by Sam Tackeff | Feb 2, 2014 | Meal Planning, Uncategorized
This week at the office was our Hackathon at RunKeeper – two days we take a few times a year to build crazy projects outside of our normal course of work. In an incredible HGTV worthy timeline, the non-technical team “Addition by Subtraction” took second place for building this (working) bar in the back room of the office. (You read that correctly: RumKeeper.)
Week of Saturday, February 1st
Saturday: Langoustine Curry with jasmine rice. I had some leftover khao soi broth from Thai North, which I decided to fashion into something quite different for night two. Spinach salads on the side for some greenery.
Sunday: Stuffed burgers, tater tots (yes), and broccoli. I just can’t do wings, and I wasn’t going to make queso or a guacamole bar or hundreds of deviled eggs this year. But I did want to make something that would feel like “Superbowl Food”, so stuffed burgers (with blue cheese and bacon) seemed like the right way to go.
Monday: Salad with paprika and allspice chicken, chopped vegetables, mango, avocado, mint, and basil. Lime dressing. This week on Jamie’s 15 minute meals, he had a similar recipe which he called “San Fran Chicken Quinoa Salad” – I liked the flavor combination, although not quite sure what makes it “San Fran”…
Tuesday: Pasta with cauliflower, saffron, parsley, and feta. (From Deborah Madison’s Vegetable Literacy). I’ve been reading through this cookbook and everything looks good. It’s been months since we had pasta in this house, and I try to avoid it most of the time, but this recipe seemed too good to pass up – I thought it’d be a nice treat for us.
Wednesday: Braised brussels sprouts and apple, pork bratwurst. I’ve been craving sauerkraut lately (it’s always good to eat fermented foods!), and this was originally going to have sauerkraut, but I couldn’t resist brussels sprouts, and I went to the wrong store for the kraut.
Thursday: Wing it. Actually, I realized as I was typing this up that I had simply forgotten to write something down on the list, and proceeded to do my shopping neglecting this meal entirely. I’ll likely forage the freezer, but it might end up being a Whole Foods salad bar night.
Friday: Out.
–– Sam
by Sam Tackeff | Jan 26, 2014 | Meal Planning
Goodness, everyone is looking all sparkly and shiny at the Grammy’s tonight. I’m firmly planted on my couch, with a portable heater trying to warm up. Sherlock is being recorded because I want to watch it when I have time to properly squee at the screen. Yep, that’s a thing I do. I also talk at the television. I try to hold back in movie theaters, but sometimes I’ll start laughing at the wrong parts, and that’s pretty much just as bad in terms of theater going etiquette.
This afternoon I was on top of my meal planning game! I find that it makes for a better Monday when I’m not starving and I’m prepared for at least three days of quality eating. I prepped a few meals, made a batch of hard boiled eggs, planned out most of our lunches, chopped carrots, cucumbers, and bell peppers, and broke down a whole pineapple instead of wasting my money on the pre-cut stuff.
And then I made my breakfast of the week: the broccoli kielbasa frittata. If you look carefully, the picture above of my prep work isn’t the same as the finished frittata below. That’s because I’ve been making this dish once a week for the past month, and I haven’t shared it with you yet, and finally I’ve come to the conclusion that you probably should know about it. First, I preheat the oven to 400 before prepping the ingredients. I steam a bag of Trader Joe’s organic broccoli florets – it’s 12 ounces – and nestle them in a cast iron pan lined with tinfoil which I’ve oiled. [The first time I did it with tinfoil that I hadn’t oiled, and it stuck. The second time, tinfoil oiled, and it came out perfectly. Today, I forgot the tinfoil, oiled the cast iron, and now I have egg plastered to cast iron. Say it with me: oiled foil. Butter would probably work just dandy as well.] Then I cut up half of a Trader Joe’s smoked fresh turkey kielbasa – 6 ounces – into tiny cubes, and scatter them around the pan. I season the broccoli and kielbasa with a healthy sprinkling of salt and pepper. I prepare my egg mixture – anywhere between 4 and 8 eggs depending on how many I have on hand – with a few spoonfuls of water or milk, whisked with a fork. I season the eggs, pour them on the broccoli and kielbasa, and tap everything down with a spoon, making sure that egg has permeated between all of the cracks. I then pop it in the oven for about half an hour, until the frittata is set. I turn it out, cut it into four pieces, and let it cool, and then eat it for breakfast for four days. (This is flexible – you can really put any pre-steamed veg in here, or omit the sausage). As for the temperature – sometimes I cook it at 350F for 40-50 minutes if I’m cooking something else in the oven at the same time.
