It Helps To Have A Plan

Stir-Fry Chicken & Baby Bok Choy

I took a road trip with friends over the weekend, and of course that included lunch at a cute cafe. While we enjoyed lunch, the conversation turned to cooking our own meals. One of the ladies said, "Cooking isn't hard...it's the DECIDING what to cook!" And there was an immediate chorus of agreement. That's exactly what I've told my daughters for years. It's the decision of what to cook, not the cooking itself, that is the biggest challenge to having meals at home. Standing in front of an open pantry or refrigerator and staring, without a recipe in mind, can send you straight out the door to pick up fast food. 

I'm pretty sure that years after I've departed this earth and someone asks my daughters, "What do you remember your mother saying?", the sentence about meal planning will be among the remembered phrases. It might be the only thing they remember! So it makes me smile to know that both daughters are dedicated meal planners. (They do better than I do.) On Sundays they both write out a weekly plan and make a grocery shopping list. Those plans might shift as the week unfolds but having that plan as a starting place gives a HUGE head start to getting supper on the table.

When I was visiting Jessica a couple of weeks ago she cooked supper the night I arrived. I had the pleasure of watching  her cook and then eating the delicious food. Both daughters make a big effort to cook healthy meals. This dinner plan was low carb and gluten-free and Whole30 compliant. They do not eat carb-free/gluten-free all of the time but they will include some meals like this during the week as they aim for balance. As the season of food—Halloween candy, Thanksgiving feasts, Christmas dinners and parties—arrives, we all would do well to plan some simple, healthy meals to enjoy during the week. Balance, people, balance. That's the goal.

She didn't change clothes. She put on an apron.

Jessica and Todd both work so easy meals are a must. If you have all the ingredients on hand, this stir fry is pretty quick to put together. If you actually set out the ingredients—and even measure them—before you start cooking, the prep feels easy. I've added some substitues in parentheses for ingredients I would be more likely to have in my kitchen. If you use soy sauce, know that it's no longer gluten-free. And if baby bok choy isn't at your store, you could use roughly chopped regular bok choy (the stem part will take longer to cook than the green leaf) or I think even roughly chopped cabbage could work.

STIR-FRY CHICKEN & BABY BOK CHOY

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbsp. arrowroot starch (or cornstarch)
2 tbsp. avocado or olive oil

½ white onion, sliced thinly

2 baby bok choy*, ends removed and cut in half (or regular bok choy, roughly chopped)
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts, drained

1 tsp. freshly grated ginger (or a good sprinkle of ground ginger)
¼ cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp. fish sauce (according to internet, sub with soy sauce or Worcestershire) 
½ tsp crushed red pepper, for spice (optional)

Slice chicken breasts against the grain into thin slices. Place in a bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add arrowroot and toss until coated evenly.Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When very hot, Add chicken and sear on both sides until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side. You will likely need to do this in two batches, overcrowding the pan isn’t ideal as your chicken won’t get that good sear on it. As chicken is done cooking, set aside on a plate.

In the same skillet, add the onion. Saute for about 3 minutes, you may need to add an additional tbsp. of oil if you skillet is dry from cooking the chicken.

Add the bok choy*, garlic, and water chestnuts. Continue to saute until bok choy is tender, about 3 more minutes.

Reduce heat to medium. Add the ginger, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, fish sauce, and crushed red pepper (if using). Stir to combine and let simmer until sauce thickens and reduces, about 3-5 more minutes.

*Jessica says she often uses regular Bok Choy because that's what she can find. Says she chops it up and adds the leafy green part at the very end. The stem part will take longer to cook, so add it with the onions, or just after.

Serve over rice or cauliflower rice.

Jessica often uses frozen cauliflower rice instead of regular rice. It's carb free and low in calories. She roasts it in the oven. This time she picked frozen cauliflower rice with peas and carrots. Roast it like you would any other vegetable. Spray your baking sheet with oil, spread out the "rice" and roast at 400º for 20 minutes, stirring halfway, until lightly browned. If it's browning too quickly, turn the temp down halfway through the cooking. Or, take it out early. Just keep watch on it.

Jessica found this recipe on the blog The Defined Dish. I've heard her say that she likes many of the recipes there. They are mostly Whole30/Paleo compliant. Jessica also has her own blog for her recipes. She hasn't posted in a while, being busy with their big move and a baby on the way. But there are lots of recipes there to browse. 

