trucks for unique menu planning AND recipes that are foodie and weeknight approved!

From sharing about her growing business, Side Dish, to the upcoming launch of her newest cookbook - we know this conversation is one you'll LOVE! 

Pre-order a copy of her latest cookbook here

Browse her recipe collection here

Get 20% off your first order of Side Dish here

This Episode is Sponsored by: 

Tiny Spoon Chef- Get $100 off your customized in home personal chef service using this link! 

Support the show

Setting The Table For Food Inspiration

SPEAKER_03

If you're anything like me, there are a few food content creators and bloggers that just feel a part of the family. We rely on them and turn to them when we need inspiration to feed our family, when we're having guests over and we want to create something special. We love their creativity and cheer them on from afar. And a defined dish has always been one of those for me. I have loved her unique menu development, her creativity when it comes to recipe development. I love health and I love food, and I feel like the way that she develops and creates and shares unique, nutrient-rich recipes has always been something that I have just gravitated towards and really appreciated. So having her on the show is extra, extra sweet to me, and I'm sure you guys have followed her and thought the same too. Well, this conversation is incredible, guys. It's a little bit business, a little bit food, and a lot of inspiration when it comes to menu planning and hosting specifically, which I know has been a question of yours over the years. How do I create a cohesive menu? Lots of foodie and business conversations that I know you guys are going to love. Well, if you don't know about Alex or maybe have followed her blog but don't know much of her own story, here is a little bit more about her. Alex is a Texas-raised author, recipe developer, and culinary creator who has built a community of more than one million followers. She's known for sharing healthy, mostly whole 30 and paleo-compliant recipes that add a Texas twist and bold flavors she grew up with. She is a three-time New York Times best-selling author of Define Dish, Whole30 endorsed healthy, wholesome, and weeknight recipes, The Comfortable Kitchen, and Dinner Tonight. In 2022, she launched Side Dish, a collection of better for you dressings, condiments, and condiments designed to make meal time delicious and easy to share with loved ones. She is in Dallas with her husband and her two daughters. And goodness, after this conversation, I feel like we became fast friends. Well, if you are listening already and you're like, man, all of this like healthy meal talk sounds great, but I have my plate full. I hear you, I feel you. Um, and we want to present you with another option. If you're like, listen, I'm not in my cooking season, this is not my cooking era, and you need a little bit of extra help. Um, Tiny Spoon Chef wants to offer that to you. Tiny Spoon Chef is a personal chef service that starts with a phone call to get to know you and your family, every member of your family, the lifestyle, your routine, the food preferences, and they send a personal chef to your house to cook for your family. Guys, this is not something that's just for the rich and famous. This is something that is available to you, and they want to give you a hundred dollars off your first week of working with them when you head on over to tiny spoonchef.com slash gather. Guys, you could tell them that you only want to shop at Trader Joe's or maybe only want to shop at Whole Foods. You could tell them that your kids don't like spicy, but you do whatever it is. Um, there was one week where the Tiny Spoon Chef came over and she made the most delicious paleo compliant protein bars homemade. And I was like, you know what? Next week, could you make a triple batch for us? And she did. They are kind, they are talented, and it helps your family eat wholesome and healthy. And guess what? You could even give them one of Define Dishes recipes and say, Hey, next week, could we try this one? Actually, I think that's a great idea. Head on over to spy tinyyspoonchef.com slash gather to schedule your consultation call and get$100 off your first week. Hi, I'm Katie, a hospitality educator and the host of Making Room by Gather podcast. I am set to see our communities get back to the table through hospitality. But it wasn't always this way. My husband and I moved to Thailand and through it, I experienced some loneliness. And with it, I was given a choice to sit back and accept it or to do something about it. And for me, that meant two things. That I needed the healing to learn how to accept an invitation and the confidence to know how to accept one. Through this process, I developed some of the richest and deepest relationships of my life. Through Making Room by Gather, you will hear conversations from myself and experts in the areas of food, design, and relationships. You see, there are countless things trying to keep us from the table. But can I tell you something? Take a seat because you are ready. You are capable. You are a good host. Hey, Alex. I'm so excited to have you on. I feel like I've talked to you some of my members of my community about this and some friends, and you just have built such a huge community that respects you. And so I'm so excited that we all get to learn more about you.

SPEAKER_01

I know. I'm so excited to be here. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_03

Of course. Of course. Well, I feel like it's true for a lot of us that we have kind of like our go-to food blogs and food bloggers, and we make their recipes. They're such a huge part of our life, right? But we actually end up not knowing much about their stories. And so I think a question that I wanted to start by asking you is what um what are some things that you think people don't know about you, but you wish they did?

