Blueberry Cheesecake Whey Smoothie

Ingredients
1/4 c. water
3/4 c. frozen blueberries
1/2 green pear, cored and peeled
1/8" ginger, finely grated
1 t. lemon juice
few drops lemon extract
1/2 c. 2% plain Greek yogurt
1-2 scoops whey protein powder, enough to add 20g protein

Directions
Blend and enjoy!

DIY Smoothie Pack Directions
Blend everything except the fruit, water, and protein powder and freeze silicon 1 oz. ice cube trays. 6 cubes + frozen fruit + protein powder in a zipper bag.  Freeze.  Empty the bag into a blender.  Add 1/2 c. liquid and you have frozen yogurt / soft serve you have to eat with a spoon!  Let the smoothie pack contents thaw before blending if you have an older blender, or want a less thick smoothie.  Adding the protein powder thickens and "bulks" the smoothie and I haven't measured how it changes the volume in my DIY smoothie cubes. 

Nutrition Facts

Servings 1.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 302
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 6 g	9 %
Saturated Fat 1 g	6 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 11 mg	4 %
Sodium 73 mg	3 %
Potassium 369 mg	11 %
Total Carbohydrate 40 g	13 %
Dietary Fiber 6 g	23 %
Sugars 24 g
Protein 29 g	59 %
Vitamin A	1 %
Vitamin C	83 %
Calcium	12 %
Iron	2 %

Sun-dried Tomato Basil Cream Cheese

Ingredients1 clove garlic
1 quarter small sweet onion, sliced
1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
1 large handful fresh basil leaves
2-4 scoops whey protein powder, enough to add 40g protein
8 oz. Neufchâtel cheese
salt, to taste

Directions
Place the first five ingredients in a food processor and puree.  Add the whey and blend.  Add the cheese and blend.  Salt if necessary.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 12.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 73
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5 g	7 %
Saturated Fat 2 g	12 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 15 mg	5 %
Sodium 99 mg	4 %
Potassium 84 mg	2 %
Total Carbohydrate 3 g	1 %
Dietary Fiber 0 g	1 %
Sugars 1 g
Protein 5 g	11 %
Vitamin A	4 %
Vitamin C	5 %
Calcium	5 %
Iron	1 %

Thai Green Curry Chicken with Snow Peas

Adapted from Thai Green Curry Chicken with Snow Peas and The Spruce's Thai Green Curry Paste Recipe

Ingredients
2 T. sunflower oil
1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
6 small carrots, thinly sliced
1 c. enoki mushrooms
1½ T. minced fresh ginger root (from a 2-inch piece)
1½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced crosswise into ½-inch pieces
1 can unsweetened light coconut milk
1/2 t. chicken bullion paste
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. homemade Thai Green Curry Paste*
1 t. brown sugar
1 t. Thai fish sauce
3 birds-eye chilies
⅓ c. packed fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
2 T. chopped cilantro leaves
8-32 ounces snow peas, stringed and cut in bite size pieces
6 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced crosswise

*Thai Green Curry Paste
1 stalk​ lemongrass, finely grated
8 birds-eye chilies
1/4 sweet onion, roughly chopped
4 to 5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 thumb-size piece of ginger,peeled and finely grated
1/2 c. coriander/cilantro leaves and stems (chopped fresh)
1/2 c. fresh basil
1/4 t. chipotle powder
1/2 t. fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 t. ground coriander
3 T.​ fish sauce
2 T. lime juice
1 t. brown sugar

Rice
4 c. water
1 T. butter
2 c. uncooked brown jasmine rice, rinsed well

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Stir-fry onion and ginger for two minutes or so, until fragrant. Add carrots, mushrooms, and chicken and stir fry for 3-4 minutes until the chicken all loses its pink color. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Add coconut milk, water, and bullion and curry pastes to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Lower to a gentle simmer and cook for 3 minutes or so, to thicken the sauce. Stir in sugar, fish sauce, basil, cilantro, and chopped chili peppers. Return chicken to skillet and cook, stirring, for a minute. Add snow peas and simmer gently for 3-4 minutes longer, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat. Stir in scallions. Season with a little salt, to taste.
Serve with rice and garnish with chili peppers and basil, if you like.

Thai Green Curry Paste
Place all ingredients in a food processor, chopper, or blender.
Process well to form a fragrant Thai green curry paste. Taste-test it for salt and spice. If too salty, add a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice. Add more chili for more heat. Your curry paste is now ready to be used. You can bottle up any leftovers and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Freeze thereafter. ENJOY!

