So good. I’m thrilled chili garlic sauce is having a moment – I’d completely forgotten about how damn delicious it makes pretty much everything.
This is a nice and light salad – perfect for a quick lunch, or you can beef it up with orzo or soba for a really nice company side. If you need it up, I’d double the dressing.
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan
Chili Garlic Cucumber Salad
1.5 Tbsp chili garlic crisp sauce
1 Tbsp sushi vinegar
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp lime juice
Salt & pepper
3 small Persian cucumbers, chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
150 g small sweet peppers, cut into rings
1/4 c red onion, cut into thin half-moon slices
4 Tbsp mixed herbs (I used dill, lemon thyme and mint), minced
2 Tbsp sushi ginger, chopped
Optional mix-in: rotisserie chicken or other protein
Mix all liquids together in a large bowl to form a dressing. Toss in all the veggies & ginger. Mix in your protein if desired.
This is a vague nod to the strawberry grain pot from Starbucks – ala @fitmenchef on Instagram. It’s hearty, packed with protein, and quick to whip up in a batch.
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan
Strawberry Breakfast Grains
First, set the grains on to cook by combining:
1c quinoa
3C water
And cooking like you usually cook quinoa. I put mine on the “rice” setting of my slow cooker.
While that is working, make the strawberries.
To do so, combine:
800g frozen strawberries
100ml orange juice
6tsp cinnamon
4t butter
Sprinkle salt & black pepper
1 tsp vanilla powder
Sauté over medium until most of the water evaporates and the mix gets syrupy.
While those are both cooking, make the crème by combining:
350g soft tofu
10Tbsp collagen protein
1c oat milk
1tsp vanilla powder
Blend to combine.
When the quinoa is finished, mix in:
1.5c rolled oats
Let sit to cool.
When all is done, mix the crème into the grains and divide into 7 portions. Top with the strawberries.
To serve, you may want some added sugar – I ended up adding about a teaspoon and a half of maple sugar to each portion. I also added some of my favorite seed mix, though shaved almonds would be even better.
This is a killer weeknight crispy potato recipe that comes together quickly and requires zero added fat.
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, paleo
No Added Fat Crispy Air Fryer Potatoes
1 large baking potato, cut into bite-sized pieces
Lots of salt
A seasoning – I used chicken salt, but your current favorite potato seasoning would be perfect
Generously salt a pot of water.
Add your potatoes and bring up to a boil.
Boil until fork tender, about 8 mins.
During the last few minutes of cooking, preheat your air fryer to 400F.
When the potatoes are tender, drain and chuck back into the pot you cooked them in. Vigorously shake to break the potatoes up a bit and get them messy. Toss with your seasoning and air fry about 12 minutes, shaking a couple times during cooking, until your desired crispiness has been reached.
This is a blind stab at recreating the show-stopping salad served at Heenat Salma Farm last month during the yoga/Pilates day retreat I went to.
It’s not perfect – by far – and I meant to “fix” the issues the original had (too sweet dressing – needed acid and/or heat), but I’m not sure this hit the mark. It’s been like a month since I’ve tasted the original, and all those ingredients were organic farm fresh – so I did what I could.
This rendition is fantastic. Not the same as the other, but definitely craveable.
gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan
Heenat Salad
2 nectarines, chopped
8 dates, seeded and chopped
200g feta (I used vegan feta from Sheese), cubed
~2c kale, chopped
~4c red lettuce, chopped
~1/4c red onion, sliced into wafer thin moons
~1/2c walnuts, chopped
~1/2c (roughly 20) black olives, chopped
~1/4c cilantro, chopped
Dressing:
3Tbsp date syrup
2tsp cardamom (ground)
3Tbsp lime juice
6Tbsp olive oil
1tsp smoked paprika
Salt & pepper
Whisk dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Add all the salad ingredients (minus the feta) and massage in. Add the feta, generous salt & pepper and toss to combine.
