It’s The Holiday Hustle
For a week that felt busier (and longer) than the busiest busy, we still managed to have three excellent dinners. This just goes to show that even if your days are hectic, and time is limited, you still have time for a great meal. They don’t need to be complicated! Just delicious.
And at the end of the week, when the dust has settled, and you still have so much to do, I hope you can find solace knowing you (at least) ate really well. 😉
Let’s get to the food! I’m busy!
Asian Szechuan Beef Lettuce Wraps
Recipe available from The Lemon Bowl, right here.
In addition to my meatball mania, I’m also a fan of lettuce wraps filled with spicy beef/chicken/protein. They’re easy to make, majorly flavorful, and a terrific (quick) weeknight meal. The recipe for these lettuce wraps in particular couldn’t be simpler and before I knew it we were sitting down to eat.
Oh my goodness! This dinner was divine. It wasn’t elaborate or fancy or complicated, but I think that’s what made it so amazing. Ridiculously flavorful and a smidge of spice, the Szechuan beef was so good I could barely save enough for my lunch the next day. Next time, we are without a doubt doubling the recipe.
Not in the mood for beef? Swap it for ground chicken or pork, or make it meatless with tofu or mushrooms. The flavors added are bold so I think changing up the protein would still result in a really yummy dinner. And remember: make double! ;)
Roasted Cauliflower Spinach Salad with Panko-breaded Chicken
Original Recipe Creation. We used a Creamy Peanut Dressing for the salad which came from The Lemon Bowl.
Ramp up the boring “chicken and vegetable” option with this dynamic duo! Lots of flavors, textures, and a surprise dressing really took this could-be-boring dinner into the new tier of “my favorite meals.” And it all starts with salad. Surprise!
We decided to combine my love for roasted cauliflower and peanut dressing by creating a salad that made it all happen. Plenty of cauliflower was roasted with salt and pepper, then, once cooled slightly, was tossed with fresh spinach and sliced cucumber (you don’t need many ingredients to make a great bowl of greens). Already, it had great flavor. But! We amped it up and made it shine with spicy peanut dressing which is one of my all-time favorites. Seriously, drizzle this dressing on anything healthy and I’ll gobble it up. I know you will, too.
Our original plan for the chicken was to grill or bake it, but after a long day and hard workout I honestly just needed it to be crispy and crunchy. 😋 Thank goodness for gluten free panko which makes all of the crispy chicken dreams come true. Our standby option for making chicken easily and quite quick, panko-breading makes it stellar every time.
So next time you think of a ho-hum chicken and vegetable dinner duo as too boring for your Tuesday, think again. Make it marvelous instead! Don’t forget: creamy peanut dressing for the win. ;)
Elbow Pasta with Turkey Meat Sauce
Original Recipe Creation.
Forgive my honesty, but we are keeping pasta nights very infrequent these days. It’s true! For our health and wellbeing, it’s just easier to keep the pasta nights to a minimum. This is not to say we don’t adore a bowl, but portion control is difficult. There. I said it.
So while I continue to work on that portion element of life, pasta won’t be weekly. Until this week. When we made it. And omg it was amazing. 😮 Gluten free elbow pasta with the most winter-like, but fairly healthy turkey bolognese was scrumptious and even we now realize no one can keep the pasta carbs away forever.
Seth invented this dinner on the fly and decided to change up the basic meat sauce plan by adding red wine, fresh rosemary, anchovies, and a Parmesan rind to the pan while it cooked. Man, did that smell good! I can’t believe I came home slightly tentative about our meal (am I nuts?) because the final dish was phenomenal.
And while this pasta night won’t be a frequent flier, I must admit it was pure joy to tuck into this hearty bowl. I’m confident it will be back… possibly sooner than planned.
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As always, please leave a comment or send us a note with any questions about our meals.
Enjoy, and happy holidays!
