#MeatlessMonday

I quietly instituted Meatless Mondays at our house. I sort of regularly planned or scheduled a meatless meal during our week but back in November I consciously planned them for Mondays and tried to keep them varied. I mean, pasta seems like the easiest & fastest dinner without meat and is a favorite food of mine so I might have been happy to eat pasta every Monday night! There were still a bunch of pastas on my Mondays but everything has felt different so far! Summer definitely seems like an easier season but it is a good habit I hope to keep up.

The verdict? So far so good! They don’t have to be Mondays necessarily, but I did totally find it helpful for speedier meals to start the week! I’ll keep at it and maybe it’ll stretch me to be more creative. We could definitely eat more veggies.

Here have been some of my favs:

Fall Fettuccine with Roasted Squash, Sage, & Alfredo
The Three Bite Rule - Fall Fettuccine
Baked Falafel Bowls
The Three Bite Rule - Falafel Bowl
Bean & Cheese Quesadillas/Burritos – I froze a few burritos with beans, 2 cheeses, brown rice, and corn for lunches too!

Kale Pesto over Gnocchi
The Three Bite Rule - Kale Pesto
Shakshuka
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Spaghetti w/ Tomato Sauce- I was solo parenting and had strep- the worsttttt. A 2-ingredient dinner was perfect- using my fav Kitchen Ready Tomatoes of course.

Grilled cheese & Tomato Soup – this may have been the first time the little one ate soup. He was into it!

Bfast for Dinner: eggs & hashbrowns

Veggie Calzone with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
The Three Bite Rule - Fire Roasted Veggie Calzone

Tortellini

Fish tacos with Pear Pomegranate Salsa
The Three Bite Rule - Pomegranate Pear Salsa

Sesame Noodles & Edamame
The Three Bite Rule - Sesame Noodles
I think that’s been most of them so far. It was also refreshing for a busy season to rely on many tried and true favs and not focus on new concepts and blogging all of them.

A bunch of my lunches tend to be vegetarian- quiche, soup, crostini, jazzy grilled cheeses, etc but it was good to be mindful to focus dinners around the theme.

A few other ideas that’ll hit next are some pizzas/flatbreads, Mexican things, more soups, and eggplant. I’m just not craving salads while it is 10-degrees around these parts. Any other cold-weather meatless meal ideas for me? Fish & mushrooms aren’t always favorites for all of us at our house.

Pomegranate Pear Salsa over Crispy Fish

At the first Pear Party/Iron Chef Pear, there was this pear, pomegranate pearl salsa that I loved, yet hadn’t made in years. It is so addicting with tortilla chips- multigrain scoops are definitely the best for it. I added some avocado and served mine on top of some beer battered fish filets for lunch and used the rest on pork tacos the following night. This is wintry and fresh with such great textures.

The Three Bite Rule - Pomegranate Pear Salsa

Pomegranate & Pear Salsa

Ingredients:

2 pears
1/4 cup cilantro
1/4 red onion
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/1-1 avocado

Directions:

Chop the pear, cilantro, and red onion. Mix together with the pomegranate pearls, lime juice & salt.
The Three Bite Rule - Pomegranate Pear Salsa
Gently mix in the avocado.
Serve & enjoy! (If not serving immediately, reserve the pomegranate pearls until serving- they leave a reddish hue on the pears & reserve the avocado- it’ll turn brown.)

So easy! You know what’s even easier? I discovered the grocery store sells the pomegranate pearls already popped out of the pomegranate! That was my hang up to make this until now. This lunch as everything: warm crispy fish, the pop/crunch of the pomegranate pearl, the juicy pear, the creamy avocado. What’s not to love?

The red & green felt super cute and seasonal here. The avocado was a game-time decision. When they’re ripe that window to use it or lose it is brief! Plus, my frozen fish filets seemed tiny. I’ve used them in fish tacos but for size reference, this is a salad plate so I thought the avocado would bulk it up a touch. It did!
The Three Bite Rule - Pomegranate Pear Salsa

Caesar Deviled Eggs

I love caesar dressing which lead me to a caesar twist on deviled eggs. I made just a few for a mid-day Christmas appetizer. They were perfect for a few bites with the zing of caesar and a salty bit of Parmesan on top. I also like that they’re quick and easy to make a few or a bunch. I like them as an appetizer in contrast to dips, cheese, crackers, etc.
The Three Bite Rule - Caesar Deviled Eggs
I jazzed up some creamy caesar dressing but it is also pretty easy to make it homemade. They definitely taste caesar-y. The anchovy paste is necessary in the dressing. Necessary. It adds that hard-to-explain, not-fishy, but zing of good caesar flavor. I doubt these would really taste like caesar without it.

