Routine is a good thing. That’s what I’m telling myself lately. With school starting back this week, I decided to get industrious and do my Sunday meal prep. I went to the farmer’s market and then stocked up on much-needed staples from the grocery stores. I was wondering through the produce section at Target, intending to grab a couple of bags of shaved Brussels sprouts. But then my eyes landed on this.
This is going to be a favorite in this Paleo household. I love cauliflower rice, but I hate making it so I rarely do. My small food processor doesn’t handle the cauliflower very well. I knew this bag of just cauliflower would be perfect and it was. When buying bagged produce, I always double check the labels. I do not want the stuff with added chemical preservatives. This bag has 1 ingredient. To make a pan of it, I used the brown bits and oil from a pan of chicken thighs. I heated the pan, added the cauliflower and stirred it on medium high heat for about 3 minutes. I like mine more al dente than mushy, so that was plenty of time. The flavor was great and I used it with a chicken cacciatore recipe. I should have bought 2 bags.
Another game-changer with Paleo/Whole30 and meal prep: Spices. I’m very fond of Penzeys because of the depth of flavor. A lot of my meals are nothing fancy, but I refuse to serve or eat a bland meal. With basic protein and vegetables, I have a literal blank canvas to work with. Some meals, like a pan of roasted vegetables, the food doesn’t need much enhancing. Other times, I want a big pan of spicy and sweet roasted potatoes, parsnips, carrots, and rutabegas. I’ll pull out some various heat spices and a dash of cinnamon and coconut oil and have a truly unique dish on the table. Chicken, as we all know, does not have a lot of of its own flavor. Chicken thighs from free range chickens actually do have a lot of flavor, as we discovered from our various trips out west where local chickens are abundant. But I do not have a local source for chickens like I do for beef and pork. Therefore, I buy the Target “see the source” chicken thighs that are sourced from some farms up north. Good enough for me! Every Sunday, there are a few with 2$ and 3$ off and I buy them in bulk and freeze. Then, I put Penzeys into action. These are just a couple of examples of ways I use spices to create variety. I am notorious for getting stuck in cooking ruts. Usually a couple of hours with some favorite cookbooks, a look through my vast supply of Penzeys, and a walk through my own blog recipes, and I’ll be back in the good food game.
The rest of my meal prep went rather quickly. I made a few of my usual dishes. Chicken thighs, roasted sweet potatoes, a new frittata recipe, a crock pot of chicken cacciatore, breakfast apple sage sausage, and a pan of cauliflower rice. I also made a big batch of pressure-cooker bone broth. All of these are Whole30 compliant. I’m not officially starting the 30 days until after this week.
Getting back to life and enjoying the highs and lows have been my goals for these next couple of weeks as the school stress builds for a bit. I know I feel better when I eat better. Bring on the next week!