I woke up this morning (Monday) feeling totally bummed that the weekend had come and gone so quickly. I hadn’t meal planned, hadn’t grocery shopped, hadn’t made the girls’ lunches, hadn’t blogged…yeah, I hadn’t done much of anything. My rear was NOT in gear, to say the least.
I was busy. Playing in the sun. Dancing at breweries with my little girlfriends. Working out. Unsuccessfully trying to sleep in. I saw that the spring-like temperatures were going to continue into today and I thought I might take some impromptu PTO to get my life together. Or, to work out and read my book in the sun. 🙂
But then I remembered I had a patient scheduled at 3pm. Oh well, c’est la vie. I got out at lunch for a bit and was able to squeeze in a short run AND a short Peloton ride all before Mark served up dinner. CAN I GET A REPEAT!?
Dinner gets made for me about 1 time a year and I soak it all in. I’m now recalling that he also did ALL of the dishes. He even purchased the ingredients. This might be a first. A girl could get used to this!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I’m a lover of cooking…until it’s really nice outside. When you get 12-16 weeks of good weather a year, you don’t take it for granted, that’s for sure. We were in Chicago this past weekend for Easter and we were sure to sneak in a trip to Trader Joe’s. I stocked up on all of the might-pass-as-healthy-ish foods that I can’t find elsewhere. They’re what I fall back on when I don’t have a plan.
My other go to: recipes that are ACTUALLY quick and easy. Add some steam bags of frozen brown rice and this meal is a breeze, especially if you prep your veggies ahead of time. No fuss and so much flavor. This meal was an attempt at recreating the panang curry at Mama’s Fish House on Maui. I didn’t fully succeed, but this recipe is definitely worthy of runner up. Mark LOVED it and me, too!
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 orange bell pepper, chopped
- 1½ cups crinkle-cut or sliced carrots
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 oz red curry paste
- 1 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
- 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk
- 3 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1½ lbs skinless mahi mahi filets
- zest of 1 lime
- 12 basil leaves, chiffonade
- Heat coconut oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once melted and hot, add the onions. Sauté for 1 minute, then add the carrots; cook for 2-3 minutes before adding the peppers and garlic. Sauté another 2-3 minutes.
- Move the veggies to the sides of the skillet and add the red curry paste and peanut butter; sauté the curry for 2-3 minutes to intensify the flavor, moving around the pan. Then add the coconut milk and fish sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer, reducing heat to medium-low.
- Add the mahi mahi, gently nestling the fish into the curry. Simmer for 10-12 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the lime zest and basil leaves. Serve over rice, if desired.
Weekly Menu: April 21st – 25th
- Sunday: pizza and salad at a brewery with friends
- Monday: grilled chicken, guacamole, fruit (yes, super random – Mark in charge!)
- Tuesday: BLTs and roasted potatoes
- Wednesday: tacos & taco salad
- Thursday: TJ’s orange chicken, brown rice, steamed broccoli
Be well,
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