Welcome to the next Goodfood. Its been probably about a month. This is definitely back to a monthly basis at this point. This time’s picks are fairly summery in my opinion, at least getting into the more warm weather foods that we tend to learn towards. There are some repeats and some that feel like a little twist added to something we’ve done before.
Let’s check it out!
Shrimp Boil with Summer Corn, Roasted Potatoes & Green Salad
As always, seafood meals kick off the Goodfood meals. This time, we start with our repeat meal. The last time we had this, I believe my husband made it so it was a new experience for myself. Other than the fact that I’d love to know how you break corn into 3 parts (my husband says the cleaver is how to do it) by hand, this meal was pretty good. The shrimp was nice and its pretty simple to put together. It has a few steps to it like boiling the corn and potato first before putting it in the oven with the shrimp. The sauce that they say to make with a butter base (which I replaced with margarine since we don’t have butter at home) was really delicious. The green salad also had a good oil-based dressing to it and was a refreshing side.
Glazed Korean Chicken Lettuce Cups with Sticky Rice & Carrot Salad
My favorite meal of this meal kit goes to this recipe. I’m always a big fan of the Asian foods here. They usually are pretty decent. Its been a while since I’ve tried some lettuce cups and such although I did end up eating it all separately in the end. However, the chicken is really good although it takes some attention. At the same time, the carrot salad is a bit like preserved style so has this sour flavor to it but it matches really well to balance out the flavors here. Plus, the sticky rice is one of the fave parts of these meals whenever it appears since I don’t buy Calrose rice but I definitely should just to be able to eat more sticky rice, not to mention the sauce the blends in with it from the chicken is just delicious.
Tofu meals are usually hit and miss for us however we keep trying them out because its a good source of meatless protein and its always nice to add a vegetarian option every once in a while when we get a chance. While I can’t say the tofu itself was anything great (I’m not a fan of the extra firm tofu), the curried sauce was pretty good. The roasted vegetables are also pretty good and the thai basil salsa verde was also surprisingly a good addition to add some different flavors to the meal.
Burger choices are normally for my husband because he likes trying now types of burgers. This menu feels familiar and yet also feels like a past one we have had but maybe with changes. I can’t quite remember right now. It was a pretty good one although, I have never had uncooked bok choy so was a bit skeptical and after this, learned that I prefer it cooked. It is somewhat of a messy burger so I ate it all separately. Everyrhing was alright except note to self, with miso based sauces, it already starts off quite salty.
Thats it for this Goodfood recap! Any meals that peak your interest?
We take a tiny break to share a little of the last Goodfood meal box!
This time was a pretty interesting mix. I honestly got it for one of the recipes and then had to take a chance on the other menus. A lot of times that is truly the fun part of these boxes to learn more about how to cook certain ingredients and take away the parts we like from it all. Do note that I couldn’t eat two of the meals and I really only realized that after the meals came and I took a closer look at the menus.
Let’s start!
Okonomiyaki with Edamame, Chinese Broccoli & Sriracha Mayo
First up is the recipe that I got this box for. Its the Okonomiyaki which is a Japanese pancake. It is filled with chopped cabbage. This meal was really good. I skipped on the sriracha mayo since I can’t take spicy foods too well but he also loved it a lot. The standout meal of the box right off the bat. I actually really love the sides of using edamame and chinese broccoli. Its a tasty mix for healthy sides.
Balsamic Glazed Pork with Rice Salad & Roasted Broccoli
We’re big fans of pork chops. For the most part, this meal was pretty good. The acidity of the dish was well-balanced. The roasted broccoli was pretty interesting since I’ve never made broccoli like that and particularly with those spices. The only part that turned out a tad funky was the rice salad and it really had to do with using figs. But that might be my fault because I’m horrible at cutting anything into fine and small pieces. The figs turned out to be just a tad odd for both our tastes. It felt like I had tossed in fig newtons and I like fig newtons, just not in my rice.
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Quinoa & Roasted Red Pepper-Tahini Dressing
The next two meals are the ones that I couldn’t eat.
Stuffed sweet potatoes looked really good and I could have done these without the sauce but I felt like it wouldn’t make much sense plus the sweet potatoes were so tiny and they weren’t doing too hot after sitting in the fridge for a few days. Its odd for it to go bad so quickly but I had to toss one of them out. I’ll talk about this issue that I’ve had with even the other box I ordered at the end. However, it was a pretty cool experience making the quinoa blend and especially the roasted pepper tahini dressing which could be useful for future recipes for my husband.
Pappardelle a la Bolognese with Parmesan Chips & Celery Salad
Excuse the messy presentation
Funny how being on vacation turns out to be the hardest time to actually sit down and make a meal. So this meal turned out to be an afterthought particularly in the photographing it part. However, my husband learned that he’s not a fan of pappardelle which I figured since he’s not a fan of thick pastas with the exception of lasagna. The parmesan chips turned out to be overcooked however, the husband said it was good (although I think he’s just being polite). We skipped on the celery but instead used it to make a shrimp and celery stir fry for me since I was pretty much left with nothing much to eat after discovering that the pasta seemed to have cheese all over it, although I’d have to research a little on pappardelle to know if it is but I wanted to be extra safe.
Overall…
This box was half and half. We loved the Okonomiyaki, liked the Glazed Pork, thought the sweet potatoes were decent but didn’t really like the pappardelle. We’ve definitely had better boxes but this one did really fulfill the whole foodie eating experience to learn to cook new things and try new flavors.
**Referring to the thought back in the sweet potatoes section, we’ve had issues with the previous box as to the order to best cook these menus. Obviously, we just stick the bags in the fridge and sometimes, the humidity in the fridge will cause certain veggies to go bad quicker than normal. However, if we split it up then we’re scared that we’ll lose and ingredient or something. Either way, it always baffles me how the companies don’t give a general idea of numbering their menus as to the order they should preferably be cooked to avoid any veggies losing their freshness or going bad. For the most part, its not a huge problem but sometimes, it could be and it sucks to lose out on ingredients especially when its just the fact of being one day later due to life happening. Maybe it sounds like a silly complaint and its great that they already put best before dates on their meat, which I like a lot, however, its how I feel.**
We are still loving Goodfood experience and already have our next box chosen and waiting for it next week. Its been busy so we’re particularly appreciative of having this option.
I can’t think of creative titles for summer anymore. There’s only so many ways I can say that this summer is totally awesome. The weather is beautiful and I’ve had some nice activities and some cool stuff coming up. I’ve been totally loving the festivals and I think the autumn round of festivals in Montreal are the next ones I’m looking at now. Life’s been really treating me nice. I’ve thought a few things through, set a few priorities straight and learned a whole lot about myself. Really? That revelation in the last week made me extremely grateful to be alive and breathing. Sure, things don’t go perfect everyday but I also learned that with the bad comes the good and thats how things balance out. I’m absolutely fine with that because at the end of the day, its the good stuff that sticks in my mind. I think back and I smile before I go to bed to welcome the next day.
Yes, rambling again..I know. Still, lets check out some nice stuff that happened this week 🙂
1) Planning Weekend Getaways
On the way to Saguenay Lac St Jean, 2012
I used this picture for last week’s photo challenge but its relevant to what I’m about to say. I actually have a weekend getaway coming up soon (*ahem* like this weekend). My boyfriend and I have been obsessing over our house so much that we just thought it would be a good idea to go away for a weekend since this is his last week of vacation this year. So, we’re heading back to the beautiful and scenic Saguenay Lac St Jean area of Quebec. Thats the road we probably will be travelling again through a fauna reserve/park. We have some hiking planned and a festival and perhaps some shopping if there are some good deals. Maybe some waterfront walking. In general, just time to relax.
I may have another weekend getaway coming up with my girl friends but thats still in discussion 😉
Some people save money for luxury products/makeup/clothes, etc. I like to save it up for my house and going away (and movies). What can I say? We all have our little pleasures.
2) Sweet Potato Flowers
Sweet potato flower
I didn’t really know that sweet potatoes had flowers but apparently this one does and they have this cute light hue of purple. It was hidden under the crazy amount of leaves but I saw it this past weekend and snapped a quick photo of it.
3) Raspberries!
Raspberries growing
They aren’t quite red and ripe yet but my raspberries are quite abundant. They are drinking water like crazy and I’m actually struggling to keep them hydrated with the intense heat that took over last week. I filled up two bottles and 24 hours later it was all gone. Maybe its time for a 3rd bottle or just soak the soil through before inserting another bottle. I’ll probably have to check that out tonight.
4) Into the Storm Advanced Screening!
If you follow my blog, you already know that I’ve been increasing the whole output of movie reviews and who knows, maybe I’ll change it to Tranquil Dreams Reviews one day. Its definitely something rolling around in my head since I do reviews of movies among other things. Or I’ll expand it a little. Whatever it is, I’m passionate about movies and Fantasia Festival this year has given me a few revelations. One is that I’ve become more confident in my opinion of movies because when I sit in the Q&A and I listen to the questions, I realize that a lot of people actually have similar overanalytical personalities. Like, although I’m scared to talk about it sometimes like ask about it during Q&A, I secretly have thought that. Just a few movies have made me feel like, I’m not totally crazy..haha! Thats already pretty good and its a nice feeling.
Anyways, we’re not here to talk about that.. My FIRST advanced screening, my friends. I may have not gotten the special screening of Guardians of the Galaxy but man, this was a completely different experience just being at the advanced screening and for a movie I wanted to see, Into the Storm 🙂
Review for that coming up with the next 24 hours 😉 I’m a tad behind on reviews but I’m trying to write the best I can for them so I’m giving each movie a few days to sink in a little.
5) Shopping spree!
I’ve been really trying to change my wardrobe a little since my style has slightly changed as well and its been a while that I’ve stocked up on summer clothes, especially not that I’m a tad more comfortable with my physical appearance. I need to get back to working out and toning but point is, I’ve been more comfortable with everything and well, the initial idea was to go groceries and to look for new shoes for work. I usually go in running shoes but then when I want to wear summer dresses, I need flats. I ended up coming home with some wedge sandals which look pretty good and are rather adorable. You can see them up there. I got the beige ones. I also got some clothes on sale at Dynamite and for those who don’t know, Jacob is bankrupt so everything is on sale right now 40-60% off and I got that dress which still cost me quite a bit but the quality was worth it 🙂
6) Date Night
Date Night with my boyfriend is a rarity nowadays, especially when it means moving our butts from our place. This weekend, it was a date afternoon till night. I had scheduled in two movies: The Drownsman and Time Lapse and we were out from 4pm till midnight. The two movies weren’t disappointing and one totally exceeded my expectations. Plus, both was hosted by people involved in the movie. The Drownsman, which is the picture you see up there had almost its whole cast there and a bunch of people involved from director, producers, editors, sounds, etc. It filled up the whole stage. Time Lapse also had it too with their producers and screenwriters. It was very awesome.
Then we actually discovered in between the movies, a restaurant called Charcos Rotisseries, a chicken place. We stopped there for dinner.
This place makes some pretty delicious fries. I found the Chicken fingers a bit dry but the grilled vegetables were done really well. My boyfriend at the chicken burger and he said it was heavenly. We followed up with iced tea lemonades at Starbucks and then a little bit of arcades in between the two movies.
7) At home Brunch
Brunch
My boyfriend started his last week of vacation so on Sunday morning, we went for early groceries and he was super awesome and made us a complete hearty breakfast with scrambled eggs, hash browns and bacon. Yummy! 🙂
8) ONE FINAL REVELATION
Yup, right on! I made a lot of revelations this year about myself: blogging, movies, analysis, life, work, positive outlook and the final one I had just last night was fully accepting this. I’m completely okay with this but I saw something last night and reminded me that there are some things thats really worth it to let go of. Not a frequent occurrence so I won’t say too much.
Now, before I leave you, how about some music to loosen up the mood a little?
Super fun video for Sam Tsui’s Wildfire. Love it! 🙂
Now that overtime is over and Fantasia is rolling to its end with one more movie left, I’m all yours…well, until I go on my getaways, that is 😉
Tranquil Dreams 