It’s been a few weeks since I’ve shared food here on my blog. I won’t say that this the most exciting recent eats post that I’ve ever written (far from it) but it’s full of simple and easy meal ideas with lots of bowl combinations and entree salads. I’m typically not the biggest fan of dinner salads but they have been appealing these last few weeks as we’ve transitioned into hot and humid weather.
I hate to sound like a broken record but I am still searching for my cooking inspiration and motivation. I received a comment on an Instagram post last night saying, “Please don’t give up on your eats, recipes, and cooking! They inspire ME!”
This has been a weird space for me to be in because for so long cooking has been my creative outlet and one of my greatest forms of self-care. It makes me sad that I’ve felt so unmotivated and blasé about it for most of 2020. I am hoping that a trip to the farmers market this coming weekend, along with effort towards starting to plan a menu and do some meal prep helps.
All that said, here are the things that I have been “assembling” (<– wouldn’t really call it cooking!) and eating lately.
BREAKFAST
Let’s kick off this recent eats party with a waffle! This was Kodiak Cakes almond poppyseed mix topped with peanut butter and their Mountain Berry Super Fruits Syrup. This combination was crazy delicious and the Kodiak Cakes fruit syrup along with peanut butter made it taste like a PBJ.
Dave’s Killer Bread thin-sliced good seed with butter, cream cheese and cottage cheese scrambled eggs. Raspberries and apple slices on the side.
FAGE Total 5% with honey, bananas, Trader Joe’s mixed nut butter, Purely Elizabeth original granola, cherries, raspberries and dried cranberries.
LUNCH
This salad mix three days in a row. Mixed greens tossed in either balsamic or lemon juice with honey, olive oil and sea salt. Topped with chick peas, feta, pistachios, avocado, tomatoes, hearts of palm and a can of Blue Harbor tuna or salmon. I drizzled the canned fish with Tessamae’s poppyseed dressing.
Whole wheat pita with mayo, warm shredded chicken, a slice of cheese, avocado and tomatoes.
Another salad combo with mixed greens, shredded turkey, avocado, strawberries, blueberries, pistachios, dried cranberries, feta and Tessamae’s honey poppyseed dressing.
DINNER
Air fryer salmon seasoned with a Trader Joe’s lemon pepper grinder and Dizzy Pig Shakin’ the Tree and topped with a spinach and parmesan tzatziki sauce from ALDI. Roasted cauliflower and roasted potatoes on the side.
Rotisserie chicken, peas and parmesan couscous topped with hummus. This is one of my favorite easy and super fast dinners.
This dinner was quite the ensemble. I cubed some super firm tofu, seasoned it with Dizzy Pig Bombay Curry-ish rub and air fried it. I whipped up a batch of Mama Pea’s Mmm Sauce on the side. It’s a mix of chickpeas, nutritional yeast, cilantro and a few other things. I served the tofu over quinoa with the Mmm Sauce and some sautéed zucchini.
This is my spaghetti squash pizza casserole. I love this dinner and so does Finn! He ate three servings on the night that I cooked it…and I used spicy Italian sausage that was pretty hot. I left out the pepperoni this time because I didn’t have any and used fresh mozzarella on top. So good.
Steamed white rice with roasted cauliflower, roasted sweet potatoes, chicken sausage and tzatziki.
Leftover parmesan couscous with shredded rotisserie chicken, roasted Brussels sprouts, avocado and hummus.
Spring mix with carrots, toasted pecans, avocado, air fryer salmon and ranch dressing.
Spring mix with toasted pecans, hearts of palm, carrots, diced fresh mozzarella, carrots and roasted Meyer lemon marinated chicken breasts from Whole Foods. Topped off with creamy Italian dressing.
Last dinner salad! Spring mix with cubed mozzarella, pepitas, chopped mushrooms, carrots, avocado and Trader Joe’s gluten free chicken tenders. Finished with ranch.