SPEAKER_01

Oh gosh. I feel like I've shared so much. So it like depends on how long people have been around. But um, you know, in a nutshell, like kind of why I love food is I just think it was my upbringing. I grew up in a small town and now it's not so small. Like growing up, there was like a pizza spa and like a burger joint and no grocery store. We would have to like drive to into the city to like go grocery shopping. So it was like, you know, my parents would go do their weekly haul, and dinner was just always home cooked. And so I just was always obsessed with like helping my grandmother and my mom in the kitchen and learning from them and fast forward like going to college. I was just like that girl that always was cooking for my friends, and it's just a huge part of my identity. I think even without the divine dish, I still would be that person cooking and gathering my humans in my life, you know?

Whole30 Shift And Finding Her Niche

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I love that. I love that. Um, and definitely relate to a lot of it. And with that, you very quickly became known for sharing like healthy recipes, nutrient-rich, whole 30 paleo. And um, I know that so many creators have like a food story, maybe even a health story. Why was it important to you to focus? Because I feel like food bloggers and creators like kind of have a niche, right? And so what landed you in that direction?

SPEAKER_01

You know, when I first like started sharing recipes, like that wasn't a part of like how I cooked. Um and I had my I think my oldest daughter was like probably two years old. And my sister's always like a health and fitness girly, like she was always like getting her Pilates instruct, like she was just like um always coaching and teaching and training and all this stuff, like in her 20s. And so I was really struggling with kind of like postpartum just anxiety for the first time, and I just wasn't feeling myself, and I just like couldn't. I was trying all these different things, and um, and my sister recommended that I do a whole 30 because she, you know, in that kind of world had learned about paleo eating and she did a whole 30 and was like, I have so much mental clarity and I feel so good, and like I'm watching you struggle, and I really think like you'll feel better doing this. And so, long story short, I was like, you know what, I'm willing to try anything right now, and I'd never really like done anything like that before. So I do a whole 30. And you know, I feel like when you try a whole 30, um, you know, the first week, like you're okay eating like grilled chicken and broccoli. But as a food lover, that got old real quick. I'm like, I want to try to make this, that, and the other. And I try to get as close as I could with the ingredients that were, you know, okay using on the program. And um, I was like, man, I'm making things taste great. And so I was just like kind of sharing those recipes, um, not knowing like how big of a community and how big of like a need people were wanting to like eat cleaner and eat that with those types of ingredients. So it really kind of became a knack for me and it made me feel so much better after I did that. I realized I just wasn't prioritizing my own health. You know, as a new mom, I think we can all go back to that time where we're just like, how do I take care of these humans and myself? And like the whole 30 just kind of like made me do that. And so it wasn't just about the food, it was just about prioritizing myself. And it was just kind of that trope ripple effect. But um, I also just realized I am having fun like trying to take these things that I grew up eating, you know, all this like southern food or anything like that, and and trying to make it with these new ingredients to me, new ingredients to me, um, you know, cassava flowers and tapioca flowers and and different starches and stuff that are considered less inflammatory, um, according to the whole 30. And it was just like a fun experiment. And now they're my pantry staples, and it's just kind of how I cook. I definitely don't eat whole 30 or paleo all the time, but my pantry staples are kind of that way. And so a lot of my recipes are whole 30-ish or easily modified to be, I feel like, is kind of how my modern cooking is.

Holiday Menus And New Traditions

SPEAKER_03

I feel like even just kind of like the health world has shifted in that direction too, right? Like I feel like people, at least I was so strictly paleo, and now it's kind of more like what do people call it, intuitive eating, like where I've kind of incorporated more rices or you know, soy here and there. Um I feel like your recipe collection is reflective of how our family eats. So yeah, I love that. Um okay, so I remember following you around Christmas, and you're gonna have to remind me if what I'm referencing was New Year's or Christmas, but yeah. New Year's or Christmas?

SPEAKER_01

I I actually made it for Christmas, but I think I shared it around New Year's, and a lot of people made it for New Year's. So yes, it was Christmas. Yes, you know, I like to have fun at Christmas time with my menu because we live in DFW and so does my husband's side of the family, and so does my side of family. So we have like 800 Christmases. So by the time it's my turn to cook, I'm like, I do not want a beef tenderline, I do not want mashed potatoes, like I need something that's not traditional. And so um I want to say a couple years ago, honestly, probably the first time I did that was COVID, you know, like when you're just like home and just cooking all the things, I was like, let's make homemade dumplings and got the family in the kitchen. And that kind of has become a tradition that like they love to do and get involved in the kitchen. And so because that became kind of a tradition, I've started to like expound upon my menus and kind of make it more Asian inspired just to like bring something different to the table. The family's so excited about it. We're sick of traditional Christmas food by Christmas, and so it's just like kind of a fun uh twist. And um, we've really gone to do it. I think we'll do it probably forever. I think it's officially a tradition for us.

SPEAKER_03

Man, I think that's so like I I loved seeing it, and I'm like, oh my gosh, that's like a reminder. I don't have to do the thing that I'm sick of every year just because it's Christmas.

