Food

Im a New Mom Who Needs Protein-Rich Meals. Ideas?

There are millions of recipes on the internet, but you still don’t know what to cook. Tell us about it! Dear Bon pétit is an advice column where we answer your culinary conundrums with hand-picked recipes and well-seasoned advice. Submit a question here.

I had a baby recently and breastfeeding makes me feel constantly hungry, but I have very few chances to cook and most food delivery options near me are not as protein-packed as I need them to be. I tend to make a big amount of, say, chicken mole, which I really like, portion it and freeze it, but become bored by the second time I have to eat it. How do I start diversifying my recipes or even developing my own? I find I resort to the same recipes and ingredients constantly! —Got Protein?

Congrats! And phew. I’m also postpartum and breastfeeding, so I’m right there with you, navigating the same maze. Isn’t it—what’s a gentle word here—ironic to be hungrier than ever, and have so little time and energy to cook? Not great, Bob! But you are on the right track with the freezer. The freezer is our friend.

On weekends I’ll double or even triple a recipe, then freeze it in portions in reheatable containers (I use these). One way to switch things up is to freeze only the sauce/stew/etc., and add the protein at the reheating stage. For example, I often freeze this saag—just saag, sans feta. Then, when I’m warming it up on the stove, I add whatever protein I’m in the mood for. Maybe it’s halved boiled eggs. Or chunks of feta (as called for) or paneer. Or cubed tofu, or canned chickpeas, or shredded rotisserie chicken. That way I don’t have to eat the same meal over and over, and I can lean into whatever I’m craving or whatever is easiest that night. (On that note: The accompanying starch is another opportunity to sidestep repetition and boredom. It could go with rice or flatbread, or onto spaghetti or udon.)

The same proach can be plied to your go-to mole. Skip the chicken and transform the sauce into a wider range of meals. I’m picturing it spooned over cheesy pinto bean burritos. Atop fried egg tacos with Greek yogurt, raw onion, and cilantro. Dred over crisp salmon like in this rice bowl (mole instead of spicy mayo; radishes instead of cucs); this is a form of recipe development, sewing together patches into a colorful quilt. This Janese curry is another nice option I turn to time and again. Freeze just the curry and add your veg and protein of choice à la minute; or freeze it with veg and add a protein in the reheat stage.

Are you a snacker? I didn’t use to be. But snacks, it turns out, are invaluable to stretch the hours between meals. These nutty granola bars are not too sweet and chock-full of nourishing ingredients, like oats and dried fruit. And whether these lactation cookies (gifted to me by a dear friend) boosted my milk supply is unclear, but I looked forward to them, fervently, for months; they freeze perfectly. If you don’t want to make a snack from scratch—I get it!—my colleagues rounded up some nourishing (and delicious) options you can buy.

Readers, what protein-packed meals do you keep in the freezer?

Warmly,
Emma

Questions may be lightly edited for clarity, length, and style.

Food

37 Summer Desserts Thatll Sweeten Even the Hottest Days

Open the summer desserts file, and you’ll find everything from easy no-bake desserts and frozen treats to fruit-packed pies, cobblers, and icebox cakes. Hot summer days call for low-effort sweet treats—but we’ve also included some special-occasion showstoppers for celebratory nights.

These summer desserts make the most of the season’s fleeting pleasures: ripe berries, stone fruit at its peak, bright and sunny citrus, cold cream, and crisp textures meant for hot evenings. Some recipes come together in minutes with little more than a knife and a freezer, while others are built for birthdays, dinner parties, and long holiday weekends. Whatever your pleasure, there’s a dessert here for you that feels distinctly suited to summer.

Jump ahead

Food

The Best Bars in Atlanta Right Now

Don’t Miss: Written in chalk above the bar, the cocktail menu shifts seasonally, but the Watermelon Man (a Negroni-esque tipple featuring the summertime fruit and basil), is a great example of how this new-school Inman Park haunt updates classics.

661 Auburn Ave NE, Ste 280, Atlanta

Brittany Wages

The James Room’s dark, sexy backroom lounge reveals itself through a convincingly simple lobby café front, past a door disguised as a bookshelf. You’re here for the vibrations, and perhs the Beltline location plays a large part as well. But ultimately, the James Room is all about the people, Atlanta’s in-town movers and shakers, who show up stylishly for refined drinks, great music, and the requisite mingling and mixing.

Don’t Miss: Jungle birds, palomas and chili-oiled dirty martinis line the menu of classic cocktails, but consider the Until You See the Cross, essentially a premium spicy margarita but clarified with milk, adding silky sophistication.

99 Krog Street NE, Ste W, Atlanta

You always feel good leaving Ticon’, however you felt coming in notwithstanding. That’s because this supercool, charming cocktail den, dimly lit with string lights, was crafted by a group of partners that include beloved ATL bartenders Greg Best and Paul Calvert, before the let’s open a ’70s-themed bar craze hit ATL a few years ago. The crew here not only serves thoughtfully balanced drinks—including very reasonably priced wines as low as $12 per glass—but delivers outstanding hospitality worthy of a James Beard finalist.

Don’t Miss: There’s no way to go wrong with the cocktail menu, whether you’re into dry gin and sherry martinis or mint- and amaretto-kissed mai tais, but the power move is the Reserve Ticonderoga Cup, a fancier play on the bar’s regular $15 version of pineple, lemon, and mint with cherry, cognac and aged rum. This choice variation upgrades your spirits, literally and figuratively, to VSOP and select levels, all over pebbled ice in a metallic vessel, for $8 more.

