Meal Plan | April 2014 (Part I)

(Very) Long time, no see. 

Where have I been?!

During Lent, I decided to take a step back from promoting myself (e.g., this blog and my business), particularly on social media. I wanted to focus on my full-time job, husband, our home, and mentoring younger women in my community.

On top of that, I recently discovered, in addition to gluten, that I am also intolerant to even more foods, quite significant ones. Want details? Check out the new About Me section.

With the overwhelming news, I returned to my blog to help me be more proactive about what I buy, cook, and eat. (The good news is that there are people out there like me, and their blogs have been a comfort and inspiration to me.)

Now that Spring is in full swing, I decided to expand my herb garden, attempt to grow some vegetables, and even worm compost!


I was a busy little shopper earlier this month. Read on to see all the yummy ingredients that I got and a meal plan to boot.

Meal Planning | February 2014 (Part I)

What have I been up to the last month or so? I've been making a concerted effort to keep up on chores and started yoga again. And, spending more time with my husband <3. 

This week, I decided to go back on the Repairvite gut cleansing program for quick reboot for a few days. I should probably do it for at least five to seven days, but I just don't think I can commit. I don't even know how I survived the 30 day plan last year!

The reason for my detox revisitation is because I ate a non-gluten free sandwich on Saturday due to restaurant error. Plus, I overdosed on rice last week and, with all my baking, I've been eating lot of grains and sugar lately. I feel foggy; not as sharp. My neck & back muscles are sore. In general, I'm not feeling yippity skippity.

The Repairvite program that I do consists of the following:

Repairvite herbal & amino acid supplement (1 scoop powder, 2x/day) 

Strengthia probiotis (1 pill, 2x/day) 

GI-Synergy dietary supplements (3 pills, 2x/day)

You can buy these products on Amazon, but I highly encourage you to do the regimen & diet under the care of a healthcare professional such as a holistic doctor or nutritionist. The dose, frequency, and duration is different for each individual - typically determined by results of your blood work and symptoms. Refer to this brochure for details on the diet. 

Anyway, onto my very comprehensive meal plan. As you know I do CSA and Winder Farms. Last week, I gave Farm Fresh to You a shot. Suffice to say, I have a fully stocked fridge, so it's a must for me to stay on my meal plan over the next week or so.

South Coast Farms CSA Basket

1 bunch Red Chard
1 bunch Tatsoi 
1 head Cabbage
1 bunch Atomic Red Carrots 
1 bunch Cilantro
1 bunch Curly Parsley
2 bunch Beets
2 bunch Baby Turnips
2 Kohlrabi
2 Red Onion
1 Grapefruit
1 head Broccoli
3 Kiwi
2 Pears

Farm Fresh to You Box

1 bunch Amarosa Fingerling Potatoes  

1/3 bag Yukon Gold Potatoes 

2 extra large Sweet Potatoes

Meal Plan | Week of 12-29-13

This will be the last meal plan of 2013. Wow, I can't believe it!

Even with the holidays, I've been trying to stay on track with cooking at home. Since I have a couple days off this week, I'm going to go a little "all out," especially with the baking.

I bought my proteins from Sprouts. My CSA is still on break, so I'll be getting my produce from Winder Farms.

Organic Produce Box Items:
3 Apples
2 D'Anjou Pears
4 Kiwi
1 lb of French Fingerling Potatoes
1 Bulb of Fennel
1 Bunch of Carrots
Lettuce
1 Bunch of Broccoli I still have two heads of broccoli from last week, too. Any ideas aside from soup & roasting? Please comment below!

Pumpkin Spoonbread

Pumpkin Spoonbread - Baked

My eyes have been opened to the world of spoonbread. After I made this basic version, I decided to make a holiday version using pumpkin. 

Recipe from Bon Appetit Thanksgiving Edition

Here is my adaption for a less savory version of Bon Appetit's pumpkin spoonbread. It's a super moist cross between pumpkin pie & bread pudding. 

Ingredients

• 2½ cups whole milk
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 
• 2 tsp kosher salt 
• 1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal  
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg I grated my fresh from the nut
• 1 cup canned pure pumpkin purée Bon App recommends Libby's
• 3 large eggs, separated
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground ginger  

For a sweeter version, add 1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar

Persimmon Cookies

A Little Persimmon Cookie

Persimmons are in season in the Fall, so I have been getting the Fuyu variety in my CSA basket every other week.

I like firm and crunchy fruit. So, when my persimmons start getting a little soft, I get a little sad.

About five years ago, a former co-worker told me about how she uses persimmons in bread puddings and cookies. I grew up eating persimmons, but haven't really seen them in baked goods.

With my mushy persimmons, I decided to make cookies for the first time in my life. Enough of the excuses for not baking, I needed an excuse to use my overripe autumnal fruit!

Just a note, persimmon cookies aren't really your idea of cookies. They are more like cookie-shaped muffin tops or non-custardy bread pudding bites. These "cookies" are soft and incredibly moist. They are the perfect bite for this season.

Before I share the recipe for the cookies, you'll need to prep persimmon puree in advance.

Meal Plan | Week of 12-22-13

Photo Credit: http://www.hdwallpapersinn.com/

My CSA is on break due to the holidays, so I'll be drawing my cooking inspiration for this week from my impromptu visit to Zion Market today and what I have in my pantry already.

Sunday

• Dine out at Pho 21 - spring rolls, pho well-done brisket I usually get rare steak (pho tai), but I was feeling adventurous.

Monday

• Bourbon-glazed ribeye steaks (marinade prepped day prior)

Tuesday - Christmas Eve

• Lemon oregano chicken (marinade prepped day prior)
• Next time, I will try this Bourbon Molasses Chicken Drumsticks

Wednesday - Christmas

• TBD  
• CSA is skipped this week, so I will get veggies & fruits through the Winder Farms' organic produce box

Thursday

• Gluten-free Sweet Potato Gnocchi (bake sweet potatoes earlier)

Friday

• Broiled Lobster
• Gluten-free Fresh Pasta (prepped day prior) with EVOO, tomato, basil, and Parm

Saturday

• Meat loaf Thanks, Lauren, for the recipe

Breakfast 

• Gingerbread Oatmeal variation
• Baked Blueberry Oatmeal variation

Dessert

• Gluten-free Carrot Cupcakes

Drinks

• Hot Toddy
• Ginger, lemon, honey tea
• Spinach & apple green juice

Do you have any special meal plans for Christmas week? Please comment below.

Cornmeal Spoonbread

As you know from a previous post, I've been cooking from a new gluten-free cookbook where I came across this recipe for spoonbread. It has minimal ingredients and I had all of them in my pantry already.

Interestingly, I've never heard of "spoonbread" before. (Blame it on my Southern Californian Asian-American upbringing)

Spoonbread is a moist cornmeal-based dish prevalent in the South. Although named a "bread", it's åcloser in consistency and taste to savory puddings, such as Yorkshire pudding. (Source: Wikipedia)

Below is my execution of Nicole Hunn's original book recipe. I recommend serving it with a savory meat dish with juices or sauce. Or, eat it the next day with some butter, or sweetened with honey or jam.