Last night, Eric and I were on a roll in the kitchen! I started making dinner while he went to the grocery store, and after he got home, we continued on our mission of having lots of healthy and delicious foodstuffs for the week.
Eric juiced while I got the pasta in the oven (I used regular noodles instead of lasagna) and then made roasted bell peppers and whipped feta. The final result of our efforts was a well-stocked fridge, a delicious dinner, and an amazing breakfast this morning: toasted French bread spread with the whipped feta and topped with the roasted vegetables.
Also, since I was looking at a lot of these recipes on my phone as I was working on them, my phone now smells very strongly of roasted garlic. I can’t decide whether or not I have a problem with this.
Here’s our full menu for the week! (It’s a bit shorter than usual since I’ll be in Austin this weekend.)
Breakfasts/snacks/treats
The aforementioned whipped feta and roasted bell peppers (Seriously, make both of these recipes ASAP.)
Pre-made hard-boiled eggs (I’ve been having major issues making decent hard-boiled eggs lately; peeling them is taking out half the egg with it. This week, I said “fuck it” and went with the perfectly-prepared ones from the grocery store.)
Lunches
Leftovers
Dinners
Slow cooker meatballs
Hamburgers
Fajitas
Grilled steak + squashed potatoes
Pizza
Workouts
I think I did two longer yoga sessions plus some shorter ones for my hip and heart challenge, but I forgot to record any workouts on my calendar last week so I’m not 100 percent sure…there may have been an additional workout, but I think it was just the two. I didn’t do any formal workouts over the weekend but I ran all over town on Saturday and ran around the kitchen/house last night, so I feel pretty good about all that. This week, I’m taking a yoga class at a studio (finally!) and I am aiming to get in two additional workouts before I head to Austin for the weekend.
I’m definitely feeling motivated and healthy after last night’s cooking spree. In between the cooking, I also managed to do laundry and fold it and put it away. (!!!!) I also Swiffered the first floor before I went to bed. Yesterday was such a long day (and Saturday was pretty busy too) and I don’t really feel prepared for my trip this weekend yet, but feeling like I have my shit together in a few key areas is definitely helping! There’s just something about having a drawer full of folded, matching socks that makes me feel like I got this.
How was your weekend? Anything good on the menu or workout schedule for this week?
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Are you getting your eggs from the farmer’s market? Those eggs are harder to peel for some reason.
A lot of times, yes! (Sometimes we’ll go through those quickly and supplement with store eggs.) I wondered if that had anything to do with it. I’ve heard that fresh eggs are the hardest to peel!
if you run the egg under warm-ish water while you peel, it usually helps!
I’m so excited to try my crockpot teriyaki chicken!
But I’m curious about that turkey sausage and spinach lasagna! Where can I find this recipe?!
Here you go! http://www.cookinglight.com/food/recipe-finder/healthy-lasagna-recipes-00412000074099/page26.html
I just cooked some noodles while I was preparing everything else and then kind of mixed everything together in the dish rather than doing the layering as the recipe suggested…basically just turned it into a big casserole!
First – You look gorgeous in that picture! :)
Second – I’ve definitely found that I “get on a roll” in the kitchen as well. When I find a recipe that I like it tends to snowball because then I want to try another one, or I find something great at the farmers market, or I decide I should make dessert as well… I love having the time to let my kitchen routine flow organically! :)
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This week is shaping up to be busy but in a good way. Thursday I get to talk with someone about ordering my garter so I’ll have my “something blue” at the wedding. I bought a yoga mat yesterday and can’t wait to start practicing again on a new and squishy mat, instead of trying to practice on our bare hardwood floors.
Our menu this week includes a hodgepodge of foods: homemade cottage pie, crock pot jerk chicken and rice, tacos, and probably some homemade pizza thrown in there for good measure (and because it’s delicious).
deva at deva by definition recently posted..Reactions: Lifestyle Blogging and Real Life
Have you tried boiling your eggs with baking soda? Shells come right off!
I haven’t! How much baking soda do you add?
Not much, just a teaspoon or so will do.
I learned a little trick for peeling eggs recently that’s helped me. After you boil your eggs, and put them in ice water to stop the cooking (and so you don’t burn your hands!), crack them and put them back in the ice water. I roll mine on a cutting board. The water will fill up under the film of the shell and it makes it so much easier to peel them!
So interesting! I put mine in cold water but I’ve never tried the cracking trick. Will definitely give this a try!
Not even kidding you, just this morning I was telling Josh that I wanted to make some banana bread soon. (We have a browning banana in our kitchen–so perfect!)
And when it comes to hard-boiled eggs, the trick is shocking them. (I found this post on how to perfectly boil an egg: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_perfect_hard_boiled_eggs/) I’ve also heard that dunking the egg in water as you peel helps, but I’ve never tried it.
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We are getting a bread maker in the near future. I am beyond excited.
There’s nothing like spending a Sunday evening cooking up a storm and having a fully stocked fridge for the week. I, at the very least, cook a lunch for the week (I like one big stew or something…what can I say? I don’t need much variety). Then making staples (a pot of quinoa, for example) helps with having easy dinners during the week for nights we don’t have time or energy to cook. I love a full fridge. Even more? An empty one before grocery shopping! It means I planned well.
Roasted peppers and whipped feta?!? Sign me up. I love long cooking sessions on the weekends. It’s so much fun to play around in the kitchen and to enjoy all the food, of course!
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Check these out. My husband put them in my stocking this year and I use them all the time when using my phone in the kitchen!
http://chefsleeve.com/products/disposable-iphone-sleeves
Katie @ Live Half Full recently posted..Monday Motivation
Ahhh that is so smart!!
If you decide you don’t want to mess with baking soda or extra steps, know that older eggs are easier to peel. They’re certainly not ‘bad eggs’, the gas pocket is just slightly larger which pulls the membrane away from the shell. So it’s not Farmer’s Market eggs per se, it’s just that they tend to be laid more recently. What I do is buy 3 dozen or so at a time, and for the first week or two I make fried/scrambled eggs — might as well take advantage of the delicious freshness! Then, when they’ve aged a bit, I hardboil the remainder. Let us know what you end up trying!
Genius on using regular pasta instead of lasagna noodles! Time saver! I saw this recipe in cooking light and thought it looked yummy but too time consuming. How much pasta did u use?
I’m not 100 percent sure and I got a few inches down in the trash before I stopped digging (I’m sorry, we cooked a lot last night, I just couldn’t!) but I think it was a 12 ounce bag of the big fat pasta tubes.
i have colorful peppers in the kitchen that i wasn’t at all motivated to eat until you shared about the roasted goodness. THANK YOU for the inspiration!
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I love the idea of using regular pasta noodles instead of lasagna noodles — that’s a huge time (and effort) saver.
And, um, I can completely relate on the issue of hard boiled eggs; I spent a good 10 minutes last week swearing audibly — while at my desk work, no less — when I tried (and failed) to peel two really recalcitrant eggs. I finally gave up and threw them away. Urg.
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OK the phrase “recalcitrant eggs” made my morning.
Pour a little vinegar in the water with the eggs when you boil them. Works every time. I never measure I just pour. Got the idea from an older guy who has to make pounds of potato salad for his annual family reunions.
if you hard boil fresh eggs it will be harder so let them sit in the fridge a week or so, make sure the water has a generous sprinkle of kosher salt or baking soda, and when you’re done cooking submerge them in ice water (like actually put ice in, not just cold). it is a few more steps but usually helps a ton. hope that helps!