This week’s meals are made up mostly of the bits and bobs that needed to be finished up in my fridge. Last week I made a large pot of chicken stock that I hadn’t used up, so two soups are on the menu.
Week of Sunday the 26th
Sunday: Tomato soup and spinach salad. By tomato soup, I mean a half a jar of Rao’s, simmered with my home made chicken stock. I cooked a little bit of orzo and added that to the pot. Salad had a quick balsamic vinaigrette.
Monday: Pork tenderloin, with roasted cumin carrots, greens, guacamole and salad. I’ve been sitting on this pork tenderloin for a few days, and finally decided to cook it. I chopped the carrots into wedges, and tossed them with cumin, chile powder and salt, and roasted them for 40 minutes before adding the pork and roasting it until done.
Tuesday: Chicken tortilla soup (minus the tortilla). I simmered a pot of Rancho Gordo black beans with a shallot, then added the chicken stock, cumin, salt, and some leftover salsa. Everything cooked for about 40 minutes, and I added some rotisserie chicken that I’d saved in the freezer from the last time I got those two-fer chickens at Whole foods. Okay, it’s buy one, get one half off, but two-fer sounds more exciting than BOGO. I hate that acronym.
Wednesday: Girl food. Devon will have already eaten by the time I get home from the gym, so it’ll likely be a massive heap of garlicky greens topped with some tomato sauce and whatever protein source I have lying around.
Thursday: Burgers over salad. Lots of herby freshness – mint, parsley, whatever else is left in the fridge, and some crumbled pancetta bits that I made a few days ago.
Friday: Out.
–– Sam
by Sam Tackeff | Dec 28, 2013 | Meal Planning
I’ve developed an odd fascination with Anthony Bourdain’s wife Ottavia, specifically because of her obsession with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA. She’s a tiny Italian who can pack a punch with the best of them, what’s not to love? She’s persistent and dedicated – trains five days a week, and doesn’t smoke or drink. Somehow this level of discipline seems to be the antithesis of Bourdain’s scripted lifestyle of excess – maybe she balances him out. (Or maybe I shouldn’t believe what I see on tv.)
I’ve long been tempted to take up martial arts. When I was in elementary school, my best friend’s father was a black belt in multiple disciplines, had a 7th degree in his main practice, and was a Shihan Sensei. He was also a Greek Orthodox priest. Between these things, he had seemingly infinite power in the universe. My first attempt at martial arts was bittersweet – after a glorious morning spent tumbling on mats and learning new grappling skills, I woke up the next morning unable to move – it’s been nearly a decade, but I think I may be ready to try again. (This actually happened to me when I first tried CrossFit. My muscles just don’t adapt quickly to new movements!) My one major obstacle is my bad vision, but I finally broke down this year and acquired a new prescription of contact lenses for my athletic pursuits – so I have no excuse but to go and DO!
–––
This week I’ve been writing lists of books I’d like to read, lists of things I’d like to write about, financial goals, health goals, things I’d like to eat in the winter – finally today came around and I realized that I didn’t have the one list that I need to get through the week: my meal plan. While I’m waiting on a few new cookbooks in the mail, I decided to stick with my standby culinary crush Jamie Oliver, and catch up on some of his 15 minute meal series on the DVR – the influence for many of the meals this week.
Week of December 28nd
Saturday: Southern Indian seafood soup. With fresh crab, fresh curry leaves (which I pick up at a local market called Russo’s), a multitude of spices, and coconut milk. I had a little bit of extra tomato sauce that needed to be used up, so that went in the pot as well. (Cinnamon buns for dessert!)
Sunday: Beef stroganoff, fluffy rice, red onion and parsley pickle. We watched this on Jamie’s 15 minute meals, and it’s slightly more exotic than the Hamburger Helper variety. I have some sierra cut steaks defrosting from my freezer, and I may igloo cooler sous vide them before sticking them in the grill pan.
Monday: 5 spice duck salad, with pomegranate, mango, lime and gem lettuce. Whole Foods only has smoked breasts and whole duck, so I might have to make a quick trip to get myself a breast or a leg for this dish. (Incidentally, a woman at the store told me to buy the whole duck because I’d be “the talk of the town; just like going to culinary school”. I have no idea what she meant by that one.)