SPEAKER_01

Like for sure, and I do love all those things, but like sometimes as a content creator too, I make beef tenderloin and share them in November. Like I'm I'm making stuff like a month ahead of time.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

And so, like by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, I'm like, I've already made Thanksgiving food so that I can share it with my audience. And so I'm like, I'm over Thanksgiving. So what am I gonna make that's different? Or like kind of bridging that gap where I'm like not making the same things over and over again. Um, because I just like something different all the time. I just love food too much.

SPEAKER_03

I know the same thing over and over again. I'm with you. I remember watching and I was like, that would excite me. Like, not even just me, right? Like that would food excites me.

SPEAKER_01

I think a fun menu, I think sitting down and planning for the holidays and like making it almost like a school project of like, here's my mood board, here's my menu, like I'm gonna assign this to my husband. Like, you're in charge of grilling the steaks while I do this. Like, whatever it is to like make it all come together and just like make it more festive. Um, I think is always fun.

Practical Menu Planning For Hosts

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, that's actually a really good segue. I feel like menu planning is an area of hospitality that cripples people, especially people that aren't as confident in the kitchen. You know, they're like, I see someone like you posting like this amazing cohesive menu, or even like maybe a little bit unique, and they're like, dang, well, where do I start? Um, what are some of your kind of like tried and true menu planning tricks that you tell people?

SPEAKER_01

So, you know, it just kind of depends on how many people I'm hosting, what the setting is, and like I really do try to plan a menu so that I cannot just like be stuck in the kitchen. I will say that Christmas menu was more labor intensive, but like we're home and we're hanging out all day, and it was just kind of like me and the kids, and my brother and my aunt came over. So it was a smaller group, so it was like we could all hang out in the kitchen and chat the whole time. But whenever I kind of extend it to friends and it's like, you know, 10 people sitting at the table, like for example, next week I'm hosting my book club and we're kind of doing like a Galantine's theme. We read a romance romance novel, so it's kind of like I'm just gonna run with the kind of Valentine's Day theme. And so I'm gonna make a pasta and everything kind of centered around that and and timing. So I kind of start with like my main course, and I'm like, I'm I can make the pasta sauce, and that can be like kept warm, and then I'll while everyone's there, cook the pasta and then toss it in the sauce. Um, I'm gonna make a salad so the dressing can be done, the lettuce can be ready to be tossed, and I can tell my, you know, one of my friends like, hey, go toss that salad while I get the pasta going. And then dessert can be done ahead of time and an appetizer I always keep super simple. And so I create a really beautiful meal that feels special, but I make sure it's doable depending on my audience and the setting. And so because I want to be present with my friends and sit down and talk about this book, I know that I can basically have everything done other than maybe spending 15 minutes in the kitchen and I can put people to work too and be like, you toss that salad, I'll do this, and then let's all go to the table together. Um, I kind of do that. But I and I think that's important to remember is like you can get really crafty with a menu, but it's like you gotta make sure it's doable. So if it's, you know, the appetizer is a baked brie, like have it ready to go and just pop in the oven and have your, you know, your um platter already set with whatever you're serving with. So you just plop it down on that and like just try to get as much done before your guests walk in the door so that you can actually enjoy the party as well.

SPEAKER_03

That's awesome. What I'm what I was kind of like hearing, a theme with everything you just said, is almost to set your goal first and then plan your menu. Because like Christmas Day, you were like, I want to enjoy the craft of this, you know, like I have the time, you know, so my menu is going to reflect that. And then if you want to be with your guests, it's like, okay, that's the goal. So, you know, shift. That's great. Yeah.

Delegation, Budgeting, And Presence

SPEAKER_01

And if you're not someone like, you know, obviously I love to have a labor like mint meal, like that is a treat to me. That's a gift to myself because it's fun. Um, but it's not always the right setting and it's not always fun. And sometimes I'll shift it. And I think for people that hosting and entertaining is tricky, they might see an event like I did and be like, oh, that is way too much work. It is for if this is new to you, do not make that menu. But like my Valentine's Day menu is perfect for someone that's new to cooking, and that might get them to be like, okay, maybe I can host. And I also think it's important to remember that like you can buy the dessert or put someone in charge of like, hey, and you can I, because I am curating a menu, and if it is like a really special occasion, like for New Year's Eve, for example, I delegated and I'll be like, Hey, I want you to make dessert. Can you make this dessert? Yeah, I will literally tell them which dessert to make so that it does flow with my menu, or like, hey, I want you to bring all the balloons for this room. And like, people want to help and they want to come over. And I'm definitely the host, but like I'm good at delegating the things that like I know are doable for other people to do.

SPEAKER_03

I was gonna ask you about that because I love that you brought that up. I think that people think asking for help is a sign of maybe being like maybe I'm putting the wrong words to this, but like I think people think it's like it makes you look like a bad host, but I don't feel that's true, right?

