The 5 Ingredient Movement
What’s Inside the 5-Ingredient Movement
This isn’t a random collection of recipes.
It’s a reliable dinner system—built around meals you’ll actually want to cook again and again.
🍗 Chicken — Comfort Without the Fuss
Familiar, grounding meals that feel like home—stripped down to what truly matters.
- Rosemary Roast Chicken
- Chicken Chorizo Chickpea Stew
- Creamy Lemon Chicken
- Sweet Chili Chicken Stir Fry
- Turmeric Chicken Kebabs
- Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
- Coconut Curry Chicken
- Italian Tomato Basil Chicken
- Baked Parmesan Chicken
- Chicken & Tofu with Bell Pepper
🥩 Beef — Rich, Satisfying, No Overthinking
Bold flavors made calm and manageable. These are hearty dinners without the overwhelm.
- Beef Bourguignon Stew
- Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry
- Simple Beef Tacos
- Classic Beef Stroganoff
- Bolognese with Mascarpone
- Beef Shank Noodle Soup
- Soy-Braised Beef Short Ribs
- “Chicken” Fried Steak
- Beef Salpicao
- Homestyle Meatloaf
🐖 Pork — Crowd-Pleasers That Always Land
Reliable favorites that feel indulgent but stay easy and unfussy.
- Honey Garlic Baby Back Ribs
- Pork Chop Agrodolce
- Braised Pork Belly with Cold Soba
- Simple BBQ Pulled Pork
- Pork Schnitzel
- Creamy Mustard Pork Medallions
- Crispy Pork Belly “Lechon”
- Pork and Apple Skillet
- Sweet and Sour Pork
- Ground Pork and Tofu with Chili
🐟 Seafood — Light, Fresh, and Weeknight-Friendly
Clean flavors, minimal prep, and dinners that feel like a breath of fresh air.
- Vongole (Clam Pasta)
- Maple Glazed Salmon
- Shrimp Scampi
- Beer-Battered Fish and Chips
- Mediterranean Baked Fish
- Greek-Style Salmon Pasta
- Portuguese Mussel Stew
- Tuna Burgers
- Squid and Aioli
- Fish Laksa
🥕 Vegetarian — Simple, Nourishing, Surprisingly Filling
Plant-forward meals that don’t feel like an afterthought.
- Baked Cherry Tomato and Feta Pasta
- Chickpea and Carrot Curry
- Spinach and Brie Omelette
- Cheesy Broccoli Bake
- Eggplant Parm Sub
- Parmesan Cauliflower Steaks
- Mashed Bean Soup
- Crispy Tofu with Ginger Soy Glaze
- Japchae (Korean Glass Noodles)
- Potato and Spinach Gratin
A Letter From the Creator
I made this book for one simple reason:
Life is already full.
Dinner shouldn’t be the thing that breaks you.
I’ve had days when the thought of cooking felt heavier than the day itself.
Not because the food was hard — but because life was hard.
Too many decisions. Too many responsibilities. Too little breathing space.
And in those moments, it was so tempting to reach for takeout —
for something fast, familiar, and thoughtless.
But here’s what I kept learning the hard way:
Takeout only feels easy.
The bill is high.
The food is heavier than you wanted.
The chaos stays.
The overwhelm stays.
And the habit quietly drains your energy, your budget, and your evenings.
So I realized something:
It wasn’t the recipes that needed to change.
It was the philosophy behind them.
I began stripping meals down to their essence —
removing everything that wasn’t necessary,
keeping only what truly mattered,
and discovering that five well-chosen ingredients could deliver more flavor, more comfort, and more calm than any complicated recipe or takeout order ever could.
That simplicity changed my life.
It lightened my evenings.
It removed friction from cooking.
It anchored our home in a rhythm that felt grounding, not draining.
It even saved us money — without sacrificing warmth or nourishment.
Five ingredients gave me back what takeout could never offer:
clarity, calm, and control.
And that’s how the 5-Ingredient Movement was born.
Not as a gimmick.
Not as a trend.
But as a choice —
a choice to stop glorifying overwhelm,
a choice to stop outsourcing peace to convenience,
a choice to build a life with room to breathe.
Five ingredients isn’t a limitation.
It’s liberation.
A clearer counter.
A calmer mind.
A predictable routine.
Meals that support you instead of consuming you.
Food that nourishes instead of numbing.
Savings that add up quietly, week after week.
This book is my way of sharing that clarity with you.
Inside, you’ll find:
50 recipes distilled to their purest form —
simple, flavorful, budget-friendly, and free of noise.
Every dish is built with intention.
Every ingredient earns its place.
Nothing extra.
Nothing cluttered.
Nothing that asks for energy you don’t have.
Because dinner should give you peace,
not take it away.
If you’ve been craving ease…
If you’ve been wanting your evenings back…
If you’re tired of relying on takeout just to survive the day…
If you want cooking to feel grounding instead of exhausting…
This book is for you.
This movement is for you.
Thank you for choosing simplicity.
Thank you for choosing intention.
Thank you for choosing a gentler path —
not because you’re weak,
but because you’re strong enough to protect your peace.
Welcome to the 5-Ingredient Movement.
Cook simply. Live fully.
— CJ
Preview from each section: