#MealPlanningMonday # 2

It's that time again. Monday definitely crept up on me this week! Our weekend was pretty full. Friday night we ate leftovers from the week and went to see The Martian. I didn't love it. Saturday after Matthew worked for a few hours we headed to his college campus for alumni weekend. We caught the alumni hockey game and then went out with some of his college friends after. It was a late night for sure! Sunday we slept in a bit and then grabbed brunch before heading to visit yet another couple who he befriended during his time at school. We didn't get home until a bit later Sunday evening so after watching the season finale of Fear the Walking Dead, I was out.

All of the above means I got no grocery shopping done this weekend and no blog post for the awesome salmon. Maybe tonight? So what did we eat? How did I do? Umm not good. Like at all.

You'll notice a couple of carry overs from last week. 50% of those happened so I felt good about that. Otherwise it was basically a fail all the way around.

Monday I did make the Thai Peanut Pasta. It was SO GOOD. 

Tuesday was supposed to be pizza night but it turned into leftovers night. 

Wednesday brought us homemade pizza and it was amazing. No pictures as I just threw everything together but we used a whole wheat crust from Whole Foods and topped it with roasted garlic alfredo, mild Italian sausage, caramelized onions and 2 kinds of shredded cheese - gouda and a coffee infused Italian white cheese we picked up at our local Kroger. One of Matthew's friends dropped by just as I was finished it up and he declared it the best pizza he had ever eaten and said he would pay me to make him some more. I call that a win.

Thursday must not have been very exciting because I can't even remember what we ate. I'm 99% sure I grabbed Taco Bell (My guilty pleasure. I know it's terrible. Don't judge me!) and Matthew ate leftovers again. (Shame on me...)

Friday I had the opportunity to end on a high note but instead, I ate cereal and he ate ramen and we went to the movies.

So basically last week was less successful than the one before. This week I am out of town Thursday for training and Friday I am going to see my sister so goal is dinner 3 nights this week. Wish me luck y'all! 

Thai Peanut Pasta

Unfortunately this week I haven't had time to pull together the Brown Sugar Salmon pictures. I hope to get that up this weekend. Stay tuned!

This was going on in my kitchen on Monday though! =)

No fancy photography, just an iPhone pic but this pasta was SO GOOD and came together super fast. Everything in this picture is something I have on hand at all times. Most of the time I cook with fresh veggies but sometimes when I want to get dinner together super fast, I grab frozen instead. You could absolutely add meat to this (shrimp would be awesome!) but I wanted to keep it quick and cheap this time. We don't have any little ones at our house but since you can adjust the spice level and the sauce is a peanut butter base I'm sure this would be a hit with them as well!

Thai Peanut Pasta

• Long Pasta of your choice (I had fettuccine on hand)
• Bag of frozen stir fry veggies (You could also use the pre chopped fresh from the produce section or chop your own favorites. My bad had broccoli, carrots, onion, red pepper, water chestnuts and celery)
• Fresh ginger, 1 inch grated
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 T Rice Wine Vinegar 
• 1.5 T Soy Sauce (I use reduced sodium)
• Siracha to taste (I'm not big on super spicy so I use about a teaspoon)
• 1 T Honey
• 1/2 Cup Peanut Butter (Chunky or smooth doesn't matter but if you use a natural PB that is oilier, omit the EVOO)
• 1 T EVOO + more for sauteing
• Red Pepper Flakes to taste (Again with the spice, I use 1/2 teaspoon or so)

Bring a large covered, pot of water to a rolling boil. When boiling, add 2-3 T salt and a handfull of pasta. Cook to al dente. Drain pasta (but don't rinse!) and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. I let my pasta hang out in the strainer over the pot until I'm ready for it.

While the pasta is working, add your sauce ingredients plus about 1/3 of the fresh ginger and garlic to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. The PB will begin to melt pretty quickly and will make whisking your sauce to a smooth consistency very easy. You want the sauce to be smooth and pourable so add pasta water until you get the desired consistency. I usually use between 1/4-1/3 cup.

 

After the sauce comes together (this takes me about 3-4 minutes) add EVOO to your wok (you can also use a large saute pan) and saute your fresh ginger and garlic until fragrant (1-2 minutes). Toss in your veggies and cook until tender crisp. I typically test my carrots since they seem to take a bit longer and when they are easily pierced, I know they are ready.

The final step is throwing the pasta and sauce into your wok and tossing it all together. The warm sauce should coat the pasta and veggies well and if it seems too thick, add some of your reserved pasta water. You can't really mess this up. =) If I'm feeling fancy, I sometimes top my pasta with chopped peanuts and/or green onion. This particular night? I threw it on a plate and we both devoured it before I even snapped a picture of the final product. This is also great leftover. It reheats beautifully and (like most Thai food!) is great cold as well!

