I have a lot of carry-overs from last week because, well, life. Gotta love those weeks! (Note: the menu graphic below has the wrong meal for Easter…when I planned my menu I forgot Sunday is Easter! I have updated Sunday’s plans in the list below, with links to a few recipes.)

MONDAY:
– Chicken Tikka Masala with Brown Rice and Vegetables
– Naan

TUESDAY:
– Ordering pizza for a get together with a visiting friend

WEDNESDAY:
– Salmon with Chimichurri Sauce, Brown Rice, Vegetable

THURSDAY:
– Out to dinner with friends

FRIDAY:
– Enchiladas

SATURDAY:
– Chicken Soup
– Prager Brothers Spelt Bread Toast[r

SUNDAY: 
– Ham, Roasted Rosemary Potatoes, Crescent Rolls, Salad, Dessert

Time for your dinner plans! Please share your menus in the comments below! Thank you!

Today I have a special edition of Show and Tell for you: Things That Made Me Cry. Fun times! Two of these totally awesome things are music related and the third has to do with food. All three are wonderful.

May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers

I must give credit where credit is due…my husband Nate has been listening to the Avett Brothers for ages and is the reason I know who they are. They are hands down one of my favorite bands and their concert a few years ago was one of the best we’ve ever seen. Judd Apatow must share the same sentiments as we do because he recently produced a documentary about the brothers and their band for HBO, May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers. Please go watch this documentary. It is just so wonderful I don’t know what else to say. Oh, I do know one more thing to say…I cried pretty much non-stop through the last 45 minutes of the movie. IT IS SO GOOD.

And, one final thing: if you don’t know who the Avett Brothers are, start listening stat. Their most recent album True Sadness is perfection, but here are a few of my favorite older songs: Murder in the City (this one made me cry at the concert, it was embarrassing), Morning Song, and (of course) I And Love And You. (Photo credit: HBO)

Yo-Yo Ma

I took the girls to see Yo-Yo Ma at Copley Symphony Hall in San Diego. Yo-Yo Ma played the Brahms piano trios with pianist Emanual Ax and violinist Leonidas Kavakos and it was, well, beyond words. Three masters playing music written by another master on world-class instruments (some with the name “Stradivarius”). There were a few moments where the violin and cello played harmonies where I felt overwhelmed by what we had the privilege of watching and listening to. Another fun part of the night was Yo-Yo Ma’s countenance: you can just tell the man is filled with humility, kindness and joy. (And after hearing a few personal stories from Cate’s cello teacher about him after the concert, well, he is very firmly on my list of favorite humans.) If you ever get the chance to see Yo-Yo Ma in concert, make it happen. Click here for his scheduled concerts and appearances.

Ugly Delicious: Season 1 Episode 5

I know I already told you to watch Ugly Delicious on Netflix, but I do want to specifically call out a beautiful moment in the series. In episode 5 of the debut season, David Chang visits Yakitori Masakichi in Tokyo, where Chef Masahiko Kodama makes David yakitori, a Japanese-style skewered chicken. The chef grills Niigata-sourced chicken seasoned with Niigata salt over Japanese binchotan charcoal. David is pretty much overwhelmed by the perfection of what he tastes. When he tries to tell the chef just how amazing his food is, the chef’s reaction is, simply put, beautiful. Click here to watch Ugly Delicious.

Happy listening, viewing and crying!

Ages ago when I kicked off my {now sorely-neglected} podcast, one of my first guests was Tracy Benjamin of the food blog Shutterbean. First off, Tracy is one of my favorite people and I love her episode, so go take a listen if you haven’t already! One of the recipes Tracy shared in that episode was for Thai Beef with Basil, a recipe her family loves that utilizes ground beef. I’ve had it on my to-try list ever since and last week it finally happened.

The result? A really great go-to recipe that my kids devoured. All three of them said they want me to make it again and I am definitely planning to. I must admit that I wasn’t sure I was going to love this recipe – serving ground beef over rice just, I don’t know, didn’t capture my interest. Well, I’m glad I tried it anyway as I loved the recipe, too! The carrot slaw is key to why I love this dish so much. I also cooked the rice in coconut milk instead of water, which gave a nice, subtle flavor to the dish overall.