Caesar Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

8 hard boiled eggs
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
4 tablespoons creamy caesar dressing + cracked pepper + anchovy paste
1 teaspoon shaved parmesan

Directions:

Hard boil the eggs, then immediately place into a ice bath.
When cooled, peal the eggs and slice in half. Pop out the egg yolks into a bowl and add in the mustard and creamy caesar.
The Three Bite Rule - Caesar Deviled Eggs
Whip together with a hand mixer or in a food processor until totally smooth.
Spoon into a ziplock bag. Then pipe the filling into each egg half.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Caesar Deviled Eggs

I was making these on-the-go bringing ingredients to our Christmas celebration, but a tiny piece of romaine lettuce would be fun for crunch or some crumbled croutons all over the top would be good too!

December 2017 Recap

I really like the between Christmas and New Years. I don’t feel the post-celebration blues I hear so often. I like the hubbub of Christmases we have celebrating twice and then I like the quietness of NYE. I’m looking forward to sliders and milkshakes that have become our tradition to ring in the new year! As much as I LOVE LOVE LOVE holiday decor I also like the getting back to usual with the tree down etc. I also switch from Christmas/Santas/etc to Snowmen and lights so it still feels festive.

So. much. food. in. December! I hosted Christmas Eve and Mr. J and I made fresh spinach pasta, alfredo, these crockpot meatballs, caesar salad, and chocolate mousse. It was soooo good and the right amount of easy/special foods.

My fav thing this month was an apple, caramelized onion, and boursin crostini. So perfect for a snack, lunch, or cocktail party food.
The Three Bite Rule - Crostini with Boursin, Apple & Caramelized Onions
I also really loved this cheesy-veggie calzone with fire roasted tomatoes.
The Three Bite Rule - Fire Roasted Veggie Calzone
January should be tasty! I have a few posts to work on during my break from work that I’m excited to share. I got some new kitchen toys so I’ll be sure to break them in as well! I made a yogurt cake which instilled a touch of confidence for baked goods.

The Little One:

Christmas was so magical for him! He was feeling shy to sit with Santa, but he did talk to him and asked for a Construction vest. Santa delivered, also with safety goggles which he barely took off since. He couldn’t believe the cookie crumb mess Santa left on the plate! He was quite well behaved and very happy opening presents. I wasn’t sure if he’d have zero attention span since all the family members showered him with so many gifts!

In just a few weeks he’ll be 3! I cannot wait to post his bday celebration!

This year’s goals: 

Year of the candle: 
Grocery store re-invention: 
Ehh. I might just nix this – it never seems to happen! 
Cook more appetizers/snacks: 
Bacon & Parmesan Stuffed Mushrooms were from November, and Apple/Boursin/Caramelized Onion Crostini was December! 
Taking time to blog thoughtfully:
I might have added a touch more style this month.
Journal the cute moments of my little one: 
What I’m reading: 
 I read The Day the World Came to Town, so uplifting! and I read Talking as Fast as I Can which was cute & enjoyable. 
What I’m watching:
I fulfilled my Christmas-movie needs by catching some/part of my favorite ones – Elf, The Holiday, Love Actually, Miracle on 34th Street, Christmas with the Kranks & Christmas Vacation. I didn’t see Home Alone which I was missing.

Pomegranate Cider Cocktail or Mocktail

Cocktail or mocktail! Take your pick! I’ll be real and say I tested & photographed this out during the little one’s naptime so I went mocktail so I could be productive for the afternoon but later the champagne version was delicious!
The Three Bite Rule - Pomegranate Cider Cocktail

Bubbly Pomegranate Cider

Ingredients:

2 oz Pomegranate juice
4 oz apple cider
1 oz limoncello or citrus vodka (optional)
7 oz ginger ale (mini can) or champagne

Directions:

Add pomegranate juice to a cocktail shaker with cider and ice. For a cocktail version, add limoncello or citrus vodka.
The Three Bite Rule - Pomegranate Cider Cocktail
Shake and pour over ice into 2 glasses.
Top with ginger ale or champagne.
Enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Pomegranate Cider Cocktail
This is a great one to make to order, or to make a big pitcher for guests! I’d totally include this on a mimosa(-ish) bar for brunch! I liked the bubbles to cut the sweetness of the cider & juice. It is an easy one to make to your taste.

I can see kiddos liking the mocktail version while others have the champs in there.