Serendipotatoes

ser·en·dip·i·ty/ˌserənˈdipitē/

Noun:

The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way: "a fortunate stroke of serendipity.

(source)

Today after church when the little guy asked what was for lunch, I found myself reluctantly saying, "How about pancakes?" You see, pancakes (+ eggs or chicken sausage) are one of my go-to, last-resort, cupboards-are-bare meals. I can mix them up on a moment's notice, probably even in my sleep. Goodness knows I stopped using a recipe for them ages ago. While I try to mix up the mix-ins and toppings so we never really eat the same 'cakes twice, today I was really, really not looking forward to another stack.

I started rummaging through the freezer to see if there was something, ANYthing, I could put into those pancakes that would make them remotely more interesting. That's when I unearthed a bag of frozen cubed potatoes. I had utterly forgotten about it! My wheels started turning... I had potatoes, onion, bell pepper... I hate the word, but could I come up with a decent hash?

Oh yeah, baby. I ran the potatoes under water for a few seconds to start thawing, then added them to a hot skillet with grapeseed oil and diced onion. A little of this (kosher salt, black pepper, dried dill) and a little of that (diced ham, red bell pepper, fresh tomatoes, salsa, garlic-and-chili-infused macadamia oil) made its way into the skillet. When I was happy with how that looked and tasted, I quickly cooked a few eggs in another non-stick skillet and slid them on top of each serving.

With a little dash of Frank's, my one true love, this meal was complete. And gooooood. So good, in fact, that I didn't even miss the white cheddar I had forgotten to grate on top. It didn't even cross my mind until I was cleaning up the kitchen and saw the cheese on the counter.

With a scrambled egg instead of a runny one, this would make a great breakfast burrito. This meal can easily be made vegetarian by omitting the ham, and could be vegan-ized by omitting the ham and topping with scrambled tofu instead of eggs.

Meal plan

Sunday - leftovers
Monday - cilantro-garlic shrimp from Clean Eating Magazine
Tuesday - chili (or similar) in the CrockPot after running group
Wednesday - portobello gnocchi with marinara sauce, roasted brussels sprouts
Thursday - lentils and quinoa
Friday - pizza? It's a known pre-race meal for me and we're doing a 5K on the 29th!
Saturday - TBD

Old Town Alexandria, 3-year-old style

Here's how we spent our day:

Playing ghost

 

Petting moss 

 Cheesing for the camera while acorn hunting

 Watching a construction site (he loves the cranes)

 Taking a coffee (for me!) and cookie (oatmeal raisin) break

 Hanging out at the fountain near the train station

 Observing the bubbles and money in the fountain

 Playing with (antagonizing?) one of the tiniest dogs he's ever seen

 Bumming around a farmers' market we found a block from our hotel

 A brief cuddle with his oh-so-tired mama after dinner

 Gelato date! He chose pineapple-basil. :)

He also spent time in the pool with The H, but I didn't document that. It's slightly different than how it might look if The H and I were here by ourselves, no doubt. But it was fun and tired him out, so I'm a fan.

Kid-friendly beef vegetable soup

This recipe is another Squeaky Gourmet gem. While I can't post the recipe, I can tell you this: watching the little guy eat several bowls of this (twice--it makes a lot!) without complaining about the veggies is more than worth the cover price, had I actually paid for this book. He claims to not like zucchini, onions, or mushrooms, all of which are in this soup, but once I had him close his eyes and eat it, the complaints ceased and all I heard was "YUM! I LOVE it!"

We called this "taco soup" because the seasoning is slightly reminiscent of Mexican food--and because tacos are fairly familiar to the little guy. Once he chowed his servings, I told him what was in there and said now he couldn't tell me he didn't like those things anymore. In addition to the zukes, 'shrooms, and onion, this hearty bowl contains ground beef, wild rice, grape tomatoes, and celery. That'll bring your veggie intake up for the day!

Since it does make so much, we had leftovers another day. I'm pleased to report that this freezes and reheats very nicely. I dumped a semi-thawed brick of soup into a slow cooker one afternoon before running group, and we came home to savory simmering goodness that was perfect for warming up on a chilly fall evening.

Ten things

1. I'm running the Army Ten-Miler in DC next Sunday.

2. The little guy, who claims to not like zucchini, happily gobbled his entire bowl of beef & wild rice soup (which contains zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, and onions) with his eyes closed so he didn't have to see them.

3. My sister, who blogs at redwhiteandnew.wordpress.com, got some nerve-wracking news recently. If you have any good thoughts, prayers, or "best wishes" vibes to share, please send some her way.

4. My parents are in Kashmir for a few weeks.

5. I ran an average of 8:02/mile for my four-mile tempo run Friday. In 28mph winds on a not-entirely-flat route. Lots on my mind, apparently.

6. Yesterday was the busiest I've been in a long time--up at 6:30 for a run, ran 8 miles, prepped for a bridal shower, hosted said shower at my house, cleaned up, started packing for our DC trip, went out for coffee with my sisters (one of whom stayed with us last night, 9-month-old in tow), came home to finish packing, and conked out sometime before midnight (I think).

7. We recently revisited this meal for dinner. It was a great way to warm up on a blustery, stormy, power-blinking night.

8. I *adore* fall weather, including the kind mentioned above. LOVE love love it.

9. As much as I love my shorts and tanks, I've been itching to wear my colder-weather gear again. 


10. My first blog giveaway is coming soon!

Meal plan Monday

With our little family back under the same roof, it's time to get serious about a meal plan for the week. No more restaurant food for awhile, please!

Monday - GF pizza loaded with veggies
Tuesday - dinner with friends: a compilation of garden-grown veggies, chicken, and quinoa, with homemade salsas and two kinds of tortilla chips (sweet potato and chocolate, in case you wondered)
Wednesday - GF pesto pasta with chicken and tomato-feta salad
Thursday - breakfast dinner
Friday - TBA
Saturday - leftover beef & wild rice soup

I do have some recipes and pictures to post, I promise. Soon! But probably not between 9 and 10pm tonight, because I will be engrossed in fall TV premiers! One more reason to loooove this season.

Not MIA, just technologically challenged!

I'm still here, with lots of potential blog posts banging around in my head. But I couldn't log in to Blogger for awhile! Frustrating.

This weekend The H and I are hanging out in our city's downtown, playing tourists and celebrating our anniversary. I'm excited to show you some of the treasures we've found (coffee and cupcakes, to name a few), and to get back onto a clean and fresh meal plan on Monday. There are some fantastic restaurants around us, and we have taken full advantage, but it's certainly not what I'm used to three meals a day!

We're going to start the day with a run along the river tomorrow, which should get the week off on a good note. He and I don't often run together, but we did when I first started running, and it's always a nice change in my routine to have him along.