Easy Weeknight Spring Dinners

Barbecue Pork Ribs

Although this mouthwatering meal may sound like it’s more of a weekend grilling option, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, supermarkets routinely put thick-cut boneless and semi-boneless pork rib cuts on sale. These can make a wonderfully easy protein option that's ready in under 45 minutes.

Ingredients

• Thick-cut pork
• Barbecue sauce
• Garlic powder
• Black pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place aluminum foil on a cooking sheet. Unpack the pork cuts and put a copious amount of barbecue sauce on one side. Lay the sauce side down on the pan. Once all the ribs are laid out, season with garlic powder. Now, douse them with barbecue sauce and then season with pepper. Let the pork bake about 25-30 minutes or until they are adequately cooked in the center. Then, put the oven on broil and sear the tops to suit. Baking pork ribs often makes them more tender and juicy compared to open-flame grilling.

Homemade Leftover House Fried Rice

Great Chinese restaurants often serve a signature house fried rice. Believe it or not, this ranks among the more straightforward dinner options to prepare. You may quickly discover that you prefer your own style after making house fried rice a few times at home.

Ingredients

• 2 cups white rice (prepared)
• 4 garlic cloves (diced thin)
• 1 stick of butter
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 carrot (sliced thin)
• 1/2 yellow onion (chopped)
• 2 large mushrooms (sliced)
• Assorted veggies (chopped)
• Leftover proteins (chopped)

Place a large skillet over medium heat and melt 1/2 stick of butter. Add the garlic and vegetables and saute them. The unique aspect of this fried rice dinner is that it opens the door for you to use veggies that are already in your refrigerator. There are no right or wrong ingredients, so go ahead and personalize it.  

On the protein side, you can utilize leftover chicken, beef, steak, bacon or pork. Using leftovers is one reason this makes sense mid-week. If no proteins are available, feel free to cook your favorites on the side and then chop them up. Once the veggies are nearly complete, add in the leftover proteins and season with salt and pepper. Once hot, add the already-prepared white rice and 1/2 stick of butter and mix thoroughly. Serve warm.

We hope our Butterfield residents found these weeknight dinner options helpful. If you or a friend would like more information about our Flagstaff apartments, call us today.

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Residents of Flagstaff apartments want to enjoy eating al fresco. Friends and family often bring prepared dishes to picnic in a variety of parks and spaces in Arizona. Prepare and offer meals that can keep in hot summer months to prevent illness. Consider these suggestions when picnicking outside of your Flagstaff apartment:

• Maintain the temperature of food. Cold food needs to stay cold and stored at 40° or below. Frozen gel packs or a cooler with ice can be used to safely store seafood, poultry and meat.
• Avoid cross-contamination. Products that include raw meat should be wrapped securely. It is important that juices from uncooked meats do not have a chance of contaminating other prepared or cooked foods.
• Clean produce properly. Use a vegetable brush and tap water to scrub any firm-skinned vegetable or fruit. Other produce should be rinsed under tap water prior to packing. Vegetables and fruits can be dried with a paper towel or clean cloth.
• Keep hands and surfaces clean. Proper hand cleaning is needed both outdoors and indoors. Platters and utensils should be clean in order to prepare food. To keep surfaces and hands clean in areas without running water, bring a jug of water, soap and paper towels to the picnic spot. Moist towelettes are useful for cleaning hands.

Marinating and cooking foods thoroughly is also helpful to avoid foodborne illnesses when eating outdoors.

Stay Social and Healthy Near Flagstaff Apartments

Butterfield Apartment Homes offer the best of country club living only minutes from Historic Downtown Flagstaff, Flagstaff Mall and The Marketplace. Community amenities include an onsite fitness center, luxury pool and grill area. Butterfield Apartment Homes Flagstaff apartments studio, two and three-bedroom apartments are near highly sought-after attractions. Contact an associate at (844) 864-0303 for a tour of a spacious residence in Flagstaff.

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Looking to eat better on a budget? Eating great on a dime can be tough, but with these meal prep ideas, you’ll be rocking steady and eating like a king!

Buy Only What You Need

Especially if you live alone, don’t buy in bulk unless you’re sure you’ll eat everything before it goes bad. You might think that buying in bulk saves you money, and it does. But this is true only if you don’t waste it.

