Food

Cooking at Home with Sun Basket

04/13/2016 · Leave a Comment

Cooking weekly dinners is something we’re super intentional about. I’m often asked about meal planning, because I do it religiously, and it makes life so much easier. However, last week Sun Basket took the load off us! And I want to take the load off you, so make sure to enter our giveaway for a free week of Sun Basket meals!

The Sun Basket box arrived refrigerator packed with fresh ingredients I pre-selected from their weekly menu. First up, we tried the pan-roasted salmon. We’re not talking farm-raised fish. This wild caught salmon is the real deal. We followed the recipe card and in less than half an hour all three of us scarfed down this flavorful and flaky salmon dinner. PS – sometimes wild-caught salmon can taste extra fishy, but whether because it was so well-seasoned or just super fresh, both Ryan and I remarked how much we enjoyed the taste. The artichoke pilaf side paired really well with the salmon, plus I’ve never cooked with fregola before (it’s a lot like cous-cous) so was excited to not only try a new recipe but a new ingredient all together.

^Toasting the fregola.

Ryan wins MVP of the house while I’m pregnant. He’s taken over dinner-making duties on many a night since growing a human pretty much zaps your energy. He’s a keeper. We annihilated the lemongrass and coriander-crusted pork loin with Asian greens before getting any photos, but suffice it to say, it was real good. Equally important to us, the meat was hormone and antibiotic free!

Hard to pick a favorite but the grilled sirloins with roasted poblanos and New Mexican chile sauce had me wishing I was eating for more than just two. Oh and three cheers for grass-fed beef.

Overall, I was super impressed with the quality of the ingredients. I feel a little crazy admitting there are days when I travel to as many as three separate grocery stores for hard to find grass-fed, pasture raised meats or organic, non-GMO produce. To have it all delivered is such a luxury. Also when comparing similar services, it can be tricky for me to find dairy-free options, so it’s worth mentioning how accommodating Sun Basket is of various food aversions. Now your turn! If you’re into it and want to try it out, we’re giving away a free week of meals on my Instagram!

P.S. You can use this link to get $30 off your first order.

This post is in partnership with Sun Basket, whose products we genuinely use and love in our own home. Thanks for reading and supporting the sponsors who support our family!

Semi-Homemade Strawberry Galettes

04/12/2016 · Leave a Comment

After strawberry picking, Hudson decided we should make strawberry pie. I concurred. But we cheated a little using puff pastry dough and went for more of a free form tart. Totally the way to go if your sous-chef is three years old. Hudson made his very own smaller version and ate it like a pizza. Here he is proud as punch about it:

Everyone loves puff pastry but the filling is the real star of the show. Our strawberries were insanely fresh and delicious on their own, but roasting strawberries brings out their natural sugars anyway, so no worries if you’re going store-bought.

Ingredients

all butter puff pastry dough (find in the frozen section at your grocer)
3 cups strawberries, roughly chopped
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
juice from one lemon
1.5 Tbsp cornstarch
1 egg beaten (for egg wash)
powdered sugar for sprinkling

Prepare

Place dough on a parchment lined sheet tray. We did a couple of smaller tarts for the littles and made the big one for everyone else. Divvy up the dough however you see fit.
Pile berries on dough, leaving the edges free from filling.
Fold the edges up around the strawberries.
Place tray with galettes in the freezer for 10 minutes while preheating oven to 350°F.
Brush edges of chilled galettes with egg wash, then sprinkle sugar on top. Bake until crust is slightly brown and crisp and filling bubbly, about 30 minutes.
Serve with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Eat up!

St. Patty’s Day Picnic + 5 Minute Hummus

03/18/2016 · Leave a Comment

Today’s St. Patrick’s Day picnic lunch included a childhood favorite – ants on a log, whole wheat pitas with green (cilantro lime) hummus, and lucky gold coins! This 5-minute hummus recipe is my go to. I first make a batch of cilantro lime hummus, set some aside for Hudson and then add in jalapeño to the rest of it, because us parents like it spicy!