This is a quick-n-dirty stir fry I threw together the first week back from vacation inspired by Thai flavors – without having to source a few specialty ingredients.
gluten-free, paleo
Simple Stir Fry
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
Zucchini, sliced into half moons
Bell pepper, chopped bite sized
Yellow onion, sliced into thin half moons
Green beans, chopped bite sized
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp fish sauce (check your labels for paleo & gluten free)
1 Tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce
2 tsp chili garlic sauce
2 tsp ketjap manis (check your labels)
2 tsp molasses
Chop your veg. You are looking for about 5 – 6 cups total veg in whatever configuration you’ve got. Add to a large bowl.
Chop your chicken into bite sized pieces and add to the bowl.
In a small bowl, combine the sauces. Pour over the veg & meat and toss.
Preheat your air fryer to 400F for 3 mins.
Air fry your mixture for 8 or 9 minutes (I did 2 batches for a total of 19 minutes), tossing once or twice per go.
Serves 3 – 4 with no carbs; can easily stretch with carbs
We’ve been eating one of these steaks most nights we have been home these last few months – DH has perfected his method to a science. I just tried it and smoked the damn house out (again) 😂🙄🤷♀️.
gluten-free, paleo, keto
Air Fryer Steak
A steak – preferably ribeye or strip of about 12 – 14 ounces and an inch thick
A little butter
Your favorite seasoning (we use Lowry’s Seasoning Salt)
Preheat your air fryer on 400F for 3 minutes.
Season 1 side of your steak, add to the basket of the air fryer seasoning side down and season the other.
Let cook 3 minutes.
While that’s cooking, get a pan ripping hot. When DH does this, he uses the center burner of our stove – which apparently doesn’t get as hot as my favorite burner, which smoked the house out.
Cook 1:30 per side.
Remove from the heat, pop your little bit of butter on, and let rest a few minutes.
We slice ours into bite-sized pieces because we are heathens and have been having great fun with ‘kitchen steak’. Seats are for sides. 😆
This latest business trip has come in the midst of a health kick for both DH and I. We generally eat like poo (read: burritos for dinner every night, Starbucks lunches, 2 daily Starbucks drink breaks & buffet breakfasts) on this trip, as there is not a terrible lot to do and the Mexican options are so much better than where we live. Ooh. And our obligatory trip to Blaze Pizza for as much (halal but still awesome) Italian sausage as my cheese-less pizza can handle.
This last month, we’ve both been focusing our meals on protein first, generally eating low carb and for me at least – still veggies that (probably) won’t cause me issues. It’s not a terribly SMART goal (yet), but baby steps. One of us is digging out of a carb & cheese hole.
We have stayed at this hotel a bunch – but I forgot which one it was in the planning and was super sad to see there was no microwave. Life would be much easier with a microwave.
At least we’ve got a fridge, a kettle and fruit basket. I can work with that. Luckily, DH eats a big salad while at work and I’m generally full from breakfast (1 scoop of the curry of the day + 1 poached egg + 1 serving curry-supporting starch of the day + 2 scoops sautéed mushrooms is my go-to) until late afternoon. So, that makes things easier. We are both people who are happy with appetizers for dinner for the most part and we love a good snack.
The initial plan:
Sounds grand, doesn’t it? I even bought a little egg poaching dish and a covered silicone bowl for steaming sweet potatoes. I was excited.
Aaaaand then reality hit.
Hey, at least we didn’t get just a Keurig.
Thank goodness we also have (half) a mini fridge and can push all the mini bar options to the side.
On to the groceries! My first full day here I made myself grocery shop, sans 3/4 of my plan, and picked up an assortment of options. A little light on veg, but this is only week 1. Hopefully I’ll eventually get into the swing of things.
Cucumbers, bell peppers, baby carrots, an avocado, quick-cook low carb mung bean noodles, dashi starter, 2 kinds of canned tuna, 6 eggs, weird looking potato starch wraps, red pepper relish, beet & orange smoked salmon, cream cheese bites for DH, sliced turkey, sliced salami, mushroom soup mix, 3 types of flavored mixed nuts, banana chips.
