My Afflation

Feeling slightly unprepared Monday : Spicy Lime Beef Salad Tuesday : Second viewing of The Force Awakens at Alamo Draft House!!!!! No cooking for me. Wednesda y: Salmon and Spud Salad Thursday : Curried Cauliflower Soup  Friday (Christmas) : Crown Roast of Lamb (or maybe Mereneese , I have't decided yet or maybe I'll do a Mereneese Crown) Maple buttered roasted carrots Mashed butternut squash Rolls Steamed veggies Lemon pound cake (family recipe) for dessert. Saturday : Leftovers

No really, I am drawing a blank. I'm craving carbs like nobody's business, but you know, inflammation. And if I was just cooking for myself, it would be easier than cooking for the both of us. Last night we had steak salad, IP ate two whole steaks. I think there is a growth spurt on the horizon. Based on what I have in the freezer and minimal shopping, I think I will go with ... a trip around the world. I have severe wanderlust kicking in. Monday :  America - Tilapia (for me) Salmon (for her) with green beans and cherry tomatoes. Tilapia Tuesday :  Mexico - Lettuce Wrapped Tacos (hey, it's Tuesday) Taco fixings Wednesday : India - Chicken Curry (yes, I add peas and carrots to my curry). Chicken Curry Thursday : Caribbean - Jerk Chicken - sweet potato for me, mixed veggies for her. And maybe some plantains. Nom. Jerk chicken on sweet potato Friday : England - Roasted Cornish Game Hens with roast veggies. Cornish hens with squash and ...

I admit, I fell off the bandwagon, a few times lately it seems. We've been eating in/out a lot (thanks +EAT24 ), and a lot of rotisserie chicken, and breakfast for dinner, or popcorn for dinner. I just haven't been motivated, you know? So this morning I gave myself a kick in the ass and went through all of my recipes that could easily be converted to dairy-free, soy-free (the hardest part), and gluten-free. I had no idea how many items have soy in them! We're trying out three different butter alternatives right now. I got some ghee at Trader Joe's for myself (going to try Bulletproof coffee - but with k-cups and coconut oil) and two other brands, one explicitly soy-free, the other has soy lecithin, from Ralphs. I also need to find some coconut aminos (soy sauce alternative), but Joy has been OK with me making any Asian meals with the spices and no sauce (like Beef and Broccoli ). I only made it to the C's in Pepperplate (available for iOS, Android, Windows, an...

Well, this past week was nice, weather-wise, and I forgot to menu plan, so there was a lot of cleaning out the fridge and using a few recipes from the previous week . The lentil stew and red beans and rice made meals for multiple days. In fact, I'm still eating lentil stew. I think I will freeze the rest for a rainy day.  And then I took a look at the upcoming weather and decided that it will just be too damn hot in my apartment when I get home to cook. It's a pleasant 70-something outside now, but between 4-7PM my apartment heats up into the high 80s. The downside of living on the top floor. I seem to have misplaced the lid to my slow cooker. So .... Monday: Avocado Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppyseed Dressing  - with chicken for protein Tuesday: Thai Chicken, Mango, and Pineapple Salad Wednesday: Steak and Arugula Salad  - minus the ciabatta and capers Thursday: Salmon Cucumber Salad with whatever greens are left over from the previous ...

This was so tasty! BLAST - Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, Salmon, Tomato Recipe by Annette Holland Kicking up the standard BLT with salmon and avocado. 5 stars stars Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Total time: 25 minutes Yield: 4 pita sandwiches Ingredients 1 lb skinless salmon fillets 4 slices (turkey) bacon, crumbled 1 cup lettuce 2 avocados 1 beefsteak tomato, sliced to taste Cajun seasoning for dry rub pita wraps mayonnaise or mustard Cooking Directions Heat grill to medium high. Sprinkle the salmon with the Cajun seasoning on both sides and place on grill. Cook about 10 minutes or until the salmon releases on its own. Flip to cook the other side. Add bacon around salmon and cook to desired crispness. While the salmon is cooking, slice your tomatoes and ...

I'm up before the sun to post this. Literally. Sunrise isn't until 6:33 AM. But by then I should be dressed and making breakfast for my daughter, who wants to leave for school at 6:50. Whoever thought up the schedule for middle-schoolers obviously didn't take into account that they (and their parents) need more than five hours of sleep. Lately it's been working out that the weeks that I don't have access to a car are the weeks I have to be frugal. No access to a car means I have to carry the groceries home. I call it strength-training. This week's menu is based on the meats I still have in the freezer. It helps that I already have the most expensive items on hand. I was able to buy everything on the menu, plus lunch items for myself and my daughter for $85. My grocery bill hasn't been that low in a while! Sunday : Pecan-Crusted Chicken with Spinach Cranberry Salad Picky-eater approved Monday : Apple Chicken Sausage, kale (spinach) and (cauliflow...