SPEAKER_01

No, everyone you invite people over, usually they're like, Hey, what can I bring? Yeah, and maybe that's just like a nicety for people to say, it's just like, oh, what can I bring? Maybe you're saying, like, hey, can you bring two bottles of wine? Like that's gonna, you know, take some burden off of me, or like, hey, can you bring dessert? Um and and sometimes you can just be like, bring dessert and surprise me. But if you are getting if you are set in the table and you want a vibe, tell them, tell them what you want. And so it's kind of funny. I'll I'll kind of delegate my friends and they're like, oh gosh, now I'm nervous now. I'm like, no, like just make this Einegarten recipe or make this a mine. Like, you know, whatever it is, um, it's kind of fun. And everyone can be a part of it, and it all comes together and it's special and it's fun. And so yeah, I think it's important to get a few things. And I do think appetizers, desserts, or like alcohol or drinks or cocktails are a good thing to offload off of your plate.

Building Side Dish As A CPG Brand

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, that's great. I think you know, hospitality can be so stressful to people, and they're like, man, what are the answers here? And I think giving yourself permission to delegate is huge, you know, like financially and time, right? It's like, yeah, huge weight.

SPEAKER_01

You can be like, hey, I'm doing the whole thing. Can you guys all vimbo me 20 bucks each? Like, that's okay to do. I just I think, you know, you know, I don't normally do that. I'll usually delegate like to take things off my plate. Like everyone bring like for book club, like everyone bring a bottle of wine, you know, whatever it is. And you know, we might not drink all those bottles, but it kind of like replaces some things and in your, you know, it all gets tallied up and everybody's happy and happy to pinch in.

SPEAKER_03

Like you said, people do like contributing a lot. Yeah, yes. Um, I want to talk about side dish. Do you call it? I mean, do you call it like a business, a branch of the brand?

SPEAKER_01

Like, how do you it's its own, it's its own business, and it's definitely like something that I did because of what I do, but it's definitely its own entity and its own brand and its own business. Um, and it's a crazy the CPG world is crazy and doing um products has been so eye-opening, but it's been super fun. I've learned so much. Um, we still are kind of like just getting started. I have we have hopefully a new product launch this year happening that is not a salad dressing. I will just say that. And I'm very excited about it if we can get it all buttoned up this year. If it's not gonna be this year, it'll be very early next year, but I think we'll get it done.

SPEAKER_03

Um I wanna the fall real quick backtrack just to give people context if they're new to this. But I wanted to start by saying, I remember when you launched and your marketing strategy, just like the influencer marketing strategy, you were everywhere in the best way. Like it was it was unbelievable. It was like whoever, I don't know if that was like your genius or a team genius, but I was like, this is genius, whoever's involved.

SPEAKER_01

Honestly, it was more of just like it, it was just us doing it. But I think because and this has been something that I'm learning too, because I had the defined dish, I was kind of doing things the same way there, same, same, but different. And that's definitely been an adjustment too. And like trying to make content for two pages is something that I'm like, maybe I can't do this as much as I did when we launched. So um we're trying to figure that out as well, too. And we're still young and scrappy, and we're um, you know, we're still funding the company, and it's it's one of those things that we're just still trying to figure out before we get bigger. Um, but yeah, it's been it's been pretty crazy. Um, but it's again been really rewarding as well.

Clean Ingredients And Retail Growth

SPEAKER_03

I I hear you with saying like the small and young and scrappy, but the the way that you guys present yourself on socials is so robust and like established. So I just wanted you to know that.

SPEAKER_00

It's thank you. Means a lot because sometimes we're like, what? You know, fake it till you make it. We're figuring it out. Totally.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah, totally. Um, but also can you explain to people what like how would you explain side dish to someone's like, what is side dish? Like green bean casserole? Like, that's not what we're talking about. It's a company's brand. Yes.

SPEAKER_01

So side dishes, my brand right now of multi-purpose salad dressings. Um, and all of the dressings are kind of like designed to be not only to toss your salad in, but to like drizzle over bowls, marinate your chicken, whatever you want to do. They're just kind of um all made with that in mind so that you can use them in a lot of different ways with clean ingredients, no seed oils, and made with 100% avocado oil. So Um, that's uh kind of the gist, but the overall side dishes goal long term is you know, as a recipe creator and cookbook author, I see the types of recipes that people gravitate to. And like there's the time and place for like Christmas where you're getting super fancy, but then there's that Wednesday night when you get home after the kids' sports and after a day of work, and you're just like, I want to get dinner on the table to feed my family and nourish my family, but I don't have the time. And so having some of those pantry staples just on hand to be able to turn to um and get dinner on the table is kind of our ultimate goal. And um, so I'm super excited to to get some of these other products on in the pantry as well.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I I love all of it. I love all of it, and it's kind of like how we cook and how I like to inspire people too, and just like the everyday hosts. And are all of them dairy free? I should know this.