Tuesday: New Year’s Eve! Japanese food – likely takeout. Four or five years ago we were invited to our friend Gary’s house, and his wife cooked a Japanese feast with fresh soba and yuzu that was so very memorable. We made wishes for the new year, and celebrated joyously. We’re not really the types to go out and party on New Year’s Eve, but Japanese takeout is one of our mutual favorite things ever!
Wednesday: Roasted white fish, tomatoes, and leeks. There’s sure to be some bacon in there too, and lots of herby freshness – mint, parsley, whatever else is left in the fridge.
Thursday: Avocado, pancetta and pine nut salad, with crispy grilled chicken thighs.
Friday: Out? Although, possibly in, given that we’ll be eating takeout on Wednesday. I’m still debating a Whole30 for the month of January, which limits what I can eat out of the house – at minimum we are going to be committing to five home cooked meals a week, and a fairly clean diet.
What are your New Year’s Eve plans?
–– Sam
by Sam Tackeff | Nov 17, 2013 | Meal Planning, Races
Racing, healing, cooking, reading, adventuring… a weekend the way I like to do it.
Here’s some advice: you should choose your wellness professionals based on their canine office companions. This is dear sweet Momo. Her mom helped me today with my hip flexors, back, and posture. She helped me today with her wagging, licking, and kisses. Frenchie kisses! Oh goodness, I really, really need a dog.
Yesterday, after the better part of four days spent sick in the house, I ventured out to run the Spartan Time Trial at Fenway with some adventurous members of the RunKeeper team. I knew that it was going to be rough given that I was feeling sick before we even started the race, but as a Sox fan, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to race through 20 obstacles at Fenway Park.
Here’s us, minus Bram, who was taking the picture.
In a nutshell: we burpee-d, climbed over (and under, and through) many walls, bear crawled, farmers-carried two very heavy water jugs down and up a set of stairs, jump roped with heavy ropes, did pushups in the Red Sox locker room!!, hopped on an erg for a sub 2:00 500, jumped up stairs, med ball tossed, climbed across walls, attempted rope climbs, climbed across monkey bars, hoisted a weight to the roof, attempted a javelin toss, ran through the entire stadium and the green monster seats, climbed a cargo net, box jumped, did many, many more burpees, and fought our way to the finish.
This may have been my slowest 5k, and I may have felt like death for most of it, but it certainly was one of the most fun! We finished in 1:14 – the mileage is off, because a good part of the course was indoors. (I started the timer a few minutes early so I could stick my phone…into a sock and into my spibelt to make sure that I didn’t accidentally destroy it on the course.) What I do for tracking!
A good part of the rest of the weekend was spent reading, and cooking. Here’s what I made this afternoon. (Not pictured – the Crescent Ridge Egg Nog I poured into my aeropress coffee.)
The Sunday Cook-up:
Three meals for the week, and some extra roasted vegetables. I’ll be out both Thursday and Friday, so there was less to cook! I still have a fourth meal to think about, but it’s likely going to be some quick fish. Or maybe some soup from the freezer.
:: Meatballs in mustard, beef broth and cream sauce, with a salad and crescent rolls.
:: Braised chicken with shallots, pancetta, cannelini beans, and parsnips. Finished with a swig of marsala.
:: Sausage with pancetta, baby potatoes, and brussels sprouts.
:: Roasted parsnips (coconut oil, salt, and pepper.)
Happy week, everyone!
by Sam Tackeff | Nov 1, 2013 | Books, Lists, Meal Planning
I’m curled up in bed tonight flipping through my new Nigel Slater: “Eat: The Little Book of Fast Food” – there really isn’t anything better than that. November is here, and although I love my winter kitchen, I’m not quite ready to brave the great outdoors in the most frigid months to come. Boots? Winter running gear? A warm jacket? All of these seem too daunting to think about. Fortunately today reached nearly 70 in Boston, proving, along with a World Series win this week, that anything is possible around here.
—
Here’s a list that I’ve been mulling over. I started writing it just for myself, and then realized that it might actually be useful to share here.