ETC
Do yourself a favor and buy this ice cream from Ben & Jerry’s. And not that you need any extra reason to try this deliciousness but the stance that they’ve taken corporately with anti-racism is pretty amazing. FYI: this is available in a non-dairy version too! 🙂
And that’s all for today! As I make my way back into normal posting and do some planning for the summer, let me know if you have any blog post topic requests. I am happy to accommodate! 🙂
QUESTIONS
What have you been eating lately?
Do you like entree salads for dinner? If so, what are your favorite combos?
What summer produce or foods are you most excited about? I can’t wait to get my hands on some tomatoes and peaches!
Even if you don’t feel inspired, you look like you’re feeding yourself such balanced, nutritious meals, so I’d say that’s a major win! I always love the posts about what Finn is eating. Clothing favorites for both you and Finn would be interesting. A recipe post from your Dad would be fun too!
So, I consider myself an “assembler” as opposed to a cook and you gave me a ton of good ideas, so thank you! On the air fried tofu, did you press it first or will the air fryer dry it enough on its own? Looks so good!
I always press my tofu but I didn’t this time and it turned out just fine!
The food all looks good! After a year of struggling with a too-small air fryer, I got the Ninja foodi oven that you have. It just came back in stock. I feel like it has enough room to cook for the 4 of us.
My latest repeat lunch is a bowl with rice, roasted sweet potatoes, salad mix, whatever protein I have on hand, avocado and dressing. We’re having chicken enchiladas tonight.
Curious to know how long you air fry your salmon? Do you place it directly on the mesh-looking air fry piece in the Ninja Foodi Oven? I never know whether to place some tin foil or parchment paper underneath. I know you said you line the very bottom with foil for easy clean-up.
I’ve done it both ways on the mesh rack and on a baking sheet – and either work great! I typically set the temp to around 400 and it cooks super quickly depending on the thickness of the salmon. Usually in under 10 minutes.
I think assembling is cooking in 2020! To echo the other commenters, I always get great ideas from your posts. I love the foodi oven and just tried the gluten free tenders. So good!
I like your sauce ideas!
We have been doing homemade Mac and cheese and grilled/smoked stuff.
Have you ever checked out “Pinch of Yum”, she has lots of really good recipes!!
I would like to read:
your best athletic wear
Recipes from your dad
I am having a hard time recalling when I last followed a recipe to a T and I’m pretty sure it was pre-pandemic. I’m basically googling the ingredients I have, finding a recipe where I have the majority of what it calls for and improvising as I go. I’ve also had a tomato sandwich and side of strawberries for lunch 5x in the past week and summer produce is bringing me joy.
Please do not feel like you have to create new recipes or apologize in any way for this very real and RELATABLE post on recent eats. We feel you and this is still so helpful : )
Elaborate recipes require that extra trip to the store that still feels best to avoid right now. Side note, I doubt I would have discovered or tried this recipe if it weren’t for trying to come up with a dinner from what I had on hand. It was simple and really tasty!
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/broccoli-bolognese-with-orecchiette
As far as future topics — A grilled cheese tutorial or post from your dad would be fun : )
Tuesday is our CSA pickup day and we always have some sort of lettuce or salad green and lots of good veggies. My favorite is sautéed chicken with hot sauce on veggies: lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, banana peppers and ranch dressing for a buffalo chicken salad. We’ve also been getting lots of kale and beets so we’ve been roasting the beets and tossing those with kale, pepitas, goat cheese, strawberries and homemade apple cider vinaigrette. Love the theme of Tuesday salad days because it ensures we eat the fresh lettuce at its best and this has made meal planning super easy. Later on in the week, we’ve been sautéing whatever hearty greens we have and sprinkling with vinegar and serving with roasted potatoes and protein. I love your meal posts.
I feel the Corona-funk toooo!
But I found a new blog (halfbakedharvest) and her recipes are awesome!
