Happy weekend everyone! It’s a quiet one over here. Finn is with his dad and I’m laying low with the pups. I slept in this morning and I’ll head to the gym after I publish this post. I have a collection of recent eats to share with you today. I like to share these on weekends when I can to give you some meal inspiration for the week ahead.
Highlights of today’s eats include:
- That I’m putting wildbrine Red Beet and Cabbage Kraut on everything
- Details on a new salad combination that I’ve eaten for lunch no less than five times in the last couple of weeks
- My obsession with loaded baked potatoes
- Some Finn meals 🙂
Let’s jump in!
BREAKFAST
A pink smoothie bowl, black coffee with collagen powder stirred in (this is my favorite brand) and a side smoothie for Finn. He loves pink or purple smoothies so when I make one for myself, I always pour a little for him.
Here’s what was in the smoothie: frozen mango, frozen strawberries, frozen banana, frozen raspberries, frozen cauliflower rice, plain greek yogurt, a medjool date, almond butter and oat milk.
Cottage cheese scrambled eggs on top of Dave’s Killer Good Seed toast with butter, cream cheese and wildbrine Kraut.
Another smoothie bowl…this one green! Same ingredients as above but add frozen spinach.
LUNCH
Quiche + salad is one of my favorite lunches of all time. The quiche was spinach, arugula, shallot and thyme. My nanny very thoughtfully left one in the freezer for me when I was in Durham one week with my mom. She’s the best. The side salad was butter lettuce, feta, dried cranberries, pepitas, cherry tomatoes, avocado and white balsamic.
Another lunch that I love…avocado toast with boiled eggs. The toast was a sourdough wheat from Copain topped with salted butter, mashed avocado, sea salt and the wildbrine kraut.
Leftover chicken tortilla soup. Perfect lunch on a chilly day. I’m making a pot of this soup this weekend for lunches next week.
Turkey sandwich + tomato soup with apples on the side. The sandwich was mayo, avocado, turkey, colby jack cheese, pickles and spicy mustard on Dave’s Killer Good Seed. I heated the sandwich on the broil setting in my Ninja Foodi Oven. (FYI – it’s being offered at a GREAT price at Walmart right now. I have used it every single day for years now.)
I have been HOOKED on this salad combo for two weeks now. You must try!
- Greens of your choice – I’ve used butter, arugula, spring mix blend, spinach, etc
- Grains of your choice – I’ve used quinoa, farro and a super grains blend with quinoa, millet and buckwheat
- Roasted sweet potatoes – I’ve used just orange and a blend of orange and white
- Avocado
- Pepitas
- Dried cranberries
- Feta
- Cherry tomatoes
- wildbrine Red Beet and Cabbage Kraut – I’ve made the salad with and without the kraut and it’s great both ways
- Whole Foods Organic White Balsamic Dressing
A spin on the salad above but I didn’t have grains and added some smoked salmon. Side of sweet hazel eyes!
DINNER
Pan-seared sea scallops with steamed green beans and gouda + sun-dried tomato ravioli topped with marinara sauce.
Takeout from Foxcroft Wine Co with Dorie and Bevin. We shared sliders, a salad, a flatbread and fries. Bubbles because we were celebrating my mom’s discharge from the hospital that day. My friends are the best. <3
This is hands-down one of my favorite go-to comfort food dinners that I always have the ingredients for on hand.
- Steamed rice
- Air-fried veggie burger
- Whatever veggies I have – this night it was leftover green beans but can be anything from roasted brussel sprouts to sautéed spinach to frozen veggies
- Spreads like hummus, feta dip and tzatziki
- Shredded cheese
- Fried egg
- Note, I only added the kraut because I had it
I am also completely hooked on loaded baked potatoes right now. This one was topped with butter, cottage cheese in place of sour cream (you must try this switch if you like cottage cheese), shredded cheese, chopped bacon and a frozen veggie medley from ALDI that I am really enjoying. It has broccoli, green beans, peas, romanesco, cauliflower and onions. Whatever spices/seasonings they use to flavor it are so good. Highly recommend picking it up if you see it in your local store. It’s part of their Specially Selected line.
FYI: here’s how I cook my baked potatoes.
