Welcome to Sava's Kitchen! My name is Nataliia, and I created Savas Kitchen in 2021 to share all my easy family-friendly recipes.
I was born and raised in Ukraine. I moved to the United States of America at age 21. Not long after, I had honor to join and serve the United States Military— an experience I'm incredibly proud of. Right now, I am running this recipe blog full time being a stay-at-home mom.
The name Savas is a shortened form from my maiden last name. Growing up, Sava was mine and my brother's nickname. So without hesitation, I decided to use it for my blog.
As a busy mom, I know how tiring it is to think about what to cook every single day. And who wants to be a mom who always cooks the same 5 meals? Over my 24 years in the kitchen, I’ve learned how to have fun with cooking and create meals that actually excite people — without spending a lot of time or money.
If your family doesn’t like typical meal prep meals, you’re in the right place. I’m not a fan of staring at 10 sad containers of prepped food in the fridge either. I believe food shouldn’t feel like a chore — cooking, eating, and mealtime should be something you truly enjoy with the people you love. But how to find the time to make at least one meal a day from scratch? It is not that hard as it seems if you stick to simple meals and if you love cooking. Planning your meals for the week and doing all the shopping in one trip means most of the work is already done. And if you’re a stay-at-home mom, it’s even easier to fit it into your day.
My whole family is in a good way picky about food, we just love delicious and high-quality meals.
Us, moms make about one thousand meals a year for our families. One thousand meals a year seems like a lot, especially when you try to have a good variety.
By doing it myself every single day, I have so much to share in hopes of helping you find new recipe ideas.
I love cooking for others and hosting dinners for guests. My current dream is a larger dining room to host more dinners and my own garden to grow fresh ingredients.
My goal is to provide you with family-friendly recipes that are easy to make, creative, and diverse.
The list of ingredients may be limited, but we can use those same ingredients to create endless variety of meals. And that's what makes cooking fun. I love to get creative in the kitchen by using different cooking methods, techniques, adding different herbs, seasonings, or getting inspired by different cuisines.
As my blog evolved, I realized that Savas is the perfect acronym that also resonates with the recipes I share.
S is for Satisfying meals. Food should not be just fuel, but also a source of joy.
A is for Affordable recipes. I enjoy making recipes that are made with affordable and easy-to-find ingredients.
V is for Versatile ingredients. Boredom in the kitchen is real, so I became good at finding new ways to use ingredients, and keep meals fresh and exciting.
A is for Authentic dished. I enjoy recreating authentic recipes I grew up eating growing up in Ukraine and traveling in Europe.
S is for Simple recipes. In addition, I prefer keeping my recipes simple enough for busy families to have time and enjoy their food.
How to use my recipe website
You can simply go the the recipe index and browse it by categories by clicking on breakfast, dinner, holiday recipes, desserts, and so on.
You can also subscribe to my newsletter and recipe my weekly email with new recipes straight into your inbox.
You can also use a search box above the menu and type in the ingredient or recipe you are looking for.
If you cannot find it, email me and I will be happy to work on your requested recipe.
What recipes you will find here
Here, you will find a lot of step-by-step family-friendly recipes made with simple ingredients.
You can find a large variety of my family's favorite recipes, but I can also define a few specific categories you can find:
- Diverse but simple ingredients: I love experimenting with ingredients and seeing how much potential they can have. Look how many things you can make with beets as a star ingredient: pasta sauce, waffles, pancakes, risotto, and much more.
- Ukrainian classics: Growing up in Ukraine, I learned the secrets of traditional Ukrainian cooking from my family, bringing an authentic touch to every recipe. I recommend starting with Ukrainian borscht or traditional cabbage rolls.
- Chicken recipes: I understand the diverse tastes within my family, with my boys enjoying meat at every meal. My chicken recipes are always flavorful, juicy, and satisfying, making them perfect for family dinners. Try our baked chicken wings, rissoles, Hungarian chicken paprikash. or crispy panko cutlets. Growing up, we had our chickens and the whole bird was cooked. So do not be surprised to see here a few chicken liver recipes.
- Kid-friendly recipes: As a parent, I know how hard it can be to come up with creative and delicious meals and snacks for kids. So I often share the recipes that my son loves and requests seconds of, such as pasta with lentils and veggies, chicken meatballs, or pasta e piselli. Hopefully, this way I am helping other parents to find a variety of delicious meal ideas for their children.
- Easy and quick family dinners: Even with all my love for cooking, I try to make my recipes approachable and easy to make. So if you need a homemade meal in no time - try out a no-boil lasagna recipe, chicken meatball soup, or easy chicken mince stir fry.
- Air fryer recipes: I love using the air fryer to make quick, crispy dishes during busy weeks. Try my air fryer chicken burger patties form scratch or a whole roasted chicken. It’s also one of my favorite ways to cook food straight from frozen. Air fried frozen chicken or even steak - fast, easy, and delicious!
About Nataliia
I was born and raised in Ukraine. My mom was an amazing home cook. The kitchen was the place where we spent most of our time, cooking, singing, and even doing homework. I always helped and watched her make the most delicious meals. Even when some ingredients were hard to find, she would get creative to find the best substitutions to make that recipe she really wanted to try.
When I was only 13, my mom passed away, and I had to take over and start cooking a lot of meals by myself.
My father and older brother had a chance to taste all my cooking creations. I still remember how I made my first pizza from scratch. I used ketchup, mayo, and cottage cheese. The crust was the best part. We lived in a small Ukrainian village so it was hard to find certain ingredients and I had to improvise a lot (just like my mom did).
I have a master's degree in translation and linguistics and it for sure finds its place on my recipe blog. I have developed amazing research skills that help me find the best recipe and meal ideas through a variety of sources such as recommendations from people I know, culinary books, TV shows, and magazines. I approach each recipe with a lot of care and attention to detail, making sure it is understandable for even beginners and the instructions are easy to follow.
At the age of 21, after my dad passed away, I decided to leave home and move to the US. The plan was to be away only for one year, but I simply fell in love with living in the US.
In New York, I worked as a nanny and also as a waitress at a cozy family-style diner.
While living in New York City, I was lucky to eat in so many different places, try so many cuisines, and admittedly spend quite a bit on food — but it was absolutely worth it. I always wanted to try new restaurants. And even during my last week in NY, I was on a hunt for the best wings in the city.
At the age of 27, I had honor to join and serve the United States Military.
I have also lived in Germany and Poland. I traveled a lot trying various cuisines.
I will be happy if you share my recipes with your family and friends.
If you have any questions about my recipes or myself, do not hesitate to ask me via email (see contact page) or in the specific recipe comments section.
Thank you for stopping by.
Best wishes,
Nataliia
Let's connect