What I Ate This Week
Happy Sunday! This was a super fun week because it was Drew’s birthday which means CAKE! I was busy doing a few bday preparations early in the week and finishing up a round of meal prep that overflowed into Monday night (hello, procrastination, my old friend).
Last Sunday I finally gave overnight oats a try.
I made one vanilla and almond butter and one with cocoa powder and maple syrup. Both used unsweetened vanilla almond milk, old fashioned oats, and chia seeds as the base. I used this post which was super helpful at outlining techniques and flavor options. They came out much more creamy than regular oats, almost like a custard or mousse. I can see how these would be convenient to make during the weekend and have an easy grab and go breakfast, but personally I’m a much bigger fan of baked oatmeal – see the last pic in this post!
Lunches this week were mostly leftovers from throughout the week, but I did make time for one of my ultimate meal prep faves, these chicken parm meatballs. These little guys are AMAZING for so many reasons, but mostly because they are superduper easy to make, and can be reheated right from the freezer, aka the perfect emergency backup meal.
Speaking of emergency backup meals, I realized too late that I had no veggie to eat these babies with. Zoodles would have been perfect – I’m trying to stay away from pasta because I know our Thailand beach vaca is only 2 months away, but I didn’t have any zucchini on hand, so I grabbed a quick kale, lentil, and spinach salad from the cafe at work.
Thailand…WHAT?! I remember when we first booked our flights and I was so ready to go the next day. I can’t believe it’s finally almost here! Every spare moment I have has gone to researching where to go, booking our Air BnB’s, and figuring out all kinds of logistics. We’re going to Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. If you have any travel recommendations please please please leave them in the comments!
Our first dinner this week was balsamic chicken. I had prepped the chicken using the recipe from this balsamic chicken kale bowl and roasted the veggies and potatoes as part of meal prep a few weekends ago. I thawed the chicken overnight and reheated in the microwave. Everything else went straight from the freezer to a sheet pan and roasted for about 20 minutes at 400°F. Freezer veggies can taste just as amazing as fresh!
These brussels you guys – are like candy. I literally could not stop eating these crispy, salty, garlicky little gems. Drew hates them so I get to be completely selfish and it’s truly heaven. Especially the super caramelized ones where you get that sweet and salty combo!
Another dinner this week was Greek bowls – again! These are one of Drew’s all time favorites that I’ve made, so this was his bday meal along with a cannoli inspired cake. These Greek bowls are light but still super filling for a dinner thanks to chicken, avo, and quinoa. The chicken and quinoa were prepped so all I had to do was chop some tomatoes and cukes and stir it all together.
This cannoli poke cake was the latest of my cake creations for Drew. One of our traditions is that for every event, I make a different kind of cake (no repeats, so far!). Over the years, this has included an Oreo cookies and cream cake, a Girl Scout Samoa style bundt cake, funfetti ice cream cone cupcakes, and many more. This cannoli cake was a vanilla cake base, drizzled with sweetened condensed milk, and a whipped cannoli topping with a ricotta and mascarpone cheese base. It was delish – recipe post coming soon!
To celebrate Drew’s bday, we went to Brewery Bhavana, a newish Raleigh spot that has already won a bunch of awards. With a Chinese and Loatian base, it was a great place to share some small plates. Pictured below is there Cantonese BBQ Pork Bao (steamed bun) and a Duck Egg Roll with Hoisin sauce. We ordered lots of other things which were all completely amazing. My fortune helped remind me to enjoy the moment and got me even more excited for Southeast Asia!
And Saturday morning breakfast was baked oatmeal. I originally found this recipe here, but have made a few modifications and have it memorized! I make this at least once a week, usually in batches so I can grab them throughout the week and eat at work. It feels completely indulgent (and I guess it is a little bit, since it has chocolate!) but is very similar to a serving of oatmeal, and you can always make it with bananas and cinnamon or any other customization to make it more breakfast-y. For me though, it’s the perfect excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast! Full post on this coming soon too – but here’s the recipe in case you just can’t wait to try it!
Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 1 cup oatmeal
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips or just a handful!
Instructions
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Stir all ingredients together until combined. Divide into 2 equal portions and bake at 375°F for 20 minutes.
Recipe Notes
I use a loaf pan with non-stick foil to cook these. You can fit two individual portions within the same loaf pan if you kind of shape the aluminum foil into bowl shapes. You can make them as deep or as shallow as the loaf pan allows. I like a combo so that the middle comes out soft while the oats on top get a nice crispy brown crust!
Phew! Shaping up for my busiest times at work these next two months, so off to enjoy the rest of my Sunday. Have a great week y’all!