Fast Meals

I have what the "parenting experts" call a velcro baby. Which means exactly what it sounds like. She is STUCK to me all damn day. She hates to be put down and will not nap unless I let her nap on me. She goes to bed sometime between 6(if we're lucky) and 8(those rough days) so dinner for Will and I are scheduled around her. For those days she doesn't go to sleep until 8 I have to have an arsenal of very fast meals I can whip together so we aren't eating after 10pm.

I'm a HUGE red onion fan so this is great if your the same. It's cucumber, chicken, red onion and feta. I keep a bottle of homemade dressing in the fridge so this salad takes only as long as your knife skills dictate.

I typically use a slow cooker for my stew. If I can get 10 minutes in the morning I put a roast beef, carrots, potato, turnip, and rutabaga in a slow cooker with 1 cup of beef broth and let her go for 8 hours. Once Lady D is in bed I sauteed mushrooms and make a gravy with corn starch and beef broth and add it to the slow cooker. Cut the roast into bite sized pieces and eat it.

Burgers are a fast go to. I taught my hubs how to make really good shoe string fries so once the lady is in bed I get him started making those while I do the burgers. For lamb burgers I usually add salt, pepper and curry powder. For turkey or chicken I add salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary. For beef burgers I add salt, pepper and salsa. The fries take 25 minutes in the oven which is enough time to mix and cook the meat and clean up some of the mess. 

TACOS!!! I LOVE TACOS! You literally just have to prep the veggies and cheese, cook the ground meat and add spices (salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, chilli powder, cayenne pepper) 

When I was pregnant there were days in a row we ate this exact thing for dinner every night. My little lady was breech and had her head jammed HARD into my ribs, so doing anything other than sitting reclined was hard. Spread hummus on pita, add cucumber, chicken, red pepper, and lettuce. 

After 12 hours of holding a screaming baby on 4 hours sleep these recipes save my life. Fast, easy, and healthy.

--Siobhan xo

Spicy Peanut Pasta Salad w/ Pork Tenderloin

Another easy meal for tonight! Pork tenderloin on a peanut noodle salad with shit loads of veggies.

Seasoned the tenderloin with cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt and pepper.

Seared on all sides before baking in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes.

The sauce for the noodles is soy sauce, peanut butter, garlic, ginger and oil.

I blend it and then add some hot water from the noodles to smooth it out.

Cut up all the veggies. I like cucumber, red onion, carrot, red pepper and radishes.

Cut meat into thin medallions.

I served it with crushed peanuts on top.

Just a little spicy, creamy peanut sauce, meaty pork. So good and so easy.

--Siobhan xo