Finding recipes that are easy to make, delicious, nourishing and a joy for your family and friends to eat is like hitting the jackpot … and that’s what you’ll get on the show today. Joining me is Maria Lichty from the Two Peas & Their Pod Cookbook and blog.
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Maria Lichty is the voice and home cook behind the food blog and cookbook, Two Peas & Their Pod. Rounding out Maria’s pod are her husband and sous chef, Josh, and her two adorable boys, Caleb and Maxwell. Maria shares her journey from wedding day to top food blogger, her adventures in the kitchen as she feeds a household full of all those guys, and some favorite recipes from her blog and cookbook, including Asian-Glazed Sheet Pan Salmon and Broccoli, Artichoke and Spinach Dip, and many more. We end the show with some great cookie ideas for the holiday season.
“My criteria for a recipe getting into my cookbook is that you would make it over and over and love it enough to share it with others.”
– Maria Lichty
Sheet Pan Salmon
IT’S GIVEAWAY TIME!
Giveaway NEWS: We are giving away one copy of the Two Peas & Their Pod Cookbook: Favorite Everyday Recipes from Our Kitchen by Maria Lichty to one lucky US listener/reader. To enter, post a comment in the comments section at the end of this post, and tell me why you’d like to win this cookbook and/or the recipe you turn to again and again when feeding your family or entertaining your friends. I’ll pick one lucky winner at random on December 4, 2019.
Show Highlights:
- Getting to know Maria, her family, her blog, and her cookbook
- How Maria got into food blogging ten years ago after she and Josh self-catered their wedding!
- Maria’s love of cooking started at home while cooking with her dad
- How the food blogging community has grown and changed over the years
- Family dinners at Maria’s house are pretty calm because her boys get along … but when they have picky eating moments, she knows just how to deal with it
- Why it’s important to expose kids to a variety of new and different foods to reduce the risk of picky eating
- The most popular recipe on the Maria’s blog is her Dad’s Cinnamon Rolls
- How Maria defines her food focus and style
- The process from developing recipe ideas to putting them on the blog or in the cookbook
- How Maria shares tips and tricks for getting confident and comfortable in the kitchen
- Maria’s top pantry staples: canned beans, pasta, whole grains, oatmeal, oils and vinegar, nuts and nut butters, canned tomatoes, and broth
- Maria’s “Feeling Toasty” breakfast ideas: avocado toast; toast with peanut butter, honey, and banana; toast with almond butter and fresh peach slices; and hummus on toast with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and feta cheese
- Maria’s recipe for Asian-Glazed Sheet Pan Salmon and Broccoli made with olive oil, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, fresh mint and cilantro, orange zest and juice, ginger, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes
- Maria’s Everyday Butter Lettuce Salad with a vinaigrette of olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic or champagne vinegar, honey, garlic, and salt and pepper
- Maria’s Four Cheese Spinach and Artichoke Dip made with cream cheese, Greek yogurt, frozen spinach, canned artichoke hearts, shredded fontina, mozzarella, parmesan, fresh basil, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper
- Some of Maria’s kids’ favorites: Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs, Black Bean Quinoa Enchilada Bake, Pesto Havarti Mac and Cheese, Enchilada-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, and Tomato Basil Soup with Cheesy Garlic Dunkers
- How Maria and Josh meal-plan with their boys on Sundays (using a meal chart) to help them take ownership of the process
- One of Maria’s favorite go-to cookbooks: Baking: From My Home to Yours
- Why Maria loves the cookie and dessert chapters in the book, and her husband’s favorite Key Lime Bars
- The next big adventure for Maria?
- A random question from the Mason jar about Maria’s favorite food city or town
LINKS:
My email: [email protected]
- The Parents On Demand Network
- www.superhealthykids.com
Follow Maria at:
Twitter: @twopeasandpod
Instagram: @twopeasandpod
Facebook: @Twopeasandtheirpod
Two Peas & Their Pod website
My recipe for better-for-you Lightened-Up Seven Layer Bars
Have a question about the show or a suggestion for a future show? Ask away by posting a comment below or joining my Podcast Posse
Your whole conversation with Maria sparked my interest in her cookbook. I was bummed to find out she was in Austin where I live. I would love to have seen her.
You live in Austin? I’m coming for a girl’s college reunion in late April 🙂 You are so lucky to live there!!!
