What I am NOT doing:
*Planning Meals at all — every night is a wild free for all or a negotiation between Garrett and I about who should cook or whether should we go out to dinner. Again.
*Having ANY desire to cook
*CrossFitting with any regularity (I MISS YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU ARCfit!)
*Responding to blog comments in a timely manner
*Making time to blog about all of the awesome stuff I have been reading lately
*Freaking out about everything anymore. So this is progress.
What I AM doing:
*Chugging away at the day job, and doing pretty well
*Getting outside for at least 30 minutes every day in the sunshine
*Sleeping 8+ hours per night
*Eating mostly paleo (plus corn chips! Oh, corn chips, I WISH I KNEW HOW TO QUIT YOU. Except, no I don’t because OMG YOU ARE SO DELICIOUS. Yes, yes I do want to quit you.)
*Diligently working on a gut healing protocol that involves some supplementation
*Diligently working on a cortisol lowering protocol that involves some supplementation
*Making time to read both fiction and non-fiction
*Drinking DECAF coffee at work! (Don’t worry, still drinking caffeinated at home)
*Feeling like I’m starting to figure things out
***************
I guess what I’m saying is we’re getting there. Life has been crazy for a bit, but it is definitely on the upswing. I am making progress, slowly but surely in some areas and very rapidly in other areas. It’s all a delicate balance and HEY! on Monday it is about to be turned upside down again. I mentioned a couple Friday’s ago that Garrett + I are going to be shaking up our routines shortly, and part of that is because Garrett basically got his dream job. WHICH IS AWESOME! And has been a loooooooooooooooong time coming! But also, it means instead of working part time and being done with work everyday around noon, he will be back to the 9-5 grind starting on Monday. This means both of us are going to be packing breakfast and lunch, and I am feeling a little bit panicked about that because HELLO, PLEASE READ ABOVE ON MY LIST OF WHAT I AM NOT DOING RIGHT NOW. KITCHEN TASKS ARE NON EXISTANT!
Guess that’ll get remedied this weekend or we’ll starve. 🙂
So! Lots of exciting changes. It’s a change of pace for both of us, but luckily I’ve just about got my feet under me at work, so it is so great that it will be Garrett’s turn to be challenged professionally. And you guys, he is so. damn. excited and happy about it which is great to see! While I’m nervous about what life will look like with both of us working so much, and of course what it will look like re-negotiating all of the household stuff (that has been Garrett’s domain for 3 years now…I think we may need to enlist some PROFESSIONAL HELP…EEEP!) I am mostly excited because two full time incomes mean there is a lot more financial flexibility when it comes to planning weddings and having babies. And I’m pretty sure my whole family (and maybe the internet) will sigh with relief when we finally stop talking about that stuff and starting doing it, ya know?
Anyway, since we are on the cusp of this big transition, and since I have about 48 hours to get my kitchen mojo back — can you guys help me out? I need to pick your brains about the following:
*Your favorite portable (paleo, preferably) breakfasts
*Your favorite quick weeknight dinners
I just need a little inspiration. (Frankly I need a little THINSIPIRATION too! Especially if we are going to start talking weddings. But that is a whole other blog post. And I’ll get there, so whatever for now!) I know I have been the crappiest at replying to comments lately, but if you have any ideas, wisdom or links to share that are helping you get through juggling full time jobs and transitions and all of that — HOOK A SISTER UP! 🙂
I usually bring breakfast to work, and either heat it up at home to eat in the car, or heat it up at work to eat at my desk! For the past few months (maybe longer), I’ve made an egg casserole on Sunday, and then have a slice every day. You can switch up the veggies/meat/spices to keep it interesting. This might help: http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2006/01/breakfast-casserole-many-wayswho-knew.html
There’s also a bajillion egg casserole/muffin recipes on the internets.
ALWAYS have frozen meats on the ready – steak, pork chops, chicken. You can put them in the fridge the morning of, or the night before. Grill those babies for dinner, add some veggies, and you’re good! Shouldn’t take too long. Good luck!