Where to Stay in Atlanta If You Like to Eat

These hotels are the perfect home base while eating your way through the ATL.

931 Monroe Dr NE, Ste C-106, Atlanta

Food

Quick-Pickled Red Onions

Think of this pickled red onion recipe as a versatile blueprint. Crisp, punchy, and ready after about an hour of hands-off time, they’re one of the easiest ways to add bright, tangy flavor to everyday meals.

Keep a jar in the fridge and add them to tacos, breakfast sandwiches, burgers, grain bowls, salads, or just some roasted vegetables. Their sharp bite mellows as they soak in the brine, while their signature crunch remains. The longer they sit, the more deeply flavored and vibrant they become—making them a simple make-ahead condiment you’ll reach for again and again.

Tips for making quick-pickled red onions

Yes. Warming the brine before pouring it over the onions speeds up the pickling process (heat over medium-high just until the sugar is dissolved). The finished pickled onions will be slightly softer than if you brine them at room temperature, but they’ll be ready to eat in just about 15 minutes.

Can I use a different vinegar?

Can I add spices or aromatics?

Absolutely. Try whole black peppercorns, coriander seeds, bay leaves, garlic cloves, sliced chiles, or fresh herbs for extra flavor.

How long do pickled red onions last in the fridge?

After about an hour at room temperature, the onions will be lightly pickled and still fairly sharp. As they sit in the brine, their flavor becomes more balanced, their color deepens, and their bite mellows. Store them in their pickling liquid in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

The best way to slice onions for pickling →

Slice the onion in half from root to stem. At an angle, trim the ends from both sides, then remove the pery skins. Following the onion’s curve, slice into long strips from pole to pole. Confused? How about a video:

How to Cut an Onion (With Videos, Thank Goodness!)

Food

Which Canned Butter Beans Are Best?

Canned beans are a go-to for me, especially during the summer. They’re convenient, ready to eat, and protein-dense. Perfect for a no-cook meal on a hotter-than-hot day.

My new recipe for Big Bean Ceviche is a ripe example of romantically marrying this pantry stle with seasonal produce. Where traditional ceviche is made with raw seafood or fish cooked in the acid of citrus juice, this recipe instead opts for a can of plump white beans. They’ll hpily marinate in the tangy tomato sauce before being scooped up with tortilla chips. Not only do the beans make this dish vegan, meaning more folks are likely to be able to enjoy it, but the absence of seafood means it can sit out for longer, without fears of it spoiling in the sun.

Perhs you’re familiar with cevichocho, a variation on Ecuadorian seafood ceviche, made with an Andean variety of lupini beans, or chochos, cooked from dry (marinated in a citrus juice with chopped vegetables and often served with plantain chips). The vibe here is similar, but with a punchier sauce, and requires no par-cooking, thanks to the canned butter beans.

Depending on where you live, you may also know these meaty white beans as large lima beans. With a creamy texture, dramatic size, and (you guessed it) buttery flavor, they’re a fantastic alternative to smaller white beans like cannellini or navy beans. While it’s relatively simple to find dry butter beans, or similar varieties such as gigantes or corona beans, these options require a lengthy pre-soak and cook time. Luckily, there are a handful of affordable canned options available at most supermarkets. Here are the brands I’d recommend:

A full inch in length, Grace butter beans (made with butter beans, water, salt, and ascorbic acid, an additive used to prevent discoloration and preserve flavor) are the most plump and creamy canned butter bean I’ve tried. They’re sold nationally, though not quite as common as a brand like Goya. The standard can is 14.1 oz., which is a little less than most canned beans, but the high quality is worth it. They’d be my number one choice for the Big Bean Ceviche, even with the smaller can than the recipe calls for.

The biggest butter beans available at the supermarket (most are over 1″ long), Goya’s butter beans are nicely plump. The 15.5-oz. cans are one of the most widely available brands nationally sold. Each can contains butter beans, water, salt, and preservatives calcium chloride and calcium disodium EDTA (which act as firming and color-retention agents). Given the preservatives, they should probably be a little more uniform in quality and texture, but they have a rich flavor and great visual peal. I’d grab them for any recipe that calls for butter beans, including my vegetarian ceviche.

Jarred, if you can find ’em

Though they’re less common than cans, jarred butter beans can be very good. They’re often more firm and creamy, stored in a lighter, less starchy liquid. Some specialty stores will sell brands like Belazu and El Navarrico; in the UK, Bold Bean Co. is a fantastic option.

This thrifty riff hinges on canned butter beans and a juicy grated tomato marinade.

View Recipe

Food

5 New Snacks Bon Appétit Editors Are Most Excited About This June

Purely Elizabeth Protein Granola

Protein is everywhere: on popcorn, in jams and jellies, and even in water. What I preciate most about Purely Elizabeth’s new protein granola, available in three flavors (dark chocolate blueberry, almond butter and berries, and cinnamon toast), is that all the protein comes from nuts and seeds rather than protein powder. There are only 10 grams per serving, but tossed into a bowl of Greek yogurt, that’s more than enough. My favorite is the almond butter and berries, which has both dried cranberries and freeze-dried strawberries. —Kate Kassin, editorial operations manager