Meghan Markle Shares 'Easy' Recipes She Makes For Her Family

It was Meghan's love of food and adventure that actually pushed her into starting up The Tig and sharing her passions with the world. She told website EyeSwoon in 2015 that the name stands for "any moment at its finest." She explained that it means "discovery and excitement all rolled into one." And, appropriately enough, the name was inspired by a bottle of wine that sparked a new enjoyment of the beverage.

"The impetus of the name is from a wine called Tignanello," Meghan told EyeSwoon. "My sip of that wine was my first moment of understanding the nuance people had always described in wine — the tasting notes, the layers — it was such an ah-ha moment, so I took the nickname 'Tig' and translated it for all of those moments of getting it." But not everything Meghan drinks costs almost $200 a bottle.

Meghan revealed to EyeSwoon that her breakfast routine included either a "clean cleanse shake or a green juice." She also explained that green juices are just one of the "things that make [her] think of home" in California. And while "green juice" seems like a pretty catch-all term, Meghan detailed in a separate interview exactly what goes into her go-to drink.

In 2012 Meghan wrote an article, originally for website iVillage, all about the things she loves to eat. "My favorite foods run the gamut from healthy to indulgent, but rest assured, they are always delicious," she wrote. This aligned with her ethos: "If I'm going to eat it, it has to be good." The duchess included her recipe — or perhaps it's more of a blueprint — for the juice she called "an easy pick-me-up."

"It's easy to fall into the trap of rushing for a coffee when you hit that 4:00 p.m. slump," Meghan wrote, "but if I blend some apple, kale, spinach, lemon, and ginger in my Vitamix in the morning and bring it to work, I always find that sipping on that is a much better boost than a cup of espresso." She encouraged her readers to "play with the recipe," too. Berries or almond milk could work just as well.

"At the end of the day, your body will thank you for nourishing it with so much fresh goodness," Meghan explained. And "fresh" certainly seems to be the name of the game when it comes to Meghan's meals. "We are so spoiled with our produce [in California], and my love of simple ingredients prepped well is completely linked to that,' Meghan told EyeSwoon. "And the diet tends to be healthier as well." That might explain her choice of breakfast.

To go alongside that green juice, Meghan's breakfast — at the least the one she opted for in 2014 — normally involved an acai bowl. This was another of the healthy dishes that made Meghan think of home. And she seemingly liked acai bowls so much that she was moved to share her own recipe with EyeSwoon. As always, though, we imagine she'd be happy for you to play around with the template to suit your needs.

The base of Meghan's acai is pretty simple. You just have to blend together one packet of frozen acai, a third of a cup of almond milk, half a banana, and some frozen berries. Meghan explained that the mixture should be "thick" and urged you to add the almond milk "sparingly." Then you can move on to toppings. Meghan's choices were "coconut flakes, fresh berries, sliced banana, a drizzle of manuka honey, [and a] sprinkle of bee pollen."

The biggest tip Meghan offered about her breakfast dish was that it had to be served "immediately." So if you want to enjoy this at its finest, don't suddenly rush off to do some other task. If this is unavoidable, though, and you need to keep your acai bowl in its perfect state for a little while longer, try putting your chosen bowl in the freezer before decanting your breakfast into it.

If acai and bee pollen are out of your budget, you could try Meghan's other go-to breakfast dish. "If I'm at a hotel, I will likely order poached eggs and toast with avocado," she told EyeSwoon. She doesn't just save smashed avocado on toast for hotels, though. In 2019 Meghan's makeup artist Daniel Martin revealed that she served him avocado on toast at Kensington Palace.

We know you don't need a recipe for toast and smashed avocado, but there's a lot of wiggle room when it comes to poached eggs. According to celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, try cooking your eggs for about two minutes for a super-soft poached egg or about four minutes for something a little firmer. Use your own judgment: the size of the pan and the temperature of your eggs will affect the cooking times.

There is a curveball when it comes to Meghan's breakfast. When asked by EyeSwoon about her "ultimate food day," Meghan replied, "Breakfast of blueberry johnnycakes with extra-crispy bacon and maple syrup." And now we're talking. A johnnycake is a kind of fried dough or bread that's crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. We can see why Meghan might enjoy it as a one-off indulgence.

With breakfast out of the way — and that chicken dinner to look forward to — it's time to start thinking about snacks. You've probably guessed by now that Meghan isn't the kind of woman to openly endorse potato chips or candy bars as energy-boosting snacks. No, the snacks Meghan has told the world about are more on the healthier side of the supermarket aisles. Still, they do sound delicious.

It's not a combination we ever would have dreamed up, but the duchess is apparently a big fan of watermelon with cinnamon. "I have always loved watermelon and relish any opportunity to eat it," she wrote for iVillage. Meghan explained that she could eat watermelon on its own or drizzled in olive oil and mixed with mint and feta. "It makes me think of summertime," she wrote. And then she dropped the cinnamon hack.