First, CONGRATS to Garrett!!! That’s so exciting! Awww… Our boys are growing up Holly. 🙂
Second, for breakfasts I’m a hardboiled egg + sweet potato or green smoothie girl. It’s one of those every single day.
As for quick dinners, chopping & dumping ingredients into a crockpot is one of my favorites since it means deliciousness the moment you get home. My other quick go-to is stirfries/sautees. Super quick & you can throw anything you want in – My current favorite flavoring is powdered peanut butter + sesame oil. Holy DELICIOUS.
I can’t get over how excited I am for Garrett! Give him a hug for me. 🙂
Hey! Am de-lurking to say congrats! Have been reading for a while but not been brave enough to comment yet 😉
I also struggle with the kitchen prep stuff! We try to be paleo but I’m a bit useless at resisting temptation (have just eaten a bowl of cornflakes for dinner…faileo!) but with a busy job, husband with busy job and long commute, and lovely toddler to bath and put to bed, I hear ya with the quick dinners! We make a ‘chicken and stuff’ dish which is a great quick meal – basically stir-fry chopped onion and chicken, add a tin of chopped tomatoes and a squirt of tomato puree, some chilli flakes, paprika and whatever other spices you fancy, then chop up whatever stir-fry-able veg you have lying about (we like peppers, sliced carrot and courgette) and cook for about 10 min, then serve with some cheese on top if you are dairy-eaters – cheddar, feta or wensleydale (can you get that in the US?) works well. Then chow down! 15 min from start to eat. Magic.
Wishing you lots of good kitchen vibes for the weekend! 🙂
Congrats to him! How awesome!
The crockpot has been my friend when I’m having a busy life. Lately, Mr. Darcy and I go for a walk before dinner which means we’re eating late (he doesn’t get home until close to 7!). I’m a fan of putting a whole chicken in the crockpot with lemon and onion and herbs on low for 7 hours. The meat just falls off! Pair with a salad or some (pre) roasted veggies and you’re dining on deliciousness. Can you pre-grill a bunch of meat on the weekend? You know how to prep so you’ll figure this out.
As for quick breakfast, an almond milk smoothie saves my ass every time.
Excited to hear plans for a wedding and babies. 🙂 I know it’s the norm for brides to fret about how they will look on their wedding day and start freaking out about being “thin enough”- and my unsolicited advice is: you will be beautiful and beaming and it will not matter if you lost or gained 5lbs. I promise you.
I agree wholeheartedly on the wedding advice. And yes….SLOW COOKER NATION. That is what I am going to start calling my house…so we don’t starve. 🙂
P.S. about the wedding and dieting thing…when I got married, I was trying on dresses and asked the sales lady which size I should order and she asked ‘well what size do you want to be?’ – I thought this was totally ridiculous! I am the size I am, and my husband loves me just as I am and there is so much more to a wedding than the size on the dress – it’s just a day, albeit a lovely one, but you get married for the marriage not for the wedding! Holly, you look fabulous just as you are, and Garrett loves you just as you are, so just pick a dress you are comfortable in and that you like and screw the pre-wedding deprivation diet!
I’ll stop waffling now… 😉 just something I feel strongly about!
This is my recipe but I LOVE these made into muffins with blueberries. I also have an apple muffin recipe on my site that works well for work.
http://www.pudgytopaleo.com/2012/09/wlc-day-2-and-banana-eggcakes.html
I like these the best because they’re made almost entirely out of egg but don’t taste a thing like it. Good luck with your new transition, what a fun and exciting time!
YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM! Thanks Sara!
1. With you on the corn chips. Chips + salsa + guac = party in my mouth!
2. With you on the family saying “Whhhheeeennnn are you going to get married already??” My reason? WHEN MY BATWINGS DISAPPEAR, OKAY? Geesh.
3. Congratulations, Garrett!!
Ohmygod…Batwings! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I hear you girl. I’m not one to be like “oh I need to be skinny for my wedding” but man I’d love to have some crazy buff arms! 🙂
I like to mimic starbucks’ protein plate for breakfast – a hardboiled egg, apple & almond butter or some other fruit, a little cheese, maybe some prosciutto. Very little prep and you can grab what you feel like that morning. Otherwise I’ll make a frittata or egg muffins and snack on them while I’m getting ready or when I get to work.
