In order to beat the heat and 8000% humidity, I met up with friends to run at 6:30 on Saturday morning. It was still stinking hot at that hour. We followed Leg 4 of the Blue Ridge Marathon Relay as a training run. It’s a route we’ll repeat again and again between now and April. We had a great run in spite of the heat. In a few months, I’ll miss this weather.

We had friends over for dinner that night and had a blast playing Telestrations with them afterward. The rest of the weekend was fairly routine.

Now on to this week’s menu:

Breakfast:
Almond Flour Pancakes – Make a batch on the weekend, freeze individually, and pull out just what you need each morning.
https://joyfilledeats.com/almond-flour-pancakes/

Lunch:
Mustard Glazed Baked Chicken Thighs with Green Beans – So simple, but flavorful!
https://unsophisticook.com/baked-chicken-thighs/

Dinner:

Chicken Pineapple Curry – This dish deserves a post of its own! It’s a favorite dish when we’re craving comfort food. As a bonus for Mark, while I’m doing keto, he gets my pineapple.
https://www.5dollardinners.com/chicken-pineapple-curry/

Cucumber and Strawberry Salad with Poppyseed Dressing – A new favorite! I thought the dressing was slightly too sour by itself, but when tossed with the salad, it’s perfect.
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/cucumber-strawberry-salad/

Keto Meatballs and Sauce with Zoodles – This one is so tasty! The cream in the sauce cuts the acidity of the tomatoes. I’m loving the wide zoodles, To make them, just slice a little off the side of the zucchini so that it lays flat on the cutting board. Use a vegetable peeler to slice thin, wide noodles. I saute them in coconut oil for a few minutes, just until tender. Very few things in life are worse than a mushy zoodle.
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/keto-meatballs-and-sauce/

Lemony Avocado and Tomato Tuna Salad – Hello, old friend! We usually fix this with cucumber instead of avocado because Mark hasn’t yet embraced that little wonder berry.
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/eat-clean-lemony-avocado-tuna-salad/

Basil Tomato Cauliflower Rice Salad – I first made this salad 22 years ago, after attending the Southern Living Cooking School. It became my summer potluck go-to. I recently adapted it for cauliflower rice instead of the original Minute rice. You can certainly prepare it using rice; we like brown rice because it holds up well to the dressing even if it’s prepared a day ahead of serving.

Basil Tomato Cauliflower Rice Salad
Adapted from Southern Living Cooking School – Fall 1997
To cool cauliflower rice quickly, spread on a jelly roll pan and place in freezer for 10 minutes.
2 T. coconut oil (or ghee)
2 (12 oz.) bags frozen cauliflower rice
6 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced – bonus points for using juliets from Pa Kettle’s garden
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup sliced fresh basil – I used purple basil
1/3 cup favorite Italian dressing – My recipe below
shaved Parmesan cheese or crumbled feta cheese
In a large skillet on the stove top, saute the cauliflower rice in coconut oil just until tender. Set aside to cool.
Toss the cooled cauliflower rice with tomato, onion, basil and dressing. Top with cheese.

Homemade Italian Dressing
3/4 c. olive oil – Should I tell you to use “good” olive oil like Ina does?
Nah. Use whatever you have/like.
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1 T. dried Italian seasoning
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 T. Swerve or other sweetener of choice
1 dash of paprika – for color
1 smidgen of nutmeg – because I put it in everrrrryyyythang
Salt and pepper to taste
Whisk all ingredients together to emulsify. Shake before serving.

Snacks:
Mine – Same ol’, same ol’…celery and peanut butter, gouda snacking cheese. Maybe I’ll make pimento cheese next week?
Mark’s – Tiny but Mighty Popcorn, Watermelon, Bananas

Treat: Strawberries and Fresh Whipped Cream

What’s going on in your kitchen this week? Have a great week, everyone!

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