- Preheat oven to 350 (I use my Ninja Foodi Oven)
- Thoroughly clean/scrub potato (especially if you always eat the skin like I do!)
- Poke about 12-15 holes in the potato with the tip of a sharp knife
- Coat in oil of your choice – I use avocado or olive
- Liberally coat with coarse sea salt or kosher salt
- Place on baking sheet and cook for about one hour
This yields a potato with crispy skin and a soft inside. Rediscovering baked potatoes was one of the best things to come of my six-month partnership with Potatoes USA a couple of years ago!
I also roasted lots of things last week for various lunch and dinner creations.
FINN MEALS!
I thought it would be fun to show you a few things that Finn has been eating these days.
Preschool lunch: his favorite homemade banana muffins, cheese slices, pea crisps, pita crackers, raisins and a strawberry.
Home lunch: cheese quesadilla cooked in butter, chicken Italian sausage, orange slices and strawberries.
Preschool lunch: cheese and pita crackers, veggie straws, a Nature’s Bakery fig bar and a strawberry. Note, he only gets the single strawberry in his lunch because I know he won’t eat it but I keep trying! 🙂
Home dinner: his current favorite dinners are 1) “breakfast dinner,” 2) “fish sticks and ketchup” and 3) “surprise dinner” where mommy surprises him. This was a breakfast dinner of peanut butter toast, cottage cheese scrambled eggs, bacon and fruit. He cleared the plate minus the fruit.
Benji is over there like, “gimme the bacon.” I have to put the dogs in another room or outside when Finn is eating because they have zero restraint when it comes to food in their reach.
That wraps it up for me! I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your weekend and have a delicious week of eats ahead!
QUESTIONS
What’s on your dinner menu for next week?
Are you doing any food prep this weekend?
Favorite preschool lunch things to pack?
Do you have a go-to easy dinner that you always have the ingredients for on-hand?
I love cottage cheese on potatoes! I also love it mixed with tuna, instead of mayo! So good! Such great looking meals. I’ve never tried cottage cheese scrambled eggs, but must try it soon!
Yum! Love seeing what you’re eating. You eat so well with such a variety of vegetables! Way to go. Love seeing Finn’s meals and hearing what he eats too. Tonight I made Peanut Butter Finger’s butternut squash curry but with sweet potatoes. My toddler picky toddler actually ate some when I mixed it with a big dose of sour cream! I rely on frozen instant pot meals that I prep ahead. Nice to make it easy on my future self! Thinking of your Mom enjoying some delicious food cooked with lots of love!
I started eating baked potatoes with cottage cheese after I saw you share them months ago – I was in the middle of marathon training and now potatoes are one of my STAPLE run foods! Sometimes I’ll do a Greek yogurt (with some fat) if I don’t have cottage cheese. Thanks for the great food recommendations!
I got a ninja foodie oven because of your recommendation and no joke I use it every single day!! It is such a cool appliance. Not only do I use it every day but I’ve also gotten 2 friends hooked on who use it every day too!! I rarely use my real oven anymore!
These posts are great! I love cottage cheese, also! Good culture and Nancy’s are my favorite brands! Weird cottage cheese additions I do is adding to baked goods for a protein rich tang in addition to topping a salad in addition to the typical eggs, oats, parfaits, etc. Lastly, nothing beats it as a protein pancake or waffle topping when you add some berried or maple syrup! That goes for homemade french toast too! Now that I’m thinking about it, I may smear some on my grilled cheese next time prior to cooking!
I love these posts because they always give me grocery store list inspiration. Especially the ideas for salad toppings and bowl-style dinners. I picked up some beet & cabbage kraut at my grocery store yesterday. I’ve also been loving the Biena chick peas in my lunch salads. However, I want to learn how to roast my own chick peas at home to save money and experiment with different seasonings. Another easy salad topping addition take 1/2 tablespoon of melted coconut oil, 1/2 tablespoon of maple syrup and about about 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin seasoning and coat a 1/2 cup of pepitas in the mixture. Set the oven to 325 and roast for 15 minutes. Let the pepitas cool and they form little clusters. I make this weekly and add to salads and oatmeal for a tasty crunch.
I love these posts. They are so inspiring and always give me some good ideas for healthier eating.