Let’s be honest, life is not a Pinterest board. Life as a devoted food lover is difficult. Sometimes, you want to cook an entire meal out of Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc cookbook. And sometimes, you want to cook a box of Annie’s Macaroni and Cheese and call it a night. Here’s the secret: most nights I want to cook a box of Annie’s and call it a night. In my quest to find a mid-point between the two, I have a list of meals on standby – a backup plan for my weekly meal plan. Not all of these are 20-minute meals (though many of them are), but they are all things I like and make on a regular basis. Most of them are base recipes – ideas that allow for a hundred permutations to keep things from getting boring. When I have a craving, and need a little more guidance, I’ll identify the basic combination I’d like, and I’ll flip through one of my many cookbooks to find inspired variations – maybe a spice combination, or an ingredient I hadn’t thought about. These are largely meat meals, although you can just as easily make most of them meatless.
In no particular order, things that I like to eat for dinner:
lamb chops (or chicken, or pork tenderloin, or butter beans) with salsa verde – sometimes when I’m at a loss, I’ll start first with a sauce – with the knowledge that I’ll always be able to find something to cook with it. Salsa verde is one of my favorites – herby, with a little bit of vinegar to make you pucker. You can also spoon it over roasted vegetables, potatoes, fish, you name it.
crispy chicken thighs with baked baby potatoes and tomatoes – I like tray bakes where you can just squash everything in a pan, and roast it at around 400 for just under an hour. (Usually I’ll steam the potatoes in the microwave first, so that they are soft and quicker cooking.) I’ll also make this with italian sausages, or kielbasa.
meatballs of any kind – in Turkey, meatballs are called kofte, and they are ubiquitous. I have a special kofte spice from the spice bazaar in Istanbul that I use a lot of. Or, I’ll use a different type of seasoning based on my global mood. I’ll fry these on the stove top, and eat them on salad, or with a Turkish shepherd’s salad of tomato, cucumber and parsley.
citrus mustard chicken – I’ve been doing permutations of this one for a while – there’s a good recipe for apricot-mustard baked chicken in “Dinner, a Love Story”.
tex-mex soup – sometimes it’s chicken tortilla, sometimes I go for a spicy bean soup. Back in the early 90’s, we used to take a can of refried beans, some chicken stock, and a can of Rotel, simmer it for 30 minutes and call it dinner – I think that it was probably a Weight Watchers special, but variations on this are still pretty darn good. I also make a lot of no-tortilla soup – usually with leftover rotisserie chicken.
baked fish, potatoes, and green things of choice – on Sunday, I’ll head to the market to see what I can find. Sunday is one night that I can commit to buying fish and eating it fresh. Sometimes it’s salmon, sweet potato, and brussels sprouts. Other days scallops, new potatoes, and asparagus.
dinner salad – chopped salads, “BLAT” – bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato salad, or crabmeat salad with lemon, avocado, and tomatoes – are some of the usuals. I have a few salad-specific cookbooks that I poke through for inspiration, and quite honestly salad ideas are the first things I turn to when I get a new cookbook.
yogurt marinated grilled chicken – the nice thing about marinating chicken and then grilling it (or roasting it), is that you get a flavor packed meal, and it makes it’s own sauce. I’ll marinate in yogurt and Indian spices, or Moroccan spices, or Israeli spices. Then I cook it! This goes well with green salad.
baked chicken (or eggs) in tomato sauce – sometimes it’s a creamy tomato sauce, sometimes it’s Marcella’s quick tomato sauce, sometimes it’s a jar of Rao’s. When I want it slightly more exciting, I’ll add a tablespoon of curry powder and finish with a little cream.
Indian carrot salad with ground lamb (or) Vietnamese cucumber and carrot salad with ground beef – the idea here is to use well seasoned ground lamb or beef, to top a crunchy vegetable salad that is loaded with fresh herbs, and dressed with a bright dressing. For the Indian version I season my lamb with a homemade curry powder, and make an acidic dressing with lemon, cumin, ground coriander, and toss with plenty of fresh coriander (cilantro). For the Vietnamese version, I cook the beef with five spice powder, and make a dressing with lime and fish sauce, and top with lots of mint, cilantro, and basil.
chicken sausage and grilled pineapple – sometimes you just want a little sweetness. I’ll grab the chicken sausages with apple (or the Chardonnay ones from Trader Joe’s in a pinch), and then grill them with some pineapple wedges. When I eat this, I rarely make a vegetable, and feel a little bit like a picky three year old. But it’s good!
refried beans, eggs, and tortillas – Sometimes I’ll cook up some ground meat to mix with the beans, and usually I’ll eat mine over some greens instead of with the tortilla. This one has long been a house favorite.
I could keep going, but this list will keep me cooking for a while. What are some of your go-to easy peasy meals?
