I’m fortunate to live a short walk from Trader Joe’s and a local meat market. Some days I feel I owe both stores credit for sponsoring everything stocked in my refrigerator and pantry. It’s easy for me to run to the store mid-recipe or on my way home from work everyday. But, lets be honest, nobody has time for that. My fresh produce disappears within a few days or turns a funny brown color hidden in the crispier (its not even a crispy, brown so I question the purpose of the crispier). Then I’m left scouring the freezer and cabinets for what can sensibly go together.  

Part of what defines Jacked Kitchen is going the extra step to cook with homemade or fresh ingredients and avoid processed foods. It’s easy to get sucked into heating up a packaged meal or eating something with an ingredient list made of alphabet soup. But you can still make a Jacked meal that comes from your pantry or freezer with no (or minimal) fresh ingredients.