If you make this dish, let me know! See y'all soon!

#MealPlanningMonday # 1

Hey y'all!

It's here! #MealPlanningMonday! I had great plans last week. I had all 5 meals planned out and grocery shopped for and ready to go. Then? Life happened. I still feel pretty good about how we did and I carried over 2 meals from last week to this week. For my first week back in the kitchen, I will still call it a win. So what was the plan?

Monday was great! I came home, made dinner, took awesome photos with the big girl camera, it was yummy and all was well. I even made some garlic cheese biscuits and chocolate chip cookies from scratch a box.

Tuesday was good too. Veal Boursin is one of Matthew's specialties so I left this one up to him and I just got to sit back and enjoy.

Wednesday I threw the pork in the slow cooker and went about my work day. I came home, opened the lid and everything looked perfect. I shredded the pork up and it didn't taste a bit like lime. Not even a hint. So I called an audible and stuffed it into the tortillas with shredded cheddar and bbq sauce and we had pulled pork quesadillas. Not bad.

Thursday the stomach bug hit and I stayed home on the couch all. day. long. No cooking took place.

Friday rolled around and instead of carrying over Thursdays menu or making the chicken teriyaki, I voted for Outback. Much less cleanup involved for sure...

All in all, I call it a win and this week, I hope to hit at least 4 of my 5 planned meals. See y'all tomorrow for my super simply but delicious Brown Sugar Crusted Salmon and THE VERY BEST roasted potatoes ever.

I did it.

I moved across the country. I left my family and all of my friends. I left my business and all of my social ties. I packed it all into a truck, and here I am.

I just finished up my third week of my new job. It's been a process but I am slowly getting the hang of things. I had a few break through moments last week that were the push I think I needed. Hopefully the appointments I set last week will pay off this week and I can keep that momentum going.

I have almost all of the important things unpacked. There isn't enough room in the kitchen for both of our stuff so I need to consolidate and put some things in storage. I'm also still working out where I'm going to keep all of my/our clothes. 1 of our upstairs bedrooms doesn't have a closet so I currently have all of my clothes in the large walk in closet in the basement. I don't think that is going to work long term so I'm hoping to figure out a solution for that in the coming weeks.

I started decorating the house. The bachelor pad look has to go. I replaced the drapes and throw pillows in the living room. I also decorated the built in (partially) for fall. I'm not in love with it so it will likely change. My next big purchase is a dining room table. I'm in LOVE with The Benchwright Extending Dining Table from Pottery Barn. Unfortunately, my bank account doesn't love it as much as I do. Just the table is $1699. Plus chairs. Now, I know it's solid wood and I would be able to pass this thing down to my grandchildrens children but currently, it's too much to swallow.

Don't you love it though? Rustic. Modern. Extending. Perfection. I have a small space to work with so I need an extending table so I can extend it for family holidays. I need really want it. So I started googling. And I found this. The Tahoe by Liberty Furniture. Wood veneer instead of solid wood but less than 1/3 of the price. Similar size. Similar style. I think it will be a fine knockoff. I'm hoping to get it ordered this week! 

When the table arrives, I'll have to have the electrician out to install the light fixture. There is currently no lighting above where I want the table. I'm thinking something with Edison style light bulbs? I can't wait to share the before/after!

I'm finally getting back into the swing of cooking and meal planning. I'm cooking and photographing up a storm this week and next week, I'll bring you my first installment of Meal Planning Monday. I'm hoping that blogging what we eat will keep me out of the rut of making the same things over and over.

I think that about wraps it up y'all! Have a good week and Happy Monday! ;)

:Mic Check:

Well. It's been a while is a bit of an understatement. In the last year, my life has taken some drastic changes and it is about to take a few more.

That little picture? Just a cross country move from North Alabam to Southeast Michiagn. No big deal. New job. New CLIMATE. I mean, it shows there. A lot. In Alabama, when we get snow the town shuts down and we have a wine snow party. In Michigan, you get up and drive to work. In the snow. Hold me.

I will be beginning a new adventure as a Team Leader for a Keller Williams office. Actually, I'm off to Austin, Texas on Sunday for my very first KW training and I am SO excited! My official start date is September 1 but in the meantime I have been reading EVERYTHING I can get my hands on. Namely, The Millionaire Real Estate Agent and The One Thing. Both are by Gary Keller and both are great reads!

I'm also tasked with making all new friends, finding a new gym and redecorating the bachelor pad house. I have this idea that is 100% Pottery Barn inspired in my head and I can't wait to see it all come together!

So stick around. I plan to document my move. New job. House projects. Cooking. And whatever else comes my way... See y'all soon!