Good luck with the changes!
Good call. Thanks Juliann!
ah how weird, i wrote a comment about food before the P.S. comment (which now totally doesn’t make sense!) but I guess the interweb ate it…start again!
Congrats to Garrett! You must be so proud 🙂 I hear you re quick dinners – things are busy for us too. One of our favourite go-to quick meals is a tomatoey stir-fry – onion, chicken, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, chilli flakes, paprika, whatever veg you have lying about (peppers, courgette and carrots works well), cook for about 10-15 mins and top with some cheese if you are dairy-eaters and voila! Dinner is good to go 🙂
Sending you good kitchen vibes! (please delete this if the other comment turns up…can you tell I’m usually a lurker rather than a commenter?!)
This isn’t necessarily a long term strategy, but I’m finishing up my dissertation next week and made 2 good choices to avoid procrastinating-via-cooking and then getting more stressed. 1) I focused on deli and ready-to-eat meats, plus cheese and hardboiled eggs for protein, and stocked up on carrots, celery, and apples–grabbable, easy to eat things. 2) I ordered extra Thai takeout and stretched it over several days (yeah, kind of cheating and a financial indulgence! But totally worth it.) Otherwise, I think you know the drill–giant batches of fritatta and stew! Good luck with the transition. 🙂
Thanks Arien! Good stuff. I think I’m going to have to start with some convenience stuff and work to streamline everything else. Deli meats, etc are always fun lunches I think. So thanks for your thoughts!
Wow! Congrats Garrett! Woo!
Try roasted shrimp & broccoli… Easy and delicious.
You know, I always forget how easy shrimp is. Good reminder!
My absolute favorite paleo breakfast besides doing the whole egg-thing is to take 1/2 cup of frozen berries, microwave them a little so they’re not icy then mix about a cup of applesauce with 4 tablespoons of chia seeds, a spoonful of cashew or almond butter and a heaping scoop of vanilla protein powder. Keeps me full and it tastes delicious!
Hey, that sounds pretty tasty!
I heartily recommend the weekend cookup a’la Melissa Joulwan – see either Well Fed or It Starts With Food for lots of great ideas!
Leftovers work great for breakfast AND lunches – scramble eggs in the microwave if you get into a pinch!
Yes, the weekend cookup saves me everytime. Now if I could just get motivated to DO IT! 🙂
I’m a big fan of mini egg muffins, hard boiled eggs, fruit, and (too many) Larabars for bfast!
For dinner I’ve been tearing it up with my crockpot… and you’ll never guess what blog I found the inspiration from 😉
http://hollywouldifshecould.net/2011/04/easy-weeknight-paleo-crockpot-recipe/
http://everydaypaleo.com/cumin-spiced-slow-cooked-pork/
http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/10/16/slow-cooker-italian-pork-roast/
Congrats to your man 😀
Thanks lady! Yes, I need to be one with my crockpot I think! That and my grill.
Have you tried plantain chips?…I’ve found that plantain chips satisfy my corn-chip craving without hurting my tummy. One of my fave brown-bag breakfasts are these awesome breakfast sandwiches from multiplydelicious.com http://www.multiplydelicious.com/thefood/2012/09/sausage-and-egg-sandwich/.
Easy to make a batch on Sunday to have all week. Hope you like them!
That recipe looks great! And yes, I love plantain chips. Good call…maybe I will use that to wean myself. 🙂
I always bring my breakfast to work. It’s usually a couple hard-boiled eggs, an avocado, spinach and sauerkraut. Sometimes sweet potatoes too. I also pack meat like shredded chicken or browned ground beef sometimes.
My favorite quick weeknight meal: quick to me is under 30 minutes. Burgers are definitely a favorite quickie (just on a salad instead of a bun, or with portobello caps for buns!). I make taco salad a lot too. Just brown and season ground beef, make some pico de gallo and chop up an avocado.
