With the holidays coming up next week, I wanted to be efficient with my meal planning for this week (read: I only wanted one trip to the grocery store and minimal food to worry about going bad). Thankfully I found two recipes that fit the bill and provided great leftovers. Type A planning for the win!
My dinner on Monday night was a bit risky. I probably should have known better than to attempt the recipe, but I’ll say upfront that it turned out to be a better success than I anticipated.
There’s a Chinese food place in Lincoln that I can’t get enough of — like if it were socially acceptable (and really, just easier on the pocketbook and waistline), I’m pretty sure I would be there weekly. The other night I was craving their lo mein but decided to attempt a chicken lo mein recipe in place of it.
I struggled with the snap pea pods. Not that I don’t like them, but they didn’t seem to be the green stuff (for lack of a better word) I typically find in lo mein. The middle wasn’t sure what it might be either, so I opted to use spinach instead. I also added mushrooms since I had them for a recipe later in the week as well as green onions.
It wasn’t restaurant quality, but I was pleasantly surprised. And the leftovers were great too, which is what really counts. Someone at the office (not knowing I just heated up leftovers) even asked who ordered Chinese food. I’d consider that a win.
Tonight I switched gears a bit and made slow cooker risotto.
Holy. Cow. I’m absolutely making this again.
I’ve tried making risotto before, so I’m not sure if it’s because it was made in the crockpot or with arborio rice (normally I’d just use brown rice) or what. All I know is it really hit the spot.
For the most part I followed the directions – at least when it came to the liquids. I didn’t want to overshoot the heavy cream or even the cheese. The modifications I made to the recipe were only an attempt to add color and a bit of nutritional value. While I was sautéing the mushrooms, I added in the extra spinach I had and also green peas.
I was also surprised it took two hours from start to finish. It’ll be perfect for nights where I’ve got a class at the gym — especially on nights where a glass of wine is in order.
Since I’ll likely be indulging quite a bit next week, I probably should have focused a bit more on the health factor. But isn’t that what the new year is for?! More on that later… I promise I have more substantial posts in the queue!
Life After School 