Try “Meatless Monday”

Going meatless at least one day of the week isn’t just good for the environment. It’s also good for your bank account. Of all food groups, meat tends to be most expensive, so taking a break from it can save you some cash.

Purchase Seasonal Fruits and Veggies

Avoid buying watermelons in winter and blueberries in spring and you may just save yourself some dough. Seasonal fruits and veggies are not only cheaper; they taste better too!

Learn How to Freeze, Pickle, and Preserve Your Foods

Speaking of seasonal fare, if you can buy in bulk and somehow preserve it, you’ll really be saving money. Pickling preserving, canning, and other techniques for saving food long-term usually only require a small investment in some containers and tools upfront. From there, you’ll have delicious food for a long time to come and save tons of money in the process.

Take Your Lunch to School or Work

Finally, eat out less. Avoid at-school or at-work lunch purchases, and you’ll save a boatload with this tip alone.

Why Not Prep Meals in Your Own New Apartment?

Organize your kitchen just the way you like it when you move into your very own, new apartment in Flagstaff, AZ. Butterfield Apartments in Elk Run offers country club living and stylish, finely-designed Flagstaff apartments to meet all your needs. Find one of our available floor plans that works for you today by giving us a call!

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Bacon and Eggs Breakfast Bake

For this egg dish, bake sausage links and bacon on a baking sheet for about 15 minutes. Crack four eggs over empty spots on the baking sheet, then add cherry tomato pieces, salt, pepper, and oregano. Bake for about five minutes.

Eggs with Smoked Salmon

For this recipe, make a 3-inch hole in the middle of two bread slices, then place them in a buttered skillet. Crack an egg into each hole, then cook for a couple of minutes on each side. Top these with smoked salmon, red onion, pepper and sour cream.

Stuffed Breakfast Peppers

To make this recipe, mix four eggs, pepper, salt, cayenne pepper and diced vegetables in a bowl. Cut two bell peppers in half, then core them to make space for the egg filling. Put egg filling in each pepper, then bake for about 35 minutes on a baking sheet. Consider adding a bit of hot sauce on them for extra flavor.

Egg Roll-Ups

This recipe gives you an easy breakfast to eat on the go. To make it, beat an egg and milk together in a bowl, then sprinkle cheese on a flour tortilla. Cook the egg mix thoroughly, then slide it onto the tortilla. Roll the tortilla up, and you’re all set. 

Egg Muffins

To make these muffins, cook turkey sausage links, then cut them into pieces. Mix egg whites, eggs, milk, chopped spinach, salt, and pepper in a bowl, then pour the mix into lined muffin tin cups. Fill the cups with cheese and sausage pieces, then bake for 20 minutes. 

Our apartments in Flagstaff, AZ have kitchens that offer plenty of space for preparing breakfast dishes. Please contact us for more information on our available apartments.

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5 Veggie-Based Recipes That Everyone Will Love

Honey Glazed Baby Carrots: This amazing recipe helps bring the natural sweetness of these carrots is out with a simple honey glaze. Best of all, this fool-proof dish takes only 15 minutes to prepare.

Mushroom, Butternut Squash and Gruyere Tart: Ideal as an appetizer or a light main dish, this baked tart uses Gruyere cheese to bring out the sweetness of the butternut squash and the richness of the mushrooms. You can elevate this dish even further by adding a dash of nutmeg and pairing the tart with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Middle Eastern Roasted Brussels Sprouts: Roasted Brussels sprouts are always a cold-weather hit, and the tahini, cumin and coriander called for in this recipe give these roasted sprouts a unique and tasty Middle Eastern twist.

Absurdly Addictive Asparagus: Asparagus and bacon are a popular combination, but this recipe takes that pairing to the next level by adding in layers of flavor through the addition of garlic, leeks, orange zest, pine nuts and parsley. The best part of this recipe is that the crisp freshness of the asparagus is not lost.

Grilled Kale Salad with Paprika Breadcrumbs: By calling for the kale to be grilled, this salad recipe infuses a hearty smokiness and a layer of complexity into an otherwise straightforward and easy-to-make dish. The versatility of this salad means that it can fill in as a side, an appetizer or a stand-alone main dish.

Residents of apartments in Flagstaff looking to fulfill their New Year's resolution of eating more vegetables should be certain to check out these varied and tasty veggie-based recipes.

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