Hi everyone. It’s hard to know where to begin as things are changing hourly. I have had a hard time focusing these past few days and have spent way too much time reading news and social media.
Here in Charlotte, many businesses are choosing to close, and our governor just announced that restaurants can only do takeout or delivery. Most gyms and fitness studios have closed in the last couple of days. I don’t predict I’ll be teaching any in-person classes in the foreseeable future. I am grateful for my online business and will tell you again that I plan to continue to create content for you during these uncertain times. Many of the brands that I’m partnering with on upcoming projects are choosing to postpone campaigns, which is completely understandable.
Please know that my eyes are wide open to how many people in my community, across the nation and around the world are facing lost or reduced wages and jobs. It’s all so overwhelming and it’s especially hard when there’s no firm timeline for when things will start to trend back in a more positive direction.
My prayers are with the world right now and I am committed to doing my part to serve others as best I can.
MAKE AT HOME MEAL INSPIRATION
One thing that we all have to do during this health crisis is eat. Since most of us are homebound for a while, it’s a great time for a recent eats post. I enjoying cooking and eating at home even when I’m not attempting to socially distance and minimize contact with the outside world. I hope that this post provides you guys with some ideas and inspiration that you can take into your own kitchen. Lots of comforting things to be found below.
BREAKFAST
Pancakes made from Kodiak Cakes pancake and waffle mix (made with milk and an egg instead of just water) and topped with peanut butter, maple syrup and bananas. Orange slices on the side.
Plain Siggi’s 4% yogurt with honey, bananas, Purely Elizabeth original granola, strawberries, peanut butter and dried cranberries.
Half of a Dave’s Killer plain awesome bagel toasted with butter and cream cheese, cottage cheese scrambled eggs and grapes.
Smoothie with frozen bananas, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, cauliflower rice and spinach. Also in the blender was plain yogurt, almond milk, peanut butter and a medjool date.
Sourdough toast with peanut butter, honey, banana, hemp hearts and chia seeds.
Half of a cinnamon raisin bagel with butter and cream cheese, cottage cheese scrambled eggs, berries.
LUNCH
Organic Asian chopped salad kit with shredded rotisserie chicken and avocado.
LOVING this lunch of avocado toast on sourdough with fruit and hardboiled eggs.
Baby spinach, deli turkey, avocado, carrots, cashews, apple slices, dried cranberries, feta, hemp hearts and Trader Joe’s almond butter turmeric dressing. My first Topo-Chico to drink. I had been seeing it so much on Instagram that I finally had to give it a try. It is super bubbly!
Cottage cheese with avocado, hard boiled eggs, grapes and Wheat Thins. I dipped the wheat things into the cottage cheese/avocado mix.
Smoothie bowl with frozen banana, raspberries, strawberries and cauliflower rice. Also in the blender was plain yogurt, peanut butter, almond milk and a date. Purely Elizabeth original granola on top. I get asked a lot if you can taste cauliflower rice in smoothies. I cannot, and I wouldn’t lie to you.
This was a Trader Joe’s frozen multigrain + veggies thing that I quickly sautéed in a skillet with some olive oil. I topped it with avocado, feta and hummus.
DINNER
Spiced chicken thighs with green beans and roasted potatoes. This spiced chicken recipe is a staple and I’ve been making it for over 10 years. So easy and delicious! I ate this same meal again the next night.
And then the third night I shredded the remaining spiced chicken and put it on top of rice with avocado, green beans and sriracha aioli. The aioli was just a mix of mayo, plain yogurt, lime zest, lime juice, sea salt and sriracha.
My dad’s beef bolognese. He served this the first night that we were in Florida a couple of weeks ago. I am so grateful I got to see my family before things really hit the roof. Finn loved this dinner and “mmmmd” his way through it.
On the second night of our visit he made one of my all-time favorite comfort food meals…pan-fried pork cube steak with gravy, rice, peas and biscuits. This is one of my favorite meals from childhood and no one makes it like my dad. Finn loved the rice and the biscuits. You can find my dad’s biscuit recipe here. Might be a fun kitchen project to tackle while you’re home a lot.
Trader Joe’s ravioli stuffed with cauliflower and cheese and topped with homemade marinara sauce. I salad on the side with spinach tossed in homemade honey balsamic dressing and topped with strawberries, dried cranberries and feta. FYI: I made homemade marinara because I was out of jarred sauce. It was SUPER easy, fresh and flavorful. I just used the garlic press to press about 4 cloves of garlic into some olive oil in a large skillet and then added a big can of whole tomatoes that I’d used kitchen scissors to break down a bit. I added about half a can of water, salt and Italian seasoning and let it all simmer for about 25-30 minutes on low heat until the sauce had thickened. I used this recipe as a guide.
This was definitely an instance of not needing to overcomplicate a recipe and letting the star ingredient shine. The only thing that would have really improved the sauce was fresh basil but those days are coming soon!
Chicken parmesan, leftover ravioli and roasted Brussels sprouts tossed with a mix of honey, lemon and dijon mustard. Here is my chicken parmesan recipe. It’s another comfort food favorite. <3
Finally, a quesadilla with spinach, cheese, black beans and sun-dried tomatoes. I dipped it in the leftover sriracha aioli.
QUESTIONS
How are you feeling about the world right now?
What are you cooking if you’re sticking close to home? Tackling anything new?
Is there something a family member cooks that tastes best when they make it?
I have been feeling extremely uninspired in the kitchen (wonder why). Stress/anxiety definitely affects my appetite. Unfortunately, I cook for four people each day who are then affected by my lack of inspiration. My 5 year old daughter asked me this morning what I am making for dinner and I told her “pasta” and her response was “not again…” 🙂 I thought no one had noticed! LOL! I wrote down several ideas for my next grocery run. This was a very helpful post. Thank you!!
How are you feeling about the world right now? Things are not well. I work at a hospital and if our docs our nervous (they never get nervous) that’s a sign this is a very different situation.
What are you cooking if you’re sticking close to home? Tackling anything new? I have to work because I work in a hospital. They are, however, trying to cut our hours wherever they can which creates added stress. I can’t cook anything exciting because I can barely find food in grocery stores. If you did a post on minimal ingredient recipes I would appreciate you!
Is there something a family member cooks that tastes best when they make it? Yes. I feel like anything my mother makes is better than what I make. I might be biased. I am just used to her cooking.
Feeling unsure about the world, until I step outside and sit in a local park. It’s amazing what some fresh air, sunshine, and perspective can do for the mind. 🙂
I’ve been cooking favorites so far, but may try some new recipes as the days go on.
For me, almost everything tastes better when it’s made by someone I love. Pancakes and grilled cheese by my father when I was growing up. Smoothies and salads from my husband….Yum…
thanks for sharing these meals! do you cook the cauliflower rice before putting it into smoothies or just frozen from bag? thanks!
frozen from the bag!
thank you!!
How are you guys getting your fresh produce? I have been trying to avoid going to the store and have tried Instacart a few times, but they are always out of the fruits and veggies I want. Craving fresh and nutritious things! I have plenty canned veggies and beans, and frozen fruit though..