Rice
Add the water and butter to a medium size pot.  Bring to a low boil and add the rice.  Stir to combine, then place the lid on the pot and cook according to package directions.  Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 8.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 450
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 14 g	21 %
Saturated Fat 5 g	27 %
Monounsaturated Fat 4 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 53 mg	18 %
Sodium 1063 mg	44 %
Potassium 714 mg	20 %
Total Carbohydrate 55 g	18 %
Dietary Fiber 8 g	33 %
Sugars 5 g
Protein 28 g	56 %
Vitamin A	51 %
Vitamin C	84 %
Calcium	6 %
Iron	15 %

Running Meal Planning and The Making of a Recipe

Since my refrigerator isn't large enough to meal prep for one person for a whole week, never mind three, and my freezer isn't large enough to freeze leftover meals or make-ahead crock-pot meals, I do something I can only call Running Meal Planning.  My partner and I take turns making meals in the evening, with what we call Intentional Leftovers.  This gives us lunch for the next day, and sometimes additional meals for later days.

We thawed a value pack of chicken breasts yesterday, 3 pounds!  So today my challenge was to choose two meals, two different cuisines to keep meals interesting enough if we're going to have several meals of each.

I remembered I'd previously made the marinade for Chicken Burrito Bowl with Cilantro Lime Rice, so half of the meat went into a storage bag with that.

We also have 2 pounds of fresh snow peas, so I considered a stir fry.  I grew up on Szechuan cuisine but I don't remember mom making something with chicken and snow peas.  A few searches of "chicken" and "snow peas" with alternately "black bean sauce" (because I remembered a pork and black bean dish I adore), "brine," "spicy," and finally "Thai" led me to the idea of a Thai green curry chicken dish with snow peas. 

Into another labeled zipper bag went the other half of the chicken with a brine based on this one from TheKitchn.

1.5 lbs. chicken breast
1 quart water
1/4 c. sea salt
small handful of black peppercorns
large handful of freeze-dried lemongrass I have but it's too bland, so I need to use it up
three large garlic cloves, peeled, smashed, and thinly sliced
3/4" knob of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 t. or more powdered lemon peel

The recipe I found is from a site I haven't heard of, but I've developed a fairly good sense of how to read a recipe and interpret whether I'd like it, and I happen to have all but one ingredient -- http://www.panningtheglobe.com/2016/01/19/thai-green-curry-chicken-snow-peas/


I don't have green curry paste, and I can't eat most prepared products, so off I went in search of a green curry paste recipe.  I found two that sound tasty, so I'll likely make something somewhere in between:

https://www.thespruce.com/thai-green-curry-paste-3217305
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/greencurrypaste_67789

For this I will need to acquire:
Fresh chilies
Lemongrass
Shrimp paste, maybe

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Browned Butter, Garlic, and Sage

Adapted from Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Browned Butter, Garlic, and Sage

Ingredients
1.5 lbs sweet potatoes, washed and dried, or butternut squash, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 T. butter
2 large cloves garlic, minced
3 large fresh sage leaves, minced


Directions
Preheat oven to 425˚F.
Cut the sweet potatoes or squash into 1/2" cubes. Place the cubes on a large glass baking pan, making sure to spread them evenly so they don't overlap. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss to coat evenly.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place the sheet pan or cast iron skillet in the oven on the middle rack and roast for 15 - 20 minutes, until they are tender and beginning to brown lightly.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a small pan over medium heat.  Add minced garlic and when it begins to brown, add minced sage. Remove from heat when garlic is caramelized.
Remove the sweet potatoes or squash from the oven, drizzle with the butter mixture. Toss gently to evenly distribute the ingredients.
Return the baking pan to the oven and roast an additional 5 minutes.
Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 4.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 233
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 9 g	14 %
Saturated Fat 4 g	20 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 15 mg	5 %
Sodium 211 mg	9 %
Potassium 594 mg	17 %
Total Carbohydrate 36 g	12 %
Dietary Fiber 6 g	24 %
Sugars 8 g
Protein 3 g	6 %
Vitamin A	488 %
Vitamin C	8 %
Calcium	8 %
Iron	8 %

Veggistrone

 
Adapted from EatingWell's Veggistrone

Ingredients
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
2 c. chopped sweet onions (2 medium)
2 c. chopped celery (4 medium stalks)
1 c. chopped red, yellow, or orange bell pepper (1 medium)
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 c. chopped zucchini
3 c. chopped cauliflower (about ½ medium)
2 c. chopped carrots (4 medium)
2 c. green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces, or frozen, thawed
8 c. low-sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth
2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans, rinsed
1 bay leaf
2-4 c. chopped fresh spinach or 1-2 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 t. salt
pepper
1 t. oregano, rubbed between palms
sprinkle ghost chili flakes
½ c. thinly sliced fresh basil
10 T. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Heat oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven (8-quart or larger) over medium heat. Add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 13 to 15 minutes.