I just listened to your episode and I love hearing all the recipes. My youngest daughter is only 15mo and I’m trying to serve more variety for dinner in hopes she’ll be a good eater. I struggle though because my husband wants to eat low carb and his son doesn’t like squash of any kind or many vegetables cooked and my oldest daughter doesn’t like certain things too. I have to find a balance.
I’d love to try the salmon teriyaki in the book
When I have company, I like to grill flank steak
I’d like to win so that I can try some of the cookie recipes
I’d like to win because I love trying new recipes.
I’d like to win because my family loved your Butternut Squash Mac N Cheese recipe! Baked ziti is always a favorite in our house.
I’m a big fan of their website! I love getting the emails from two peas and their pod, their recipes are always great and family friendly too.
I’d love to win this cookbook for it has a title that sticks with you and I enjoy collecting cookbooks with there wonderful recipes!!!^_^
This cookbook sounds as if it has some very unique recipes and flavors that would be a dynamic addition to my very traditional southern menu planning. I love trying new recipes but seem to purchase books with familiar flavors. Having the opportunity to win this book will get me out of my box a little with zero risk 🙂 thank you for the opportunity and great podcast episode! I love listening!
I think my family would love the recipes! Would love to win this book.
I love Maria and her sweet family. I want this book because she has the best recipes.
Oh my gosh! I was just thinking about Two Peas & Their Pod today when I was making my grocery list for Thanksgiving! It has become a Thanksgiving breakfast tradition to make their Baked Pumpkin French Toast, and then we have the leftovers Black Friday morning! I printed the recipe in 2013, so I’ve been making it for six years now! I would LOVE to win their cookbook! I’m a cookbook collector and would love to add it to my collection 🙂
Karma! I’ll go to Maria’s blog now and check out that recipe!
Loved listening to this episode! One reason I would really enjoy winning Two Peas & Their Pod is because It sounds like Maria was especially selective when choosing recipes for the book. I like that she only picked recipes that she felt people would make again & again. Can’t wait to read the toasty chapter & all the others as well!
The Toasty chapter made me hungry. I love all of Maria’s breakfast ideas! Time to shake up the morning meal 🙂
Love “taco Tuesday”, and often try any protein fillings (ground chicken is my favorite). Book interview fun and interesting!
You know, I never think of ground chicken. Thanks for the reminder 🙂
I’d love to win because just looking at the dishes on the cover makes my mouth water. I want to make them!
And trust me .. those recipes will rock!
I would love to win this cookbook! All the recipes sound wonderful and easy. I’ve been a follower of hers for awhile and have enjoyed other recipes from her blog and hope to enjoy the ones from this new cookbook!
I love collecting cookbooks. The recipe I turn to again and again when feeding my family during the Holidays is Green Bean Casserole. I have been making it for years and it is my 25 year old granddaughter’s favorite, so being a grandmotherI have to make it for her.
I would love to win this cookbook! I’ve been a follower on Instagram for a long time!
I’ve been a fan of Two Peas & Their Pod for years, so I’d LOVE to win their cookbook!
thanks for the information
I would love to win the cookbook. I follow Two Peas and Their Pod blog. I love all of Maria’s recipes. She is so inspiring!
I’d love to win this cookbook for my family meals! Her cookbook sounds so helpful & creative.
I am a dietitian – always looking for healthy tips, cookbooks to recommend to people I meet. The salmon recipe looks great – I want to try it!
You will love it!
Oh, how I LOVE this episode! Maria is my Go-To blogger for delicious family dishes! The Butternut Squash Soup, Turkey Chili and Spicy Vegetarian Quinoa Chili are a handful of ones that I have served over + over + OVER again. Thank you for featuring her hard work on your podcast! Keep doing all the great things you are doing, ladies!
I will have to try that butternut squash soup!!
I loved this podcast interview! I am in a rut with feeding my family. I can’t seem to find recipes I’m excited about and/or my kids will eat. Each week it feels like I’m failing at meal planning. This book would be a huge help! I’d love to be able to flip through it with my four year old son and ask him to choose a recipe or two.
I’d love to win the cookbook to share with my college age daughter who is cooking for herself and very interested in all kinds of recipes. I thought this was a terrifice episode!
I’d like to win the cookbook to cook fast, easy, wholesome meals for my family of 4.
The chicken with parmesan/mayo crust is my go-to. I always have the ingredients on hand, and I can change it up by adding some extra spice and changing up the breadcrumbs (like adding chili powder and using crushed tortilla chips)
i’m always wanting to try new recipes and would love to check this one out!