SPEAKER_01

Um, all of them, except for our Italian has real Parmesan cheese in it. Hey, that's so that's our only one with dairy right now. Yeah, no, it's great, it's really great, yes.

SPEAKER_03

So, and they're all gluten-free, all gluten-free.

SPEAKER_01

Um all and they're only if they are sweetened, it's just with honey. So no refined sugars. They're super squeaky clean ingredients. Mode, I think they're all paleo. Um, we do have like a chickpea miso in our miso Caesar. Um, so it's still gluten-free. Um, but yeah, they're we have a couple different flavors right now. We have miso Caesar, we have a classic ranch, we have a Chipotle ranch, we have a creamy sesame, which is my favorite. It's kind of like a peanut style sauce. Um, we have Italian, we have champagne vinaigrette, we have apple cider vinaigrette, and a Greek vinaigrette. I think those are all the babies right now. Yeah. So we've got these like light and fresh vinaigretts that are kind of our newer ones, and then we have some of those like staples like ranch and caesar um that everyone loves. So a little bit of everything. And and my goal is just like bring the flavor and the ingredients that I want in a product to the shelves.

Where To Buy And Creative Uses

SPEAKER_03

What I love, like the reason I was asking those questions is because people listening, like accommodating special diets can feel so, I don't know, challenging, right? Like if it's not your world, like if it's not the way that your family eats and you ask a guest, you know, like, what are your special diets? And you freeze, you know, or your dietary needs. This, I love that this solves that. Um it's like use your ranch, but we're using this ranch, right?

SPEAKER_01

Like, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_01

And yeah, um, it's it's just kind of nice knowing that I can send carrots and ranch or whatever it is to school with my daughter, and it's the ranch that like I want her to be eating and not like all these ingredients that I have no clue what they mean or what they are. Um, and she loves it, so it's nice.

SPEAKER_03

Um, did I see that they're at Whole Foods or just some Whole Foods?

SPEAKER_01

Yes, they're at all nationwide in Whole Foods.

SPEAKER_03

Oh my gosh, congratulations.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, that was a huge that was our that was our big launch last year, and we have another big launch coming up with another national retailer. So we'll be in more stere stores throughout the year. Our kind of goal right now is um just expanding our line and and yeah, people being able to find us more easily.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, that's huge. I very, very early, we've had a bunch of different faces in business. I was looking at launching mixes and just learning a little bit about like the I mean, just getting into stores and getting shelf space. It's just it's huge. It's a huge process and accomplishment.

SPEAKER_01

And so definitely we we recently hired on a really awesome CEO that has a lot of great experience. Um, he used to be the CEO at Truff, the hot sauce.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah.

Starter Recipes From The Blog

SPEAKER_01

Um, and then before that, he was with Primal Kitchen. So he's got a lot of great experience and he came on with us in the fall. And he's really been able to, because again, like you said, the retail world is crazy. It's like I made those products and when we were selling them online, it was doable for a while. Um, just when we were e-commerce because we were going on such a small scale. But when you scale up and you're trying to get in 500 storefronts and just the logistics of it all, and um, we're also working really hard because using clean ingredients means it's a more expensive product. We're really trying to get um our price point down um for consumers as well. And so he's really been able to help us kind of get all that under control and continue to just make us a better company and more efficient. So very excited about Reno. Reno's the best, he's the man.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I mean, those having yeah, his experience is incredible. Powerhouse team. Very exciting. Wow. Um, also, I'm sure people know this by now. I'm like a new mom-ish. And so I'm learning all the mom world things, but yeah, I can get Whole Foods delivered to my door, like from Amazon. Do you do that?

SPEAKER_01

I do know I don't.

SPEAKER_03

Okay.

SPEAKER_01

But yes, I will sometimes. I use Instacart quite often.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Um I kind of have like my stores that I go to for different things. So I'll pop into Whole Foods or Central Market in Texas. And um, and then I order Sprouts all the time on Instacart. That's like my Instacart spot. I love Sprouts. Sprouts has like a couple of like random brands that I love. And I like will do a bulk order of like snacks and stuff for my kids from Sprouts, like once a week or once every two weeks. And it's my favorite Instacart.

SPEAKER_03

I I love Sprouts. We don't have them. I spend a lot of time in Nashville area, and um last time we were there, it was like crazy tornado season. And we were driving, I don't know, we were driving, and there was a funnel cloud right in front of us, and we had to like like book it into Sprouts. It was pretty scary. Um it was my first experience in a sprouts. We spent a lot of time there. Where were you? Um outside of Nashville.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, yeah. No tornadoes or no joke, yes.

SPEAKER_03

But we uh it was our first time kind of properly exploring a sprouts because we were forced to.

