salad days

by

Grocery Report and Dinners This Week

Something happened today that has never happened before: Carla got a ride home from school with a neighbor. 

(I will pause here to note that I have extreme anxiety about my child traveling in cars with anyone besides a few specific people. Outside of school bus drivers – shudder [and now I feel like I need an aside inside my aside to clarify that I think school bus drivers are saints, and my shudder is not toward them but towards the idea of complete strangers driving a seatbelt-free vehicle full of children on a freeway] – and the occasional hotel shuttle driver, Carla has ridden with a literal handful of drivers. So this was A Big Deal in many ways.) 

I took this glorious opportunity to avoid the school pickup drive and… went to the grocery store. I do know how to live it up, don’t I? It was one of those times when I just needed Two Things For Tonight’s Dinner. I wanted to use up the leftover goat cheese from yesterday’s frittata (which was easy and delicious; the only thing I might change going forward is either choosing a more flavorful sausage or omitting the sausage entirely, because it was undetectable) and the only thing I could think of was a salad. But I wanted blueberries for the salad and also we had no lettuce. So! I figured I could breeze in and get those two things and then breeze out. 

It never works out that way, does it? Have you ever gone into the grocery store, intending to buy only X items, and left with only X items? If so, HOW????? Once I was inside the grocery store, I decided this was IT. I was not going to go to the store again. I went twice last week, plus I went to Costco, and that was too much. So I figured I better on-the-fly come up with a meal plan for the week. 

Let’s see. We have all the ingredients for the meal I planned to make for Mother’s Day dinner, and then decided against in favor of takeout Mexican food. My husband recently expressed a desire for Southwest Salad, and I’m plenty happy doing two salads in a week. I could go for a stir fry. And… something else vegetable-y. 

Here’s what I ended up with.

Dinners for the Week of May 12-18

  • Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Ragu: All the ingredients are in my fridge right now (Well. The pappardelle is in the cupboard. You know what I mean.) because I was hung ho about making this for Mother’s Day and then when it came time to make it… I did not want to cook dinner.
  • Southwest Salad: I make this with chicken for my husband, salmon for myself.
  • Sheet Pan Veggie Shawarma: I have some cilantro from something last week just languishing in the fridge. Hopefully it will survive long enough for me to make it into this sauce.
  • Szechuan Stir Fry: I got zucchini and bell peppers for this stir fry, and I have some broccoli in the fridge I can throw in as well.

Wow. All of my meals start with S this week. That’s fun. (Is it?)

Okay, back to my riveting grocery store experience.

I was really fortunate in that a) I had a lot of the non-perishable ingredients for these meals already and b) I didn’t need a ton in the way of “staples.” But I still bought two bags worth of groceries, for a total of $85.60. That’s probably about half of what I typically spend – maybe even less than half – but it feels like an impossibly small haul of food for that amount, doesn’t it???

The single most expensive item in my cart today was a bag of frozen Italian meatballs for $9.49. This is one of the items of questionable nutrition my child will eat, and we were out. Chicken was next most expensive at $8.09 for three boneless skinless breasts, approximately 1/3 of a pound each. 

The third most expensive item, at $7.99, was the pint of blueberries I bought. I cannot help it; I am addicted to these blueberries. They are enormous and so sweet. I just cannot get enough of them. Of course, they last about five minutes in my home. But it is WORTH IT. 

The dairy stuff we get is super expensive, and we go through it so fast. We drink Fairlife milk ($5.49 for 52 oz) because it supposedly is kinder on some people’s digestive systems, and some of those people live in my house. We eat Fage yogurt ($6.99 for 32 oz) like it’s the fountain of youth because it is so versatile and so high in protein. 

I also got three individual Siggi’s yogurts ($1.00 apiece, on sale) and a package of honey roasted pecans for tonight’s salad ($3.99, yeesh), but the entire rest of my shopping cart was produce. I feel pretty good about that. Which is not to say that I feel BAD when my cart is full of canned beans and pasta and cereal and other packaged food. I just felt like I really overshot my “Two Things” plan, and at least I impulse bought a bunch of veggies, right???