This all to go with the things I brought from home & a few staples I swiped from our usual travel day room service club sandwich dinner cart.
My travel kit: 2 lidded silicone bowls, 2 full sets metal utensils, 1 paring knife with lid, soap sheets, soy sauce, black vinegar, oyster sauce, sesame seeds, furikake, mustard powder, garlic powder, red chili flakes, Tony’s creole seasoning & Tajin with a few things purloined from the room service tray: salt & pepper, butter, baby Tabasco, mayo, ketchup, mustard & a tiny spoon. I also picked up a small cutting board I may or may not end up incorporating into my kit at the grocery. It’s a bit bulky – if anyone knows of a good travel cutting board option, let me know!
Meal 1
I had intended on making deviled eggs with a side of salmon cukes for dinner, but forgot how long to cook eggs in a kettle for, was too grumpy about life to look it up, and ended up with not that.
So, I made 3 soft boiled eggs mixed into 1 of the cans of plain tuna with mayo, mustard powder, garlic powder, a little soy sauce, red pepper flakes, black pepper & sesame seeds as seasoning. It was fantastic. Would highly recommend. Was supposed to be 2 servings, but DH wasn’t hungry after all and I skipped any semblance of lunch, so … scoopable bowl of yummy mush for one, please.
There went half my eggs & half my cucumbers, though. Oops. Will rethink for my second dinner.
We also snacked on some of the mixed nuts & I had a banana from the gift fruit basket so I wouldn’t perish while unloading groceries and figuring out how to squirrel them away.
Meal 2
I made deviled eggs right this time with the last of the mayo pot, mustard powder, half the pot of mustard, pepper and garlic powder. I repurposed the guac from last night’s inevitable Mexican to spread on cukes with the beet & orange salmon, and layed out some cream cheese cubes for DH to have with his. A nice little snack spread for dinner – and a pleasant surprise for DH who was gaming and had zero idea what I was up to.
Meal 3
This one was off. Most of the components were good – potato wrap, (halal) chorizo, avocado; but it was either the smoked turkey or sundried tomato spread I wasn’t digging. Probably the turkey. DH grabbed himself some cream cheese & chorizo and made a few little pinwheel wraps for himself with a side of nuts.
Meal 4
This was an evening neither of us were starving – we’d had a big lunch out. Instant mushroom soup for me with mung bean noodles and chicken noodle for DH. Surprisingly good and just what we needed.
Meal 5
We liked the first night of properly boiled eggs, I repeated it for tonight’s dinner. I added garlic mayo we picked up at the grocery to the mix and it was a good add.
Meal 6
Lemon & black pepper tuna mixed with garlic mayo, minced cucumber and a little crushed red pepper. The rest of the cuke was sliced into ribbons (kinda – crappily), and tucked into the wrap for crunch. This worked well and was a filling lunch with a piece of fruit.
Meal 7
Potato wrap, halal chorizo, sliced cucumber, garlic mayo & mustard with a side of fruit basket grapes for lunch. Quick and satisfying.
Meal 8
Another round of a simple soup. Mung bean noodles & mushroom soup mix. Quick and satisfying, and a good opportunity to bust out my collapsible silicone bowl.
Meal 9
Mung bean noodles, plain tuna, cucumbers, soy sauce, oyster sauce, black vinegar, garlic mayo, furikake, sesame & red pepper flakes. I’ll be making this again, though I do wish I’d picked up some spinach to toss in.
Overall, I’d say this meal prep was a success. Most nights one or both of us ate in, and had decently healthy meals. Could have had more veg, and the carrots and peppers were a miss – but loads better than delivery for every dinner & Starbucks sandwiches + chips for lunch. 10/10 would repeat again. Would love to add some precooked chicken slices, baby spinach, cherry tomatoes and hummus so I actually eat the carrots for next time. I’m glad we didn’t subsist wholly on delivery, Starbucks & unsatisfying candy masquerading as a protein bar. Go, us.
Gastography 