What’s For Dinner?

Could there be four more dreaded words in the English Language? At least, in my house, there is not!

These four little words are how many of my days start.  I often don’t know at 6:00 a.m. what I will want to eat twelve hours later.  It’s a funny thing, my husband and I both are working from home and yet, it seems as 6:00 pm rolls around each day, we are as surprised as a deer in headlights when one of us asks THE question. 

Some days, as we finish dinner, one of us will say, “so, what’s tomorrow night?”  Of course, this is supposed to be a joke but it still raises my anxiety just a bit.  Sometimes I know, I’ve planned the menu for the week. Sometimes, it’s a mystery to me.

Saturday, my husband ran to the grocery store.  I had given him a list so many of my favorites made it into my fridge in time for Sunday morning.  It was a quiet morning and I decided to start preparing for the week.  I did not intend to be caught unawares this week by the dreaded question.

So, I set to work with no menu in mind. However, this I do know.  If I have the vegetables prepared, dinner is easy.  If there is a prepared salad and some veggies around, we can always open a can of tuna, throw some salmon or chicken on the grill or simply eat the veggies and Voila! Dinner in a snap.

Today I made: cauliflower mash; roasted Brussel Sprouts; carrot, beet, sunflower seed and raisin salad; and a large green salad complimented with chopped cabbage, cucumbers, bell peppers, mushrooms and radishes.  Tomatoes and avocadoes will top the salad at serving time. 

I cut up celery and carrots for munching.  If they are ready to eat, I will be happy to munch on them instead of looking for a cracker when I want something crunchy to snack on.

Tip: when you prepare raw veggies in advance, be sure you dry them with a towel before storing.  The drier they are, the longer they will last.  I make sure that I spin my lettuce for the salad and dry everything before adding them into the salad. Especially the cucumbers. They can get slimy and ruin everything they touch.

I also prepared soft boiled eggs that will be an easy “grab and go” for either of us if we find lunch time has also snuck up on us, as it frequently does.

My Challenge to You:

This coming weekend, find some foods that you enjoy and make them in advance. It is worth the time on the weekend to be able to open the fridge and see all these lovely prepared foods waiting for you.  The best part about it is, when someone asks those dreaded words, “what’s for dinner?” You KNOW!

Please share your salad and prepared vegetable recipes with me, I’m always looking for new ideas.

You will find my recipes below:

Cauliflower mash

Cut up the cauliflower and break into smaller florets

Steam 1 large head of cauliflower until florets are soft

Place in a food processor with your choice of oil.  I use coconut oil, avocado oil , butter or ghee, depending on my mood. I use a heaping tablespoon.

Salt and pepper to taste

Run in food processor until it is the consistency you like

If you don’t have a food processor, a hand potato masher works just as well

Store in fridge and reheat when ready to eat.

Great with eggs in the morning or as a side for lunch or dinner.

Carrot, Beet and Sunflower Seed Salad

Using the food processor with the shredding blade, cut up as many carrots and beets as you’d like

If you don’t have a food processor, scrape the carrots and chop the beets

Place shredded vegetables in a bowl

Add olive oil, salt, pepper and other seasoning of your choice (I like to use Za’atar, a Mediterranean spice blend) to taste

Add sunflower seeds or other nut of your choice. Walnuts, sesame seeds or hemp seeds work well

Juice from ½ a lemon (optional)

Mix and chill.  This salad tastes better if it sits for a couple of hours. It will keep for a couple of days

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Pre-heat oven to 450

Cut off tips and remove outside leaves

Slice in half

Mix with melted coconut oil or Avocado oil, salt and pepper.

Lay flat on cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper (for easier cleanup)

Roast for 20 minutes or until tender

The Perfect Soft Boiled Egg in an Instant Pot

Of course, this is subjective.  I like mine soft and just beyond runny so they aren’t messy to eat.

Add 1 cup of cold water

Add the eggs on the trivet

Set for 4 minutes and start

Prepare an ice bath while waiting for eggs

When done, let the steam out manually and immediately place eggs in ice bath.  Let them sit for about 10 minutes or more

Place in a bowl and store, with shells on, to eat all week.  If you remove shells, they will not last as long.

If you don’t have an instant pot, you will have to experiment with timing in boiling water.

Bon Appetite!