It's entirely too hot this week, so I had to look for items that required minimal cooking (no slaving over a hot stove for me!) or would generate nukable leftovers. I got all of my shopping done in record time because I did not want to be out in the heat longer than necessary. Sunday : Thai Green Curry .   I cheated. I was buying all of the ingredients (my local grocery store has an abominable Asian section) when I saw this. I already had chicken at home, frozen veggies and fresh peppers in the cart. Win! The kit makes 4-5 servings. I had 2 last night (no rice), my son had a teenager's version of 1 serving and probably finished off the rest of it today for his lunch. Monday: Primal Jambalaya . This will feed me for a few days, lunches included. Adding okra to the mix this week in place of shrimp, my son is allergic to shrimp. Tuesday : Zucchini Frittata Wednesday : Leftovers, if any Thursday:  4th of July! We're going to see the L.A. Galaxy play and eat unhe...

This is another one of those recipes where I just wing it but the results are incredible. It all comes down to the spices. I use Cajun's Choice Creole Seasoning , or you can make your own Cajun Spice. INGREDIENTS: 2 teaspoons salt (or adjust to taste if you want to use less) 2 teaspoons garlic powder  2 1/2 teaspoons paprika  1 teaspoon ground black pepper  1 teaspoon ground white pepper  1 teaspoon onion powder  1 teaspoon cayenne pepper  1 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano  1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme  1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)  DIRECTIONS: 1. Stir everything together. Store in an airtight container. Once you have your choice of seasoning (store bought or homemade), grab your salmon (4 4-6oz steaks or filets), some butter (or olive oil, but it tastes better with butter), a sauté pan and get to cooking. Heat sauté pan until water sizzles when droplets are flicked into it Add 2 tablesp...

Well, it's autumn here in SoCal, and that generally means that the weather can't make up it's mind from one day to the next. Rainy and cold, rainy and warm, almost 80 ... I long for the days where I can wear boots and sweaters without wondering if I am going to create a personal sauna by being overdressed. This past weekend was on the chilly side, so it got me to thinking about fall foods. I usually make a lot of soup and casseroles this time of year. This being Thanksgiving week, I get to cook less, and more. This Thanksgiving will be the smallest I have ever cooked for. Ever. Just two people. It seems ... wrong. Onto the menu! Monday : Broccoli Cheese Soup Tuesday : Baked Salmon  or Chicken Chili Wednesday : Alaskan Pollak with Black Bean Compote Thursday : Thanksgiving! Turkey, Bacon Roasted Potatoes & Aspragus , Cranberry Apricot Relish with Ginger & Orange Zest , biscuits, sweet potato pie -- the turkey and sweet potato pie will be my usual recipes ...

This week I still have a lot of ingredients from last week . The White Bean and Chicken Saute lasted two days plus lunches, the Moroccan Chicken Stew lasted 2+ days (it's still in the fridge. Apparently I'm the only one who really likes couscous when it's made from scratch and not packaged). The Thai Chicken/Mango/Pineapple was a hit and disappeared pretty quickly. Lesson learned : Only one stew/soup per week! So this week we'll have: Monday : Steak Salad -- I started marinating the steak last night for dinner but other plans got in the way so we're having it tonight. Tuesday : Curried Veggie Cubes Wednesday : Crockpot night - lets try that Sweet Potato and Chicken Stew again. Thursday : Cajun Salmon with veggies for me and rice for the kids (I cut out starches for myself and the Hunk most nights) and Rosemary pork chop for the one person who doesn't like salmon. Friday :  Zucchini Parmesan with salad greens Saturday :  It's St. Patrick's Day...

I never did get around to posting this … so for this week, here’s to omega-3 fatty acids :) Truth in reporting, this is one recipe for salmon that is on my list of "To Try". My kids and I all love salmon, but they prefer it baked with veggies , a simple butter and dill seasoning, or with Cajun seasonings. Maple - Dill Glaze 1.5 tsp Dijon Mustard 1TBSP balsalmic vinegar 1/4 cup maple syrup 1/2 tsp finely minced garlic 1 tsp dill weed 1/2 tsp salt 2 TBSP canola oil 4 (4-6 oz.) salmon fillets, rinsed and patted dry 1 (16 oz.) bag frozen vegetables Directions :  1. Whisk together mustard, vinegar, syrup, garlic, dill, and salt. Gradually whisk in oil. Place 3 TBSP glaze in a resealable storage bag with salmon. Marinate for at least an hour in the fridge. 2. Brush grill pan with oil and heat over medium-high heat (or breakout the George Foreman). Once grill is hot, place fillets, skin side up, in pan. Cook 10-12 minutes, turning onc...

My sister has been asking for this recipe for 10 years. What's the big deal you ask? My sister doesn't eat fish. But after having this a few months before I moved to Oregon, she was hooked. I'd like to think it's the only fish she eats. It can't be that bad, right? My son at the time was 4 was has liked this recipe since he was 2. DISCLAIMER: I am one of those cooks who after a while does things from memory and to taste. So there are no measurements in this one. I am also a huge fan of one pan cooking. Ingredients: Salmon fillet (enough to feed you and yours) Olive Oil or butter carrots (baby to sprinkle around the salmon) tomato (sliced) Onion (chopped) Lemon Pepper 13x9 pan Grease your pan with some of the butter or oil, heat the oven to 350°F. Place salmon in middle of pan. Spread a little butter/oil over the top, sprinkle with lemon pepper. Cover with tomato and onion. Place carrots around salmon. Bake for 30-45 minutes o...