SPEAKER_01

I love I love the way they set up their stores. They're it's fun to shop in there. They it's like a good, it's a good like discovery store to like find new brands and stuff. So I I really enjoy it.

New Cookbook: Everyday Eats

SPEAKER_03

I have a lot of like weather anxieties, and so it was a good distraction.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Look at this ketchup. That would be a good spot to be. Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_03

I ate my feelings and that. Yeah, um, awesome. Okay, so people can get them online. They could get Whole Foods delivered to their door with Side Dish.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, and we're on we're on Amazon. We're online at get side dish. And again, like if you buy one of our products and you're like, okay, I use this on a salad, what are some other fun ways to do it? That's where I can help you. On our website, get sidedish.com, you can click like Mesa Caesar and see some really fun recipe ideas for inspiration as well. So um, that's been fun to kind of do too, to kind of help people think of fun ways to use our products.

SPEAKER_03

I love that. I love the all the thought given to every every side of it. Um, okay, so if someone is new to your platform, I don't know how someone would be new to your platform, but if they are um and you're like, okay, I you need to try this. Like I want to point you in this direction, what would it be?

SPEAKER_01

Oh man, I feel like I have a lot of really great skillet meals. Like, like right now, right my like top recipe, I just posted it a couple weeks ago is just like a skillet sesame chicken and rice. And it was one of those things that like I had chicken thighs in the fridge and like that was it. And so I whipped this up for dinner. I feel like when all us fell as the kids love chicken and rice, we love chicken and rice, everybody's happy. So things like that are really fun. Um, so I feel like if you like look up skillet, like there's a lot of like orzo chicken skillets, like where you got your protein, it's everything's kind of done in one pot. And I feel like those are kind of like what we were talking about with side just like let's get dinner on the table. Everyone's gonna be happy. Um, and I do I do that really well, like the easy weeknight meals. So um definitely try that skillet sesame chicken rice. People are loving it right now. Um, and then the other kind of newer, I always think about things that I've published recently on the blog. Um, the other newer one that I did was this like French onion braised beef. And that's been super popular too. And again, it's one of those that you let the oven do the work, and the whole family's gonna love it. So that's a fun one as well.

SPEAKER_03

Um, two of my favorites. Um, I've been trying to cook more from your site leading up to this. Love it. Um, yeah, and I mean, very quickly obsessed, but the go-to jung salmon sheet pan. Like, are you kidding me?

SPEAKER_01

See, again, so simple, but it's just like the best. I love a sheet pan sandwich dinner. Sheet pan dinners can either be really good or really disappointing, yeah, but that one is not.

SPEAKER_03

It is not. And I I'm a foodie, and so I don't really like repeating the same meals, but we're trying to have like a few go-to's that we can repeat for my sanity that I'm gonna be happy about.

SPEAKER_01

I know the same way.

SPEAKER_03

And that I I have a note on my phone and I pulled it out. I was like, go-to-chunk salmon, star, star, star.

SPEAKER_01

Like, it's good. Love that. Yeah.

Protecting Passion And Sustainable Pace

SPEAKER_03

And we're Korean out quite a bit. Like it's a it's a kind of like out to eat meal for us. And for some reason, I was like, I can have kimchi at home, you know, like it was like mind-blowing.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, yes, new, new world unlocked.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah. I was like, it's it's incredible. And um, the hibachi chicken, that mustard sauce.

SPEAKER_01

Oh my gosh, that's a fan favorite for sure. Yeah, it's so good. That was one that like back in like my early whole 30 days. I was like, I am craving like Benny Hana. You know what I mean? Like we all grew up going there for our birthdays. And so I was like, I'm gonna try to make kind of like a simple stir-fry version of that. So that one is a fun one. Everyone loves that.

SPEAKER_03

Yes, real good. Yes, really, really good. Um, okay. Well, I heard through the grapevine that the next cookbook is in the works. Question marks. Yes. Okay.

What’s Next For Side Dish

SPEAKER_01

And I'll be announcing it soon, but we can go ahead and talk about it because it's pretty much already like starting to pop up on like Amazon and stuff, but I haven't like formally been like, I am making a book. But um, it's called Everyday Eats. And I feel like it really um is a reflection of like what how I'm cooking right now for like myself and my family. Um, you know, I feel like each year it gets a little bit busier, and as my kids get older, we're just like divide and conquer, and everyone's everywhere. And so this book, unlike my other books, like all my books kind of focus on like healthy, simple weeknight dinners. But this book, more than ever, I have like make a head breakfast ideas. I have some more like make ahead lunch ideas. It's definitely not like a meal prep book, but like there is that element where if like on a Sunday you're like, I want to go ahead and knock this is how I cook. I'll like make some breakfasts and then I'll maybe make like a chicken salad or a tuna salad or a soup that I can like turn to for lunches. And then I always make a simple dinner, like a good 30 to 45 minute meal. And then I try to keep the ingredient list as short as possible without sacrificing flavor. My publisher actually wanted me to do like a 10 ingredient book, and I was like, absolutely not. I do not like that restriction because I need to get 10 spices out. Um, but there are a lot of pantry staples that that give that flavor book. So you're when you do go to the grocery store, like your grocery list will be less because you're really just kind of focusing on those like fresh ingredients that you need to make dinner coming for life. So it's really it's my simplest book yet, but the flavors are awesome. And I do think that like whether you're a super experienced cooked that just needs some more simple ideas for those Wednesdays that you get home and you're like, oh my gosh. Um, or just like, you know, some fun, fresh ideas for like healthy dinners. This is this is a really fun one. I've been really cooking these recipes nonstop because I'm just at that stage with my kiddos and sports and and life and um that it's it's a reflection of how I'm actually cooking right now.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah. No, very relatable. And when are you are you disclosing related?