Another tip: if you don’t have one yet, get a pressure cooker. It’s makes cooking SO much faster. Like, delicious pot roast in 30 minutes fast.
Yes, I NEEEEEEEED a pressure cooker. Do you have a particular one you recommend? It’s such a scary purchase for me, I don’t know why!
I just went with Nom Nom Paleo’s suggestion and got a Fagor. I have the Duo in 8 quarts. SO worth the money. I use it almost everyday.
I have the Presto 6-qt. Definitely the bottom of the price range, and sans bells and whistles, but once I got over the idea that it might blow up (it won’t), I really enjoy it!
http://www.amazon.com/Presto-01362-6-Quart-Stainless-Pressure/dp/B00006ISG6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367023620&sr=8-1&keywords=presto+pressure+cooker
This is the one I really want, though:
http://www.amazon.com/Fagor-8-Quart-Stainless-Steel-Pressure-Steamer/dp/B00023D9RG/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1367023648&sr=1-2&keywords=fagor+pressure+cooker
Hey! Congratulations on the full-time job!
P.S. Housecleaners are the BEST money ever spent.
Thanks, lady! Yeah, I’m thinking a house cleaner is going to be a necessity. I just can’t hang with dust and dog hair for too long and I don’t want to spend my few hours per week ALWAYS cleaning. No fun!
My favorite breakfast of late is chicken sausage (pre-cooked kind), 1/2 an avocado and eggs. I also do hard boiled eggs and smoothies. If you have a good blender (Vitamix or Ninja) then it’ll take 30 secs to fix your smoothie.
I’m a huge fan of the crockpot. Whole chickens, cheap cuts of meat, etc. You can cook it and then shred it and eat on salads, wraps, etc.
I’m also a fan of fish in the warmer months. I probably only cook 2 nights per week, but when I do, I’ll cook more so we have food for lunch. I also do Sunday weekend prep for the week.
For lunches I do a protein on lettuce or kale. Simple but effective. Then you add in other veggies you have or hummus or whatever.
Also, shop at Costco. We get meat, eggs, almond butter, etc there. It’s helpful to have the freezer full. On weekends we’ll take our proteins out so we can cook them Sunday or Monday night.
I don’t meal plan but try to have 2 different proteins, assortment of veggies ready and 2 different types of lettuce (usually kale and arugula). From this you can make tons of different combos. I’m not 100% paleo so I also eat rice tortillas and rice cheese a lot :-).
With two of us working full time jobs and part-time jobs/hobbies, we are rarely home during the week together. Remember, it’s okay if the house gets a little messy. Emptying the dishwasher takes 5 minutes. Clean and stack dishes while you cook. I also try and do a load of laundry each day or every other. I fold and put it away on nights when I’m catching up on TiVo.
Congrats to both of you on your new ventures!
Cooking just a couple nights a week is definitely going to be my strategy…especially because I never mind eating the same things a couple days in a row. Thanks for the suggestions. Now if I could just get a dishwasher in my kitchen LIFE WOULD BE PERFECT!!! 🙂
When I know I’m going to be busy I have survived off your breakfast casserole ideas…I just throw in whatever veggies and meat I want, so YOU are my inspiration there lol.
Dinner–my recent fave is this blackened spice I found pre-mixed at my farmer’s market (PS it’s salt free!). I basically put it on anything: chicken, burgers, veggies. I’ll throw a chicken breast on my George Foreman with some blackening spice on both sides, roast some brussels or asparagus w/ olive oil, salt & pepper and thyme and it’s SO FREAKING GOOD.
Ooooh, I have a good blackening seasoning recipe and have never thought about it in burgers. Good call! Thanks for the suggestions!
I do green smoothies almost every morning for breakfast, you do have to actually, you know, put the spinach, etc. in the blender and turn it on, but other than that, it’s pretty much a no-brainer. 🙂
Here’s my rock-bottom, totally-forgot-to-make-packable-lunch-or-even-have-ingredients-on-hand go-to: a can of tuna, salmon, or sardines with a dollop of homemade mayo, a pinch of whatever seasonings I can grab in 10 seconds and maybe a couple of jalapeño rings. Bonus points if I have carrots on hand to scoop it up or some lettuce I can throw it on top of to make a “salad”. It ain’t pretty, and you have to looooove the canned fish, but I almost always have it on hand and it gets me out the door without caving and going to Chipotle for lunch later on.
