You guys! Things are busy around here! And I am hunnn-gry! Welcome to a food day in my life.
What I Ate Wednesday • June
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You guys! Things are busy around here!
And I am hunnn-gry!
Our office remodel is *thisclose* to being done, and it feels like all the big stuff (windows, doors, lighting, floors) is just steamrolling forward, and the whole project is just taking up a lot of my time and decision-making brain space, and it’s fun and also exhausting, and as a result this week’s meals have been… well, you can decide for yourself what you think they’ve been.
Welcome to a food day in my life.
Breakfast
A glorious breakfast – the last wheat English muffin, toasted, with some seed and nut butter, cinnamon, sea salt, sugar, and honey. Normally I throw a few banana slices on my English muffs but we are a little short on groceries at the moment, okay?
An Important Orange Juice Update:
I have jumped back on the orange juice wagon. I kind of scaled back on it this winter, but girl, I AM BACK. A cold glass of orange juice with breakfast is just one of those really nice, really happy moments in my day. So much more enjoyable than a glass of whatever might be the latest health trend. I’m just saying it like it is. Bless all of you who take shots of ACV and chase it down with a warm lemon water and such. Count me out. One tall orange juice, coming right up.
(Here is the nut / seed butter that I’m loving. A new find from Costco.)
Lunch
Thai chicken salad making a re-appearance because YUM.
Cabbage, carrot, cilantro, chicken, mango (a ripe one today), peanuts, and a creamy peanut dressing. Tastes crunchy, salty-sweet, and fresh. Feels like taking a shower.
Have you made this yet? Please say yes.
Post-Lunch Essential
Chocolate covered almonds rolled in sea salt and turbinado sugar. TOTALLY ADDICTING.
Late Afternoon Snack
When I get home from work in the afternoon, I’ve been doing this thing where I blend up a quick smoothie so I have something easy and portable to sip on while Solvi and I play together.
I had mixed feelings about Daily Harvest the first time around (more on that here) but with my second shipment, I am a little bit more excited about it.
Maybe because I picked better smoothies? Or maybe because of this new daily-smoothie-routine that I’ve gotten into?
Either way, the mint + cacao flavor is really treating me right.
I usually use vanilla almond milk or oat milk for the liquid base for these smoothies, and I add a little bit of pure maple syrup to almost all the DH smoothies because they are surprisingly UN-sweet.
Also: compostable straw. Baby steps. I’m working on it.
Dinner
Rough picture, but delicious Cottage Pie. This was SO yummy.
Bjork was in his down-home-meat-and-potatoes happy place, eating piles of fluffy, cheesy mashed potatoes over that saucy beef and vegetable filling. (Okay, fine, I was pretty happy, too.)
Which leads to me New Thing Alert!
This recipe was from the Cook Once, Eat All Week* meal planning cookbook and it is – just, wow. It’s so obvious that there was a TON of time, energy, and organization that went into creating this resource.
The recipes are less of the show-stoppers that you’d want to bring to dinner club and more of the everyday stuff that your family would love. I immediately texted my sister to tell her about this book because I feel like feeding a family of 5 makes her a prime candidate for this method and these recipes.
Even for us, with a family of 2 + baby, the concept of cooking (mostly) once each week is incredibly helpful. I followed the weekly plan: prepped all the elements on Sunday, and then assembled the meals throughout the week, and I looked forward to it all the way from Monday to Friday.
Dessert
Good Fruit Season is upon us and my body is crying tears of joy. Thank you, fruit, for being nature’s candy.
Tonight: juicy ripe cherries, with a standard nightly hot tea.
What Solvi Ate
A new segment here on WIAW: What Solvi Ate!
This week Solvi is working through a batch of “Chicken Dinners” including:
- steamed and mashed sweet potatoes (cooked in the Instant Pot)
- finely chopped plain boiled chicken breast (also cooked in the Instant Pot)
- little bite-lettes of steamed broccoli
- roughly one speck of curry powder
To be honest with you, she was totally into this meal… until she was not. So as of lately, we’ve been adding a little dollop of mashed berries into the mix to keep her interested. And it is weird. But when it comes to strange combos of fruits and vegetables and proteins, the Queen gets what the Queen wants.
Okay, I am ready for you to wow me with your fancy recipes.
Or tell me that you’ve actually just eaten Chipotle for lunch every day this week.
Which is it? I like the real stuff – give it to me straight! What have YOU been eating this week?
