Pa-rump-a-pum-pum

Did you miss me?  I took a little break last week - I really couldn't bear the thought of spending another second in front of a computer when I got home from work on Friday.  I am sure there are others like me who can understand.  Sitting at a desk all day makes me a little crazy.  I try hard to get out at lunch for a run, bike ride, or some yoga - but some days it just doesn't happen.  Don't be surprised if you come around the corner and see me unrolling my yoga mat at work on one of those busy days.  A girl gets to feeling pent up with no decompression time.

Side crow in a suit...on a desk.  I barely can do that on my mat.

We are gearing up for the Christmas holiday over here which means we have even less spare time than usual.  That puts us right around 12 spare minutes a day.  Bearing that in mind, we are being very crafty with our meals this week.  When time gets tight we rely heavily on leftovers.

It was only a few short weeks ago that I was hateful towards my slow cooker...and I think I have used it every week since then.  This past Sunday we were headed down to Denver for the day so I put together a Vegetable Stew (it is technically a chili but is not chili-like at all in my book - more like a tomato based stew) in the crock pot.  It simmered away all day and made so much delicious stew that we are on our second night of eating it with plenty left to go (it freezes really well).

Another meal that is hearty and delicious (and really good leftover), is Shepard's Pie.  This Shepard's Pie is a little more robust than what we grew up with.  We are fortunate enough to have some ground Elk from our good friends up in Steamboat who have readily adopted the mountain lifestyle and went out and caught themselves an elk this year - pretty impressive.  This was an awesome meal, and Ellie really liked it too which gives it bonus points in our book.  There is a fair amount of prep time involved so when I found myself with some down(ish)-time (read: Ellie was napping) I went through all the steps and got the dish assembled, then stuck it in the fridge until we were about an hour or so from dinner.  I didn't hear any complaints at our table.

Apparently we have all the right friends because we also have a mess of fresh caught Alaskan salmon in our freezer.  Yes, we count our blessings.  Neither one of us are huge salmon eaters but we are really excited to have this in our house.  I haven't cooked salmon since college so I am a little rusty and it definitely showed in this recipe, Pineapple Teriyaki Salmon.  I way overcooked the salmon...and the couscous (did you know that was possible?).  The flavors were all wonderful but it was all terribly dry...as a foodie who appreciates a great cut of fish, I felt awful about it.  But I am confident that the next set of filets will come out much better.

We had one of our cars in the shop this week which meant I was supposed to be riding my bike to and from work...except that we woke up to a rogue snow storm which pretty much annihilated that plan.  This meant a lot of running around for all of us and only about 3 minutes to make dinner.  Let me introduce you to the frozen ravioli.  Once the water gets boiling, these little gems take about 3-4 minutes to cook.  Pair that with a nice salad and you have yourself a meal.  We don't shy away from these quick fixes as long as they don't become the norm.  The fact is, there isn't always time to even whip together a quick meal from scratch - there are good choices out there and it just takes a little creativity to pull together a well rounded meal in a super short amount of time.

Last but not least is our chicken dish for the week.  Chicken Thighs with Roasted Apples and Garlic.  This wasn't anything wild and crazy but was a good, solid meal.  We paired it with some white rice (brown rice doesn't go over so well with the hubby) and mixed veggies and we were off and running. 

So there you have it, a mish-mash of recipes that will keep you well fed through all the shopping, baking, and celebrating that happens this time of year.  I am going to try and get rolling on my Christmas cookies this weekend...the posts for the remainder of the year will probably be a little more varied since I get really excited about baking and hosting so don't be caught off guard.  Take a minute to slow down and enjoy the season...remember how when you were younger, it took FOREVER for Christmas to come?  We all need to work on getting back to that place so we can enjoy and appreciate the moments a whole lot more.  Happy Holidays!