My hubby and I both work full-time too. He works 7-7 most nights, and I work 8-5 then head to the gym, so I’m usually home around 7 as well. Pre-planning meals on the weekend and making very simple dinners through the week helps us stay on track with our eating.
I usually make a large egg casserole with either ground beef or pork plus spinach and whatever other veggies I feel like in a 9×13″ casserole, cut it into 10 pieces, and we each get one every day of the week. My hubby will take some fruit to have mid-morning to keep him full, and I will make a simple green smoothie to have with mine. It keeps me full until about 11:30 and I have lunch at noon.
I make a roast of some kind in the slow-cooker every weekend, and roast a bunch of sweet potatoes whole, and chopped up veggies in the oven. That serves as my hubby’s lunches through the week, and I normally have some version of a taco salad because like you, I’m addicted. I make a dressing out of avocado and coconut milk, which is a nice sour cream substitution! I make 5 salads on Sunday, but leave out anything like olives or roasted red peppers that might make the lettuce wilt and add those in the night before I’m going to eat it.
Dinner is usually some pre-marinated meat cooked on the George Foreman (for the speed – also I don’t have a BBQ)along with leftover roasted veg, or I’ll make more if I’m out – it only takes about 15 minutes to roast anyway. Some nights when I’m feeling more ambitious I might do something like Beef Stroganoff, or Shrimp curry, but it’s usually just grilled meat and veg. Anything that takes less than 20 minutes to get on the table is my friend. If I’m really pressed for time, we might just have some of that roast I made on the weekend.
On Fridays, I make Garbage Stew. It sound gross, but it’s awesome. I just brown a package of italian sausage, add an onion, some garlic, and whatever leftover veggies and/or meat are still in my fridge from the week. Anything goes. I’ll add some chicken or beef stock, a can of tomato paste and whatever spices I’m in the mood for. Fridge cleaned and ready for groceries, plus nothing goes to waste.
Hopefully something in there is helpful to you. Have a good weekend!
On Sunday, we do a big cook up (probably like you are planning). There’s three of us in the house that eat paleo, so it takes quite a bit of organization. I have found my favorite breakfast to be a recipe out of Everyday Paleo. It’s the Garden Fresh Meatballs (I think), but instead of making meatballs, I use mini-loaf pans, so that I’m not spending a ton of time making meatballs (I’m really slow).
My favorite, easy, quick, paleo dinner, is Philly cheesesteak stuffed peppers. They also reheat AMAZINGLY for lunches at work. Everytime I make them, people at work are drooling. I actually made them tonight when I got home from work around 8pm. So happy I did!
http://fattygalnomore.com/2013/03/10/holy-long-time-without-a-post-batman/
I too am de-lurking to say congrats… and to say my go to bfast for two years has been a banana and 1/4 cup of nuts. Great for the car/bus ride and easy. I’m not too hungry in the a.m. so this small meal gets me going.
I’m super happy for you both! Mostly, I practice intermittent fasting in the morning so I have coffee for breakfast. When I do decide to eat, it’s usually egg muffins (prepared ahead of time) or scrambled eggs made in the microwave at work (with some veggies and bacon tossed in for flavor). I don’t care for boiled eggs, but those are a super portable option too. As for cooking, it doesn’t happen during the week. I make everything on Sunday and we eat on it the entire week. I typically make spaghetti with spaghetti squash, paleo chicken salad (like waldorf salad version), egg drop soup (with some chicken thrown in), steak, bunless burgers and lots of veggies…I make those every week and then throw in a few different dishes to change things up (fish, stuffed bellpeppers, meatballs, lamb, etc). Eating well will not happen if I don’t cook ahead on the weekend so I always set aside time to do it.
ps. A professional cleaning service is SO worth the money, worth your sanity and your weekend time!