I always start my menu planning for the week by looking at our calendar for the week.
Soccer practice this evening? Appointment with Dr. Kathy that afternoon? I just need to know all that so I'll know how to plan accordingly. If I won't be home during the late afternoon I need to plan for a meal that will either use the crockpot, or a meal that I can get ready ahead of that appointment...something that will be right ready when we get home STARVING! (I'm admittedly the worst about this...Jas and I joke that I get "hangry".)
Or...I need a meal that comes together and is ready *real* quick. It is always handy to have a few meals tucked into my arsenal that I can get ready - start to finish - in about 30 minutes.
This menu is one of those quick but healthy meals:
Green Peas
But that menu is not set in stone. Don't like garlic? Make Mayo Parmesan Salmon instead.
Don't like cabbage? Make roasted cauliflower instead. Or roasted asparagus.
Don't like peas? Steam some broccoli instead. Or make some green beans.
(I took the first few pictures, but then Elisabeth took over with the camera.)
I began supper this day at 5:11 p.m., with....
....a head of cabbage, a bag of green peas and 1 pound of salmon laying on the counter:
First, turn the oven on to bake at 425 degrees.
Set about 2 tbsp of coconut oil on to melt in a small pan on the stovetop.
Then cut open the salmon packages and place them in a glass dish.
Cut the cabbage in half, then quarters, then slice in vertical strips and place in a glass casserole dish. Drizzle the melted coconut oil on top of the cabbage. Generously salt and pepper the cabbage.
These steps took approximately 7 minutes, so at 5:18....
...I put the two dishes containing the salmon and cabbage into the oven to bake. (The oven wasn't even quite done pre-heating at this point.)
Set a timer for 20-22 minutes.
Fill a pan with the peas and cover with water, turn the stove on to bring this to a boil:
I even had time to answer a quick text from my friendgirl, Sabrina.
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| I think it is so funny that E took a picture of this. |
Now it's time to make the sauce to go with the salmon.
Cut up a stick of butter into a skillet over low-med heat.
Then get 3-4 cloves garlic ready to add to the melting butter:
You could mince the garlic up, but I love my garlic press.
Next, it's time to squeeze a lemon for the sauce.
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| E was going for a real close-up...it didn't work out so well. |
After taking out the seeds, pour the lemon juice into the sauce. Give it a few shakes of salt also at this point:
Get the plates out onto the counter so you're ready to begin "plating".
Yes, we each have our own unique plate that we picked out from Target....
...because we've found color-coded/assigned stuff makes life easier in our house.
Stop and smile for your cute 10-year old that is helping you by taking pictures.
Check on peas. When they've come to a boil, turn them down to low and cover.
...and start dishing up just a little onto each plate. (Here is why we strive to eat a fermented/probiotic food at the beginning of each meal.)
Just a couple tablespoons will do it.
The sauce is looking good. Turn it down real low - or even off - so as not to burn it now. (Learned this the hard way several years ago.)
Peas are still looking good.
I totally and completely forgot to take pictures of the plates totally plated and ready to go. We just dug in.
About 10-15 minutes later I finally remembered and hopped up and got some "after-the-fact" pictures:
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| LK's decimated supper plate. She is always the first one done at any given meal. She doesn't talk at meal-time...she is all business. |
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| G is always the last one done at any given meal...and he was still working on his peas and salmon. |
So, that is how to go from no food at 5:11...to sitting down with full plates at 5:40.
*phew*
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