My husband just got new bloodwork back and all his numbers are excellent – the dietary changes have been working! I am curious how mine will look in June as he’s much stricter than I am.
Here’s my plan for the next few weeks for two adults and an almost-8-yo who will almost certainly not be eating most of it:
That’s great news!
That is wonderful and impressive news!
That chicken gyro salad is one of Lulu’s favorite meals. The tzatziki is so good.
Greetings, People.
It’s been a busy stretch between visitors and house-and-property upgrades, but we’re close to the end of our list and looking forward to resuming a normal routine. It looks like another chilly spring and summer for us, but one can always hope.
Cooking for two adults in the PNW.
FRI: Peri-peri chicken on the grill. Sauteed spinach. Spuds of some variety.
SAT: White pizza with asparagus and basil. Salad greens.
SUN: A new-to-me recipe: ATK’s bourbon chicken (here, but behind a paywall – sorry!). Rice. Veg TBD.
MON: Salmon or halibut of some variety. Veg TBD.
TUE: Woks of Life’s Char-siu fried rice. Will toss in half a bag of bay shrimp from the freezer, as well.
WED: Steak frites. Creamed spinach.
THUR: TBD.
That pizza sounds extremely good. Congratulations on making it through all this stuff!
Thanks! It’ll be great to have things back to normal - it’s been a crazy couple of years in general, but things seem to be settling down and we’re looking forward to everything the future brings.
We love asparagus pizza. I usually make a garlic-oregano bechamel for the sauce, and top it with fresh mozz, fresh basil, and chopped asparagus. Last time I made it we discovered it was delicious with some cold-smoked salmon on top (added after baking), and I’ll probably do that again this time.
Oh wow, with smoked salmon sounds even better. Thanks for the tips.
Hello friends it is FREEZING in Ottawa. It was nice and warm here earlier this week so the property management company that owns my apartment building decided to turn the heat off. Then the temperature went down so I’m back to curling up on the sofa in the evening with a terry cloth bath robe and wool blankets are back on the bed. I just checked the temperature and it is now 11 degrees Celsius or 52 Fahrenheit. It definitely feels like fall out there although the weatherman is predicting a warming trend next week. In the meantime I am planning some indoor activities for this weekend.
My last yoga class was on Wednesday but I decided to pass since there was a jazz band I like that was playing at one of our downtown venues that evening so I went to that instead. My sketching class continues until June 9th. I am on the lookout for some summer activities and I definitely would like to tie in some outdoor activities so I can get some exercise in the outdoors and fresh air. Our festivals are now starting and one of my favourites, Doors Open Ottawa, is coming up in a couple of weeks. Buildings that are normally closed to the public are encouraged to open their doors for the weekend so members of the public can visit. Highlights from previous years include the American Embassy, the Masonic Lodge, and the boardroom at the Canada Revenue Agency. If any Americans in this group ever come to Ottawa and if you ever have a chance to visit the embassy, the inside is beautiful. (The outside not so much 
) Onto my menus for this week:
Today: I’ve been eating a lot of carb heavy meals these days and I would like to get some more grains in my diet so I am going to try to and change that. Let’s see how that works out… So I am now having salmon sashimi and a wakame salad as my take out lunch. I will have tabouli for dinner.
Saturday: I’m off to see a matinée showing of the movie Michelangelo. As the title suggests it is about the famous artist Michelangelo. I will have a gnocchi and spinach pasta I had planned on making a few weeks ago but it got bumped. I have spinach and gnocchi to finish up so I will try again.
Sunday: I have a possible trip to Chinatown planned but the only thing I really need is Thai chilis that, for some odd reason, don’t seem to be available at the grocery stores in my neighbourhood. I may make a detour to the Chinese grocer one day after work instead so I can free up my Sunday afternoon to do something else. Dinner will be a beef and asparagus stirfry.
Monday: Sketching class after work. I think I still have a couple of servings of dal in the freezer so I will have one serving with the last naan in the freezer.
Tuesday: Chicken and asparagus stirfry https://www.skinnytaste.com/chicken-and-asparagus-lemon-stir-fry/
Wednesday: Scallop and edamame salad.
Thursday: Pasta puttanesca, spring mix on the side.
Have a nice weekend everyone. I hope it is warm where you are.
Tuesday’s stir-fry looks good. I hope you report back on that one.
Will do. I had it in my recipe file and I only keep recipes in there that are tried 'n true so I must have made it at least once. I will let you know on Tuesday night how it turns out.
