With a bun in the oven I consider myself two thirds of a mother this year. One third left to go before I get to hold this little guy in my arms for the first time! It's been such a chill, lovely day. All the mother's days in the future are going to be full of crying or laughing babies, burnt breakfasts in bed, macaroni necklaces, crayon drawn cards, and bouquets of backyard weed flowers. And I'm looking forward to each and every single one!
If you are wondering whether Dear Husband cooked my dinner the answer is no. We both collectively decided we wanted to keep the kitchen in one piece. It's better for all involved if I just cooked. But no worries. It's part of my life plan to teach Dear Husband how to cook more than just ramen and scrambled eggs.
Tonight I attempted three different recipes, all a smashing success. Unlike the fiasco last night. I chose to do Roasted Salmon with Lentils, with a side of Sauteed Asparagus with Garlic Butter and Parmesan, and a Strawberry Mocktail.
I'm definitely a food blogger newbie. My food photography skills have a long way to evolve.
Anyway, the first recipe, Roasted Salmon with Lentils, comes from a fun little cookbook called Cook This, Not That! Skinny Comfort Foods. The premise of this cookbook, if you've not heard of it before, is to provide lower calorie recipe alternatives to popular comfort foods. I've tried some of the recipes long before I started this blog all with great success. I'd recommend it!
Anyway, the salmon was delicious! It's glazed with a brown sugar and Dijon mustard sauce and is presented over a bed of lentils, carrots, onions, and garlic. I liked the lentils as well but I think I under-cooked them just a smidge. It was my very first time cooking lentils so I was uncertain what texture and consistency I was going for. But I doubt lentils were supposed to be al dente. Anyway, both myself and Dear Husband really liked it. 5 Wooden Spoons and it's earned a place in the box.
The recipe breakdown. Total cost of meal: $10.45. Cost per serving (at four servings): $2.62. Calories per serving: 354. Now, the book also lists the cost and calorie count. It lists $3.35 per serving and 440 calories per serving. Perhaps my salmon fillets were smaller or something. Either way, that should give you an approximate estimate as to what you'll pay and the calorie count.
Also, side note, this recipe can be totally pescetarian friendly if you substitute the chicken broth with vegetable broth.
Up next, as a side, Sauteed Asparagus with Garlic Butter and Parmesan. This awesome recipe comes from Elaina at The Rising Spoon. It's super easy and totally delicious! It's the perfect complimentary flavors for asparagus. Dear Husband rated it a ten on the vegetable scale, which is a big deal for him to rate this so highly considering how much he doesn't love vegetables. Check it out for an awesome side dish for your next meal. This also earns 5 Wooden Spoons and a place in the box.
The breakdown: Total cost of this side dish: $3.12. Cost per serving (at four servings): $0.78. Calories per serving: 118.
And last but not least is a Strawberry Mocktail. The weather here has been up in the nineties (welcome to the South) and our air conditioner is acting wonky so it hasn't exactly been cool in the house either. So what's the solution? A cool, refreshing strawberry mocktail! Just two ingredients!
It was based on a pin on Pinterest, but after checking out the pin, it linked to something else entirely. So I made up my own recipe. I used 1.25 liters of Sprite and the remaining good strawberries from the Strawberry Cucumber Spinach salad from two posts ago, approximately one third of a pound, pureed in a food processor. Mix the two together, and, bam, a super summer sweet treat! It was just the thing for a hot day! So yummy!
The breakdown. Total cost: $3.49. Total cost per serving (six smallish servings): $0.58. Calories per serving: 90.
All in all, I think this was a fantastic mother's day meal and I definitely look forward to making all of these recipes again in the future. Much love, Hailee
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