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FYI, when I see a long list of ingredients I might move on the the next recipe. But often, like this recipe, it really isn't a complicated recipe. I put spaces into the ingredient list here, and grouped them by how they are added to the pan. In a cookbook I might have drawn lines between them. It helps my eye keep from skipping over something.

Long Weekend Coming

Sourdough bread for the weekend.

There is a long weekend coming. And all the children and grandchildren coming. And lots of rain coming. Because we were slightly tied up with wedding things less than three weeks ago, we had not opened the lake cabin for the year until now. So this week we have been going at it with both barrels. It's a small cabin, built back when folks only wanted a little place to stay while they fished for a couple of days.

We have stretched that cabin, with it's postage stamp-sized kitchen, to its very limits over the years. Several years ago we built a screened porch that nearly doubled the footprint of the house. It's where we spend most of our lake time. Indoor space is "cozy." (That's realtor speak for small.) And we turned a storage room that years ago was the original screened porch into an extra bedroom. It only has a single bed. And it has to share space with the long rack of hanging life jackets, but that extra bed was much needed.

Well, this year as the family has continued to grow, we added a tiny cottage (with a better kitchen) beside the small cabin. It might have made better sense to bulldoze the whole thing and start over, but our grandchildren are the 4th generation to enjoy the space. Hard to part with the memories.

Having said that, I have found it easier this year than ever before to part with some of the old things, the original equipment, the "stuff" that has accumulated over the many years and filled every space. I have read much lately about "your children do not want your things." Articles aimed at those my age who are beginning to think about downsizing. So these last few days, I have thrown away, boxed and bagged, and cleared surfaces and spaces so that the cabin doesn't feel so cramped. Clearing out does make a difference.

And the new tiny cottage? Well, it needed to be furnished and equipped from scratch. Thank goodness, it really is tiny. I've "shopped" out of my house as much as I can. But I'm not quite done. The entire time Daddy-O and I have been working this week to get ready to host the family, I've been thinking about what to feed everyone for several days. Menus. Grocery lists. And with rain in the forecast, I'm doing a mental check of games and puzzles that we have on hand.

Sometimes you have to take a break.

I kept thinking what do they want this weekend? Grilled meals? Cold salads? Homemade ice cream? And then it dawned on me. They mostly want a Mimi and a Daddy-O that are not totally worn out. As much as I'd like to have everything done by Friday, it will be okay that it isn't.

But there are a few things that I AM doing regarding menus. To make the lake days easier, I'll try to get a few things cooked ahead. I baked bread yesterday. If you've made it as many times as I have, it's easy. And it had all morning to rise while we went back down to the lake to finish up a few things.

This afternoon I might bake something sweet. A treat would be nice. (Although apples and grapes are easier and healthier.) And we know that everyone likes pasta and that can be done ahead, ready to pop into the oven later. So I'll try to get that done by tomorrow.

And I'm making a list of easy family-friendly dishes. My definition of easy is very few ingredients and not much hands-on time. I'm not sure which recipes will make the cut, but this is the list I'm starting with. (All recipes are linked. Just click on them to find the recipe.) Once the kiddos arrive, I don't want to spend my days in the kitchen. Maybe you'll find something here that will help you out this weekend, too.

SLOW COOKER:
Balsamic Chicken
"Pulled" Pork
Salsa Chicken
Pepperoncini Beef Sandwiches

OVEN RECIPES:
Oven Baked Fajitas
Pesto Chicken

MAKE AHEAD:
Baked Rotini
Hot Dog Chili
Sourdough Bread
Garden Pasta Salad
Ham Delights

You know I'm not going to make all of these, but it's helped me to gather possible recipes here in one place. I imagine there will be burgers on the grill, too. Now I need to narrow down my choices, make a meal plan for the weekend and then a grocery list. I am determined to be ready to sit down and enjoy the weekend. Enjoy the lake. Enjoy the grandchildren. Enjoy the family.

