Alex MacLaren feeds her kids dinner pretty much as soon as they come home from school. “That’s the time that they’re the hungriest,” she says.
While that schedule comes with its own challenges, I think she’s on to something; my own child is much more likely to eat a vegetable before 6 p.m.
In today’s podcast conversation, Alex digs into the money-saving strategy that informs her new cookbook, We Use What We Have.
She tries to avoid going in the store unless she’s out of milk or fruit for the kids. This means she only goes shopping once every ten days or so—not every time she’s missing a single ingredient for a dish.
“I cannot walk into the store and leave with only what I came in for,” she says, “It’s not going to happen for me, and so for me, it’s better to just stay out of the store.”
Maybe that means making a yogurt sauce or honey mustard instead of using ketchup as a dip. Or crushing up some crackers or corn flakes when you’re out of breadcrumbs. If you find yourself always spending $50 (or more!) every time you walk into the grocery store—even if you just came to buy one thing—this rule might be for you.
Alex’s book offers lots of ingredient-substitution guidance and truly easy dinner ideas, like the slow-cooker ribs you’ll find below.
🥇 Every week we give away a cookbook and here’s how it goes: the easiest way to enter to win a copy of We Use What We Have is to sign up as a paid subscriber to this newsletter by end of day Sunday, August 23, 2026.
🥈 Free subscribers can enter the giveaway by sending in a “what’s in my fridge right now” voice memo for us to play on The Dinner Plan podcast. It’s fun! We’ll come up with a dinner idea just for you based on what you have around. Follow the instructions here by end of day Sunday, Aug 23, 2026.
Winner will be alerted by Substack DM and email. 18+, U.S. and Canada addresses only. Giveaway not sponsored or administered by Substack. Ends August 23, 2026. Commissions from affiliate links in this newsletter help to keep this project going.
Fish tacos (IG)
Tacos with lentils (IG)
Dirty Labs: Use code THEDINNERPLAN to get 15% off your first order at DirtyLabs.com.
Michele’s Granola: Use code DINNERPLAN15 for 15% off your order at MichelesGranola.com
Made In Cookware: Visit madein.cc/dinnerplan to unlock your discount offer.
Find CookShelf on iOS and Android, and use the code DINNERPLAN for 25% off your first year.
Excerpted from We Use What We Have: 101-Easy Weeknight Meals by Alex MacLaren, copyright © 2026, reprinted by permission of Countryman Press, an imprint of W. W. Norton & Co., Inc. All rights reserved.
The idea of cooking ribs always intimidated me, but this recipe is basically two steps, and one of them is in a slow cooker. Make more than you think you need because ribs are half bones, and the meat shrinks when the fat renders off. Alternatively, you can bulk the meal up with more sides to cut costs. I like to soak up all that delicious sauce over mashed potatoes and pair with cheesy cauliflower.
Note: This recipe walks you through removing the membrane from the ribs. Why? Membranes are edible but they can make the ribs chewier. They also kind of separate when you’re cutting the meat and just don’t look appealing, so try to take off as much as you can, but don’t sweat it if you can’t get it all.
BTW . . . Side ribs tend to go on sale more often than back ribs, and you can totally use those here. I do find they have less meat on them and the membrane is harder to pull off. Sometimes you get what you pay for.
Serves 4
3 pounds (1.5 kg) pork back ribs
¼ cup (60 g) ghee or melted unsalted butter
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup (125 mL) honey-garlic sauce, such as this one from Great Value, or barbecue sauce or sweet chili sauce
Place the ribs on a large cutting board, meaty side down, and use a paper towel to grip a corner of the membrane and pull to remove. HOT TIP: Sometimes you need to use a butter knife to separate a corner from the meat so you can grip it. Pat the ribs dry and cut into 3-to-5-rib pieces that will fit in the slow cooker.
In a small bowl, combine the ghee, garlic, paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper and mix well. Layer the ribs in the slow cooker, painting them lightly with the garlic mixture. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for up to 8 hours.
Set the oven to broil. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and lay the cooked ribs out in a single layer, meaty side up. Paint the ribs with the honey-garlic sauce and broil for 3 to 5 minutes to caramelize the sauce, watching closely so the ribs don’t burn. Serve.
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