Like this one… https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/souper-creamy-lemon-butter-cheesy-zucchini-orzo/ not something I’d usually make but it was so easy, comforting and delicious…
Also I have set the goal to actually cook (not assemble 😉 ) one meal per week. It can be something new or something I’ve made before. That takes out that nagging guilty feeling I used to have at every quick half-hearted meal… I know that at least once a week I’m going to make an effort 🙂
Sending some sunshine
Oh that orzo sounds right up my alley! Thank you for the blog suggestion. Definitely going to check it out!
Love your goal of cooking one recipe per week. I think that is so attainable and maybe a good first step for me in getting my groove back.
I LOVE your recent eats posts! They are fun to read and give great ideas. I am not typically creative, so my weekly eats are not exciting normally which has not changed much during this crazy time! Thanks again. I so enjoy reading your blog!
Thank you so much Laura! 🙂
Thanks for a great food ideas post! I also feel that my meals have been on repeat and less than inspiring. I am happy it’s grilling season again as even something simple tastes so much better grilled. I’m really interested in the air fryer and would love to see a post with just some simple items, like how long you cook fish, chicken, veggies etc. I find that appliance specific recipe books are fun for a while, but I usually just want to know the basics to build on from there. Maybe you could just share some of your basics for air fryer cooking and then how you build meals from there in a post?
I enjoy grilled foods but just cannot get into grilling myself! What kind of grill do you use?
Thanks for the air fryer post suggestion! It’s a good one.
I have a 4 burner gas grill. It’s a relatively cheap one as with our rainy months in Seattle they only last about 3-4 years before they rust out. Personally I think charcoal tastes better, but propane is way easier. We sit outside with our pup while the food is cooking. Unfortunately it hasn’t been warm enough to eat outside yet as the temps are dropping at night still, but hopefully soon! I find grilling to be more relaxing then standing over a stove or juggling multiple pans. And there’s way less dishes too!
Your food totally inspires me as well! Along with makes me sooo hungry! Haha thanks so much for sharing. Love your posts.
-Kate
https://daysofkate.com/
Thanks Kate!
That ice cream is delicious- I wasn’t so sure about the pretzel swirl, but I was impressed! Also, have been loving entree dinner salads this time of year as the weather heats up and all the produce just seems so bright + fresh. I got some peaches at Aldi this week and wasn’t expecting much since it’s so early in the season, but they were fabulous and so sweet! Been adding them + roasted sweet corn, cut off the cob, to spinach salads with cold leftover quinoa, grilled chicken, bell peppers, chopped dates, and pistachios or pecans. Feeling pretty excited about cherry season being upon us too 🙂
I’m a big fan of all things salty/sweet so I loved the pretzel swirl! I hope to get some peaches at the farmers market tomorrow. And had my first corn on the cob of the season last night! Ohhh and bought cherries for the first time this season last week. I think we have similar food tastes! 🙂
Your salads are so beautiful that I want to cry!
I love salad entrees. Any reason to have a big ol bowl of veggies. I just had a burger salad and it was delicious…greens, veggie burger, pickles, tomatoes, red onion, ketchup and mustard.
I cannot wait to get my hands on some fresh in season tomatoes!!!
Aw, thanks Jodie! I bought my first tomatoes of the season at the farmers market yesterday and had a tomato sandwich for lunch!!!
I LIVE for these posts! Even though you call them “assembled” meals, I find such inspiration in the combinations of food! I always think “oh that looks tasty…will have to try topping my ___ with___!”
Aw, thanks so much Amanda! I a glad that you enjoy them and find them useful/inspirational! 🙂
That is seriously the best ice cream I’ve had in a while!
What’s your go to for roasting veggies? Spices and oil in particular. Sweet potatoes I’m trying to get my family to love and so far no luck!
Isn’t it the most delicious!!! Yum!
Olive oil and sea salt are honestly my go-tos! I keep it really simple. Sometimes with roasted sweet potatoes I’ll do some warm spaces like a chili powder blend or some cinnamon!