We are the typical American family when it comes to food habits. In that, we eat a rotation of approximately the same 5 meals:
- Chicken Tacos
- BBQ Chicken
- Sauteed Salmon
- Spaghetti
- "Meatloaf" Pies
Every once in a blue moon, I'll add something "fun" to the mix:
- Stir Fry
- Pretzel Chicken
- More different fish
- Roast Chicken
Fun meals ceased to exist once baby boy showed up, but now that he's able to sit in a high chair AND has a bit of a schedule during the day, cooking is incrementally becoming an easier task. Last night I found a slow cooker magazine (yay Better Homes and Gardens!) and realized that I'm bored with the same 5-6 meals. Trying to find new permutations of said meals is also a task I don't completely enjoy. Only Tuesdays should signal a specific food (e.g. Taco Tuesdays). So here goes a novel experiment - I'm going to try and cook something "new" once a week.
Full disclosure - I'm a big fan of meal boxes because they force me to cook something different. In fact, some of the recipes I use for "fun" are those that we discovered using Hello Fresh (our favorite). We're getting a box this week, so be prepared for a deluge of posts on the success/failure of the recipes.
But why blog about it Claire? Three reasons:
- Chicken Tacos
- BBQ Chicken
- Sauteed Salmon
- Spaghetti
- "Meatloaf" Pies
Every once in a blue moon, I'll add something "fun" to the mix:
- Stir Fry
- Pretzel Chicken
- More different fish
- Roast Chicken
Fun meals ceased to exist once baby boy showed up, but now that he's able to sit in a high chair AND has a bit of a schedule during the day, cooking is incrementally becoming an easier task. Last night I found a slow cooker magazine (yay Better Homes and Gardens!) and realized that I'm bored with the same 5-6 meals. Trying to find new permutations of said meals is also a task I don't completely enjoy. Only Tuesdays should signal a specific food (e.g. Taco Tuesdays). So here goes a novel experiment - I'm going to try and cook something "new" once a week.
Full disclosure - I'm a big fan of meal boxes because they force me to cook something different. In fact, some of the recipes I use for "fun" are those that we discovered using Hello Fresh (our favorite). We're getting a box this week, so be prepared for a deluge of posts on the success/failure of the recipes.
But why blog about it Claire? Three reasons:
- This is a good way to digitally record things so if I manage to lose the recipe cards, I can search this blog. At some point I thought I had misplaced a stir fry sauce recipe and my vague memory of what was in it proved that I still need recipe cards for somethings...
- This blog is sadly underutilized and perhaps, through more regular blogging on this food subject, I'll blog more frequently - if for no other reason than it's probably good to get me to write something each day, even if it isn't PhD related, because my mind is melting a bit only talking to a small baby.
- The rare chance that I'll become blogger famous and someone will make a movie of my life, aka Julie and Julia. This will likely NOT happen, but a girl can hope.
So Saturday I tried two Hello Fresh recipes - Pineapple Chicken Quesadillas and Figgy Balsamic Pork
1. Wash/dry all produce. Halve/peel/slice the onion. Core/seed/and slice the bell pepper. Drain the pineapple. Cut the chicken in 1/2-inch cubes).
2. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add bell pepper and onion and cook, tossing, until soft (4-5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Add pineapple and cook, tossing, until lightly browned (2-3 minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. In the same pan, add another drizzle of olive oil, chicken, and southwest seasoning and cook on medium-high until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle (3-4 minutes, tossing). Add veggies back into pan and squeeze lime juice. Add cilantro at this point if desired.
4. In another pan, place one flour tortilla. Add 1/2 of the cheese. Spoon 1/2 of the chicken and veggie mixture to the tortilla (works best if you put the mixture on one side of the tortilla. Once the cheese has slightly melted, carefully fold it in half. Flip tortilla over to brown both sides.
5. The quesadilla is finished when the cheese is fully melted and tortilla is golden brown (about 1-2 minutes per side). Repeat with the second tortillas and remaining cheese and chicken veggie mixture.
6. Cut into triangles and serve with sour cream and salsa and guacamole.
I'm conflicted because this was more effort than I would normally put into making a quesadilla, but it was quite tasty. The green pepper was rotting, so I didn't use it, but the onion and pineapple compliment each other. Jack (who hates onions) only removed half from his quesadillas. There were several things I would substitute to make the dish healthier, however. In place of the fruit cup pineapple, use fresh pineapple. The mozzarella cheese could be substituted with a low-fast Mexican blend if you wanted something different, and I'm a big fan of the Mission Brand Low Carb tortillas.
Calories: 620
Steps
1. Was and dry all produce. Preheat over to 450 degrees. Halve, peel, and finely chop shallot. Strip rosemary leaves from stems and discard stems. Finely chop leaves until you have 2 tsp. Cut potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes.
2. Toss potatoes on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, 1 tsp rosemary, and salt/pepper. Roast in over 20-25 minutes, tossing half-way through, until browned.
3. Drizzle olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Season pork with salt/pepper. Add to pan and sear, turning occasionally, until browned all over (4-8 minutes).
4. Transfer browned tenderloins to another baking sheet. Toss green beans in a drizzle of olive oil and salt/pepper. Add green beans to baking sheet with tenderloins and roast until the pork reaches desired doneness and green beans are tender (10-12 minutes).
