Category: Supper

Whole30 Day 1

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I woke up exhausted. I stayed up late preparing food and making sure everything was ready to go. 

I wrote notes so the boyfriend would remember to get the lunchbox I prepared for him and take it to work. 

I left for work with my cup of black coffee, and I was determined we would both have a good day. 


Breakfast: Two hard boiled eggs and a mix of raspberries, blueberries and blackberries. Plus another cup of black coffee. 


Lunch: Salad loaded with veggies and sautéed chicken and a banana. 


Dinner: Grilled salmon with a lemon dill sauce with roasted broccoli and sweet potatoes. 

Snacks: Sugar snap peas, cashews and pistachios. 

My day was pretty normal. I did notice I craved something sweet right after I finished lunch. So the banana was a must. 

Black coffee hasn’t killed me yet. 

And the lemon dill sauce I made for the salmon was amazing. 

While I’m excited about the challenge of cooking for Whole30, I’m nervous I won’t be able to make food as good as I could before. Let me be clear. I’m basically just sad I can’t put cheese in everything. 

Tomorrow the boyfriend and I are having different lunches. I decided to experiment on myself, instead of him. He did get a mid-morning headache from not drinking a coke. 

So the sugar detox is on the horizon. 

The thing I was most surprised about Day One was the curiosity of people. So much support and pep talks. 

Every day we are on step closer to my food philosophy. Let’s continue to talk and share and build a community around food. 

Weeknight Salad

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“What did you have for supper last night?”

“I had a salad.”

“Man, you must be starving.”

“Not if you do it right.”


This salad is huge. It fills the entire plate with mounds of delicious goodness. 

When I make a salad, which is often, they usually look something like this. Minus the eggs. And on a much smaller scale. 

So I thought I’d share my favorite salad fixings. You know, so you can recreate it at your house. 

What you need: 

  • Your favorite lettuce blend
  • One orange bell pepper, diced
  • One cucumber, diced 
  • Cherry tomatoes, halved 
  • Avocado, diced 
  • Your favorite shredded cheese 
  • 4 boiled eggs 
  • Your favorite salad dressing 

This makes enough for two huge salads. 

I whipped this up after the boyfriend and I went for a run. Today is my 5th running anniversary so I had to go for a run. I haven’t been logging as many miles as I use to, but it felt good to get out there for a quick run. 

Neither of us wanted anything heavy after the run, so this salad was the perfect fit. 

Light and fresh. A delightful supper to start my fifth year running. 

What do you put in your go-to salad? 

Butter Fried Yellow Squash 

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Some nights I don’t feel like making everything from scratch when I get home for work. I just don’t have the energy. 

Last week, in my haste to make a meal and save on time, I created something delicious by complete accident. 


Butter Fried Yellow Squash

What you need: 

  • 2-3 tablespoons Kerrygold butter
  • 2 medium yellow squash 
  • A spiralizer
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

I’m a little late to the spiralizing party, but I’m glad I finally got one. 

Spiralize the yellow squash. Heat the butter on medium heat until melted. Add squash to the pan. Season liberally with salt and pepper. 

Stir to coat and cover. 

Now here’s where I messed up. I kept the heat on medium-high. And I started messing around on my phone. I totally forgot the squash would cook faster since it was thinner than the half-moon shapes I normally cook. 

When I realized it, I ran to the stove to find my squash perfectly steamed on the top and deliciously fried on the bottom. 

Best mistake I’ve ever made. 

The butter brought out the sweetness in the squash. The little brown bits were full of flavor. Holy goodness. 

My advice is supervise the covered frying. It’s not a normal way to cook squash. But it’s one I’ll replicate again and again. 

I also enjoyed a nice piece of rotisserie chicken and crowder peas. 

What kitchen mess-up turned into something amazing for you?

When the Boyfriend Cooks 

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I have the best Boyfriend. He’s pretty cool. Some nights when I don’t feel like cooking or I’ve had a stressful day, he handles dinner. 

I typically do most of the cooking. The Boyfriend usually helps me grill stuff. But I’m the one who usually prepares everything. 

Last night, he totally came through for me. I had worked late, drove my hour commute home, fed the dogs and poured a glass of wine when he told me he was taking care of dinner. 

I would usually help him prep stuff. But last night, I didn’t have it in me. All my leftover energy went to lifting the win glass to my mouth and back down. 

“What are we having?” I asked. 

He smiled and said, “I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry.” 

I mean really. He is the holy grail of men. 


He puts this plate in front of me 45 minutes later. 

Grilled Barbecue Pork Chops with a side salad. 

I’d give you the recipe, but I have no idea what he put on the chops besides homemade barbecue sauce. He cut up the tomatoes and cucumber and lettuce for the salad. He thought of everything, even the knife, fork and napkin. 

As much as I enjoy cooking and creating delicious food for other people, I felt so special to have him prepare a meal for me. 

It’s simple, sweet gestures like making dinner when I’d rather not that make him the ultimate. 

Who made you a meal that made you feel “taken care of?” What did they make for you?

Sautéed Shrimp Salad

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With the days getting longer and warmer, I’ve found myself wanting to play outside when I get home from work. 

Boyfriend cleans the pool. I water the garden and flowers. We sit on the deck and chat while drinking a beer or a glass of wine. 

Then I realize it’s almost 8 p.m. and I haven’t even thought about what’s for supper. 

Last night was like that. I don’t ever want to be a slave to my kitchen. But I do want to make something quick and easy on the nights I’d rather just relax. 


Sautéed Shrimp Salad

What you need:

  • Favorite greens 
  • Tomatoes 
  • Cucumber 
  • Fresh dill
  • Fresh basil
  • Shrimp
  • Olive oil
  • Garlic
  • Red pepper flakes

First, prepare the salad. I used Buttercrisp lettuce I grew in the garden, cherry tomatoes, half a cucumber, fresh dill and fresh basil. 

I cut the tomatoes in half, and the cucumber into half moon shaped pieces. I julienned the basil and chopped the dill. 

The dill and basil took this simple salad to the next level. Very vibrant in flavor. 

Prepare the shrimp by seasoning with a little salt and pepper. Heat up the pan on medium high, and throw in a little olive oil and a couple cloves of garlic, roughly chopped. 

Add the shrimp to the screaming hot pan. Add in red pepper flakes to taste. Sauté until shrimp are pink, about 5 minutes. 

Turn off the heat and add in more fresh chopped dill and basil. Serve immediately. 

I separated my shrimp and salad because the shrimp had tails on. But I combined everything once I took care of the tails. Boyfriend went all in with a combination bowl. 

Light and fresh. This is a delicious meal to enjoy on the days when you’d rather not cook. 

I found it really satisfying to eat greens I grew myself. And if you aren’t growing an herb garden yet, go ahead and do that. It will take you cooking game up several notches. 

What is your go-to meal when you’d rather not be a slave to the kitchen?