Hi y’all!

This is the youngest member of the family I cook for, in front of the family’s gorgeous new stove:

Such a stylin’ cutie! So how did that ol’ meal plan turn out last week? Here’s the rundown:

The change-up:

With some substitutions at Stephanie’s request, the Garlicky Roasted Lamb from last month’s print Southern Living morphed quite a bit. Instead of the original recipe with anchovies and lamb, the meal became orangy herbed pork loin. She requested pork instead of lamb, so I was already altering cooking times in my head. But right after cracking open the tin container of YDFM‘s finest anchovies in olive oil, I had an impulse to send her a text to ask if she and her husband were anchovy fans. The answer was no. So I looked up some Bon Appetit pork loin recipes and ended up creating something like the ad hoc recipe below:

1. Salt and pepper pork loin.
2. Cut slits in meat and stuff them with peeled garlic.
3. Sear pork in oiled saucepan until browned on all sides (about 7 minutes).
4. Pour a little freshly squeezed orange juice in the pan, dump a whole bunch of chopped herbs in with it, and let it simmer on low for 10 minutes or so while veggies (I used potatoes and zucchini) roast in 425° or so oven.
5. Once the veggies are tender, put the pork on the baking pan in the middle and roast it all for another 15 minutes or so. (Note: Use lots of garlic and salt and pepper. The result was tasty, but not as flavorful as I would like!)

What about the anchovies? They were already open and smelly, so I brought them home and went to town. My favorite combo was layers of the following, in order:

Rectangular sesame cracker, thin layer of wasabi mayo, generous layer of fresh basil leaves, single layer of anchovy filets. Crunch + heat + herb + salt = Delicious!

The surprise:

While making this light and easy massaged kale salad from Gabby’s Gluten-Free, I stumbled upon her simple crispy radish chips. A handful of radishes turned into a super light before-dinner snack. I highly recommend making at least two pans and maybe three as they’re addictive!

The favorites: 

The winner – by far: These chewy granola bars by Nicole of Gluten Free on a Shoestring. I subbed extra syrup for molasses because I forgot to pick some up, and also made the bars in an 8 x 8 pan rather than 9 x 9, which made them a little thicker. I think the original recipe would be even better, but can you really go wrong with oats, brown sugar, nuts, dried fruit and honey? Even the brilliant and choosy 5-year-old above gave me her sign of approval when I asked her to be my taste tester: A wide-eyed “THIS. IS. DELICIOUS.”

Stephanie also shot me a text saying the ginger fried rice from Smitten Kitchen was amazing. (I plan to make this soon myself with some leftover rice from Chinese food!)

Today, I’m trying the recipes below.

This week’s meal plan:

Dinner 1:
Bobby Flay’s Shrimp and Grits
Spiced Coconut Spinach (using leftover coconut from last week’s granola bars)

Dinner 2:
Thai Chicken Curry (serve with rice or even leftover grits) 

Dinner 3:
Roast beef sandwiches with GF sweet potato biscuits, sliced tomato and Bibb lettuce (note: beef should be salted 24 hours in advance)

Does anything sound more heavenly than a sweet potato biscuit? Or is that the Southerner in me?

Alas, check in next week and I’ll let you know how it went! And as always, you can find the complete list of recipes at my Pinterest board, Health and Happiness. Follow and add your thoughts!