Add zucchini, cauliflower, carrots and green beans; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 10 minutes more. Add broth, tomatoes, beans, and bay leaf; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in spinach and simmer for 10 minutes more. Season to taste.  Discard the bay leaf.

Stir in basil. Top each portion with 1 tablespoon cheese.

Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 2 and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months; finish Step 3 just before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 12.0
Amount Per Serving       2 cups
calories 204
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5 g	7 %
Saturated Fat 1 g	6 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 3 mg	1 %
Sodium 634 mg	26 %
Potassium 544 mg	16 %
Total Carbohydrate 31 g	10 %
Dietary Fiber 9 g	34 %
Sugars 10 g
Protein 10 g	20 %
Vitamin A	147 %
Vitamin C	84 %
Calcium	17 %
Iron	12 %

Ramen Noodle Soup

Adapted from BBCGoodFood's Japanese Ramen Noodle Soup

Ingredients

1/2 lb. thinly sliced chicken breast
2 garlic cloves, minced, divided
2 T. soy sauce
1 quart water
2 t. chicken bullion paste
few drops fish sauce
1/4 t. Chinese five spice
dash of ghost chili flakes

1/4" ginger, finely grated
10 oz. ramen noodles, authentic handmade type, not the dried type
1 medium carrot, coarsely grated
1 T. minced cilantro
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved

Garnish:
4 small radishes, grated
sprinkle of sesame seeds
sliced green spring onions (shallots)
slivered fresh chili peppers

Directions
Marinate the chicken with 1 clove of garlic, soy sauce, and sesame oil.  Fry the chicken in a large saucepan on medium-high heat.  Put into a bowl and reserve.

Add the water and bullion to the saucepan on medium, with the ginger, five spice, fish sauce, chili flakes, and remaining garlic, and bring to a boil.  Cook the ramen according to the package directions, and remove to a separate bowl with a spider or tongs.

Return the stock to a simmer.  Add the carrot and cilantro.  Taste and adjust flavor, if necessary.

Divide the noodles into 3 soup bowls. Arrange the chicken and eggs on top of the noodles.  Divide the soup among the three bowls.  Garnish.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 3.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 445
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 8 g	12 %
Saturated Fat 2 g	9 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 259 mg	86 %
Sodium 1068 mg	44 %
Potassium 523 mg	15 %
Total Carbohydrate 61 g	20 %
Dietary Fiber 11 g	45 %
Sugars 6 g
Protein 35 g	71 %
Vitamin A	109 %
Vitamin C	36 %
Calcium	12 %
Iron	27 %

Green Chili Chicken Chowder

Adapted from EatingWell's Creamy Green Chile Chicken Soup

Ingredients
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed and diced, pre-cooked
2 c. water
2 t. chicken bullion paste
1 c. Trader Joe's Hatch Chile Salsa
1/2 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. unbleached, heritage-grain AP flour
2 c. reduced-fat milk
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground pepper
1/2 t. dried oregano, preferably Mexican
1 large red potato, medium-small dice, steamed in the microwave
2 T. minced cilantro

Directions
Whisk 1/2 c. water in a bowl with wine and flour until smooth. Pour into a large saucepan on medium heat.  Add the remaining water, and whisk in the flour mixture until well combined. Stir in the chopped and pureed chilies and the chicken. Add milk, salt, white pepper and oregano; heat, stirring frequently, until steaming and hot, but not boiling, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in cilantro.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 4.0
Amount Per Serving       1 pint
calories 270
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5 g	8 %
Saturated Fat 2 g	10 %
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 75 mg	25 %
Sodium 996 mg	42 %
Potassium 514 mg	15 %
Total Carbohydrate 21 g	7 %
Dietary Fiber 1 g	3 %
Sugars 9 g
Protein 29 g	58 %
Vitamin A	16 %
Vitamin C	172 %
Calcium	15 %
Iron	7 %