City-sponsored art.
May 23, 2014
City-sponsored art.
Author: cochrancj
I am an American expat who loves to explore the world through the plate and is always curious to learn more.
May 22, 2014
Hocking Hills, Ohio.
May 21, 2014
This, kids, is what happens when you smoke.
May 20, 2014
Iris
May 19, 2014
Skylight
May 18, 2014
Bye, bye old FitBit holder. You lasted way longer than I thought you would.
Adventures In Budget Paleo Cooking – Week of May 19 – 23
A number of people I know are completely flabbergasted when contemplating sticking to a budget while eating a primarily “paleo” diet. I’m hoping to shed a little light on that issue for those of you on the fence about eating healthfully in this manner – it *can* be done – and done well – without spending all the money. All it takes is a little planning.
A little background: I live in Brooklyn, NY, and the grocery prices here are definitely not the same as what you will find in other areas of the country. If you live in say, Raleigh NC for example – you may very well be able to cut this grocery bill by a third, depending upon where you shop. For where I live, where I shop and what I buy, $100 a week is a doable budget without having to sacrifice the quality I want too much. My DH thinks $130 is probably more realistic with our morning smoothie supplies, but I want to shoot for $100. I aim to make 4-5 dinners for two and 5 lunches per week, plus two smoothies per day six days of the week with my budgetary allowance and update you all weekly on what’s going on. Let’s see if I can make it.
Last Week (Week of May 12 – 16)
The Plan vs. Reality
Monday
- The Plan – Some sort of big pork with Broccolini and a strawberry/mint/shallot/tomato salsa
- Reality – The pork happened (slow cooked with a simple spice blend and pulled). The broccolini was good; I forgot about the salsa.
Tuesday
- The Plan – Big pork leftovers with green beans
- Reality – Bumped. My DH’s cousin came into town and we played tour guides – and then ate out.
Wednesday
- The Plan – Vietnamese pork with pico de daikon and sriracha over broccoli slaw
- Reality – Yummy.
Thursday
- The Plan – Vietnamese fish tacos with napa cabbage wrappers & some sort of side
- Reality – Not tacos, but yummy. Served with green beans.
Friday
- The Plan – Butter chicken with paleo naan or cauli rice
- Reality – Despite not reading the recipe carefully enough to have all the needed ingredients, the dish turned out well. I opted for the cauli rice.
Lunches
- The Plan – I grabbed some Cruciferous Crunch from Trader Joe’s and I hope to have leftover pork
- Reality – I made the strawberry salsa I had intended for dinner during lunch and had that a couple days with pork & salad (magnificent). The other days were filled with more pork and fish leftovers.
Extras
- The Plan – None planned here
- Reality – And nothing extra accomplished. Canning season where for art thou?
This Week: May 19-23
We are leaving for vacation on Tuesday. The plan for Monday night is to scrounge leftovers before heading out. And I hope to stock up on road snacks sometime this weekend so I don’t end up eating utter garbage on the 9-hour drive ahead of us.
This Week’s Proposed Menu
- Monday: Leftovers that may or may not go together well
- Tuesday: Road junk
- Wednesday: Vacation Food – hopefully something not too unhealthy
- Thursday: Vacation Food – hopefully something not too unhealthy
- Friday: Vacation Food – hopefully something not too unhealthy
- Lunch: Vacation Food – hopefully something not too unhealthy
- Extras: None planned because I’m slacking – normally, I’d have a laundry list of travel snacks I need to make.
Shopping List & Cost Breakout
Grocery Store Key: TJ = Trader Joe’s, WF = Whole Foods, O = Optional if budget allows
We’ll see this feature again next week. We will, however, be shopping for smoothie supplies while on vacation.
Shopping List – 1 week of smoothies
1 bag spinach – $2 est
2 bags kale – $5 est
Celery – $3 est
Cilantro – $2 est
5 apples – $4 est
5 Limes – $4 est
3 avocados – $4 est
Ginger – $2 est
Coconut water – $4 est
Orange juice – $4 est
It is estimated that we will spend $34 on smoothie supplies this next week (probably a little less, because we will only need to make 3 days of smoothies – Wednesday, Thursday and Friday).
May 17, 2014
My hubbs, rocking Brooklyn Half bling after kicking ass at his first half marathon.
Larb-Inspired Paleo Thai Poultry Bowl
Larb. I can’t get enough of it. From Wikipedia:
Larb (Lao: ລາບ; Thai: ลาบ, RTGS: lap [lâːp], also spelled laap, larp, lahb or laab) is a type of Lao minced meat salad[1][2][3] that is regarded as the national dish of Laos. It is also eaten in Isan, an area of Thailand of which its inhabitants are for a large part of Laotian descent. There are also Lao and Thai communities in the U.S., France, and England, resulting in larb being served in those areas as well. Local variants of larb also feature in the cuisines of the Tai peoples of Shan State, Burma, and Yunnan province, China.[4]
Any way you slice it, larb is a deeply flavorful meat dish – usually served in lettuce wraps – and generally how I’ve experienced it, as a starter. I’ve had versions with so much lime my mouth tingled, versions that were so hot it made the endorphins fly, and versions that are decidedly more bland. I dream about larb.
This is one of those dishes I try to recreate from memory in a thousand different ways, but usually what I’m going for is crispy little nibblins of meat swathed in a fair hit of lime and chased by enough heat to at least tickle the back of the throat. Sticky rice is fantastic, but not something I generally eat – so I serve it in other ways. Lettuce cups would certainly be fantastic here, but they just don’t work very well in my household. So, bowl it is. Tonight’s rendition was served over a bed of salt and pepper roasted carrots in an effort to throw some veggies into the mix so we weren’t just eating a bowl of meat for dinner. This was a protein-heavy dinner and a light one at that. If you’d like to beef it up with more substance, feel free to make extra carrots or throw in some broccoli or cauliflower rice.
Gluten-free, paleo, and Whole30 compliant with adjustments
Larb-Inspired Paleo Thai Poultry Bowl
1 pound ground meat (I used turkey, pork and chicken are also good)
1 large shallot
1 stalk lemongrass
1/4 cup lime juice (I use key lime juice)
2 large cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. Red Boat fish sauce
1 tsp. sweetener (I used brown sugar, but honey or agave would be fine – omit if Whole30)
1-2 Tbsp. sriracha (if Whole30, use a compliant hot sauce)
2 Tbsp. cilantro
1/2 inch fresh ginger
2 tsp. sesame oil (check your labels if Whole30)
2 tsp. coconut oil
First, assemble your sauce. Mince the shallot (you want about 1/4 of a cup) and add half to a small bowl. To the bowl, add the lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, and sriracha. Grate the lemongrass, ginger and garlic into the bowl. Stir. Chop the cilantro and add half to the bowl.
Now start the meat. In a large pan, heat the sesame and coconut oils over medium high heat. Add the meat and a couple pinches salt and cook, stirring to break up the big lumps, until cooked through. Add the sauce and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally to avoid burning, until browned to your liking.
Serve in a lettuce cup or over roasted carrots, broccoli, or cauliflower rice. Serves 2 for dinner if used as the main component of the meal.
May 16, 2014
The promise of more pretties to come.
Gastography 