What I Eat In A Week: Quick, Healthy Lazy Day Meals
This week, I’m focusing on low effort meals that are packed with veggies, perfect for lazy day meals. I still wake up every day with sadness, but I’m starting to understand that it’s up to me to live a life that truly makes me happy. So, I’m filling my week with friend brunches, lazy day meals, and a surprise Seattle road trip for Dom to watch an NFL game! Cook and eat with me this week as I make delicious lazy day meals like chicken cucumber salad and Kongnamul-bulgogi!
Wednesday
My Morning Matcha Latte Routine
I’ve decided to make it a priority to do at least one small thing each day that brings me joy. It could be going on a walk after work, cooking myself a bowl of late-night noodles, having Gilmore Girls marathons, or reading my favorite books. Lately, it’s been starting my day with a glass of matcha latte. The way I see it, these little moments of happiness add up and make life feel a little bit brighter, one small joy at a time.
- 1.5 tsp matcha powder
- 50 ml hot water
- 100 ml oat milk or your favorite milk
- Sweetener of your choice, Optional, to taste
Super Simple Korean Ground Beef Bibimbap
For lunch today, I’m craving Bimbimbap. I’ve got some ground beef in the fridge and plenty of veggies, so I figured we can make a quick, lazy day meal version together. Little confession: I’ve never been the biggest fan of vegetables. But, ever since I turned 30, I find my body really craving them. So, I’m on a mission to find fun and tasty ways to eat veggies, and what better way to do that than with a big bowl of Bimbimbap?
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 4 cloves of Garlic chopped
- 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- 1 tbsp of Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsp of Korean Chili Paste
- 1 tsp of Sugar
- 1 tbsp of Soy Sauce
- 3 tbsp of Sesame Oil
- 1/2 tbsp of Sesame Seeds
- 1 tsp of Rice Vinegar
- 2 cups of cooked white rice
- Your Favorite Toppings
Kongnamul-Bulgogi: Korean Spicy Bean Sprout Pork
For dinner, I have one goal: to use up all the bean sprouts in my fridge. What better recipe than Kongnamul-Bulgogi, or Korean Spicy Bean Sprout Pork. This recipe is perfect for when you don’t feel like cooking but still want something yummy. It takes less than 15 minutes, and all you do is throw everything together. If you don’t feel like cooking, this 15 minute easy pork belly meal feel like a full restaurant experience in your dining room.
- 0.5-1 pound frozen hot pot pork belly
- 100 grams bean sprouts
- 2-3 stalks green onions
- 2.5 tbsp Korean Chili Paste
- 1.5 tbsp Korean Red Chili Flakes
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tbsp Sesame Seeds
- Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Thursday
Super Fluffy Cottage Cheese Protein Pancakes
I’ve been obsessed with cottage cheese pancakes ever since I came back from Montreal. The cottage cheese adds tons of protein and makes the pancakes super moist and fluffy. Plus, they’re really easy to make at home.
I love blueberry pancakes, so I added some in mine today. Pan-fry them on medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown, and you’re done! This stack of pancakes is literally brunch goals. The fluffiness is unreal, and the blueberries make it even better. You’ve got to try these!
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 3 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp butter (melted)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- Optional additions: chocolate chips, blueberries, bananas, cinnamon, or any other toppings you’d like
Golden Shallot Rotisserie Chicken Cucumber Salad
After a trip to Costco and coming home smelling the rotisserie chicken in the car, I know I HAVE to make this chicken cucumber salad. This chicken salad takes less than 20 minutes to put together using kai dong Golden Shallot Oil and Four Season Scallion Sauce. To complete the meal, we also made some creamy sesame noodles! The saucy, savory chicken combined with rich creamy sesame noodles makes this the ultimate lazy day meal.
- 2 cups leftover Rotisserie chicken
- 1 whole cucumber
- 1 carrot, optional
- 2.5 tbsp Four Season Scallion Sauce
- 2 tbsp Golden Shallot Oil
- 2 stalks green onions
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1.5 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 servings of Noodles
- Sauce
- 2 tbsp of cooked Sesame Paste
- 1 tbsp of peanut butter
- 2 tsp of Sugar
- 2.5 tbsp of Black Vinegar
- 3 tbsp of Hot Dashi Stock or Water
Friday
Brunch Date with Vanessa at Wild Thyme
This morning, I’m going on a quick brunch date with my friend Vanessa at Wild Thyme. I haven’t seen her in so long, and I’m excited to be sharing this yummy meal with her! This small, family run restaurant is located in New Westminster, and serves authentic Lebanese cuisine. Their flatbreads are all baked in-house in their big brick oven, and it gives the restaurant a nice, warm feeling.
Wild Thyme’s food all looked and tasted so fresh! Their Fattoush salad had tons of different vegetables, and a delicious olive oil pomegranate dressing that just ties the salad together perfectly. We also got their Lahmajun, a thick bread topped with herby ground beef, tomatoes, arugula, and onions. It was satisfyingly chewy and fragrant.
There’s nothing more fun than catching up with friends over Wild Thyme’s variety of homemade dips and pita bread. I’m so happy to be able to took the time out of my day to dedicate to my friends and loved ones.
Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Bake
One of my goals this year is to experiment with food more, mix up flavors, and try new ingredients, like Spaghetti Squash. My mom gifted me two massive squashes from her garden. It’s my first time cooking this vegetable, so what can we make with Spaghetti Squash?
I have some ground beef from Costco, along with homemade tomato sauce I made earlier. So, for dinner today I thought we could make a spaghetti squash-lasagna casserole bowl using the spaghetti squash itself as a bowl. This turned out much tastier than we thought, and I might just ask my mom to plant more Spaghetti Squash this year.
- 1 spaghetti squash about 3 pounds
- 2 tbsp olive oil or enough to cover the insides of squash
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1½ cups tomato sauce
- 1 cup shredded cheese adjust as needed
Saturday
Mini Seattle NFL Football Game Road Trip
This week, we were invited to watch the Seattle Seahawks game by the NFL! I surprised Dom with the VIP Passes for the Seattle Seahawks vs. Buffalo Bill game on Sunday. These past few months have been really tough with losing my dad, and I just wanted to take a moment to thank Dom for being my rock. He’s been there for me every step of the way, and I truly don’t know what I would’ve done without him. So, we’re going on a mini road trip to Seattle, Washington! It’s been a while since we’ve had a getaway just the two of us, and I’m really excited.
We headed out for Seattle midday, and decided to enjoy some seafood lunch at Anthony’s Hearthfire Grill in Squalicum Harbor for some yummy calamari, Salmon Ponzu bowl, and seafood bisque. As Canadians, we also had to stop by Target and Trader Joe’s to buy snacks and other products we don’t have in Canada. I got so many goodies, I’ll definitely do a haul later. Every time we visit the states, I just have to stock up! We ended our shopping and grabbed dinner at Chan Seattle, a Korean Fusion restaurant inside Paramount Hotel.
The next day, it was time for the Seahawks game! Dom’s a huge NFL fan, and I’m so glad we got to come here. To start, we headed to the tailgate and got our fill of beer and loaded hotdogs. Then, it was time for the game! This was truly a core memory for me, not just being able to enjoy this time with Dom, but also go to the sidelines with him and get really up close. I’m so glad we got to take this trip!