Thinking About Thanksgiving

I know holidays are about tradition. And I know that traditions change. That's the nature of...well, nature. Things change. Circumstances change. People change. This is our year of change. Thanksgiving is about being grateful. And I am MORE than grateful for years and years of eating Thanksgiving turkey at one of many tables fitted into every possible space of a house, where my metal folding chair would bang into the folding chair behind me. There were that many of us. And it was always fun.

These were Thanksgivings where the number of cousins in line for turkey ranged from 25 to 45, depending on the year. It has been the gathering where boyfriends—who later became husbands—were introduced to the family. (Daddy-O was one of those.) And sometimes boyfriends were just boyfriends. But this year it will be just my family at our house. And it's finally time for me to act like a grownup and place an entire Thanksgiving dinner on the table.

Yes, the focus of Thanksgiving should be gratitude and thankfulness and not food. And this year we are truly thankful. But let's be honest. Food does play a big role in the day. As I am making my list and checking it twice, I'm looking for recipes I can use this Thanksgiving. Maybe I can save you a little searching if you are also on the recipe hunt.

In no particular order, these are recipes we have used for years. No, not every recipe every year, but all (but one) of these have made it to a Thanksgiving table at one time or another. Click on the title to find the recipe.

Macaroni & Cheese. If you are from another part of the country, maybe even another part of our state, this might not be the kind you make. But this is the recipe we that expect on every big dinner table. When I was growing up, we called it "macaroni pie." 

Cranberry Apple Crunch. Jessica has been making this for years to add to the table. It falls somewhere between side dish and dessert. (It's delish with a scoop of ice cream.) And we have been known to have leftovers for breakfast. 

Sweet Potato Souffle. Many years ago, my mother moved on past sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top to this nutty topping. This is her recipe—except I use less butter in the topping than she did. We like it fine this way. PS...it's really not a souffle but that's what we've always called it. 

Caramelized Brussel Sprouts. Mommy found this recipe ages ago. Even the non-Brussel sprouts folks usually like this dish. Maybe because the sprouts are shredded and don't look like Brussel sprouts. 

Baked Pineapple. Another easy side dish with a sweet taste. (Hey, don't judge. We're in the South.) 

Company Carrots. These carrots are not the typical glazed sweet ones. They are savory. And they easily can slip into the oven along side other dishes. You can even bake them at several oven temps to make it work with the rest of your menu. 

Cranberry Sauce. This is the recipe Mommy made the year they were far away from home and she made the entire dinner. Now it's a regular recipe for her. 

Cornbread Dressing. Not my mother's recipe and I haven't made or tasted this one. But both daughters have made it and served it and say it's delicious. 

Pumpkin Pie Spectacular. I make the most basic of pumpkin pies. But Mommy makes this one and her family loves it. I think their words were, "It's a show stopper!" They are begging for it again this year. 

Pumpkin Angel Food Cake. Any folks are your table who are health conscious? This might be the dessert for them. If you're an angel food cake fan, this is a perfect fall version. It's easy, too 

Sweet Potato Biscuits. These are SO good. Even work for the non-biscuit baker (like me) AND they can be made ahead of time and frozen until the day you need them. For Thanksgiving, we just serve them with butter. 

Blushing Apple Julep. Okay. I've never had this for Thanksgiving, but it would be so good if your day calls for a beverage and a munchie while folks wait for the big dinner.

Can you tell I'm a whiz at side dishes? And desserts are pretty easy. It's the turkey and dressing and gravy that I've never had to do. Son-in-law has offered to fry our turkey this year. We decided that the cooking process will be our Thanksgiving "activity"—which, if we're lucky, might also produce an entree. (He suggested having a backup turkey in the oven might be wise.) This turkey frying thing might become our new tradition.

So here's to tradition, both old ones and new ones! That house where we gathered might not be as full of people this Thanksgiving, but it will be just as full of love as ever. It's just that the love is coming from a little further down the road. And I have no doubt that they will feel it.


These recipes are posted here just as a quick reference if you need ideas for the holiday. And don't forget there are more salads, desserts, appetizers, etc. listed in the Recipe Index at the top of the post. Click on that tab to reach the index. 

Don't overlook the little search box at the top left of the blog. I use that as often as the index. When I discovered this week that Sweet Potato Souffle was not in the index, and I was positive that I had blogged that recipe, the search box led me straight to the recipe. And it's now safely listed in the index along with its brother and sister side dishes.