I’m back! This week was pretty nuts, but I think that I’m finally getting back into the swing of things. It’d be nice to have things running smoothly, unlike this morning when Fritz and I realized that we had literally no food in the house that was appropriate for a quick school lunch. Tomorrow I have the morning off, so I’ll be sure to make some things we can pack quickly.
We also ran out of old-fashioned oats and steel-cut oats in the same week–a travesty! Luckily, my mom can read my thoughts from 6 1/2 hours away (with no traffic, that is), and told me today that she mailed me three pounds o’ oats in a box today.
What a woman.
I was thinking today that I have been lax in posting side dishes, probably because it’s just more exciting to write about and photograph entrées, and because I also have an affinity for one-pot meals. However, we do eat a lot of side dishes, especially since I’ve tried to add more vegetables to our diet lately. Here’s a nice one for ya:
Sautéed Zucchini (courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook)
- 1 T olive oil
- 2 or 3 zucchini (or summer squash), cut in half lengthwise and sliced crosswise
- 1 small onion (I used half a giant onion), diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 T dried parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then toss in the onions and cook until translucent, a few minutes.
Meanwhile, chop the ends off of each zucchini, and slice-‘n’-dice. Add those into the skillet. After a few minutes (around eight), they will be tender and beginning to brown. Make a well in the center and add the garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper, then toss all together.
Enjoy! I’ve been using jarred garlic in olive oil because I hate having to peel and mince garlic, but when the taste is fairly important (such as this recipe), you can taste a weird, almost chemically aftertaste which is not the best. However, on the bright side, Fritz never notices when I use garlic anymore. Mission “Sneak Food Fritz Hates Into Everything He Eats Until He’s Immune” accomplished!
We ate this as a side to baked tilapia with a mustard (me) and chutney (Fritz) bread crumbs topping smothered with roasted tomatoes. Yum. So easy and a great way to make frozen fish taste good in a quick and healthy way. I’ll post the recipe next time I make it!
I rarely eat zucchini (because I’ll almost always choose summer squash over it–I love yellow!) but I enjoyed having a different vegetable in the mix. Days when I’m good about eating healthily and exercising just make me feel so amazing…and then I can enjoy some guilt-free relaxing time with Henry and Sleepless in Seattle (good recommendation, Mom)!
I discovered (at Wegman’s) that they also make that diced garlic packed in water. I didn’t know it existed with that option.