weeknight go-tos
our favs for a quick weeknight meal; long weekend plans; fav cocktail right now
happy Friday! are you ready for the long weekend? we are going on a last minute trip with some friends and i am so excited! it’ll be so nice to get away and get some rest, play games, eat good food, and breathe in some fresh mountain air.
can you believe it’s already september? that seems crazy to me. the beginning of this year both feels like it was just yesterday and also sooo long ago! wild. what a strange year this has been. but… september also means fall is coming!
i love how fall feels like a fresh start. it always signaled the beginning of a new school year — and to me, it will always feel like the beginning of something. a shift, a new way of life… sweaters and blankets and colors changing and a general feeling of relief that the unbearable heat of the summer is behind us. i feel that summer comes with so many expectations. vacations and beach trips and we have to have the most fun ever ever ever!!! fall is unassuming. it asks you to slow down, pour some tea, curl up with your honey & watch You’ve Got Mail.
fall is also the season of gathering around the table with your friends and family for a good meal. i can’t wait to share some fall recipes with you all, but for this week, we have some favorite quick weeknight meals! these both make use of a grab-and-go favorite: rotisserie chicken. i hope you love these! email me if you have questions! and if you make something, take a picture and tag me on instagram: @laurenbedford.
chicken & veggie fried rice
this is the ultimate leftover meal. we almost always have cooked rice in the fridge, and if we don’t, it just takes 15-20 minutes on the stove. in that time, you can chop and cook all the veggies for the fried rice. this recipe also makes use of rotisserie chicken (just like the pasta below), which is such a help to have in the fridge. we like to pick one up with our grocery shop on the weekend, then break it down as soon as we get it home. we store it in our fridge in pyrex containers for the week!
here’s how to make a quick weeknight fried rice!
what you’ll need:
cooked rice (~1 cup or so)
pick 3 veggies — we like broccoli, carrots, peas, zucchini, bok choy, green beans
chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
~1.5 cups of diced cooked chicken (should be about 1 breast worth)
2 eggs
tamari or soy sauce (to your taste)
extra sauces: teriyaki, sriracha, sweet & sour… whatever you like!
oil, butter, salt & pepper
how to:
if you are making a fresh batch of rice, put that on.
in a large pan, heat some oil on medium-high heat (i use avocado oil) and add in the garlic and onion. (letting the garlic and onion come to temp with the oil will keep them from burning)
once garlic and onion is fragrant, add in your veggies and a splash of water. if using broccoli, chop it up into smaller pieces so that it cooks through.
season with salt, pepper, and about 2 tbsp of tamari.
let that cook, and when the veggies have softened, add in the chicken.
that that mixture cook until there is very little liquid left.
while the veggies/chicken are cooking, whisk and cook two scrambled eggs.
when they are a little wetter than you’d like to eat them, add them to the pan with the veggies and chicken.
now add a knob of butter (about 2 tbsp) and the rice.
continue to season with your favorite sauces, and mix everything together!
we like to let the rice get a little crispy on the bottom. but technically once everything is mixed together, the dish is done and ready to eat!
easy weeknight pasta
this “recipe” makes use of just 5 ingredients that you may already have in your fridge: rotisserie chicken, pasta sauce, kale, pasta, cheese. yep, that’s it.
(in our house, we don’t count s&p, olive oil, or garlic as ingredients)
bring a heavily salted pot of water to boil. once boiling, add your noodles (i recommed a short noodle like rotini or penne for this).
saute the cooked chicken in olive oil, garlic, and italian seasoning. add a splash of water and add in the chopped kale. cover with a lid and let the kale cook with the chicken.
turn your oven on to 375.
when the pasta is done strain it (no need to rinse) and then combine the pasta, chicken, and kale in one bowl (or your pasta pot). pour your favorite pasta sauce on top until it’s coated to your preference. then scoop everything into a high walled baking dish (like a pie plate, cake pan, or ceramic casserole dish). cover the top with cheese and bake until the cheese is bubbly — should only be about 5-7 minutes.
this is great on it’s own (carb, protein, veggie!) or with a light salad with a vinaigrette. it all comes together in about 15 minutes and is so yummy and filling.
a couple other rotisserie chicken ideas:
simmer with a splash of chicken broth and any spices to change up the flavor: add taco spice, greek seasoning, BBQ sauce, etc. for a totally different flavor!
make chicken salad
use in a soup or chili (white chicken chili recipe coming in the next couple weeks!)
mix with broccoli, cheese, and rice and bake into a casserole
use to make tacos, enchiladas, or a taco rice bowl
add to a salad for a boost of protein!
chop, add BBQ sauce, put it on a warm bun with thinly sliced red onions — delicious BBQ chicken sandwiches
chicken pot pie! (a personal fav!!)
my current favorite cocktail & a new series
this is the first appearance of a new series i’ll do on the first friday of each month called Cocktails with Wil. since wil is the bartender in our house, he is going to share a cocktail recipe with us on the first Friday of each month! find the first one below:
my current favorite cocktails is a dirty (gin!!!) martini! briny, salty, cold, refreshing. loving them right now. you know how sometimes you get stuck on a specific drink or food? last year i was all about an aperol spritz. i still loooove aperol spritzes, but lately when i think of what cocktail sounds good to me, i am gravitating toward a dirty martini. and it just so happens that my husband is a fantastic bartender. his recipe for a dirty martini is below:
ingredients:
2oz gin (i prefer a gin with a citrus element like Malfy)
1/2oz dry vermouth (you’ll want to spend a little more on something like Dolin or La Fuerzo, it will last you a long time)
3/4oz olive juice (Lauren’s favorite is Castelvetrano olive juice, but any green olive juice will do)
3 olives (of the same variety as your juice)
instructions:
prepare your garnish by spearing three olives on a toothpick
in a mixing glass, add 2oz of gin, 1/2oz dry vermouth, and 3/4oz olive juice
fill mixing glass with ice
stir down until glass frosts (contrary to what 007 may say, you definitely do not want to shake a gin martini, unless you don’t want to taste your gin)
strain into a chilled coupe glass, and add your garnish
deliver to your lovely wife with a smile and a kiss!
:) thanks wil!!
this week’s music pick:
the world feels heavy this week. i don’t have a specific artist or playlist for you to listen to. my suggestion this week is just to take a break from the podcasts, talk radio, news outlets, etc. and just put on some music that makes you happy. it is so important to stay informed, and now it is easier than ever. but i think sometimes we forget that those same phones and screens that bring us the news and educational podcasts can also bring us something lighter: music. by all means, please stay informed. but also recognize that it’s ok to give yourself a break.
music has the ability to bring so many people together. so whether you blast it in your car, play it in the kitchen while you cook, sing at the top of your lungs in the shower…. just shut off the (sad & heavy) noise for a few minutes and listen to something different.
much love to you all. have a wonderful holiday weekend!