Of course, there was no corn on the cob for the Southwest Salad, and who knows if the two heads of lettuce I got for tonight’s salad will leave enough lettuce for the second salad. So clearly I need to return to the grocery store despite my promises to myself. 

How much do you want to bet I leave with just the corn and the lettuce????

by

Rhythms and Routines, or Lack Thereof; Summer Shakeup; Dinners This Week

It’s the first week of July, Internet! I refuse to think of how quickly the summer is flying by. We do have ALL of July and part of August to bask in summerness, which I plan to embrace wholeheartedly.

My original plan for summer was Reduce the Activities, which would, in turn, Reduce the Driving. Since I was in the car a minimum of two hours a day during the school year – sometimes three – I think you understand why I was interested in Reducing. So far, I have achieved decent success. Carla has daily summer camp, one activity that takes place directly after camp in the exact same camp location, and one activity that takes place on the weekends at a location ten minutes from our house. PERFECT. I am in the car for 45 minutes a day at most and I LOVE IT. 

We have also been soaking up time by the pool as often as possible. This has looked like two or three days a week, which isn’t ENOUGH, but it’s something. Room to improve. 

A friend (whose kid is in camp with Carla) and I were complaining to each other about how frazzled we both feel this summer. I cannot keep the camp schedule straight, for one thing, and she is having similar trouble. We’ve already had FIVE WEEKS of summer, and I’ve been working really hard to be as slothful and pool-centered as possible, but we haven’t really settled into a rhythm yet. I think that’s partly because the five weeks have all been different; there’s no routine. Sure, camp is in its third week, but I think three weeks isn’t enough to develop a structure. Especially when those three weeks include three days off for holidays. 

Lest I lean too heavily on July for developing a routine, whatever semblance of a rhythm we’ve managed to cobble together will be undergoing a shake-up this month. Not an UNPLEASANT shake-up, you understand, but a shake-up nonetheless. Should shakeup be one word? Yes, I think I prefer that. 

One of my out-of-town friends has a summer home here and arrives this week to stay until Septemberish. Also, my in-laws will be here for at least July, and are leaving and then returning at some point later in the summer; I’m unclear on the details. I am pretty sure they are staying with us this week… but, again, unclear on the details. 

So I think my Reduced Driving and Afternoons by the Pool plans will undergo a shift as I add friends and family to the day-to-day. Obviously, I will try to encourage friends and family to JOIN ME by the pool as often as possible. 

I do hope that this week isn’t a harbinger of July’s rhythm. This week is WACKADOO, let me tell you. Meetings and events and parties and get-togethers out the wazoo. Plus, houseguests. Plus, it’s the Fourth of July holiday here in the US, so we have a long weekend of parades and barbecues ahead of us. None of this is bad, in any way. Just busy. (And believe me, I know it’s not as busy as SOME PEOPLE’S schedules, cough cough Sarah; I am in utter awe of your ability to juggle all the things.)  

Dinners may be a little haphazard this week, is what I’m saying. I’ve got a plan, just in case, but I think we’ll need to be flexible. 

Dinners for the Week of July 1-7

  • Panang Curry: My husband thinks his parents would like this. The last time I made it on the stove, rather than in the Instant Pot like the recipe calls for… Hmmm… maybe my oven/stove ban will be the thing that spurs me to use the Instant Pot again. We’ll see. 
  • Hamburgers and Hot Dogs: This is our classic Fourth of July meal. Not sure what I’ll make alongside it. Maybe a couscous and grilled veggie salad? Cucumber and quinoa salad? Maybe I will just buy some pre-made potato salad and call it good? Probably I should come up with something for dessert, too. Maybe leftover birthday cake?
  • Caprese Salad with Balsamic Chicken and Balsamic Dressing: Why yes we DID have this just last week but it was SO GOOD I want it again. Plus, it’s really easy. Diane suggested I add some corn kernels to the salad and I did and it was such an excellent addition, I plan to make it a regular feature of this salad.

