Yesterday, I almost poked my eyes out. The girls were just…a lot. Emotional, cranky. I was much of the same, if I’m being honest. I didn’t get out of my jammies until 7pm at which point I showered and put on clean jammies. We then watched Onward which you guyssssss….so cute. Mark and I then watched Bad Boys for Life…good, but not as good as Bad Boys II.
We just had “porch pictures” done – us on the porch, photographer in the lawn. The girls had cute Easter dresses that I’m too lazy to return/don’t want to go to the UPS store “unnecessarily”. I did my hair and make-up and you guys, my husband holla’ed at me. His eyes were like, “Um, hiiiii beautiful…” and out of his mouth was an actual compliment. Mark the calendar (pun intended). This never happens. But for real, getting ready (with the exception of a bra – those remain the devil) kind of felt…refreshing. It was weird.
The one thing remaining constant through this pandemic? Meal planning. If anything, I’m planning MORE because you guys, if you’re fortunate enough to land a grocery delivery time slot, you sure as heck want ALL that you want/need/could potentially need on the list.
In the meantime, I am surveying what we’ve got. Getting creative. Whittling down the reserves, especially things like chili that may not be as desirable in July. For some, anyway. I want chili always. It’s the most perfect food, obviously.
I’m making smoothies at an alarming rate. All those many, many, many pounds of strawberries, cherries, blueberries picked? They’re nearly gone. The pesto from Mr. Prevention’s BOUNTIFUL basil hauls? Nearly gone. We’ll finish it up this week. I’m probably not exaggerating when I say I froze a gallon of homemade pesto last summer…
I was planning my weekly menu and came across most everything I needed for homemade chicken noodle soup. Except celery, which was promptly added to the grocery delivery order. I mean, here in Michigan, spring isn’t ready to stick around just yet and with all this indoor time, cozy soups just seem appropriate.
In the same boat? Serve up this Easy Pork (or swap in a protein of choice…or not, whatever) Ramen. What screams “lazy days” more than RAMEN? Except this is the delicious and bougie version that your family will not only enjoy but get some nutrition from, too. Enjoy!
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 64 oz low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp mirin
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped and divided
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms
- 1 bunch baby bok choy, thinly sliced
- 2 tsp miso paste
- 4 boiled eggs (soft or hard), halved
- 8 oz dry ramen or Chinese noodles
- 8 oz cooked pork tenderloin, thinly sliced (leftovers work great)
- 2 Tbsp sambal oelek
- Heat olive oil in a pot. Once hot, add the garlic and ginger; saute 1 minute. Add the broth, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, mirin and white parts of the sliced green onion. Bring to a steady simmer; reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook eggs and noodles according to preference (hard vs soft boiled) and noodles according to package directions.
- Add the mushrooms and bok choy; cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the miso until well-combined.
- Divided noodles into 4 bowls. Top with ¼ the broth and vegetables, followed by 2 ounces warm pork, 1 egg, green portion of the sliced green onions, and ½ tablespoon sambal oelek.
Weekly Menu: April 5th – 11th
- Sunday: Creamy Garlic Tuscan Salmon with asparagus and garlic noodles
- Monday: steak, buttermilk mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli
- Tuesday: beef tacos with corn and Spanish rice + avocado
- Wednesday: carry-out
- Thursday: Buffalo Chicken Lasagna (some version of this)
- Friday: Shrimp and Crab Ravioli (from freezer) with pesto and sauteed zucchini
- Saturday: carry-out or pizza delivery
Be well,
Oh my goodness! This really look so tasty and this actually made me so hungry. Thank you much for sharing!