"I try to always have a container of watermelon sprinkled with cinnamon because it elevates the flavor just a notch, and makes it feel special," Meghan explained. Yet while the recipe may sound a little unconventional at first, she is not the only one who believes this is the best way to eat watermelon. The hashtag #watermeloncinnamon has 6.9 million views on TikTok alone; the general consensus is that it rules.

If you're after something a little more substantial at snack time, though, you might prefer to go with Meghan's other snack suggestion: crackers, carrots, and hummus. "This is my trifecta snack. I love hummus. In fact, I love garbanzo beans in any iteration," Meghan told iVillage. The idea is simple and delicious — just get yourself a plate of crackers, hummus, and baby carrots and commence to dip and munch.

"This sounds so simple," Meghan admitted, "but truly, it satisfies so many senses — the savory taste, the textural crunch, the unctuousness of the hummus." She offered two little tips as well. The first is to choose the herb crackers from Mary's Gone Crackers. These are gluten-free, organic, and made from whole grains — very on-brand for Meghan. And her second tip is to make your own hummus.

Meghan didn't supply a recipe for hummus, but she did say it was "so easy" and worth knocking up yourself. There are an untold number of hummus recipes online, of course, but a popular and highly rated one comes from Cookie and Kate. Essentially, you get the correct measurements of chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, sea salt, tahini, cumin, and olive oil and blitz it all together.

If you're really going to show off, though, look no further than one of Meghan's Christmas recipes. She originally shared this festive side dish in 2015 with Grazia magazine, and we think we'll be giving it a go during the next holiday season. "These maple-glazed potato wedges are crave-worthy," Meghan said. "With the slight kick from cayenne and the brightness of the added lemon, they will be a crowd favorite."

Your ingredients are two sweet potatoes, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, half a lemon, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, salt, and a sprinkle of seeds. And you just cut your potatoes into wedges and coat them with everything except the seeds. Roast them in a 425 °F oven for half an hour, tossing and adding in the seeds halfway through. "They will be beautiful, browned, and crisp," said Meghan.

Circling back to the EyeSwoon question about Meghan's "ultimate food day," Meghan opted for fish tacos — and white wine — for lunch. Ideally, she said, they'd be "cooked in [her] backyard on [her] ceramic grill." And while we can't promise you that you'll ever eat fish tacos in that manner, we can give you the recipe for Meghan's favorite lunch. "I was conditioned to like Baja-style food from the womb," the duchess told iVillage.

Meghan explained, "Here's how I make fish tacos: Grill some peppers and onions and a couple filets of fish (a flaky white fish works best). Season everything with salt and pepper, a little lime, and stuff it all inside of a warm corn tortilla." It's simple, but it hits the spot. "Few bites of food make me happier than that," the duchess claimed. And she also had a tip for those of us who couldn't boil an egg, let alone make a taco.

"If you ever find yourself in L.A., go to Fresh Corn Grill and order salmon tacos," Meghan wrote. "It sounds a little strange at first, but trust me, they are insanely good! I dream about those tacos, and they are not paying me to say that." And even though Meghan wrote that in 2012, the Fresh Corn Grill is still going strong today. Trust us: we checked. The restaurant has locations in Westwood and West Hollywood.

But that's not the only lunch about which Meghan has waxed lyrical. The fish tacos might be good on an "ultimate food day," but the duchess said that she had another "go-to meal" when she was working on the TV drama Suits. Granted, she hasn't worked on Suits for a very long time now, but we can't see this meal ever going out of fashion. The best part is that you can make a batch at the weekend and enjoy it all week.

"At the start of each week, I generally cook a box of quinoa, and while it's simmering, I saute onions, garlic, and any veggies I have on hand in a separate pan," Meghan wrote, calling the dish "seasoned veggie quinoa." She then seasons all of her vegetables and, when the quinoa is cooked, mixes everything together to create the perfect healthy meal. The key, though, appears to be her choice of seasoning.

"I season the vegetables with Spike, a seasoning blend my mom always used when I was growing up," Meghan instructed. This little pot of seasoning is available to buy in all good retailers for about $8 a pop. According to the brand, Spike seasoning is a mixture of 39 herbs, spices, and veggies that would probably be otherwise hard to replicate at home. In a pinch, though, you could substitute it with cajun seasoning or Italian seasoning. Meghan also offered an alternative to Spike.

The duchess said that if she weren't using Spike seasoning for her quinoa, she'd opt for Bragg Liquid Aminos. This umami seasoning is about $8 a bottle, too, and undoubtedly packs a different flavor profile from the Spike option. And if you don't have Bragg to hand, you could replace it with that old favorite, soy sauce. Whatever route you go down, though, all that's left to do now is stuff the dish down your throat.