That seems like enough plans for now. We can always add tacos or takeout to the list, depending on moods. 

by

Cherries, Spectacular Summer Salad, Dinners This Week

First things first: I use frozen cherries in my cherry smoothies. Listen, I love fresh cherries as much as the next gal, but no way am I pitting cherries every morning to feed my raging smoothie habit. Also, have y’all seen how expensive cherries are?! Right now, they are $8.59 a pound at my local grocery store. Frozen, already-pitted cherries, however, are $7.99 for two pounds. I usually turn to Costco for my cherry needs, though, because you can get a five-pound bag for under $15. 

Am I enjoying a luscious cherry smoothie as I write this? Yes, indeed I am. 

Okay! It is Monday and we are already speaking of food, so I will go ahead and ask that you please do me a favor and make my favorite honey chipotle summer salad this week. It is my favorite salad of all time. At least, my favorite SUMMER salad of all time (wouldn’t want to make my favorite fall salad jealous). When I make it for myself and my husband, I make a double portion so I can feast on leftovers for lunch all week.

So many veggies!!!!

And vegetarians! Please do not look away just because this recipe includes chicken! The chicken is incidental to the spectacularity of the salad. What you need is anything that can be marinated and cooked, so that you can bask in the spicy sweet richness of the sauce, which I use as a second dressing.  

This salad is an amalgam of things, so please bear with me. First, I marinate my chicken (or WHATEVER) in the marinade from this recipe. Then I throw it in the oven at 450 until the chicken is cooked and/or the sauce is bubbly and caramelized. 

At some point in the preparation process, I make crispy quinoa, black beans, and a dressing. Sometimes I make the chili lime dressing from this recipe, which is simple and slightly sweet. More recently, I am enamored of this cilantro vinaigrette, which is such a fabulous creamy contrast to the chipotle sauce. I also wash copious amounts of lettuce (I store it in my salad spinner in the fridge with a paper towel on top; it keeps for a few days) and prepare other veggies (usually bell peppers, red onion, avocado, corn, and tomatoes for people who like that kind of thing). (I wrap shucked, washed ears of corn in damp towels and microwave them for three minutes. Then I scrape off the kernels into a bowl and put them in the fridge so they cool off before I put them on the salad.) Then I throw everything together and drizzle with some of the caramelized chipotle sauce. It is a rich, garlicky, spicy-sweet addition that I imagine is similar in some ways to chili crisp (which I have never tried), and it takes the salad to a whole other level.

Well, it doesn’t look like much. But it is SPECTACULAR.

Now that I have fully salad badgered you, let us turn to dinners. 

Hmm. I need some simple and flexible things for this week’s meal plan because it is a call week. 

Dinners for the Week of June 10-June 17

  • Some Sort of Chicken and Asparagus: Depending on the weather, we could grill this or roast it in the oven.
  • Ground Beef Tacos: Easy, plus I have been making the taco meat in the crockpot lately, so it’s very hands-off and can be prepped in advance.
  • Oven Baked Pork Chops with Broccoli: I can prep everything ahead of time and throw the pork chops in the oven when my husband leaves the hospital.
  • Panang Curry: My husband LOVED this the last time I made it, so maybe I will make it for him on Sunday? (It was highly successful on the stovetop, by the way. I used an entire tin of curry paste and added in about two cups of chicken stock, which wasn’t part of the original recipe.)
  • Chickpea Bowls: It’s been awhile since this has been on the docket, and it’s always a good option. As usual, I will probably make a chicken breast for my husband to slice into his bowl, and I will add tons of sliced bell peppers to the sauce to amp up the veggie factor.

That seems like enough options to keep me busy! What are you planning to eat this week? (Please say honey chipotle summer salad.)