Mr. Prevention has a “man cold” and so Shea and I went to Chicago today to celebrate Easter with my family. We did brunch, church service, and then chatted back at home before we hit the road in time for a late nap. It was a quick visit but always nice to see family and friends.
Chicago traffic was non-existent at 8am on Easter morning and so I made it door-to-door in 90 minutes exactly – the best time I’ve ever made. This was fortunate due to the fact that Shea had just gotten up for the day and so to throw her in a car seat for 1 ½ hours was not enjoyable for her. Thank goodness for snacks and kids music.
Knowing we were taking our little trip today, I had grocery shopped yesterday after quickly planning an easy weekly menu. I don’t know if it’s the pregnancy or what, but I haven’t had any desire to cook lately. And as a result, there have been few leftovers to take to work for lunch. I think I bought lunch at work 3 days last week and that has never happened before. I’m a leftover lover.
Of course some leftovers are better than others, but all things considered, I’m not picky.
The night I made these Chopped Chicken Sesame Noodle Bowls, I served everything warm. As leftovers, I ate everything cold. I’m not sure which I liked best – they were both wonderful! But leftovers that don’t even require microwaving? Love it lots.
I doubled up on the noodles and upped the veggies substancially. I also doubled the peanut sauce because, well, I wanted to make sure there was enough peanut-y goodness to go around. The sauce was good enough to drink!
- ⅓ cup sesame oil
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbsp ginger paste
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup natural peanut butter
- ½ cup water
- 3 Tbsp sesame seeds
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved to thin width-wise
- ¼ tsp salt and black pepper, to taste
- 8 oz uncooked soba noodles
- 2 cucumbers, seeded and diced
- 9 carrots, shredded
- 1 cup cilantro, loosely packed
- In a mini food prep or food processor, pulse the sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, salt, peanut butter, and water until well-incorporated and smooth. Stir in the sesame seeds and red pepper flakes.
- Heat oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until golden brown; flip and cook until browned and cooked through. Add about ⅓ of the prepared sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove chicken and allow to cool slightly; cut into thin strips, dice, or shred between two forks.
- Meanwhile, cook soba noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside; keep hot if serving dish warm.
- Toss the cooked noodles with the remaining sauce; stir in the cucumber, carrot, cilantro, and chicken. Serve hot or cold, as desired.
- Sunday: soup from the freezer – Vegetable Soup for me and Jalapeno Lime Chicken Soup for him
- Monday: English muffin pizzas with salad and asparagus
- Tuesday: Salmon Fajita Salad Bowls
- Wednesday: dinner out with friends
- Thursday: Slow Cooker Creamy Parmesan Tomato Soup
Be well,
