#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!