5-MINUTE CILANTRO JALAPEÑO HUMMUS

Ingredients

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro – roughly chopped
1/2 jalapeño, or more to taste – roughly chopped
2 limes, juiced
salt, to taste
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Prepare

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until hummus reaches a smooth paste-like consistency. Hold the jalapeño if making a separate batch for the little tykes.

Hudson loves it! Especially when paired with a shamrock-shaped pita.

Lunchbox is c/o Planetbox.

the best lemonade recipe in the whole world

01/05/2016 · Leave a Comment

Our baby bean is the size of a lemon! To celebrate, we made my very favorite homemade lemonade recipe – my papa’s. It has ruined restaurant lemonade for me, because it’s 100 times better. It’s just a little sweet and a lot tart and just how I love it.

It helps if you make lemon glasses to go with your lemon juicing.

By the way, our “sugar” canister label is a free printable by Ann Marie Loves. You can download the whole pantry set of labels right here.

Ryan is a champion juggler – seriously impresses me every time.

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (roughly 12 lemons – just depends on size)
4.5 cups water
1.5 cups ice

Prepare

Combine sugar, lemon juice, and water, stirring vigorously until sugar dissolves.
Add ice, allowing a bit of time for ice to melt before serving.

I made Mindy Kaling’s Favorite Pasta

09/16/2015 · Leave a Comment

And it turned out delicious. I just made a few healthy tweaks, and substituted bow tie pasta for orecchiette, so Hudson would be excited to try it.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large yellow Spanish onion, thinly sliced
12 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 dried arbol chiles
Kosher salt
1 bunch Swiss chard, roughly torn apart
3/4 pound fennel sausage
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 cup chicken stock
3 teaspoons unsalted butter
12 ounces whole wheat bow tie pasta

Pulled Pork Tacos featured on Babble

07/02/2015 · Leave a Comment

These tacos will disappear on ya, because YUM. Plus, the slow cooker does all the heavy lifting and makes food prep easy peasy. Thanks to Babble for featuring them along with my stuffed hasselback sweet potato recipe in the unlikely event there are leftovers.

Pulled Pork (base recipe)

Makes approximately 7 cups shredded pork

1 4 to 5 pound boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
3 Tablespoons (divided) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons paprika
1 Tablespoon of chile powder
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1Tablespoon kosher salt
1-2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
2 dried chipotle or ancho chiles
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 Tablespoons tomato paste

Lemon Garlic Pasta

03/31/2015 · Leave a Comment

This pasta is my favorite! It was just featured in the spring issue of Emma Magazine, so you know it’s legit. You could totally sub the pasta for a spaghetti squash to make it super healthy.

INGREDIENTS

1 package angel hair pasta
4 tablespoons olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lemon, zested and juiced
salt and pepper to taste
handful of parsley, roughly chopped

PREPARE

Cook pasta according to package instructions.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add red pepper flakes and garlic slices and cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant, stirring frequently.
Add tomato halves and stir until they just begin to break down (3-4 minutes).
Once pasta has finished cooking, strain and add to the skillet with tomatoes and garlic. Stir until well combined. Add zest and juice from lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve topped with parsley.

Thanks to Constance Higley for the pretty photo!

Cranberry Pear Crumble

02/18/2015 · 1 Comment

This crumble comes together so easily, but still manages major wow factor. Best part? You can toss in just about any fruit you happen to have lying around. I chose cranberries, apples, and pears, but it’s just as delicious with mixed berries and stone fruit. Mmmm…a blueberry peach crumble? Yeah, sign me up for that too.

Ingredients

For the filling:

2 large granny smith apples
2 large red pears
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch fine salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut in pieces

Prepare

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Slice apples and pears into 1/4-inch slices. Toss slices with cranberries, sugar, lemon juice, flour, and cinnamon. Spread evenly in a lightly greased baking dish. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, gently work cold butter into the flour mixture until pea-sized lumps are formed. Do not overmix.
Sprinkle mixture evenly over the fruit and bake until fruit begins to bubble, about 50 minutes.
Remove crumble from oven. Serve on its own or a la mode!

Photography by Stancy Higley