We'd argue, though, that Meghan has offered two other possibilities for a lunchtime treat. They're both easy-to-make dishes, even if one sounds a bit fancier than the other. "You know what I do really happen to lovvvvve is that boxed macaroni and cheese," the duchess told EyeSwoon. But you should know by now that she wouldn't settle for your average box of Kraft macaroni and cheese. No, she goes for something a little more upmarket.

"I now buy the Annie’s organic one if I’m craving it," Meghan revealed. This is a brand of mac-and-cheese makers that promises that its food is made with organic pasta and proper milk and cheese. "But I throw some frozen peas into it and have this gooey simple childlike meal," Meghan said. "I used to cook it for the kids I would babysit and I always enjoyed feeling like a kid and eating it with them."

When asked for the "go-to recipe you make with your eyes closed," Meghan replied, "Cacio e Pepe pasta… it’s so easy." And let's face it: this is basically a grown-up version of mac and cheese. It literally means cheese and pepper, after all! A Bon Appetit recipe — which it calls "a stripped-down mac and cheese" — asks for just pasta, butter, pepper, and two types of Italian cheese. After that meal, all that's left now is dinner...

Meghan did confess to EyeSwoon that her ultimate food day would involve "a beautiful rib-eye and sautéed broccoli rabe, or a bowl of cavatelli pasta" for dinner. But we think she seemed more excited to share her chicken adobo recipe with iVillage. "I am a big fan of Sunday suppers," she began. "Whether we're eating lamb tagine, pot roast, or a hearty soup, the idea of gathering for a hearty meal with friends and family on a Sunday makes me feel comforted."

"I enjoy making slow-cooked food on Sundays, like Filipino-style chicken adobo," the duchess continued. "It's so easy. Combine garlic, soy (or Bragg Liquid Aminos), vinegar, maybe some lemon, and let the chicken swim in that sauce until it falls off the bone in a Crock Pot." And that's it! "Set it and forget it and serve with brown rice and salad," she finished. Though she did have some advice on which kind of pot to use.

"I have a beautiful Le Creuset that could also do the trick, but the Sunday supper 'Americana' of it all calls for a Crock Pot," she said. We should say, though, that there is no free advertising here, and there are plenty of other brands available for all your slow-cooker needs. But this delicious-sounding food has us wondering what the best drink would be to accompany it all. Luckily, Meghan has us covered there, too.

"While I generally opt to whet my whistle with a glass of rosé or crisp Sauvignon Blanc, sometimes the day calls for a cocktail," Meghan wrote on The Tig way back in 2014. "Cue The Tig Cup. Having a love of all things Brit, I wanted to do a twist on their signature Pimm’s Cup." We'd like to take this moment to point out that this "love of all things Brit" line was written before the world knew about her romance with a certain prince. But we digress.

"Using cues from the season, with fresh and vibrant farmers’ market ingredients, this drink will whet your whistle and keep you cool during those long summer days turned nights," Meghan continued. "This is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser and a nod to the fresh picked flavors of the season. Cheers!" The drink is a mix of gin and maraschino cherry liqueur poured over tonic and soda water, finished "with a twist of the grapefruit."

If you're eating your adobo in the winter, though, you could turn to Meghan's "almond milk spiced holiday cocktail." She told Grazia that this was "super-pretty and equally delicious!" You'll need almond milk — natch — as well as one teaspoon each of cinnamon, cardamom and powdered ginger, half a teaspoon of cloves, some dried dates saturated in water, and your go-to bourbon. Then you've got a choice: hot or cold.

If you're going for a hot drink, blend everything but the bourbon together and heat gently until nice and warm. Combine it with your booze and garnish for a holiday treat. If you're serving it cold, though, then just whack it all into a cocktail shaker and have at it. Meghan recommended serving the cold version "in Champagne glasses with a cinnamon/sugar rim on the glass."

As a little bonus, we thought we'd include the final recipe that Meghan shared with iVillage. This one, though, is not one of Meghan's own recipes. It was a take on turkey meatballs that originally came from Gwyneth Paltrow. "Mom cooked a lot of turkey when I was growing up," Meghan wrote by way of introducing the dish. "Turkey meatloaf, turkey burgers, ground turkey shepherd's pie — my childhood was the Bubba Gump of turkey."

"You'd think I would be sick of it, but when I find gems like Gwyneth Paltrow's turkey meatball recipe, it's as though the fowl is no longer foul to me," Meghan continued. "The hint of lemon zest in her recipe elevates the dish to another level. It's amazing and definitely worth trying." You can find the recipe over on Paltrow's Goop website. Goop said, "We love serving them over cauliflower rice, but they're also great on their own."