Wednesday, September 12, 2012

WIAW: Falling into Good Habits

Perhaps it’s that two Jen(n)’s think alike, but I’m loving this month’s theme for What I Ate Wednesday: Fall into Good Habits. Unlike the rest of the blogging world, I haven’t fallen into the habit of pumpkin spice lattes. As you know, I’m not a coffee girl (though I do have an interview at Starbucks on Monday). That being said, in addition to my morning chai latte, I have taken up drinking hot chocolate, though. While the weather channel claims “51 degrees” for Anaconda, the air outside says differently. The wind is crisp and cold; we’ve already had to turn on the heat in our bedroom.

The change in seasons has also brought about a change in our schedules. Thankfully this change has meant the addition of one good fall habit - eating healthy dinners together. While I typically show you a day of eats, I’ve missed a few WIAW’s and so I want to share a few of our great dinners instead.

The cooler weather has us making heartier foods - especially now that it feels good to turn the oven/stove on. This summer we lived on salads and fresh fruit but we've found ourselves reaching for brown rice, grits and corn bread over the past week or two. (Don’t worry, I still have an entire watermelon to eat.)


After a long work week, I put in an extra few hours in Butte to get fresh meat and our groceries. The result was this dinner: filet and grilled asparagus in a bearnaise sauce. All the thanks go to the chef on this one. 


This coconout curry shrimp dish with grilled pineapple was meant to end up on the blog as a recipe last week but with my busy schedule, it never happened. After receiving a box of creamed coconut in my foodie pen pal package, my wheels were turning. Not only did we have this for a healthy dinner together but I had it for a few lunches, as well.


And, the best for last: Gambas made with Prawns. When Trevor described this dish, I was appalled. He wanted me to eat kalamata olives? and sundried tomatoes? Ugh. Worst yet, he sent me on a grocery search to find them. Since I was out of luck with both, we settled for black olives and bought sundried tomatoes at Safeway the next day. As Trevor prepared the tapenade, I wrinkled my nose but as soon as I took a bite? Oh. my. gosh. Really, that’s what I said. Followed by “you were right” and “babe, this is incredible”. And the prawns themselves? Ugh! Meaty and flavorful.



I’m really looking forward to more dinners at home. So tell me, what are your favorite fall meals?
Though it’s no longer the season, we have shrimp tacos on our menu for the week.

4 comments:

  1. All your eats look so pretty and fancy! And of course delicious. :)

    My favorite Fall meals? Oatmeal with spices like cinnamon to warm me up on cool mornings.

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    1. Well thank you - they were quite yummy! As for the pretty and fancy parts, my boyfriend is so big on presentation. Plus he knows I photograph everything! As for oatmeal, you should try this baked oatmeal recipe! I couldn’t get enough.

      http://www.jenniferlake.com/2012/08/recipe-baked-sweet-cherry-oatmeal.html

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  2. Being vegan, my classic favorite fall-into-winter meal is chili. Especially this one recipe for black bean sweet potato chili. So good!

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    1. I can’t wait to bring my crockpot back from Pennsylvania so that we can make chili! It’s so nice to toss it in early in the morning and come home to a nice hot meal after school or work! You’ll have to share that recipe if you have it - nothing I love more than black beans or sweet potatoes.

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