With our trip to the snow-capped Rockies already receding into memory, I find myself reminiscing about it with the same fondness I feel for the one and only season of Freaks and Geeks. (I’d be such a proud mama if the Double-Os grew up to be Asian Sam Weirs.) Oh, well. Back to reality.
Since returning from Colorado, I’ve been making up for lost time in the kitchen. I hadn’t veered off-course too badly on this trip, but I’d experienced a bit of GI upset that I wanted to remedy with some clean eats. No, I’m not embarking on a full-blown Whole30 like Mel or a coffee-free protocol like Holly, but I did dial in my chow for a few days. I simmered steaming pots of meaty bone broth and chocolate chili, roasted a tray of sweet potatoes, and filled up my defrost bowl with meaty surprises from the freezer.
The payoff? I was Well Fed (punny!) on my first night back at the hospital after diving into a LunchBots Thermal filled with chocolate chili-topped microwaved spaghetti squash.
In the morning, I put on my chauffeur cap and shuttled Big-O to school and Lil-O to gymnastics before coming home to pass out ‘til dinnertime.
Like a vampire, I skulked out of the bedroom after the sun dipped below the horizon, and headed to the kitchen to suck blood make dinner. When I’m groggy, I have to keep my dinner plans simple. I roasted a tray of green beans…
…coated with coconut oil, Red Boat Fish Sauce, and freshly ground pepper…
…and threw together some Asian Cauliflower Fried Rice using chopped-up dregs from my fridge.
For the “rice,” I sliced the florets off a head of cauliflower…
…pulsed them in batches in the trusty Cuisinart…
…and set the bowl of “rice” aside.
As I waited for the coconut oil to melt in my cast iron skillet, I diced half an onion….
…and sliced a handful of mushrooms.
I whisked four eggs with pepper and fish sauce…
…and ladled it into my cast iron griddle to make thin omelets.
Then, I dumped the onions…
…ginger…
…and garlic into the skillet to soften.
I added the mushrooms…
…and dumped in the cauliflower once the ‘shrooms were cooked through.
I seasoned the rice liberally with coconut aminos and (more!) fish sauce before covering the skillet with a lid to allow the veggies to steam.
Once the cauliflower was cooked al dente, I added some thawed leftover carnitas (emergency protein from the freezer!)…
.
…minced cilantro and scallions…
…and the egg omelets, cut into ribbons.
When the rice was ready, I plated the roasted green beans…
…and liberally dressed ’em with balsamic vinegar.
Not too shabby for a garbage meal.*
After putting the kids to bed, I rifled through mail and found a shiny gift addressed to moi from Sarah at Fashletics:
I’m gonna wear this necklace proudly all the time. Like a boss. That way, if I get lost at the mall, someone will be able to Google “Nom Nom Paleo” and figure out how to contact my mommy.
*Garbage Meal: gar·bage meal ˈgär-bij·ˈmēl a portion of food made from ingredients that would otherwise be discarded
