I took the weekend off. Part of this experiment was to see how my family's dynamic changed by having dinner at the table. We are a fairly active family, and we like to get out and do things, like hiking or go on "adventures" to explore our beautiful state and all it has to offer. I found myself feeling pressured to get back so I could write an entry for the blog. I've decided that Monday through Friday, I will have an entry, and on Saturday and Sunday, I may or may not post something. I still want to keep the 365 dinners - or recipes rather, so that will mean that I will have to post two on some days. I also want to keep up with offering tips on what works for me, as far as menu and meal planning and prep work for the week.
Yesterday, I didn't have to do any grocery shopping, because I went on Wednesday last week (senior discount day). I spent part of the day in the kitchen prepping my veggies for the week, and my starches. I made up some quinoa and some rice. I roasted cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and beets. I have some sweet potatoes that I will be roasting later this week. I also steamed up some broccoli, green beans, and asparagus. This trick ensures that I have veggies ready to go and it's so much easier to include in my lunches and snacks when they're already cooked and available. I also made up some veggie packs that the hubs loves so much. I usually make about 14 packs, and I reserve 4 of them for me. David gets the other 10. He likes radishes, so his packs get radishes, and the 4 that I reserve for myself do not have radishes. I like them, but when I eat them, I end up belching radish for the rest of the day. No one wants that in their face when they're trying to exercise.
Lunches (or lean proteins) for the week include; some of those turkey meatballs I made last week - I froze half of what I made. I also have some grass fed beef patties, and some bison patties that I made and froze. I will take out the George Forman, and cook one up for a quick and super yummy lunch. I love to do a patty with some roasted veggie (usually sweet potato) piled on a bed of spinach. I also grilled up a chicken breast.
Sunday's and Monday's dinners were quite simple and very delicious. I will start with Sunday's dinner; Pine nut-crusted Tilapia. Usually when I eat pine nuts, they sit in my stomach, and I really just do not feel well. This does not happen with any other nut. Ever. When I have consumed pine nuts in the past, I have usually eaten them raw, so I thought that this might be the reason. I fixed the recipe as directed, and I still got that, "rock in the pit of my stomach" feeling, so I will use one of the suggested substitutions next time, because this recipe is really yummy.
Pine Nut-Crusted Tilapia
Prep/total time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
1/2 C pine nuts, ground
1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning
1 egg
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey
4 tilapia fillets (6 ounces each)
2 Tbsp butter
Additional honey, optional
In a shallow bowl, combine the pine nuts, flour, dill and lemon-pepper. In another shallow bowl, combine the egg, lemon juice and honey. Dip fillets in egg mixture, then coat with nut mixture.
In a large nonstick skillet, cook the fillets in butter over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Drizzle with additional honey if desired.
Today was a crazy day.The kids had to be to school early, because my daughter is part of the announcement crew on Monday mornings. I also had my first client scheduled for 7:30 this morning. I had clients straight through from 7:30 until 2. No breaks in my schedule. Everyone showed up, and put in 110% effort. It was a fantastic day to get in shape! However, I knew what my day looked like heading into work. I also knew that I wouldn't feel like fixing something in between shifts, nor would I want to fix something when I got off at 6:30 this evening. Crock pot it is. This morning, I got the first part of it ready, and it had to cook for 6-8 hours. When I got home, I had about 5 minutes worth of work to do to finish the meal. Easy, and once again delicious.
Thai Coconut Chicken and Rice Soup
Makes 6-8 servings
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 C reduced sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 C frozen chopped onions
1 can (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 Tbsp sugar
1 C cooked rice
1 can (15 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp grated fresh lime zest
1. Combine chicken, broth, onions, mushrooms, ginger and sugar in crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours
2. Stir rice, coconut milk, and bell pepper into soup. Cover and cook 15 minutes longer. Turn off heat and stir in cilantro and lime zest.
I did quite a few things differently for this recipe. some on purpose, and some because I just didn't read the directions well enough. First, I used chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs. I have a bowl of pre-cut onions, so I just used those, instead of spending money on frozen onions, but if that's easier for you, go for it. I also used fresh onions. I'm not a huge fan of canned mushrooms, so fresh mushrooms had to be used. I also feel like this cuts down on things like preservatives, and sodium, making my goal of minimal to non processed much better. Remember that rice I said I cooked up on Sunday? Well, I made a bit extra, so I would have it ready for today. Planning ahead makes things so much easier.
Now for the things I did differently "on accident" I didn't read lime zest, and instead read lime juice, so I used 2 tsp of fresh lime juice. Also, when the directions say to add the rice, coconut milk, and bell pepper and cook 15 minutes before adding the lime and cilantro...Yeah, I didn't read that part either. So I added the rice, coconut milk, bell pepper, cilantro, and lime juice, and cooked for 15 minutes longer and then called it good. Not sure if that made any kind of significant difference in the taste. I'm willing to bet it didn't.
When I got home from work, the kids were just finishing their dinner, they said they liked it. Kaila ate it - every bite. That's a win in my book. They sat with me while I ate, and then they cleaned up the kitchen for me. BONUS!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment