Chicken Stir-Fry Wraps

This dish is very similar to Beef Bulgogi, but with chicken instead of beef.  Like Beef Bulgogi, we eat it this dish by wrapping the stir fry in butter lettuce to make lettuce wraps, which keeps the meal lower in calories and carbs, but it would, of course, work just as well with rice on the side.  

As always, I tweaked the original recipe slightly to serve two instead of four people.  I really just decreased the amount of chicken used, but we always eat all the vegetables, just the two of us, so I would increase the amount of onion and red pepper as well if you are making this for four or more.  1-1/2 lbs of chicken, 2 red peppers, and 1-1/2 onions should increase the dish enough to serve four without having to increase the marinade.

Chicken Stir-Fry Wraps

1lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 

halved horizontally & thinly sliced

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, sliced thinly

1 large red bell pepper, sliced thinly

3 garlic cloves, minced

1-1/2 tsp. peeled, fresh ginger, minced or grated

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

3 tbsp. soy sauce

3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

1-1/2 tsp. cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp. water

1 head of butter lettuce

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Add the chicken to the skillet, and cook all the way through.  You may want to cook the chicken in two separate batches, depending on the size skillet you are using.  Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside.

Add the remaining olive oil to the skillet, and toss in the vegetables.  Stir constantly until the onions are tender.  This will take about 4 to 6 minutes.  

Reduce the heat to medium, and add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes.  Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Finally, stir in the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and cornstarch mixture.  Remove the skillet from the heat and add the chicken back in to the mix.  Toss to coat.

Serve with lettuce cups or rice.

Menu Monday

Last week was one of those week's where we didn't necessarily stick to our menu, so this week's menu is basically a repeat of last.  Oh well.  At least I don't have to make a big grocery store run today :)  What are you eating this week?

Monday

Spinach & Artichoke Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Tuesday

Bieber Concert

Wednesday

Bieber Concert

Thursday

Slow Cooker Beef, Black Bean, & Zucchini Chili

Friday

Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken

Beef Bulgogi

I have no idea why this dish is named Beef Bulgogi, and I have even less of a clue as to what bulgogi means, but I do know that this dish is de-licious.  I first found the recipe in my all-time favorite cookbook, Everyday Food: Great Food Fast, a few years ago, and I have been making it ever since.  

It's basically a Korean beef stir fry.  I serve it the traditional way, with lettuce wraps, but I'm sure it would also be great with rice on the side.  The recipe calls for hot chile sesame oil, but if you can only find plain sesame oil, that works too.  Just add about 1 tsp. of red pepper flakes to the oil to give it a kick.  Since I'm cooking for two, I only use 1 lb. of steak, but the original recipe calls for 1-1/2 lbs. and is supposed to feed four.  Although, you might want to add another green pepper as well if you're cooking for more than 2.  No need to increase the marinade though, it will go a long way.

Beef Bulgogi

1 lb. sirloin or rib-eye steak, 

trimmed & cut into into slices about 1/8-in thick

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tbsp. hot chile sesame oil

2 tbsp. brown sugar

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. peeled, fresh ginger, minced or grated

2 red onions, cut into 1-in. wedges

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

4 tsp. vegetable oil

1 small head butter lettuce

Start by making your marinade.  In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, hot chile sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic and ginger.  Stir to combine.  Set aside.

Cut up your vegetables and your steak.  Put the vegetables in one bowl with half of the marinade and the steak in another bowl with the remaining marinade.  Allow the meat to marinate in the sauce for 15 minutes.

While the meat is marinating, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 2 tsp. of the vegetable oil.  Add the vegetables.  Saute for 5 to 6 minutes.  Remove the vegetables from the heat and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 tsp. of the vegetable oil to the skillet.  Toss the meat into the skillet and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the beef is just cooked through.  

Once the beef is cooked, add the vegetables back into the skillet.  Toss everything together to combine, and cook for another 2 minutes or so.

Serve with butter lettuce leaves or rice.

Baby H's Nautical Nursery

I'm finally ready to share pictures of Baby H's nursery with you!  I've had so much fun over past few months planning and putting together this special space for our boy, and I think he's really going to love it.

I currently have an obsession with the color blue, which helped lead me toward a nautical theme for the room, but I also wanted a color palette that could easily be reworked for a girl, if we are blessed with more babies down the road.  So I started with navy blue as my color inspiration, and the nautical theme just kind of fell into place from there.

I tried to create a warm and functional space for me, Brad, and the baby that looked like a nursery, but had elements that could also grow with Baby H into toddlerhood and even childhood.  Below the pictures at the bottom of the post I've included a guide with links to where we purchased most of the things you see in the nursery, just in case you love something you see!

Also, this post wouldn't be complete without another huge thank you to my mom.  This room truly wouldn't look the same without all her help.  Thanks again, Mom!!

Let me know what you think!

Yes, there is a missing rope letter on the wall.  I didn't want to give away his first name initial.
You'll just have to wait until he's born to find out :)

The king of the nursery. 

Crib: Childcraft London Euro Style Stationary Crib, Jamocha, Amazon

Quilt & Crib skirt: Harper Nursery Bedding Set, Pottery Barn Kids

Crib Sheet: Row Your Boat Crib Fitted Sheet, Pottery Barn Kids

Sailboat Mobile, Pottery Barn Kids {no longer available}

Rocker: Klaussner Marlowe Nursery Rocking Chair, Flores Surf, Baby Supermarket

Pillow: Handmade by my mom, fabric purchased from Mood, pillow insert from Ikea

Curtains: Henny Rand, Ikea

Bookshelves: Bekvam Spice Rack, Ikea {we painted them Marine Blue by Benjamin Moore}

Dresser: Catalina Dresser, Sun Valley Espresso, Pottery Barn Kids

Shelf: Hampton's Peg Rack, Pottery Barn Kids {no longer available}

Basket: Caitlin Tote Basket, World Market

Vintage Nautical Anchor Print, Little Red Flag, Etsy

Cross-stitch Sailboat picture & frame: handmade by Brad's mom, once hung in Brad's nursery :)

You Are My Sunshine Print, Lily Gene, Etsy

Sailboat, Hobby Lobby

Sailboat Wall Art {set of 4}, Paper Llamas, Etsy

Rope Letters, Alaska Rug Co., Etsy

Frames: World Market, Target & Amazon

*The bench, side table, cloth drawers, and lamps are all pieces of furniture we already owned.  Yay for repurposing!

Ginger-Roasted Chicken with Bok Choy & Broccoli

I'm really into roasted chicken lately, and this is another great way to prepare it.  It's roasted chicken with an Asian-flare.  This recipe packs a lot of flavor with very few ingredients, and very little prep.  Plus, it makes a perfect meal for two, or can easily be doubled or even tripled for company.

Ginger-Roasted Chicken with Bok Choy & Broccoli

2 chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
{approximately 1 lb. total}

1 tbsp. ginger, minced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 medium head of bok choy, 

{stems cut off and chopped into 1-in pieces}

1 small head of broccoli, 

{cut into florets}

sesame oil

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp. soy sauce

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix together the ginger, garlic, and salt.  Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet.  Lift up the skin of the chicken, and spread the ginger-garlic mixture evenly underneath the skin of both breasts.  Add the olive oil to the small bowl with any of the remaining ginger-garlic mixture.  Brush the olive oil overtop the chicken breasts.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast the chicken in the oven for 45-50 minutes.

When the chicken has about 15 minutes left to cook, drizzle approximately 1 tsp. of sesame oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.  Add the broccoli, bok choy and water.  Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes.  Remove the broccoli and bok choy from the heat, and add the soy sauce.  Toss to coat.

Serve the chicken, broccoli and bok choy with brown rice on the side.

Menu Mondays

Last week's menu ended up being a bit of a fail, which happens every once in a while, especially when I'm trying out a lot of new recipes.  That's why I didn't share many recipes with you last week.  I only like to give you the best :)  So, in an effort to improve from last week, I put together a menu for this week of both old favorites AND newbies.  And, hopefully, I'll find some yummy new recipes to share with you!

Here's what we're eating this week:

Monday

Ginger-Roasted Chicken with Bok Choy & Broccoli

Tuesday

Beef Bulgogi with Lettuce Wraps

Wednesday

Slow Cooker Honey-Sesame Chicken with Roasted Green Beans

Thursday

Spinach & Artichoke Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Friday

Slow Cooker Beef, Black Bean & Zucchini Chili

Welcome, Fall!

I love this time of year.  It's easily my favorite season.  Last year, I shared with you some of the reasons I love fall so much, so this year I thought I'd put together a short Fall To-Do List.  

Hopefully, we are experiencing one of the last heat waves of the year in Southern Cali, and some cooler temperatures will roll in soon.  But, while I'm waiting for this cooler days, here are some ways I plan to celebrate my favorite time of year:

*go to an apple orchard

*make an apple upside down cake

*carve pumpkins

*make pumpkin-chocolate chip brownies

*drink warm apple cider

*wear colored jeans for the first time

*HAVE A BABY :)

and...

*celebrate baby's first Halloween & Thanksgiving

What are your plans for the fall?