Ooh, I’ve been a bad blogger – not giving you a peek in my cart. Well, here it is – what I ate this week. Lately I’ve been busy during the week, so I’ve been cooking big meals on the weekends and eating quick dinners and leftovers during the week. But this weekend I arrived home hungry and tired on Saturday after a workshop so I ordered takeout at a favourite place in my neighbourhood – Jolly’s Indian.   Monday: Salmon risotto with green peas, mushrooms, and goat cheese I made this risotto on Sunday and ate leftovers tonight. This risotto sounded much better than it actually tasted. It included many ingredients that I love – salmon, goat cheese, risotto. But I now realize that while these ingredients all taste great on their own – they don’t go together. But I made a big batch so I’ll eat it.   Tuesday: Grilled cheese sandwich with salad I grabbed dinner sitting beside the fire at the beautiful JJ Bean at the Park & Tilford mall in North Van.   Wednesday: Steak sandwich with carrot sticks and an orange Being only an occasional meat eater, I find steaks to be huge. The…

  Happy New Year! I hope that you had a good holiday. I sure did. And now it seems like the holidays were a long time ago.  This week I enjoyed a number of winter dishes, including those with root veggies and dark leafy greens. And, one of my all-time favourite dishes – my Mum’s chili. By the way, I’ve shared her chili recipe as a Recipe of the Week. Check it out here.    Monday: Chickpea roti roll and mango lassi I grabbed a quick dinner before an evening meeting. Planet Veg on Cornwall St has been a go-to spot for me for a dozen years now. As a semi-vegetarian, I really enjoy that their entire menu is vegetarian.   Tuesday: Chili and brown rice This is the best chili recipe that I’ve ever had. But I fully admit that I’m biased because it’s my Mom’s recipe – I grew up eating it! I made this batch of chili on Sunday and tonight I just heated it up and served it over some brown rice.   Wednesday: Scrambled eggs with toast and an apple I’m feeling yucky with a head cold. Breakfast for dinner is what I’m craving and…

This week I’ve been dogged by a cold that I just can’t shake. It’s affected both my appetite and my desire to cook.  Folks, this will be my last post until 2012. See you again in the new year! ENJOY, Kristen   Monday: Squash & Ginger Soup with Toast This is my “chicken soup” – as in what I crave when I’m sick. It’s hot and comforting and the ginger is so clear that I can actually taste it with my cold-numbed taste-buds. The recipe is here.   Tuesday: Coconut Curry with Brown Rice  In addition to my squash and ginger soup, I also love spicy food when I’m sick with a cold. I love how the heat cuts through the fog that is a head-cold. Tonight I made a coconut curry with red curry paste and included cannellini beans, kale, and both frozen & fresh broccoli. Served over brown rice it was a satisfying dish.   Wednesday: Crackers with Apple & Cheese Followed by a Blueberry Yogurt Smoothie Tonight I chose to go to a dinner-time yoga class. So, I opted to have two substantial snacks instead of a real dinner. Before class I had the classic snack of…

The holiday season is here and you can tell from my dinner routine! I’m eating out much more than usual. In retrospect I also see that I ate a lot of seafood (and not a lot of veggies). So next week I’ll be putting my mind to eating more non-seafood meals. And, eating more veggies!   Monday: Kale, Cabbage and Farro Soup with Calamari I reheated frozen leftovers before heading to an evening meeting. Afterwards I  joined friends for a late-night bite. I had the calamari. Let’s just say that I’ve had better.   Tuesday: Kale, Cabbage and Farro Soup, Turnips, Meatloaf Muffins, and Super Easy Beet Salad It’s fridge clean-out night. I secretly love these nights. While it may seem like a strange variety of food. I love buffets or tapas style eating because I get bored of flavours very quickly. You’ll find the recipes for the meatloaf muffins, tasty turnips, and super easy beet salad all on my Recipes of the Week.      Wednesday: Mini Samosas, Seared Tuna Bites, Calamari and Tuna Sliders It was a beautiful clear night to head downtown with a friend to see the Woodwards Windows and gingerbread house display.  We enjoyed some…

This week I relied on leftovers and quick favourites through the week. Then I enjoyed cooking on the weekend. On dark, cold evenings I love being in the kitchen cooking warn, hearty dishes.   Monday: Apple and Banana Curry with Farro I ate this strange dish that I prepared last night as an early dinner tonight. The jury is still out regarding whether or not I like it. After my evening meeting, I joined friends for a late bite – I had a veggie quesadilla.   Tuesday:  Apple and Banana Curry with Farro Yes, this dish again. What I’ve finally decided is that I don’t care for it. I will eat the remaining servings that I have in the freezer, but I won’t make it again.   Wednesday: Cheese-Stuffed Pasta with Pesto and Broccoli I always stock up on the frozen, stuffed pasta when I’m at Bosa Foods. Tonight I combined their whole wheat, cheese-stuffed pasta with pesto. For a serving of vegetables, I added the frozen broccoli to the boiling pasta in the last minute or so before the pasta was cooked.     Thursday: Winter Vegetable Soup with Beer Re-heated frozen leftovers made a quick dinner before a…

