Plated January 21st Delivery

This was my second week of plated.  If you're interested in giving it a try, I definitely recommend it.  At first I thought it was a little wasteful sending such small portions of ingredients in containers, but then I went grocery shopping this weekend and realized how much I bought just to use a super small portion of the ingredient that I think it all evens out.  I'm also loving that I'm learning new cooking techniques.  Oh, and whenever they send garlic, it's already peeled, score!

First up, wild mushroom pappardelle.  I LOVE mushrooms!!!  I ended up adding more butter than the recipe called for because I thought the sauce was a little dry.  The recipe said it would make two servings, but I was able to get three out of it.  I thought it tasted better the next day.  I'm still getting used to working with fresh herbs.

And my second plate of the week, balsamic skirt steak with polenta.  This was my first time eating polenta, it's ok.  It's not something I'll make on my own, but something I'll eat.  The skirt steak, oh my goodness, delicious!  I'm also liking that I'm learning how to cook steak during the winter in the house that's not on the grill.  I feel like I always overcook my steak unless I'm grilling it, but not anymore!

With me being sick right now, I'm going to have to hold off cooking this week's delivery for another day or two.  I ordered mussels (again my first time cooking mussels), but I don't think that will sit well with the GI bug.

On being a doctor and taking a sick day

I don't know if it's just me or the influence of society, but I have extreme guilt regarding calling in sick today.  Yesterday 1/2 through the day I started feeling sick.  I'll just say I tried to get through it and ended up getting sick between patients.  The other doctors told me I needed to go home, so home I went.  Overnight I developed a fever and I just feel like poo.  The hard part about my profession is that me taking sick days doesn't only affect me, but other patients and my fellow doctors.  It took a little talking to myself, but finally I realized I wouldn't want my well baby being seen by a doc who's fighting the GI bug and has a fever, so back to bed I go.

Oh, and can I just say, it sucks being sick as an adult!

Croup

It's tough being a mom and a pediatrician.  This morning my little one woke with a barky cough.  She has croup. Right now it's just the cough, but I have enough medical knowledge to know it has the ability to get worse before getting better, which scared the living day lights out of me. I swear, I've brought home more germs working in the office than when I was primarily in the hospital. 

My First Week of Plated

Well hello there, if I have any followers still!  Blogging has taken even more of a backseat, but that's ok.  The important thing is spending time with my family and friends.  Since my last entry, I have found out that I have passed my pediatric boards, woo hoo!!!

Cooking has also taken a backseat.  It's mostly been that I'm not good with meal planning, so then when I am ready to cook, I don't know what to cook and often don't have all of the ingredients.  Thanks to social media, I saw an advertisement for some food delivery services.  I decided to sign up for plated.  This was my first week, so far, I'm enjoying it.  This week I tried two meals.

First meal, Spanish Chickpea and Spinach Soup

The recipe said it should take about 40-50 minutes to make.  I find making stews often takes longer, and that was the case tonight.  Before adding the spinach, I sauteed it with garlic and olive oil, oh my goodness, deliciousness and a new side!  This was my first time putting a fried egg on my food.  I could have gone with out, I honestly don't think it added much.  I was able to get four meals of this recipe and it was definitely delicious!

Second Meal, Provencal Steak with Purple Potatoes and Green Beans

The rub was a little too much for me, so I ended up scraping it off.  I also felt this took a little longer than 30 minutes to make since I felt my potatoes weren't done in the recommended time.  Either way, it was yummy.

Overall, I was very pleased with my first plated experience.  I'm sure things would have been a little less expensive if I went to the grocery store myself, but truth be told, I'm ok with paying for the convenience.  I loved being back in the kitchen and I'm looking forward to this week's delivery!