Hi folks
Back from a quick trip to squeeze in a bit of impromptu time with friends and to see my nephew before the end of the college year (and deliver treats for finals season).
Last week was short:
– Masala omelette + Pao / Bombay-style bread rolls (that really weren’t)
– Paneer bhurji (like scrambled eggs but with homemade paneer, so good) to use up Pao
– Leftover Thai restaurant crab curry lacking crab but with Argentine red shrimp added + rice + roasted zucchini
Fighting some ennui and lack of mojo, so I scanned old plans for inspiration:
– Korean-inspired salmon quinoa/rice bowl + green veg + kimchi
– Nobu miso black cod (freezer) + rice/quinoa blend + snow peas
– Vegetable pan-fried noodles
– Thai red curry chicken with veg + rice/quinoa blend
– Ants climbing a tree / vermicelli with Sichuan bean paste & ground turkey + side green veg
– Sichuan dry pot to use up Chinatown vegetables – long hot peppers, lotus root, mushrooms + rice/quinoa blend
Wish you all a restful weekend.
I’m curious about quinoa/rice blend you have. Is this a blend you buy pre-mixed or do you mix quinoa with rice yourself? And what type of rice would you use? I imagine the cooking time of the rice and the cooking time of the quinoa might vary depending on what type of rice you use…
I use a ratio of usually 1/3 quinoa to 2/3 rice (Indian basmati or other), rinse well, and cook in 2x water (you can reduce the water to 1.75 or 1.5 if you like hard rice).
When cooked, I add some ghee or olive oil and fluff the rice gently with a fork or a paddle and let it rest for a while, then refrigerate and reheat per meal.
I started adding quinoa to increase protein and then the fat and refrigeration when I read up about the increase in resistant starch from doing that. More here and here.
Thank you! I have lots of quinoa, basmati and ghee so I will have to try it sometime.
You can also toast the rinsed grains in ghee first, which will yield a slightly different flavor and more separate grains, if you prefer that. Like a pilaf.
Happy Maycember, everyone! I’ve seen that term used more to describe the end of year insanity that applies to both the calendar year and school year… but it’s COLD here. All the family room blankets are in use again! And the school year is not quite over; last day isn’t until 6/20. 
We’re just having a quiet long weekend, trying to get some decluttering done around the house.
Sun: cornmeal fried pork chops and smashed potatoes (SK), glazed carrots
Mon: chicken parm meatballs, red sauce, pasta. Air fryer green beans.
Tues: cheesy green chile bean bake (NYT but also here), biscuits/tortillas depending on whether I have time or motivation to bake. (NYT recipe does not include the chorizo but headnotes say it can be added)
Weds: ginger-pork vermicelli bowls from “You Got This!” by Diane Morrissey, which I borrowed from the library.
Thurs: leftover meatballs, garlic bread, broccoli
Last week of the semester!!!
For two adults in San Diego:
Breakfasts: Probably chocolate chip muffins. Grading requires chocolate.
S: (tonight) Takeout - white pizza with garlic confit and fresh basil.
Su: Taco soup - soup
M: BBQ ribs, potato salad, baked beans
T: Leftover bbq
W: TJs gorgonzola gnocchi, spinach, shallots, and spiced pecans - vegetarian
Th: Shrimp and veggie stirfry - seafood
F: TJs carnitas, rice, beans, and all the fixings.
Take care of yourselves!
I have made that cheesy bean bake and loved it! I used black beans and served with tortillas.
Hope it warms up for you.
Hi everyone, I hope you’ve had a good week. It has been beautiful here - not raining, not overly hot (as it often is at this time of year). I have done a ton of cleaning and it feels wonderful. The bookshelf I was trying to put together last week turned out to have the wrong parts, and a call to the help line listed in the instructions turned out to be for some scam sweepstakes. So I returned it, and ordered a different bookshelf, which is now up in my room. LLD is having a really great time riding and making biking buddies in Spain; Lulu is getting ready for finals. Not a lot of cooking happened this week, but what did is below:
Sun: kidney bean curry, raita, rice (Made in India)
Mon: leftover Asian noodles
Tues: lemony white bean and turkey soup with greens (Dinner in One)
Wed: leftover curry, etc.
Thurs: last of the leftover Asian noodles, plus some cheese and crackers
Fri: carry out pizza
Sat: leftover soup
Hope you have a delicious, happy week.
Definitely going to try this – thanks for the share!
