Written by: TFVstaff • March 6, 2019• Eat + Drink

Make Cooking Easy and Delicious

Let’s face it, we’re all busy. We want to eat healthier but cooking and preparing meals every night can be a huge hassle. Coming up with new menu ideas is not easy. Then you need to build a grocery list. Next is finding the time to run to the store (which ends up being a multiple-times-a-week ordeal). Now you need to find the time every night to cook, clean up the mess, and somehow result with a complete meal after a long and exhausting day. Chef and food personality, Dini Klein, hears these types of complaints all the time on her Instagram channel.

As a busy working mom of two, Dini decided to create solutions that make preparing meals easy yet delicious. To that end Dini created Prep + Rallya subscription meal planning website that helps busy people make weekly meals that are easy and delicious while saving time and money.

“Working as a personal chef for years, I would cook staple dishes for my clients every week to get them from Monday through Thursday,” Dini says. “After a long exhausting day cooking for clients, I needed to feed my own family—and that was the last thing I wanted to think about after working on my feet all day. It was time to start implementing meal prep and weekly menus.”

Dini conceived of her meal preps to facilitate wholesome and vibrant meals for herself as well as her social media community. Her philosophy is to use ingredients you already have in your pantry as much as possible to create delicious and healthy recipes, as well as take leftovers and repurpose them into new meals.

Also, by prepping meals ahead of time can ease the stress in the kitchen. When prepping a meal, Dini suggests:

Start with a clean kitchen and clean as you go so that you never get overwhelmed!
Go in with a plan. Create a menu, find recipes that use similar ingredients, so you don’t need to buy as much.
Make sure you have a nice balanced meal consisting of starch, vegetables, and proteins. You can even throw in some sweet treats if you’d like!
Cut corners! Buy store bought items to save time such as pie dough, pizza dough, vegetable stock, egg roll wrappers, etc. You can even buy pre-cut vegetables to save time as well.
Only buy what you need for that week to ensure nothing goes to waste. And as always, shop ONCE for the entire week.
Place garbage in close distance to your workspace when prepping to save time running back and forth.
Pre-wash (peel if applicable) all produce to save time.
Set out all containers and cookware in advance so you don’t scramble.

In today’s fast-paced world, people are increasingly aware of the importance of homemade food but there are not enough hours in the day to do it all. Dini invites you into her kitchen to discover how she does it – quickly, simply, the Dini Klein way!

ABOUT DINI KLEIN: Dini Klein is a chef and food media personality. Dini has worked with brands such as Walmart, Daisy, Popsugar, Weight Watchers, Pinterest, Mic.com, Refinery29, Feedfeed and is a Tastemaker on Tastemade. She recently baked up her Crazy Kitchen Sink Cookies on Home and Family on The Hallmark Channel. Her Super Simple series can be viewed on Tastemade Snapchat Discover Page and on Roku and Apple TV. Dini has had her recipes published in cookbooks such as Starbuck’s Coffee, Dawn to Dusk, and Pediatricians Guide to Feeding Babies and Toddlers. She has also done two restaurant pop-ups. Dini performs live TV cooking appearances and has received accolades in major publications such as the Washington Post. Dini’s heart and creative spirit are always in the kitchen. Her mission is to share that with the world. Prep + Rally has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Refinery29, Tastemade and South Florida CW, with a large following on Instagram. To learn more about Dini visit www.DiniKlein.com and www.PrepandRally.com.

Try this quick, easy and delicious recipe for a weeknight dinner.

Recipe and photo reprinted with permission by Dini Klein/www.DiniKlein.com

Tuna Melt Khachapuri with Zaatar and Poppy Seeds
Makes 4 large khachapuri

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese or dill havarti
2 cans Albacore Tuna
2 balls pizza dough (store-bought) (44 oz)
4 teaspoons zaatar
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
2 eggs beaten for brushing
4 eggs for baking

Directions:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

In the meantime, make your filling. Mix together the cheese and tuna in a small bowl and set aside.

To form the khachapuri, divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. On two pieces of lightly floured parchment paper, roll each piece of dough into an oval shape.

Place 1⁄4 of the filling right in the center of the oval and spread out into vertical line. Fold top and bottom over slightly leaving the filling showing in the center, and then twist either end of the dough similar to twisting a candy wrapper.

Pinch end pieces closed to create a tight seal. You’ve formed your boat-like khachapuri!

Continue with the remaining dough and filling resulting in 4 khachapuri, two on each baking sheet. Press center down slightly with a spoon to create a well for the eggs that we will be adding later.

Transfer formed khachapuri’s on parchment paper to two baking sheets.

Brush dough with egg, and then top with zaatar and poppy seeds.

Bake khachapuri’s for 9-12 minutes. Once golden and bubbly open the oven and pull baking sheets halfway out. Crack one egg into each well and bake for an additional 3-4 minutes until desired egg doneness.

Serve immediately.

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