Food and ideas to nourish body and mind.
Recipes Worth Making
I recommend adding 1-2 tablespoons of lime juice to the sauce. I also felt it needed a bit more salt. The recipe calls for shredded chicken. I used the chicken from the Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken recipe listed below. So good!
I made Feasting at Home’s marinara sauce (linked in recipe) but thought it was a bit too thin/watery for the lasagna. I like to use a thicker tomato sauce when making lasagna. Next time I make this, I plan to use my mom’s tomato sauce recipe (I’ll share this recipe soon).
Wednesday has become a dedicated pizza night at our house. This is the dough recipe I’ve liked the best so far. I have yet to find a great technique for stretching the dough once it’s ready to be made. I’ll report back once I’ve found a technique that works well.
Instant Pot Salsa Verde Chicken
I skipped the white onions to make this recipe even easier. I’m sure it would be just as delicious with the onions. I’ve looked through several other salsa Verde chicken recipes that also add spices like garlic powder, cumin, and paprika–all great options if you find this recipe is lacking in flavor.
This recipe is always a crowd-pleaser. Searing the meat at the beginning takes a little extra time but is so worth it! Browning, or caramelizing, the meat before slow-cooking helps amplify the flavor and results in tender, fall-apart beef.
Blueberry Cottage Cheese Muffins
I found this recipe when I was looking for ways to use up some expiring cottage cheese. I love a good muffin with my coffee and I’d been looking for creative breakfast ideas for Ava so I thought I’d give them a try. I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty they were. You don’t really notice the cottage cheese once they are baked but if you want an extra smooth texture, throw all of the wet ingredients in a blender before adding them to the dry ingredients. To maximize freshness, wrap leftover muffins in plastic wrap and freeze. Thaw overnight on the counter (I prefer this method) or microwave for ~20 seconds.
This was my first time using bulgur for anything other than tabbouleh. It was super easy to make and was a great side dish for beef kofta. It has a noticeable wheat flavor so for anyone who isn’t used to cooking with whole grains, just a note to keep an open mind:) The texture of bulgur is similar to quinoa: slightly chewy and soft. It’s also packed with nutrients. One cup of bulgur provides 6 grams of protein, 8 grams of fiber, and a variety of vitamins and minerals. Delicious and nutritious!
Other recipes I’ve made recently:
I thought this soup was just ok. I added quite a bit more salt and Italian seasoning to improve its flavor. It’s one of those dishes that’s better the next day, once its flavors have had time to meld. The recipe calls for half-and-half or whole milk. I used whole milk and it didn’t turn out creamy so use half-and-half if you are looking for a creamy soup. If I make this recipe again, I’m going to try using eggs in place of the milk for added creaminess–something I learned when making Pinch of Yum’s Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup (definitely a recipe worth making).
I made these for Ava. She loved them! Skye and I thought they were tasty as well. I wrapped the leftover egg bites in plastic wrap and froze them. I pull out two at a time and either thaw them in the fridge overnight or zap them for 15 seconds in the microwave. They are an easy make-ahead breakfast option and a great way to sneak in some veggies.
Ideas Worth Considering
I’ve been listening to the Rich Roll podcast a lot lately. Each conversation has provided invaluable insights and left me feeling inspired in one way or another. I was extremely moved by Rich’s conversation with Tommy Rivs, an ultra-endurance athlete and lung cancer survivor. I highly recommend listening to this episode (648). Tommy’s story illuminates the fragility of life and the importance of living a life of service. Here are a few quotes from Tommy that deeply resonated with me:
“Frustration and struggle isn’t so much rooted in the effort or discomfort, but more the emotional and mental stress that grows from the fact that my reality doesn’t match my expectations.”
“Suffering is never the problem. It’s the anticipation that things will be different that drives us to either blow up or give up.”
“Progress is hard to see if you don’t record it and motivation is hard to come by if you can’t see progress.”
