Bum bum bum

I feel like a bum pretty much most of the time. Am I the only one? I realized today that I was given an invite to a birthday party for one of the kids at daycare. Totally forgot about it. Never RSVPd. Never went. Bum. Mac’s room pretty much always smells like poo, because even though the Diaper Genie rocks, it is apparently no match for what my kid produces, and I don’t stay on top of emptying it every 7.4 hours like apparently I should be doing. Total bum. I haven’t been on top of posting weekly recipes in a really really long time either. I’m still cooking, taking photos (if we can call them that), and making new things, but I never get around to actually posting. Compleeeeeete bum.

Is it weird that the one thing I’m never a bum with is online shopping? Save me, Nordstrom. FREE SHIPPING AND FREE RETURNS AAAAAND FREE SAMPLES. Gah. Hook, line, and sinker. In a previous order I got a sample of La Prairie facial cream. Loved the smell of it, so looked it up to purchase a full size. Learned it costs $400. Wish I would’ve been way more stingy with my lone sample.

Anyway. Back to me being a bum.

I made some soup last week, which is news, because I’m not really that into soups. WHAT. I think it’s for the same reason I’m not a huge fan of ice cream. WHAAAAAT. I like chewing my food, and I dunno, liquidy things usually aren’t my jam. But this soup was prettttttty decent. My two food critics ate it up too, so I deem it post-worthy.

Sausage & White Bean Soup

-1 lb mild Italian turkey sausage (I can only find the links at the store but if you twist the links, it’s easy to get the meat out of the casings)

-1 small yellow onion, diced

-1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

-1 box (32 oz) low sodium vegetable broth (could sub chicken broth as well)

-1 can white beans (I used cannellini), drained and rinsed

-1 can diced tomatoes, pre-seasoned with basil/oregano (use plain diced tomatoes if your store doesn’t have this)

-1/4 teaspoon pepper

-1/2 cup half and half or sub with 2%/whole milk

-2 cups fresh baby spinach, rinsed

One pot easy-ness. Heat up your pot to medium-high heat and saute meat, breaking up into small pieces. Once meat is almost cooked, add onions and garlic and saute. Add a teaspoon or two of olive oil if the meat is dry (turkey tends to be lean). Turn heat to low, add broth, beans, whole can of tomatoes (do not drain).  Add pepper. Bring heat up to medium-low and let simmer for 10+ minutes. Just before serving, add cream and spinach. Turn off heat and cover. Let sit for a few minutes to allow spinach to slightly wilt. No one wants slimy spinach, but no one wants crunchy raw spinach. You be the judge here.

I served these with the chintziest garlic breadsticks ever, but in case you’re curious-

Easy Garlic Breadsticks

-4 whole wheat hot dog buns, cut in half length-wise

-Tub spread (like Smart Balance)

-McCormick garlic bread sprinkle (I find mine at Target)

Heat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spread just enough butter on each bun half to cover. Generously sprinkle the garlic bread powder. Optional- add shaved Parmesan. Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until desired doneness. Each breadstick is only ~75 calories.

And in case you think I'm exaggerating about being a bum, this is apparently the only pic I took of the soup. Bummety-bummety-BUM.

Soup makes 4 generous servings: 370 calories, 28 g protein, 25 g carbs, 16 g fat

Reso-blew-tions

Flappy blue cheer!

Or happy new year. Whichever.

I am resolving (this is BIG) to (wait for it…) not make any resolutions. Bleh. More power to people who would like to, and I know in the past I’ve been big on it, but you know? 2015 was just fine! And hoping 2016 will be too.

Yeah, “just fine.”

I’m easy to please.

Oh hey speaking of easy to please, I made an old recipe last night with a few variations which are worth reposting.

Thai Meatballs with Coconut Sweet Pepper Rice

1 lb ground pork

1 lb ground chicken

2 cups carrots, finely diced

1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

~1/3 cup (loosely packed) chopped fresh cilantro

2 eggs

1 teaspoon powdered ground ginger (or ½ teaspoon fresh)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 tablespoon sambal oelek (that little jar of chili garlic paste in the Asian section- I promise it’s not hard to find)

2 slices bread

1 can light coconut milk (or water)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a shallow bowl, pour 1/3 cup coconut milk over the 2 bread slices and let that soak in for a minute or two. Combine all ingredients, including soaked bread, into a large bowl and stir to combine well. Using a spoon (or your hands), plop 1.5-2” blobs of meat into a glass baking dish. These are not very oily meatballs, but I still prefer something with depth as opposed to a regular metal baking sheet. No need to actually roll these into meatballs, as they’ll be somewhat wet and loose (GROSS). Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until internal temp registers 170 degrees.

For the coconut rice, I used a rice cooker. You could just do it old-school over the stovetop too.

2 cups jasmine rice

Remaining light coconut milk + enough water to make 2 cups worth of liquid

1 bag sweet peppers, sliced (about 2 ½ cups)

Pour rice and coconut milk in rice cooker and set according to directions (with ours, you push the “white rice” button- so easy!). When there’s about 5-10 minutes left (either rice cooker or stovetop), add the peppers. You want them crisp-tender and steamed, not cooked to mush.

Serve 4 meatballs with ¾ cup rice & pepper mixture.

D'oh. Pay attention to the coconut milk can before you open it...

Wild haired peanut butter thief...

Boom. Easy tasty dinner. So far so good, 2016.