5. While pork and vegetables are cooking, heat a drizzle of olive oil in the pan used to cook the pork over medium heat. Add shallot and remaining rosemary and cooke, tossing, until the shallot is soft. Add fig jam, stock concentrate, balsamic vinegar, and 1/4 c. water to pan. Stir and simmer until thickened (2-3 minutes).
6. Let pork rest for a few minutes once done, plate and serve with sauce either over pork or on the side.
Verdict
This was SO good and took about the time it said it should (30 min). My friend Sarah shared the meal with me and she gave it 5 stars and 4 thumbs up. She also said I should add this to our rotation. Full disclosure- the recipe for the sauce involved the water AND 1 tbsp of butter and I forgot to add both. I also put in more fig jam than required, but it still came out beautifully. So if you are calorie conscious, leave out the butter. Since Jack doesn't like pork, I think I'm going to try this on chicken next.
Calories: 580
Lunch! Pineapple Chicken Quesadilla
I don't know that I'd call this much of a recipe (throwing side eye at Hello Fresh) since I already know what a quesadilla is and how to make it...
Ingredients
Red Onion (1)
Green Bell Pepper (1)
Pineapple (4 oz)Chicken Breast (6 oz)
Lime (1)
Southwest Spice Blend (1 tbsp)
Flour Tortillas (2)
Mozzarella Cheese (1 cup)
Cilantro (1/4 oz)
Olive Oil
Large Pan
Griddle Pan or second Large Pan
Steps
1. Wash/dry all produce. Halve/peel/slice the onion. Core/seed/and slice the bell pepper. Drain the pineapple. Cut the chicken in 1/2-inch cubes).
2. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add bell pepper and onion and cook, tossing, until soft (4-5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Add pineapple and cook, tossing, until lightly browned (2-3 minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. In the same pan, add another drizzle of olive oil, chicken, and southwest seasoning and cook on medium-high until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle (3-4 minutes, tossing). Add veggies back into pan and squeeze lime juice. Add cilantro at this point if desired.4. In another pan, place one flour tortilla. Add 1/2 of the cheese. Spoon 1/2 of the chicken and veggie mixture to the tortilla (works best if you put the mixture on one side of the tortilla. Once the cheese has slightly melted, carefully fold it in half. Flip tortilla over to brown both sides.
5. The quesadilla is finished when the cheese is fully melted and tortilla is golden brown (about 1-2 minutes per side). Repeat with the second tortillas and remaining cheese and chicken veggie mixture.
6. Cut into triangles and serve with sour cream and salsa and guacamole.
Verdict
I'm conflicted because this was more effort than I would normally put into making a quesadilla, but it was quite tasty. The green pepper was rotting, so I didn't use it, but the onion and pineapple compliment each other. Jack (who hates onions) only removed half from his quesadillas. There were several things I would substitute to make the dish healthier, however. In place of the fruit cup pineapple, use fresh pineapple. The mozzarella cheese could be substituted with a low-fast Mexican blend if you wanted something different, and I'm a big fan of the Mission Brand Low Carb tortillas.Calories: 620
Dinner! Figgy Balsamic Pork
Ingredients
Shallot (1)
Rosemary (1/4 oz)
Yukon Gold Potatoes (12 oz)
Pork Tenderloin (12 oz)
Green Beans (6 oz)
Chicken Stock Concentrate (1 tbsp)
Balsamic Vinegar (2 tbsp)
Olive Oil
Butter (1 tbsp)
Water (1/4 c)
Large pan
2 Baking sheets
Steps
1. Was and dry all produce. Preheat over to 450 degrees. Halve, peel, and finely chop shallot. Strip rosemary leaves from stems and discard stems. Finely chop leaves until you have 2 tsp. Cut potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes.
2. Toss potatoes on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, 1 tsp rosemary, and salt/pepper. Roast in over 20-25 minutes, tossing half-way through, until browned.
3. Drizzle olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Season pork with salt/pepper. Add to pan and sear, turning occasionally, until browned all over (4-8 minutes).
4. Transfer browned tenderloins to another baking sheet. Toss green beans in a drizzle of olive oil and salt/pepper. Add green beans to baking sheet with tenderloins and roast until the pork reaches desired doneness and green beans are tender (10-12 minutes).
5. While pork and vegetables are cooking, heat a drizzle of olive oil in the pan used to cook the pork over medium heat. Add shallot and remaining rosemary and cooke, tossing, until the shallot is soft. Add fig jam, stock concentrate, balsamic vinegar, and 1/4 c. water to pan. Stir and simmer until thickened (2-3 minutes).
6. Let pork rest for a few minutes once done, plate and serve with sauce either over pork or on the side.
Verdict
This was SO good and took about the time it said it should (30 min). My friend Sarah shared the meal with me and she gave it 5 stars and 4 thumbs up. She also said I should add this to our rotation. Full disclosure- the recipe for the sauce involved the water AND 1 tbsp of butter and I forgot to add both. I also put in more fig jam than required, but it still came out beautifully. So if you are calorie conscious, leave out the butter. Since Jack doesn't like pork, I think I'm going to try this on chicken next.
Calories: 580
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