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Real Balanced — Sara Nelson

Enjoy easy & balanced recipes — ranging from 30-minute weeknight dinners to holiday appetizers and everything in between. My goal is to make sure you can cook a successful and memorable dish every single time.

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A white Dutch oven filled with baked beans and ground beef, with a wooden spoon resting inside and visible specks of seasoning in the red sauce.
Featured Post

30-minute dinner — Baked beans with ground beef

This Baked Beans with Ground Beef is a hearty stovetop version of classic baked beans. It uses canned beans, ground beef, onion, and a few simple seasonings. The whole recipe takes about 30 minutes, giving you the same slow-cooked flavor without waiting all day. Using canned beans means you’re not soaking dried beans overnight or waiting hours for them to cook. You skip the long simmering, but still get the same rich flavor you’d expect. Adding ground beef straight to the beans turns this...

3 days ago • 1 min read
A white baking dish filled with taco casserole topped with Fritos, ground beef, corn, beans, shredded cheese, lettuce, diced tomatoes, green onions, and dollops of sour cream. A wooden spoon rests in the dish.

This Walking Taco Bake is a low-effort dinner ready in 35 minutes. It features seasoned ground beef, beans, corn, melty cheese, and a crunchy corn chip topping. Baked in a 9×13 pan, it uses pantry staples and keeps cleanup light. Great for busy weeknights or casual hosting, and it reheats well. Walking tacos are usually served in small chip bags for parties or tailgates, but this version turns it into a family-style meal that’s just as fun and far less work. It uses everyday ingredients and...

7 days ago • 1 min read
A baked casserole topped with golden, crispy crumbs and chopped herbs in a white dish, with a wooden spoon scooping out a creamy serving. Slices of bread, cheese, and fresh parsley are nearby on the table.

This Swiss Chicken Casserole is a cozy, easy dinner that’s great for busy nights. It features layers of tender chicken, a creamy sauce, melted Swiss cheese, and golden stuffing on top. Everything bakes together in one dish until golden and bubbly, giving you that mix of creamy, savory, and crisp in every bite. Swiss chicken casserole is a retro meal that has been around for decades — the kind you’d spot on hand-me-down recipe cards. It features chicken, Swiss cheese, condensed soup, and a...

10 days ago • 1 min read
A white baking dish filled with a cheesy noodle casserole topped with chopped parsley and crushed crackers, with a serving spoon resting in the dish. Crackers and fresh herbs are visible nearby.

This Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole comes together quickly and easily. It's ready in about 45 minutes, perfect for busy nights or meal prepping. It uses ingredients you probably already have, keeps cleanup minimal, and reheats well for leftovers or quick dinners. This casserole gives you the taste of chicken cordon bleu without the hassle of stuffing and breading individual pieces. It’s simpler and faster, so you don’t need any special cooking skills or extra prep time. Everything gets mixed...

17 days ago • 1 min read
A close-up of a spoonful of creamy soup with diced potatoes, corn, ham, and a piece of crispy bacon, held above a bowl filled with the same soup.

This Ham and Corn Chowder is fast and easy enough to make on a weeknight, but still feels like a complete dinner. It cooks in one pot, uses simple ingredients you may already have, and doesn't involve any complicated steps. You can start cooking after work and have dinner ready in under an hour. This chowder is simple to make and easy to fit into a normal week. It cooks in one pot from start to finish and lands between soup and stew, so it eats like a full meal without feeling heavy. The...

24 days ago • 1 min read
A honey dipper drizzles honey over toasted bread topped with creamy cheese, fresh thyme, and lemon zest. More prepared toasts are visible in the background on a wooden board.

This Whipped Ricotta Cheese Toast is an easy appetizer that looks impressive without extra work. Smooth and creamy ricotta is whipped until airy, then spread onto toasted bread and topped with honey, lemon, and fresh thyme for a balanced finish. It takes just 15 minutes from start to finish, perfect when you want something special without much effort. Whipped ricotta toast might look fancy, but it’s actually simple to prepare. If you’ve never tried ricotta this way, it’s a mild, creamy cheese...

26 days ago • 1 min read
A close-up of a slice of cinnamon coffee cake with a crumbly streusel topping being lifted from a tray.

This Applesauce Coffee Cake is an easy recipe that's great with coffee at breakfast or as a dessert after dinner. Applesauce keeps the cake moist without being heavy, and the cinnamon crumb topping adds a nice crunch and sweetness. It's an easy cake to make, perfect if you're new to baking, and it doesn't take much effort to put together. Applesauce cakes have stayed popular because they’re easy, practical, and you usually already have everything you need. Sweetened applesauce is used here —...

about 1 month ago • 1 min read
A creamy orzo pasta with corn, carrots, green peas, and herbs is lifted from a pan with a wooden spoon. Parmesan cheese and seasonings are visible in the background.

This Creamy Chicken Orzo Pasta is a cozy one-pan dinner that's easy enough for any night of the week. Everything cooks quickly — just about 35 minutes including prep — and there's minimal cleanup afterward. You'll have tender chicken, hearty orzo pasta, veggies, and a creamy Parmesan sauce, all in one dish. This dish uses everyday ingredients you may already have in your kitchen, like chicken, frozen veggies, spinach, and pantry staples like pasta and broth. The sauce comes together quickly...

about 1 month ago • 1 min read
A bowl of apple crisp topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, featuring baked apple slices and crumbly oat topping.

This Easy Apple Crisp recipe takes only 15 minutes to prep and is ready to serve in 1 hour. The apples bake up perfectly soft and tender, topped with oats that turn golden and crisp in the oven. It's a great dessert to make in advance for holidays because it reheats so well. Serve it with ice cream, whipped cream, or a drizzle of caramel sauce. This apple crisp bakes completely in the oven, keeping things simple without any extra stovetop steps. It’s straightforward, quick, and perfect for...

about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Golden-brown sautéed chicken pieces topped with shredded cheese and chopped herbs in a white skillet, being stirred with a light green spatula.

This Parmesan Garlic Chicken Bites recipe is a quick stovetop dinner that’s ready in 35 minutes. Bite-sized pieces of chicken are lightly coated in flour, browned until crisp, then tossed in garlic butter and Parmesan. It’s simple, budget-friendly, and works with pasta, rice, salad, or veggies. Since there's no oven involved (this is a stovetop recipe), dinner comes together fast without heating up your kitchen. The flour helps lock in tenderness, while garlic butter and Parmesan cheese stick...

about 2 months ago • 1 min read