SPEAKER_01

Um it's yes, it'll be out August 25th.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, okay. So I mean, so I don't know why all of a sudden summer feels like close. I don't know. I think Valentine's Day hits and I'm like, it's spring, you know.

SPEAKER_01

And I started working on this book a long time ago. It's kind of crazy how long the process is. Usually I did books every like they would come out every two years, which means I really only had like nine months to work on it because the editing process takes a while, then they have to print it and then it's usually done every season, and they get it here and then they have to distribute everything, distribute everything. And so I was like, I need three years. I just like need a little bit of a slower pace to just take a deep breath. Um, because I cranked out the first three and not cranked out, but put a lot of time and energy. And I was like, I can't even like focus on other aspects of my business other than books. And so I got a little bit of a breather, and I'm very ready for this one to come out because it feels like it's taken forever because I've been working on it for longer this time. But it was a nice pace. I could really focus and just like um, you know, have a little bit more time to process.

Reader Joy: Book Club And Audiobooks

SPEAKER_03

I like hearing that because it's always heartbreaking to me when I interview authors and they're like burnt out by the launch party. I'm like, no, no, no, like celebrate, you know.

SPEAKER_01

I'm excited. Yes, I'm excited. I knew I and I was so like fired up after like my first two books, and then the third one after that when I was like, okay, I I know that I'm starting to get tired out. And it's kind of like how we started this conversation. Cooking is a huge part of my identity, and I do have to preserve that passion because it would be losing a piece of like who I am truly, and that would be devastating. And so I really do have to, while this is my passion and it's also my job, and all these things, I have to like have some checks and balances. And I've gotten good at putting those in place so that that that I will never stop loving cooking.

SPEAKER_03

Wow. I love hearing that. That's important. Yeah, it is really important. Um let's see. Anything else, I guess, like in your platform right now, it could be the book if you want that you're like particularly excited about that you wish people I don't know, you want to invite people into.

SPEAKER_01

You know, no, not really. I think the things that I'm most excited about right now are uh the upcoming book and then this upcoming product launch that will hopefully happen in the fall. I will keep you posted.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

Rapid Fire: Favorites And Recs

SPEAKER_01

Um, because we are still in kind of the RD um fun background. Um my kitchen's a science project phase of it. But um we're getting there and Rena's helping me. I think he'll help be able to get it across the finish line faster than I have been able to in the past with new products. So um that's gonna be huge. I'm very excited. This is a product that I've been wanting to do for side dish from square one, but it was just a little bit more cumbersome than salad dressings, and I just kind of didn't know how to do it um until Reno came along. And so he's helping me bring it to life, and I am stoked about it. And I think everybody's gonna freak out when we launch that. So those two things are super exciting. And then other than that, um, my blog is I put so much time and energy into those recipes, just like I do a cookbook. You know, I'm already thinking of recipes for like grilling, summer grilling. Like I am super organized there and have such a system in place. These recipes are tried and true, they're tested by my recipe tester. They're they they're done months in advance so that they are perfect when they go up so that people can have success with them. And it's still at the end of the day, there's all these huge things like books and products, but like my blog is is like the heartbeat, I think, to like everything I do because it's steady and it's always there. And um, those recipes are really fun and definitely like check back like every month because there's always I do about seven new recipes every month on the blog.

SPEAKER_03

So I don't think people realize how much that is. That's that's a lot.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, it is, it really is. And there's a lot of thought that goes into each of them. Like over the next couple of weeks, there's a lot of fun Super Bowl Sunday and Valentine's Day ideas. I've got a great pasta. Like, don't make a Valentine's Day menu. I got it. I don't know when this podcast comes out, but I got it.

SPEAKER_03

Oh my gosh. Definitely head on over there, guys. If you haven't, we'll include all the links in the show notes. But to end each conversation, we ask all of our guests the same three questions, and I'd love to hear your answers as well. The first is something that you have eaten recently and loved. We've talked about food a lot, but if you have anything else.