This week I really took advantage of some big batch cooking to provide me with quick healthy meals on busy nights. I had a few of my favourite things. And, I tried a new recipe that had a very different taste. I still don’t know whether or not I liked the dish.   Monday: Winter Vegetable Soup with Beer I enjoyed Sunday night’s leftovers before heading to an early evening meeting.   Tuesday: Anchovy Carbonara with Raw Veggies I make this dish when I’m craving something salty. It’s a super yummy dish from Food & Wine Magazine that includes one of my favourite foods: anchovies! I know that it’s a strange food to love, but I do love anchovies. They give a salty richness to dishes. And, because I very rarely eat meat, I used them in dishes that would call for bacon or another type of cured pork. Yes, they are super salty – so they are a “sometimes” and not an “every day ” food. But they are also super-high in healthy omega-3 fats. Mmm, I’m craving this dish now, just writing about it!   Wednesday: Salmon Pesto Pasta with Geen Beans This is a super-fast meal on…

Looking back at this week I’m realizing how many quick, short-cut meals I ate. Hmmm, thankfully I eat healthfully throughout the day.   Monday – Winter Vegetable and Bean Soup   I made a big batch of this on Sunday (from the Rebar cookbook) and enjoyed it for lunch or dinner throughout the week.   Tuesday – Cheese, Crackers with an Apple and a Blueberry Yogurt Smoothie Tonight I did a big workout in the early evening. So, instead of a main-meal, I had 2 big snacks that together could be called “dinner”. Before my workout I had the classic trio: apple slices, crackers & cheese. I don’t know why these 3 go so well together, but go together they do. After my workout I wasn’t hungry, but I knew that I needed to eat. So I made a smoothie with milk, yogurt, frozen blueberries and hemp hearts.    Wednesday – Asiago Stuffed Pasta with Frozen Peas and Pesto I love Bosa Foods. Several times a year I visit and stock up my pantry, fridge and freezer with Italian staples. They come in handy for nights like tonight. I simply boiled water and threw in the pasta. When the pasta was…

I must admit that November is one of my least favourite months here in Vancouver. There’s few hours of daylight. And even during those hours of daylight, on many days you can barely tell that it’s daytime because the sky is so dark with rain. Yuck! It’s weather like this that drives me inside to the warmth of the kitchen. I love making hearty dishes with whole grains that take lots of cooking time. Filling my place with the smell and warmth of slow-cooking stews and soups is a perfect foil to that wet, cold miserable weather outside.   Monday: No-Stir Barley Risotto and Calamari Before my evening plans I ate an early dinner of leftover barley risotto (recipe here). Afterwards, I gathered with friends over a beverage and I enjoyed a plate of calamari.   Tuesday: Scrambled Eggs with Brown Rice and Salsa I love using up leftover rice by making a scramble. Simply combine whisked eggs with the rice and some salsa in a frypan. Cook, stirring often, until the eggs are cooked. I like this so much that I make extra brown rice so that I can have leftovers to make this dish. Tonight I paired it…

This week I really took advantage of big batch cooking. In fact, I ate “leftovers” from these big batches on 4 evenings. The reality is that beans (from dry), whole grains, and root vegetables (all hallmarks of great winter eating) take longer to cook. So making a big batch when you do take the time to cook them, maximizes their benefit.   Monday: Cliff Bar and an Apple I know, it’s a sad excuse for a dinner. But I didn’t leave enough time to put on my costume and make dinner before my evening plans. So I opted to put on my costume and grab a Cliff bar and apple (Hallowe’en only comes once a year after all).   Tuesday: Bean and Barley Soup with Veggie Wontons Tonight was one of many that I took advantage of the big batch cooking (this time cooked on Sunday). I also ate some vegetarian wontons – purchased because I went to the grocery store hungry. It’s amazing what’ll jump in your cart when you grocery shop hungry!   Wednesday: Bean and Barley Soup. With Apple Slices an Celery Sticks. There’s something about a big bowl of soup that takes me back to being…

  Yes, A Peek in My Cart is back! And, aren’t we looking good with a new facelift. Like all renos that I’ve ever seen, the last few details take the longest to finish. For example, an RSS button is coming.  But without further ado, here is a peek at what this busy, food-loving dietitian ate for dinner this week.   Monday: Egg and Squash Soft Tacos  It sounds a little strange, and looked very monotone, but this was a tasty fridge-clearout meal. I combined some leftover cooked squash with scrambled eggs and salsa and piled it onto some corn soft tacos.   Tuesday: Salmon Pesto Pasta with Broccoli   This was very much a “I need to go grocery shopping” dinner. Thank goodness for canned salmon and frozen broccoli. Another thing that I love is that this is a 1-pot meal. I simply add the broccoli to the boiling pasta for the last few minutes of cooking. Drain the water, then add the canned salmon and pesto. Top with a grating of parmesan cheese and dinner is ready.   Wednesday: Roasted Vegetable and Cheese Panini  Dinner tonight was at a coffee shop around the corner from a client.   Thursday:…