As is my M.O., I changed the recipe, both on purpose and on accident. I am writing my version up below, mostly so I don’t forget what I did but also so I can share it with you, in case you think my changes seem like a good idea. Enjoy!

Update! This is one of our new favorite go-to meals. The last time I cooked this dish I made a discovery – it is awesome if you had a handful of greens to the bowl. This adds a nutritional punch and tastes awesome. I just put the rice and beef in the bowl, then topped it with greens and finished with the carrot slaw. The dressing from the carrots mixes in with the greens and it’s great. I just used prepackaged “power greens,” but any kind of darker greens will work well!

Thai Basil Beef with Coconut Brown Rice

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

 

Adapted from Bon Appetit recipe, as discovered by friend Tracy Benjamin from Shutterbean. This dinner is easy to make and all three of my kids (all ages!) loved it!

Author: Jane Maynard

Serves: Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup short grain brown rice
• 1¾ cup canned coconut milk (one 13-14-ounce can will work!)
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped yellow onion
• 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced (remove seeds for less heat)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 lb. ground beef
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• kosher salt
• ½ cup beef stock (or ½ teaspoon beef bouillon + ½ cup hot water)
• 3 cups fresh basil, cut into a chiffonade (measure basil before cutting)
• 4 medium carrots, julienned
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced (both white & green parts)
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• lime wedges for serving, if desired
• leafy greens (for example "power greens" salad mix), optional

Instructions

1. Add rice, coconut milk and ½ teaspoon salt to a pot. Stir then bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, cover pot and reduce heat to low. Cook on low for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit with lid on for 10 additional minutes.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and jalapeño and cook until onions have softened and start to turn translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
3. Add garlic, pressing it through a garlic press, to the pan. Stir then add ground beef. Break beef up, sprinkle evenly with kosher salt, then cook until no longer pink, breaking up the meat as it cooks.
4. Add beef broth (or bouillon and water, if using) along with the ginger, cumin and cinnamon. Let simmer over low heat for 5-10 minutes, adding ⅔ of the basil a few minutes before serving. (Note: I removed about half of the jalapeño pieces before serving to reduce the heat for my kids.)
5. In a mixing bowl combine juice from 1 lime, 2 teaspoons oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, carrots, green onion and the remaining ⅓ of the basil. Stir well to coat veggies in the dressing.
6. Serve rice topped with beef and carrot slaw. Drizzle some of the dressing from the slaw bowl over the servings and enjoy! Optional: Add a handful of leafy greens to the bowl for extra nutrients and deliciousness!

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OTHER RECIPES YOU MAY LIKE:

• Lentil Rice Bowls with Lime-Tahini Dressing
• Asian Spinach Salad
• Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and Thai Cucumber Salad
• Chicken Kai Pa Lo

EQUIPMENT I USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:

• Cuisinart 12-Inch Skillet with Glass Lid
• Wusthof Classic Chef’s Knife
• Epicurean Kitchen Series Cutting Board
• Cuisinart 4-Quart Saucepan

How is it Monday already? I need to get this meal planning show on the road for this week! Here goes…

MONDAY:
– Chicken Tortilla Soup

TUESDAY:
– Chicken Stir Fry & Potstickers

WEDNESDAY:
– Salmon with Chimichurri Sauce, Brown Rice, Vegetable

THURSDAY:
– Leftovers

FRIDAY:
– Enchiladas (with corn tortillas)

SATURDAY:
– Eat out night

SUNDAY:
– Chicken Tikka Masala with Brown Rice and Vegetables
– Naan (for the kids)

Please share your dinner plans for the week in the comments below! So grateful for each and every menu that gets posted week after week, thank you!

Hey all! It’s time for some meal planning!

Regarding the whole clean eating thing I’ve been doing, I’m going to write a separate post about it instead of updating here in the weekly menu. As I talk to people in real life, I’m finding that even the most reluctant want to give some variation of this a try by the time we are done with our conversation. So, I’ll write a post explaining how I have adjusted my diet and why, along with tons of ideas for food you can actually eat when it feels like everything is off limits. Stay tuned!