Filed Under: What I Ate Wednesday
June 12, 2019
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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I delivered my son last week and I had gestational diabetes during that pregnancy. Now that I’m done my meals have been extremely carb heavy 😊 jimmy johns, qdoba, pasta etc. my mom has saved our lives by making us freezer meals that we have been living off of. Turns out between nursing a newborn and keeping our 2 year old busy there hasn’t been a whole lot of time for cooking! After a few days of treats, I am feeling more calibrated and have been eating vegetables again and am ready to find my balance. We are in a crazy season right now, so I am just leaning into it and doing the best I can!
Love it. Balance is a long game, I’m learning! 😉 Congratulations mama!
I actually made the Thai salad last weekend, it was so tasty. Not like anything
I’ve made before so our taste buds were delighted with the flavours.
Boom! So glad to hear that Richard!
I’m in that weird space at the moment where I’ve got a big recipe development project on *and* I’m trying to clear all of the cupboards, jars out of the fridge and the freezer as we’re moving next month. So, some days it is breaded fish from the freezer, chips and peas for dinner (last night!) and odd combos of pasta with stuff out of the fridge that also has to meet my project criteria!
Moving dinners are always extra special and… creative. 😉
I used to enjoy trying new recipes and making full and complex-ish meals for my family. But someone always complains. No meal makes everyone happy. It annoys me. Now I make a protein, serve it with a veggie and fruit and call it done. Maybe it’s a mid life crisis, maybe I’m becoming selfish, I don’t know, but I’m all done with the whining at dinner time, so I stopped putting in the effort.
I can support this!
Everything looks amazing! Definitely going to have to try these chocolate covered almonds, they look delicious! x
Shannon | https://shannonmichelle1.blogspot.com
They’re ridiculous. So addicting.
that looks very friendly on the stomach and friendly to the metabolism. With that said, I need to change my diet effective immediately because I’m going on a weight loss plan very soon. And this time around, going to strive to stay on track with eating right and drinking my apple cider vinegar with the mother water. 🙂
ACV – I just can’t do it. But you do you! 🙂
Trader Joe’s has a new drinking vinegar in fridge section (two flavors). It’s really good. I can’t handle the straight ACV shot but this stuff is craveable. I pour it in a champagne glass which makes it taste even better:)
Made the thai salad yesterday and it was the best!!! thanks for a great recipe!
Yay! love hearing that Suzy.
I actually did have Chipotle twice this week… life with a 2 year old and a 3 month old. But it’s wonderful Chipotle, so I’m definitely not complaining.
I just put in a request for that cook once, eat all week cookbook at my library though! Love the sound of that.
We eat a lot of Chipotle over here, too. How can you not when it’s so good and so convenient?
My current, extremely lazy dinner that I’ve been eating literally every night for the past three weeks is:
Quinoa
Steamed broccoli florets (the frozen kind where you can just throw the whole bag in the microwave)
A super generous pour of Trader Joe’s Green Goddess dressing (suuuuper generous, like at least half a cup)
A pretty good helping of Trader Joe’s yuzu hot sauce
One or two fried runny eggs
I think the hot sauce is what keeps my taste buds interested. It’s seriously zero effort to make and I get my protein and greens and feel pretty darn satisfied afterward.
You go. That is the kind of random and awesome food stuff that I love hearing about! 😛
I’ve been eating 2 POY recipes this week actually! I’ve been doing a little riff on the Greek yogurt curry chicken salad, but I subbed in pecans & grapes for the raisins & pistachios… & eliminated the curry powder. It’s so summery! Also for dinner, we’ve been eating the Summer Cobb Salad with spicy chicken & cilantro vinaigrette & it’s everything. THANK YOU for the cooking & eating joy you have brought to my life.
GOOD CHOICES! Just made that cilantro vinaigrette the other day too!
I had the Thai salad and it was THE BEST SALAD EVER!!!
Yes girl! I am biased but yes. 😉 Agree.
I need to try your Thai chicken bowl. That looks delicious. I am so into the buddha bowls And welcome any and all variations. My favorite meal this week… Barbecued salmon marinated in moy polloi (sp???) sweet chili sauce. My husband is the master. It was outstanding. To go with that, we had a quinoa and brown rice blend, Plus a melon salad that is supposed to be a salsa, but I make it in big chunks as a salad. Honeydew, cantaloupe, pomegranate arils, mint, lime juice and zest…annnd chopped serrano! Hot and sweet!
Breakfasts are pretty much the same every day. Chocolate protein shake with almond butter, almond milk, And a handful of frozen strawberries. Sometimes I throw in a splash of cacao nibs. I like a little crunch in my shake.
I like that you cook fresh for Solvi! Lucky little gal!
Your barbecued salmon sounds amaze.
I made your thai chicken salad last week and it was so good!
