The Week Ahead: The Cook-Up

 

I hope everyone has had a great weekend! We had a fantastic one with lots of sunshine and warm spring weather. Husband's parents were here and we had a blast running around town. Ate at one of our favorite restaurants (The Pantry), got some frozen yogurt, saw the Hunger Games, and even got pampered with a pedicure! 

The Week Ahead

We made it home late last night from sunny rainy, windy, stormy San Diego.  We still had a great time and I had a blast at my first American Academy of Dermatology conference.  We look forward to making that a yearly tradition--next year's in Miami!  Even though I try to plan ahead before leaving town, it's always a little rough to start a week with no groceries, clean laundry, etc.  Here's my plan for the week.

This Week's Meals

Breakfasts--I'm still on the spinach and kale smoothie kick...with eggs for protein, of course.  By the way, I have been seasoning my scrambled eggs with Penzey's "Sunny Paris" spice blend...it is delicious.


Lunches--Asian chicken salad, tuna salad salad.  Today I had leftovers.  On those days when the refrigerator is completely bare, one of my favorite things is remembering that I have something waiting for me in the freezer. I always try to freeze whatever I can if it looks like we won't be able to finish it that week.  If possible, I freeze things in single portion sizes, so that way it is like my own (healthier) convenience food.

Dinners--
-Monday: leftover Rogan Josh (from Well Fed) with cumin-roasted carrots
-Tuesday: salmon cakes (from Everyday Paleo), served atop red and green cabbage
-Wednesday:  Paleo chicken piccata (also Everyday Paleo) and side salad
-Thursday: meatballs and spaghetti-sauced zucchini noodles
-Friday:  Out!
-Saturday: grill out (probably chicken) and purple cabbage slaw
-Sunday: Pollo con salsa roja (once again, Everyday Paleo...did I mention I adore that cookbook?) and veggies, salsa, and guac

I hope everyone's week is off to a great start!

Lauren

The Week Ahead

Hope you all have had a great weekend! I can tell it might be rough adjusting to this time change.  We ended up making bacon-guac paleo burgers last night (a change to the meal plan, gasp!) because it was too nice to not grill out.

Slices of jicama make an excellent vehicle for salsa and dips.

All the fixins for bacon-guac bunless burgers

This week is the AAD (American Academy of Dermatology) meeting in San Diego!! I have some very interesting classes lined up and am excited to see what this meeting is all about! This will be my first year attending, as last year I was an intern (internship=your first year of residency). My residency is 4 years long, three of which are devoted to dermatology. The field of dermatology is unique in that it is a relatively small specialty. Most residents and many practicing derms attend the AAD meeting, so it is a great opportunity to meet others in the profession and catch up with peers. It is also a chance to hear about new products, so I will keep everyone updated if I find any miraculous new must-haves! One thing I am particularly looking forward to is seeing how thousands of dermatologists act in sunny San Diego! The town may sell out of sunscreen and wide brimmed hats!

Since this is a short week, I get a little break from cooking, but this is what I have planned...

Breakfasts: spinach and kale smoothie variation. Recipe to follow!

Lunch: Greek salad (one of my favorite salads, I'll post this on Monday); Steakhouse salad for Tuesday and Wednesday

Dinners:
-Sunday: Paleo pad thai. This recipe calls for spaghetti squash; however, the last time I made it, I used julienne-sliced zucchini (about 4 zucchinis) and it was absolutely delicious. Husband and I couldn't believe veggies could taste that good. The protein can be chicken, pork, shrimp...whatever your heart stomach desires. If you decide to use zucchini, I have always followed The Clothes Make the Girl's advice and I let the zucchini "noodles" sweat. I put them in a colander, douse with salt, and let them sit for 20-30 minutes. Afterward, you rinse off all the salt and they are ready to use just like real pasta. This is an awesome trick to have around if your husband loves Italian food as much as mine. One last note: the recipe uses coconut aminos, which I have found by the soy sauces at Whole Foods. Unless you are doing very strict paleo, I would recommend substituting wheat-free soy sauce (tamari) to save on some cost. Now, this meal takes a little more time, so I recommend it for a weekend. It makes enough for two very hungry people. Don't let all the words scare you from this recipe...it's not that bad!
-Monday: Grilled steaks and oven-roasted broccoli
-Tuesday: Jambalaya (recipe to follow)
-Wednesday: Clean out the fridge night

Have a great week, everyone!

~Lauren