Hey, I'm Maya!

My Story

Five years ago, I was drowning. Working full-time as a UX designer, raising two little ones, and trying to feed my family something other than takeout every night felt impossible. I'd scroll through beautiful food blogs with their elaborate 47-ingredient recipes and three-hour cook times, feeling like a failure because I couldn't make it work.

Then I had what I call my "frozen pizza revelation." Standing in my kitchen at 6:45 PM, kids screaming, staring at yet another frozen pizza, I thought: there HAS to be a better way. Real food that doesn't require a culinary degree. Dinners that don't take longer than the kids' patience lasts. Recipes that actually account for the chaos of real life.

So I started experimenting. I took classic recipes and figured out how to streamline them without sacrificing flavor. I discovered the magic of sheet pan dinners, one-pot wonders, and prep-ahead tricks. Slowly, dinner stopped being a daily crisis and started being... actually enjoyable?

Why I Started Easy Recipe Box

Friends started asking for my recipes. Then friends of friends. My coworkers. My kids' teachers. I was emailing the same recipes over and over, and I realized maybe I wasn't the only overwhelmed parent who needed this kind of resource.

Easy Recipe Box was born from that realization. Every recipe here has been tested in my tiny Seattle kitchen, approved by my picky kids, and designed to work within the constraints of real life. No recipe takes more than 45 minutes from start to finish. Most use 10 ingredients or fewer. All of them actually taste good – I promise I wouldn't share them otherwise.

My goal isn't to turn you into a gourmet chef. It's to help you get dinner on the table without losing your mind. To make weeknights a little less stressful. To help you feed your family real food, even when life is chaotic. Because you deserve to eat well, even on your busiest days.

My Cooking Philosophy

I believe that good food doesn't have to be complicated. That shortcuts aren't cheating – they're survival. That there's absolutely nothing wrong with using pre-minced garlic, rotisserie chicken, or canned beans. That the best meal is the one that actually gets made.

I also believe in being honest. If a recipe didn't work, I'll tell you. If my kids refused to eat something, I'll mention it. If there's a step that seems fussy but actually matters, I'll explain why. And if something can be skipped or simplified, I'll let you know.

What You'll Find Here