Cooking Frenzy

After spending the past 5 days in the City of Brotherly Love we returned from our lover's trip to an empty fridge and the looming doom of reality less than 24 hours away. I needed to prepare to work the next 3 days in a row and detox from all the Philly treats we had. Luckily I had pre-made a grocery shopping list and game plan, sometimes that's the part that takes the longest. Often I get people who are amazed at my meal prepping skills (I am kind of a big deal) But it is really very manageable if you are motivated and organized. I was able to make 3 days worth of food for myself, do some meal prep for Nate and cook dinner in 2 hours. #AMAZING

So what the heck fuels a nurse for 3 days of hard labor? I'll tell you it isn't coffee or cigarettes. 

-breakfast salads
-tortellini salad
-cottage cheese and chopped veggies
-latkes, tinned fish and asparagus
-berries and yogurt
-potstickers and steamed veggies

Some of these don't need explanation or recipes but let me say that some of the time savers I rely on are frozen foods. I'm not talking about Pizza Bites and Hungry Man* tv dinners. I keep my freezer stocked with frozen veggies (they're frozen at the peak of freshness and pretty tasty) frozen berries, chicken, fish, TJ potstickers, broth, tater tots and onion rings (you have to have fun sometimes and Nathan can't live without them) It takes 2 minutes to throw frozen broccoli and potstickers in a container and throw a splash of asian sauce on it. Healthy dinner, Voila! 
* How come they don't make Hungry Woman TV dinners? Maybe because they would consist of wine, ice cream, french fries and some whoop @ss. Or worse, veggies and steamed brown rice. HAHAHAHA

What I will divulge is the top secret recipes for breakfast salads and the tortellini salad I ate this week. I think I have talked about breakfast salads before. Heather got me started on them after she started making them. People don't associate vegetables or salads with breakfast but you can eat savory treats for breakfast or pancakes for dinner, duh! I love salads for any meal but for the breakfast variety I enjoy a soft boiled egg a top my greens. This week my breakfast salads consisted of chopped ham, scallions, sprouts, sliced up a cheese stick and chopped bell peppers on top of arugula with a delicious soft boiled egg. To be honest I don't even put dressing on it. I bathe the greens in hot sauce and use the goopy egg yolk as my make do dressing.

The tortellini salad is a recent recipe from Cooking Light. It has all elements of a salad that holds up as a meal of it's own: veggies, carb, and protein. 

Tortellini, Chicken and Arugula Salad- Cooking Light

• 1 (9-oz.) pkg. refrigerated cheese tortellini (such as Buitoni), cooked according to pkg. directions. I used dried and it worked fine
• 8 ounces skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast, shredded (about 2 cups)
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups baby arugula
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced shallot; I substituted scallions
• 3/4 ounce Parmesan cheese, shaved (about 1/4 cup)
• Frozen artichoke hearts (optional, I added them and loved it)

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1. Place tortellini and chicken in a large bowl.
2. Combine garlic and salt on a cutting board. Mash with the side of a knife to form a paste. Place in a small bowl. Add oil, rind, juice, sugar, and pepper; stir with a whisk.
3. Add 2 tablespoons dressing to tortellini and chicken; toss to coat. Gently fold in arugula, shallot, and remaining dressing. Sprinkle with shaved Parmesan cheese.