Until then, here is my menu for the week, with modifications for my current way of eating in parentheses.

MONDAY:
– Thai Beef Basil with Brown Rice

TUESDAY:
– Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

WEDNESDAY:
– Chicken Stir Fry, Brown Rice and Potstickers (no potstickers for me)

THURSDAY:
– Leftovers

FRIDAY:
– Taco Night (Carnitas and Chicken; I will be having a fajita bowl with brown rice)

SATURDAY:
– Eat out night

SUNDAY:
– Breakfast for Dinner: Pancakes and Smoothies (Going to try these for myself and adjust to make them flourless and dairy-free)

You all know the drill! Share your menus in the comments! Love that we are all back on this meal planning train together!

Just a quick Show and Tell for you today. Have you heard the buzz around David Chang’s new series Ugly Delicious on Netflix? Think the buzz sounds like hyperbole? It’s not. We love the show. Go and watch.

Image credit: Netflix

That said, let me warn you that if you happen to fall asleep while watching the show, you will probably have a dream (nightmare?) where you finally decide to try crawfish and halfway through eating said crawfish you look at your plate where you have set down the crawfish you were just eating and you see it lying on its back on your plate and then you notice that its little legs and claws are slightly moving. Because it’s alive. You are eating a crawfish that is still alive.

The show, however, is worth the risk of having this dream. I promise. Enjoy! (The yakitori scene in episode 5 almost made me cry!)

*Note for parents: there is some spicy language peppered throughout the show, so probably best viewed without the little around.

I can’t eat dairy right now (in the process of figuring out some allergy stuff). Therefore, I think the best way to torture myself is to share a recipe that is all about dairy.

This sweet ricotta cream recipe is divine. The sweet ricotta cream is perfect paired with fruit, especially berries, peaches and the like. And while I am one who usually considers nothing to be dessert unless chocolate is involved, this ricotta cream served with fruit is definitely dessert enough for me. That is saying something.

Now go and enjoy! And eat an extra bite for me!

Ricotta Cream

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Pair with your favorite fruit to create a rich yet light dessert that everyone will adore!

Author: Jane Maynard

Ingredients

• 15 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 6 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Fresh fruit of your choice

Instructions

1. Using a spoon, mix together the ricotta, mascarpone, cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla well in a medium bowl. Some ricotta cheeses are firmer than others - adjust by adding additional cream if the mixture seems too thick.
2. Pair with sliced or chopped fruit of your choice - berries are wonderful as well as fruits like mango and peaches. Layer the ricotta cream with fruit for a pretty parfait, or simply just scoop everything into a bowl willy nilly. Either way it will be delicious!

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Hi everyone!

For those who care about the whole clean eating thing that’s happening with me right now…I went to the doctor and it is definitely food that is causing the trouble. All test results came back super healthy, so I’m dealing with food allergies and sensitivities. So, all in all, good news…but maybe a bit annoying. 😉 I’m still eating crazy healthy and going to slowly experiment with different foods to see what kind of reaction I have (if any) to different things. Quite frankly, when I wrote last week’s post I was feeling so grumpy about what I couldn’t eat and quite bored with my options. Another week in and my mindset is completely different. Eating this way is definitely getting easier (I never in a million years thought I would breathe those words because bread and also food writer). Anyway, this really is a fascinating process and I’ll write more soon. Promise. Until then, let’s get down to business with planning out dinner this week, shall we?

MONDAY:
– Roasted Chicken (link to my recipe coming this week – will update when it’s live!)
– Roasted Vegetables and Salad

TUESDAY:
– Boozy Beef Stew

WEDNESDAY:
– Stuffed Peppers

THURSDAY:
– Leftovers

FRIDAY:
– Thai Beef Basil with Brown Rice

SATURDAY:
– Eat out night

SUNDAY:
– Chicken Stir Fry with Potstickers (I won’t be eating the potstickers, but my kids will revolt if I don’t provide them anyway!)

You all know the drill! Share those menus you’ve got planned in the comments below! THANK YOU!