Monday - Shrimp and cabbage skillet, homemade bread
Tuesday - Coconut curry soup with fish and vegetables
Wednesday - Stir fried veggies on rice
Thursday - Probably going to an authentic Chinese restaurant with Tim and Micah
Friday - Roast chicken, potatoes, and carrots
Saturday - Sweet potato "alfredo" -- Still perfecting this recipe but I'm close. Marshall helped me make it last time and he had some good ideas that turned out to be quite tasty.
March 28, 2016
March 21, 2016
Menu
Monday - Beer Honey Chicken, roasted carrots and potatoes, peas
Tuesday - Waffles, fruit
Wednesday - Mexican Inspired Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with ground turkey instead of black beans
Thursday - Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Crockpot -- I'm a week behind on this one...
Friday - Shakshuka -- I won't follow this recipe exactly, but you can get the basic idea. I made this last week and it was quite tasty.
Saturday - We'll be gone a lot of the day and are thinking we might order Chinese! Chinese take out and a movie at home has always been a "stay at home date" we've done. It's been a while though. Should be fun!
Sunday - Easter! We're having some of Marshall's lab mates over and I am making homemade spaghetti and bread with lemon bars for dessert.
Tuesday - Waffles, fruit
Wednesday - Mexican Inspired Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with ground turkey instead of black beans
Thursday - Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Crockpot -- I'm a week behind on this one...
Friday - Shakshuka -- I won't follow this recipe exactly, but you can get the basic idea. I made this last week and it was quite tasty.
Saturday - We'll be gone a lot of the day and are thinking we might order Chinese! Chinese take out and a movie at home has always been a "stay at home date" we've done. It's been a while though. Should be fun!
Sunday - Easter! We're having some of Marshall's lab mates over and I am making homemade spaghetti and bread with lemon bars for dessert.
March 16, 2016
What I Ate Wednesday
I started the day with some cocoa porridge with maple syrup and hazelnuts. I made a small cup of coffee with almond milk, but since I haven't had much caffeine at all in a year I can only handle about 2 oz. of coffee at a time or I don't feel well. I'm fine with not being able to tolerate much caffeine so I'm mostly still not consuming it, but I love coffee with oatmeal so I had a little bit today : )
My lunch was a piece of toast with zesty carrot hummus, avocado slices, and an egg - YUM! I add an egg to my lunch whenever possible because I love them so much. This was delicious.
A couple hours later I had a Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bar. This recipe is one of my current favorites. It was great with my cold leftover coffee.
Before I went to babysit I had a peanut butter filled date, and I brought an apple with me to eat there.
This is a recycled picture because I forgot to take one before eating my dinner, but we had this Massaged Kale Salad with Farro Cranberries Hazelnuts and Apple along with some homemade bread. I didn't use sweet potatoes this time, and this picture has almonds instead of hazelnuts. I've been loving salads lately, this one in particular.
Today I had dessert, which was Chocolate Avocado Mousse. The first time I tasted this I wasn't crazy about it, but since I made the batch I thought I would keep trying it. By the second or third time I really liked it. I will definitely make it again. It's so rich and yummy that a small cup is really satisfying. It has become one of my favorite treats. Yay for desserts that are delicious and nutritious!
There is a lot more to life than food, but since we do need to eat every day I love that it can be so enjoyable. Food is a reminder of how abundantly blessed we are, and feeding my family a nourishing diet is something that I am not only passionate about, but I am also thankful to have the resources to do. May your diet not control you but be something that triggers you to count your blessings.
Happy eating!
March 12, 2016
Menu
A while back I bought a package with two huge steaks because it was on a super sale, and it has been in the freezer ever since. I figured it was about time I use it so we are having an abnormal amount of beef this week considering we don't have beef very often. I'm sure we'll enjoy it though. In fact, Marshall loves pho and has been asking for it for a while, and I love the balsamic Dijon steak pasta we are having. Looking forward to it but making up for it with a few vegetarian meals : )
Sunday - Pho -- Vietnamese noodle soup
Monday - Balsamic Dijon Steak Pasta, sauteed parsnips and carrots
Tuesday - Massaged Kale Salad with Farro Cranberries Hazelnuts and Apple, homemade bread -- Whenever we have salad for dinner I try to serve it with some homemade bread. Doesn't always happen but it makes Marshall happy. Though he doesn't mind the salads for dinner because he feels good after eating them AND they are tasty : )
Wednesday - Steak sandwiches with chipotle mayo, crispy baked edamame
Friday - Pasta with artichokes, olives, capers, and a coat of tomato sauce
Saturday - Spring hand pies with peas, onions, parsnips, and capers -- They are basically the same idea as a calzone but without sauce and cheese.
Sunday - Pho -- Vietnamese noodle soup
Monday - Balsamic Dijon Steak Pasta, sauteed parsnips and carrots
Tuesday - Massaged Kale Salad with Farro Cranberries Hazelnuts and Apple, homemade bread -- Whenever we have salad for dinner I try to serve it with some homemade bread. Doesn't always happen but it makes Marshall happy. Though he doesn't mind the salads for dinner because he feels good after eating them AND they are tasty : )
Wednesday - Steak sandwiches with chipotle mayo, crispy baked edamame
Friday - Pasta with artichokes, olives, capers, and a coat of tomato sauce
Saturday - Spring hand pies with peas, onions, parsnips, and capers -- They are basically the same idea as a calzone but without sauce and cheese.
