MARCH 16, 2014
It has been one of those months. It’s all good, but sometimes my blog gets pushed to the side when work, life, and planning a bar mitzvah consumes my everyday. These past four weeks, dinners in our house have been anything but glamorous. Some simple roasted chicken, shredded and wrapped in tortillas, a pot of soup and a salad, or a grilled steak with some roasted butternut squash and a bit of kale. I have not been inspired nor motivated. In the past, my days allowed me to prep in the mornings. But with working so much more than I have in the past, I am out of the house from the time I drop the kids and not home until after I pick them up. I am exhausted by 4:30p.m. and the last thing I want to do is mince, chop, and dice.
Being this busy (a.k.a.”fragmented”) has forced me to purchase a slow cooker. I have not tried it yet, but I have been busy on the web searching for recipes. This coming week is going to be filled with experimentation. I have included a few in my weekly meal plan and if they get the thumbs up from my food critics, I will be sharing the good news (or bad) on my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. If you don’t already follow me, please do, I will be sharing it all there!
This weeks meals will be healthy, simple, and time efficient:
Sunday 3/16/14:
Lentil Burgers (gluten free + paleo)
original recipe found here
Arugula salad with hearts of palm
Monday 3/17/14:
Stuffed Cabbage
Chocolate Stout Cupcakes
Tuesday 3/18/14:
Turkey + Leek Patties
Israeli Salad
White Bean Dip (this is a fridge staple)
Wednesday 3/19/14:
Tomato Soup
Quinoa Cakes ( have omitted the cheese and instead added one more egg yolk)
Banana Muffins (converted to a GF recipe using Cup4Cup)
(I freeze the cooked muffins. The kids like them in their lunch box as a snack at “nutrition”. I also add bittersweet chocolate chunks to this recipe).
Thursday 3/20/14:
BBQ Pulled Chicken (Slow Cooker Recipe)
Sumi Slaw (recipe to follow)
Friday 3/21/14:
Korean Style Short Ribs (Slow Cooker Recipe)
Brown Rice
Roasted Broccoli
Note: I adapt alot of the recipes that I find on the web. I swap arrowroot for cornstarch, wheat free tamari for soy sauce, raw honey or maple syrup for sugar, and quinoa for bread crumbs. Although my 8 week Whole Life Challenge has ended, I am still practicing a paleo, dairy free, and unprocessed diet. When I do choose to make a grain for my family, I do not eat it.
Lentil Burgers
ingredients:
3 cups cooked lentils(I used French lentils)
4 large, organic eggs
1 onion, finely diced
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
3 tablespoons coconut oil
instructions:
• heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
• while skillet heats, add 2 cups of cooked lentils, eggs, and spices to a workbowl of a food processer fitted with a metal blade. pulse a few times until thick.
• pour into a bowl and add remaining cup of lentils, onion, and quinoa. mix to combine.
• heat coconut oil in the skillet. using a 1/4 cup ice cream scooper, scoop lentil mixture into the palm of your hand. form into a ball, flatten like you would a hamburger patty, and place in hot skillet. repeat, but don’t crowd the pan.
• turn the fire up just a bit and brown for about 4 minutes. flip and brown the other side. I like mine a bit on the crispy side, so I tend to cook a bit longer.
• transfer patties to a wire rack and cool slightly while you make a second batch.
• whatever you don’t eat can be flash frozen and saved for another meal.
yield: 12 4″ patties
*Generally, I make a double batch and flash freeze the rest for a quick snack on the go