Beef and veggies

I have been cooking.
Really.

I haven't blogged a lot lately. Since I've only been cooking for myself, I have leaned towards simple, low-fuss meals that don't exactly translate into a recipe.

Except, maybe they do.

Just because it's simple doesn't mean it's not a meal.
So, I'm sharing.

Today I made some beef and vegetables:

Cook in a pan on medium heat:
1 steak that your lovely mother put into your freezer when you were out of town, thawed and cut into thin strips
1/4 onion, chopped
salt and pepper

Cook until the meat has started to brown and your cat wakes up from her nap and meanders into the kitchen. Stir things every minute or so.

When the meat is mostly cooked, add in:
1 handful of kale, torn into pieces
1 cup-ish of that frozen vegetable medley of cauliflower, broccoli, and carrot that everyone has in the back of their freezer.

Let that cook in the hot pan, stirring a little, until the kale is deep green and wilted, and the other veggies have a little char on them.

Serve with some leftover brown rice, a small drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and a modestly priced pinot noir.

Towards the middle of the meal, if you toss a little gristle down to the cat, everyone is happy.

Trusty Travel Kit

I am still traveling every week.
I gave up trying to take a week's worth of food with me and man, it is hard to come up with safe meals beyond sad pre-packaged grocery store salads.

I made this little travel kit to make hotel room meal prep a little easier.

Most of it I purchased from the dollar store. It contains:

A small bottle of extra virgin olive oil
A travel size bottle filled with dish soap (I used plumber's tape when screwing on the cap so it wouldn't leak)
A sponge, cut in half
Flexible cutting boards, cut to fit inside the container I chose
A knife, sharpened between trips
salt and pepper packets
a few ziplock sandwich bags

Not pictured:
a fork and a spoon
a small corkscrew
an old-school can opener
a clothespin, for a bag clip

It all fits nicely in this little container that I tuck it into my suitcase.

I wash and use the container for meals, and at the end of the trip it all fits back inside.

Just having the container has made a huge difference, and the knife/cutting board is awesome... I have found that it's possible to cut an avocado using the end of a plastic spoon and a napkin, but it's much easier with the right equipment!

meal prep and containers

I bought some of these divided containers to see if I liked them. They're not a game-changer, but it IS nice to take different kinds of foods without needing several containers.... my meat roll ups stay rolled and the grapes don't have to touch the sliced veggies.

travel meals, etc

Hey, so I've been traveling a lot. Which means there is no food in my fridge and I've been eating a LOT of boring, safe restaurant salads.

This time around, I get to drive which means that I don't have to worry about how many liquids I take, and I have the room to pack some food, yeah!

My fridge is still pretty empty, but at least I went to the grocery store.

Here's what I packed:

Room temperature: crackers, pretzels, almonds, gingersnaps, and a couple of Kind bars, which are easy to eat while driving and pair fantastic with gas station coffee.

In the cooler, for lunches: cut veggies and hummus (plus some lunchmeat stuck in-between the containers, oh and also I tucked in some chocolate for after-dinner dessert while I lounge around in a face mask).

For breakfast: sliced fruit, plus boiled eggs. Plus a salad (adapted) for on-the-road lunch.

I'm pretty happy with the safe choices I was able to pack.

acorn squash

Hi, I'm 34 years old and I'd never eaten acorn squash until recently.

How is that a thing? It was not an item on our dinner table growing up, so I suppose that's why I never considered it once I started cooking for myself.

Sure, I'd heard of it, but it seemed unappetizing and kind of blah. I assumed it would be slimy and mushy, much like zucchini or yellow squash can get when it's overcooked.

Craving a little variety in my efforts to eat more veggies, I picked one up on sale at the grocery store. 

It sat in my fridge for a few weeks. 

Then I unexpectedly had to work out of state for a while and my mom took it home when she went to check on my cat. 

About a month later I decided to try again and grabbed another one, excited to try it... and it sat in my fridge for a few weeks. 

However, before this one could reach a fully sad state, I cooked it. (small personal victory)

I sliced it up, scooped out the seeds, and seasoned it with thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil. I roasted it in the oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes on each side. 

If you look up recipes, there are a ton of ways to cook it. I find, in general, that vegetables taste best when they're roasted so I started with that.

I wasn't expecting much. When I tasted it I was pleasantly surprised! The texture was not slimy or mushy at all. In fact, it's a lot like a potato. Definitely a sturdier squash than I expected. Mildly flavored and absolutely delicious. 

The next time I grab one of these, it won't be out of obligation to introduce more variety into my vegetable diet; it will be because I genuinely enjoy it.

bacon.

I want to talk about bacon real quick.

I like bacon every once in a while. Added to a dish for flavor, fried up with an egg, the usual. It's nice to have on hand but I typically don't use an entire package at once, so I freeze it.

If you've ever frozen an entire package of bacon, you know it's damn near impossible to peel a single strip off the stack unless the whole package is thawed.

So I started freezing it strategically:

Freeze the bacon on a sheet pan in a single layer on wax paper.
Cut each piece in half (not required but I like to because it's easier to store).
Then layer the frozen strips on squares of wax paper and place them in a freezer bag.

Super easy to pull out the exact amount I need.

JPs bakery

Here's what I want to say about JPs gluten free pastries/bakery: If you have a chance, GO. Your waistline may not thank you, but your taste buds will.

This little bakery is tucked into a storefront in Benson, North Carolina. I travel to the Raleigh/Durham area for work frequently, and I have never been able to make it into the store before they close, since it's about an hour's drive from where I'm working.

HOWEVER I had a few free hours Friday afternoon, so I hopped into the car with enthusiasm and gleefully took a small road trip.

I went slightly nuts, trying to grab a little of everything.

I loved the fact that they had blondie and cheesecake samplers, so I didn't have to choose flavors. Solid option, there.

After taking a little bite of everything, I have to say I'm pretty impressed.

The pumpkin bread was a little crumbly and the cupcakes were good but nothing special, but the blondies and cheesecake were fantastic. The cinnamon roll was perfection, with a good frosting ratio. I wish I would have bought more of them.

(I have seen pictures of cream cheese danishes on their instagram page, and was looking forward to sampling those, but I didn't see them in the store.)

The real star of the show, though, was those Hawaiian rolls.

Oh, my word. I don't know what kind of magic is involved in baking those little rolls, but they are out of this world.

I had to freeze them to keep myself from devouring the entire package at once.

So, overall if you're looking for a gluten free treat that's completely worth an hour's drive, check out JP's.