Food in Review

So, I decided to skip the real “food in review” this week, recapping our meals.  It’s just too random during the holidays.  So, I’ll just call this general meanderings about food this week.  

We ate at my grandparent’s house for breakfast Christmas Eve.  We had an all-seafood meal at the in-laws that night.  No lunch.  :)  Perhaps that’s why I gorged myself on two and a half biscuits slathered in homemade gravy?  Nah, I did that simply because that stuff is pure euphoria on a plate and worth every calorie!  

We were at the in-laws or driving from Friday around lunch straight through Sunday evening, so I didn’t get to cook anything.  My in-laws made a lovely feast for lunch on Christmas day, but everything else was literally just munchies.  One meal.  That’s it.  No wonder my husband only ever ate lunch every day before I came along.  I changed that!  

All I could think of by Sunday was “I want something green!”  The only veggie I’d seen all weekend was a potato cooked in heavy cream!  Don’t get me wrong, it was delightful, but still.  So, I’ve been feasting on all things vegetable since.  For lunch every day this week, I had a spinach salad topped with bleu cheese, homemade balsamic dressing, and about two cups worth of roasted veggies (sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower).  Hooray veggies!  Such a nice change from the decadence and sweets.  

I even had veggies on the mind for dinner.  I picked up a package of Bob’s Red Mill Vegi Soup mix.  I am really impressed with this mix.  I customized it, which is what they intend for you to do, hence the fact that it is totally unseasoned.  So, no overwhelming salt of fake anything here!  Just lentils, two kinds of split peas, little pasta, and barley.   I opted for an entire small onion, two cloves of garlic, and a can of fire roasted tomatoes.  I seasoned it fairly simply with salt, pepper, hot smoked paprika and regular Hungarian paprika.  I also chunked up some ham that my mother-in-law sent home with us.  I hate seeing things go to waste!  I only used a cup of the soup mix and it made enough for two full dinners for two hearty-eating people.  We’re the type that will go for seconds without batting an eye if we’re still hungry.  This is another reason cooking healthy food is so important to me.  Because if I want more, I’m getting more.  Period.  

I picked another Bob’s Red Mill mix up for my New Year’s superstition fix.  I must have my black-eyed peas!  And cabbage.  And pork.  But that’s another issue.  For the black-eyed peas, I picked up the Bountiful Black Bean mix (black beans, navy beans, black-eyed peas and barley).  I really hope this is as good as the Vegi Soup mix!  I’ve always been a fan of their oats and flours, and I am just so pleased that the “entree” mixes are just as good.  

Did anyone else go through veggie withdrawal or did you have more control over your food than I did?!  

I don’t know about you all, but I’m way more excited about New Year’s Even than I was Christmas. We’re continuing the tradition of “entertaining in” with a home-cooked, yet utterly fancified meal.  I’ve got it all mapped out in my head.  You bet your sweet patootie I’ll be sharing it after the new year!

And so you don't think I forgot, here's a little puppy love for you all!  My hubby sent this to me at work.  Those are his feet and PJ'ed legs and her sleeping soundly on him.  Melts me to my very core.  I love those two so much.