My breakfasts usually consist of a green smoothie and either a piece of toast or a couple of eggs. I try to bring leftovers for lunch, but today I didn’t have any and ended up at Jersey Mike’s – ugh I should have gone to chipotle! Tonight’s dinner will actually be your grilled summer detox salad. 🙂
Thai chicken salad is making the rounds! I love it. Jersey Mike’s – what is it? I’ve never been!
Jersey Mike’s is a sub place! To me, it’s kind of a cross between Jimmy John’s and Quiznos
I’m going to be blunt here. I enjoy many of your recipe posts, and have been a subscriber of your blog for several years. But reading an achingly self centered post about “What I Ate”, filled with affiliate links, has absolutely zero interest for me and I bet I’m not the only one. Please get back to posting quality recipes, not fluff like this.
Sorry it’s not a fit for ya! Millions of free recipes and blogs out there – feel free to find another one that you like better!
@jg- Why does it matter to you what someone chooses to post on their blog? Let people live the way they want, and if you’re not interested, then don’t read the blog. But posting an insulting and negative comment is just unnecessary. Keep those negative thoughts to yourself. Or better yet, find out what is causing them, and fix them.
I would say an ‘achingly self-centered’ person is one who thinks only of themselves and what they want. If you want to read only what interests you, then create your own blog. Lindsay is anything but self-centered. Her blog has brought enjoyment and comfort for hundreds of thousands of readers.
Not really sure why the insult is needed before departing, JG. Just a little jab for no reason? Weird. Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out.
I love these posts! Can’t see how they are in any way self-centered. Moreover, adding little Solvi’s eats for the day is just the cherry on top. You should consider keeping your bluntness to yourself. It came off as mean.
“Achingly self-centered” is a whole lot more than simply being blunt. It’s just plain mean, insulting, and condescending. You just HAD to leave that comment, really? I think that says a whole lot more about you than anyone else. Geez.
I couldn’t agree with you more, Lindsay, about the NuttZo butters. I discovered these a few months ago and my taste buds have thanked me ever since. I especially like the way it is pourable. It makes it easy to add to a breakfast bowl I have a few times a week.
OMG did you know that they sell giant bags of those dark chocolate sugar/salt almonds at Costco? Also, I love the new What Solvi Ate section of this post 🙂
Love these What I Ate Wednesday posts!
When I desperately look in the fridge for dinner ideas and see lots of leftovers that are still good, but don’t really go together, I break out one of those Seeds of Change microwaveable brown rice and quinoa packs (so good!) and grab an avocado. Those two items, plus random leftovers (and maybe salsa, hot sauce, etc) magically become an awesome dinner “bowl”, perfect for busy weeknights. : )
I love the What Solvi Ate section! Its so much fun watching a little one try new foods – mine is 18 months and its so great seeing her try new foods.
Me, too! It brings me back to when my now almost 16-year-old was a little guy. He has an awesome palate, mostly because I offered him everything and let him lead the way. Now he loves things I can’t stand and I’m stuck cooking them, lol. 🙂
I NEED that Thai chicken salad, love the addition of the mango!
We made some bulgogi meatballs from a meal box this week, and they were fantastic! Also started adding chia seeds to my water which has been interesting. They only thing I don’t like is when they get stuck in my teeth!
Love these WIAW. I have been trying my best to use up everything in my fridge because we are leaving for a long trip. So yesterday I made fritters with onion, cauliflower, purple cabbage sauteed and spiced with cumin, garam masala and salt and then mixed with almond flour, egg, and tapioca flour (to bind) – they were amazingly delicious with a dollop of sour cream on top. Also taking a page out of the POY playbook and putting a magic cilantro sauce on everything (mostly fried eggs and then adding some avocado on top).
Also lots and lots of fresh summer fruit (peaches!) and dark chocolate…
Lots of chicken salad with extra celery for volume 🤗 more summertime rose wine than I should probably admit, and for some reason I’m craving carbs like crazy, so lots of sweet potato chips have been happening this week!
Ooh, as a fellow OJ-lover, my NEW favorite juice is the tangerine juice from Trader Joe’s. It is tart-er than regular OJ and so refreshing! I often mix it with fizzy water but it’s also delightful on its own. Cheers!
Lindsay, pls pls share that cottage pie recipe with us. It looks soooooo delicious.
p.s. I love your including “what solvi ate”–
cute!
So my eating hasn’t been completely what I would say I’m proud of lately. It might be getting a teeny bit better. So yesterday I ate pretty good all day except for the McDonalds icecream cone because I needed a bathroom stop and didn’t want to go in without buying anything and I hadn’t had a cone for a year probably. But then after supper while sitting around the fire I had 3 smores and multiple fudge stripes. But today is a little better. I actually was hungry for each meal I ate and haven’t eaten any sugar except what was in the chocolate chips in POY cookie dough energy bites😍.
I love the realness in these posts.