March 9, 2016
Tasty Turkey Burgers
Turkey burgers are notoriously plain. They don't have nearly as much flavor as a beef burger, and the fat content is lower, so all of these factors lead to having a mediocre burger compared to the traditional beef burger.
However, these turkey burgers are a different story.
One of the benefits of having a meat with less flavor is that it more easily takes on other flavors. I have been making turkey burgers for a few years now (not exclusively, we still eat beef burgers as well), and these are definitely the best so far. The burger itself has a lot of flavor and the toppings make it really special and yummy. Between the bacon, caramelized onions, and chipotle mayo, I don't see how it could get any better. Oh wait, there's also avocado! It just got better : )
Making actual caramelized onions takes some time. 30-40 minutes to be honest. That is what I did here and I think it really does make a difference compared to just cooking them until translucent and tender, but if you don't want to put that much time into a burger then go ahead and cook them to your liking. I think it's worth it though! Also, I cooked the bacon first, then caramelized the onions in the bacon fat, and then cooked the burgers in the same pan to take full advantage of all the flavors that were being built up. Again, this makes it take longer as opposed to having everything cooking at the same time in different pans, but you won't get the same flavor and you'll have a lot more dishes that way. I recommend the method I describe below, hence the reason I wrote the recipe like I did!
I paired these with some black bean chips and peas. Marshall doesn't like avocado and I can't have cheese right now, so I had mine bun-less with avocado, and he didn't have the avocado but had a bun and cheese.
He liked them so much he asked if we could have them again within a week or two. I complied and we had them the following Friday : )
Tasty Turkey Burgers
Ingredients for the burgers:
1 lb. ground turkey
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt
Chipotle Mayo:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
salt to taste
Toppings:
Per burger - a couple slices of white cheddar cheese, 1 or 1 1/2 strips of bacon, 1/2 an onion, 1/4 avocado, and a dollop of chipotle mayo
Directions:
Mix together all ingredients for the burgers, shape into 3 or 4 patties, and if time allows let them sit to absorb flavor. Mix together all ingredients for the chipotle mayo and if time allows let it sit for the flavors to meld.
In a medium size pan, crisp your bacon over medium heat. Reduce to low and add your sliced onions with a sprinkle of salt. Keep your temperature low and caramelize the onions, stirring every few minutes and adding a little butter if it becomes necessary. This process should take 30-40 minutes. Remove onions when done, raise heat to medium, and cook the burgers for 7-10 minutes per side depending on the heat. Add the cheese during the last couple minutes of cooking for it to melt.
Spread chipotle mayo on your bun and place the burger. Top with bacon, avocado, and caramelized onions.
This is obviously a specific recipe with certain toppings and methods for preparing them, however, this post is also to get the point across that all you need is a few thought-out and well-prepared ingredients, such as caramelized onions, to make a meal delicious and special. You shouldn't have to sacrifice flavor to eat healthy food, and I hope this encourages you to give turkey burgers another try, not as a sacrifice for your health, but because it looks so good that you'd rather have it than a beef burger.
In a medium size pan, crisp your bacon over medium heat. Reduce to low and add your sliced onions with a sprinkle of salt. Keep your temperature low and caramelize the onions, stirring every few minutes and adding a little butter if it becomes necessary. This process should take 30-40 minutes. Remove onions when done, raise heat to medium, and cook the burgers for 7-10 minutes per side depending on the heat. Add the cheese during the last couple minutes of cooking for it to melt.
Spread chipotle mayo on your bun and place the burger. Top with bacon, avocado, and caramelized onions.
This is obviously a specific recipe with certain toppings and methods for preparing them, however, this post is also to get the point across that all you need is a few thought-out and well-prepared ingredients, such as caramelized onions, to make a meal delicious and special. You shouldn't have to sacrifice flavor to eat healthy food, and I hope this encourages you to give turkey burgers another try, not as a sacrifice for your health, but because it looks so good that you'd rather have it than a beef burger.
March 5, 2016
Menu
Sunday - Taco salad
Monday - Tuna salad with apple, walnuts, and cranberries on toasted rolls
Tuesday - Savory waffles with bacon, onions, and nutritional yeast
Wednesday - Romaine salad with shrimp, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, and kalamata olives, tossed with a lemon vinaigrette dressing
Thursday - House Church night and I'm not sure yet if I'm cooking
Friday - Farro with sausage, onions, and sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli on the side -- I've learned that I really like a lot of vegetables cooked in coconut oil, broccoli being one of those many. I'll probably saute it this time.
Saturday - Smoky Quinoa and Bacon Salad and roasted carrots -- I followed this recipe except I caramelized the onions in the bacon fat, and I served it warm instead of room temperature or cold as the recipe suggests. I did eat the leftovers cold though and it was also good that way.
Monday - Tuna salad with apple, walnuts, and cranberries on toasted rolls
Tuesday - Savory waffles with bacon, onions, and nutritional yeast
Wednesday - Romaine salad with shrimp, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, and kalamata olives, tossed with a lemon vinaigrette dressing
Thursday - House Church night and I'm not sure yet if I'm cooking
Friday - Farro with sausage, onions, and sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli on the side -- I've learned that I really like a lot of vegetables cooked in coconut oil, broccoli being one of those many. I'll probably saute it this time.
Saturday - Smoky Quinoa and Bacon Salad and roasted carrots -- I followed this recipe except I caramelized the onions in the bacon fat, and I served it warm instead of room temperature or cold as the recipe suggests. I did eat the leftovers cold though and it was also good that way.
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