SPEAKER_01

Um, I recently honestly, the one that's on the forefront of my mind is this pasta recipe. It's like a it's a sausage and saffron, kind of like creamy sauce. And I'm gonna post, I think next week on the blog, and I can't stop thinking about it. I can't wait to make it again. I'm making it for my book club. I'll make it for Valentine's Day. My husband's obsessed with it, but it's so good. So that's like on the I can't stop thinking about this pasta.

SPEAKER_03

I don't know that I've cooked with saffron. That's like a new world for me.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Sage sage is an herb I kind of like adopted last year.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, I love sage. Sage is sage and tarragon are so so good. They give huge flavor. But yeah, saffron is it just makes everything taste like you're gonna love it. So you'll have to start. Inspired. That's great.

SPEAKER_03

Um, how about a gathering you attended that made you feel a strong sense of belonging? And if you could pinpoint it, what it was that made you feel that way.

SPEAKER_01

I am obsessed with my with our book club. Like we have this group chat and it's so much fun. This has been like I keep telling everybody, I'm like, if you need a New Year's resolution that doesn't involve like changing like anything of your life, like start a book club with your close friends because it has brought us so much joy. We get so excited, and it's so fun because you're gonna, you know, one of your friends is gonna pick one kind of genre and trope and like, but then on top of it, we get excited about the menus and getting together. So it becomes like a dinner party as well, and it's a constant group chat about books and and life, and like it's been one of those things that we're obsessed with. We love book club.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, that's awesome. Okay question. As someone who wants to be a better better at reading, what time of day do you read? Like, what do you find to be the most successful?

Where To Follow And Closing

SPEAKER_01

I do a lot of listening to. I I usually I'll download it on my Kindle and then I add the audio because I am cooking so much in the kitchen. Or I'm, you know, so whether I'm going on a walk or cooking in the kitchen or washing dishes, I can be like, all right, I'm gonna listen to a couple chapters. Right. And so I can get through books a lot faster. Otherwise, I feel like it would take me like a month to finish a book because I do like to I do like to rot in bed at night and like I'll read maybe a chapter like right before bed. But like my husband and I love watching random TV shows before we sleep.

SPEAKER_03

I have to give myself that permission because I in my head I'm like, no, I have to be sitting in a chair reading the chapters, but I can listen. That's okay.

SPEAKER_01

We all listen. And that was so funny because whenever I invited some of my friends originally when we started the book club, they were like, Oh, I can't read. I'm like, maybe try an audiobook. Like, it's so fun, and it just kind of like audiobooks have brought made household chores, folding laundry, doing dishes, all these things, so much more fun.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01

Audiobooks are live.

SPEAKER_03

I'm gonna take that nugget and apply it. Okay, that's good.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, for sure.

SPEAKER_03

Um, okay, and last but not least, something you discovered lately that you think everyone should know about. I feel like you're gonna have a fun answer. A Netflix show, Amazon Purchase.

SPEAKER_01

Well, I am fully invested in traders right now. If you don't watch Traders, my favorite show on TV right now.

SPEAKER_03

I haven't even heard of it.

SPEAKER_01

Oh my gosh, you've got it's on Peacock. It's um are you like a Big Brother fan or like any of those types of shows?

SPEAKER_03

I've never watched it, not for any reason.

SPEAKER_01

Clayton and I are like either you're a big brother person or not. And we are big brother people. Uh we love Big Brother, but uh Traitors is a celebrity, but it's usually like Bravo celebrities or people that were on Big Brother, people that were on Survivor, like random like celebrities. Sometimes but like Lisa Renna is on this one. And anyways, they go in the house and there's like people that are traders, and then the rest are faithfuls and they don't know who the traders are in the house that are like banishing from this. It's almost like a human game of clue. It is so fun, and you watch them, and the banter is so much fun, and uh people that watch traders get really into it. So that's if you haven't watched traders, watch this season. It's so funny.

unknown

Great.

SPEAKER_01

That's great. I still need to catch up on the latest episode because it was the one last night.

SPEAKER_03

That's a really good answer. Well, where do you want to send people? Where do you want them to follow?

SPEAKER_01

Um, I think the easiest place to follow is the defined dish on Instagram because that you're gonna see if anything news on side dish. My my side or side dish page is get side dish, and then my page is the defined dish. And if you aren't into social media right now or like just like need a break, you can always find me on thedefined dish.com, and that's where you'll find all my new recipes and fun stuff. Awesome. Yep, and all my books are where books are sold.

SPEAKER_03

I I started the conversation this way, but I love that food bloggers really become a part of our everyday life, you know. And I'm so glad that our creators and I'm so glad that we get to invite you into that too. So yes, thank you so much for having a great conversation. I enjoyed it, Katie. Of course. Well, thank you so much, guys. If you love the conversation, You know the drill, leave a review, share it with people that would love it too, and we will see you next week.