I’ve been looking back at recipes I’ve made in the past so I can locate my favorites. Paul’s parents are traveling to DC on Friday and will be staying with us for 4-5 days. I want to serve food we can all enjoy, even with my dietary restrictions, so certain things are out. But other dishes are easily adaptable — meat-based meals, for instance, that I can serve with either a grain (for them) or a veggie alternative (for me).

We’ll be going out to eat at least a few times, so I won’t have to plan every meal. Also, his parents are awesome and very easygoing, so I’m sure there’s no expectation on their part for me to cook for them. It definitely makes the pressure of feeding my future in-laws easier to handle.

My plan is to have more than enough ingredients on hand to make a number of planned dishes, and I’ll see how the days play out — we may have more time at home on certain days than others. I’ll also have a few CrockPot options ready to go for next week when I’ll be at work — and they’ll be out sightseeing — all day.

Here’s what I ate today:

Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 apple, sweet potato fries
Lunch: Beef Stew (this was the last of it!); squash & zucchini with ground pork mixed in
Snack: Blueberries
Dinner: Country Captain Chicken with braised cabbage

The Country Captain Chicken — I have no idea where it got its name, but I’m glad I came across the recipe — was delicious. You can’t go wrong with chicken, coconut milk, and raisins. Great combination.

My recipe alterations: 1) Used boneless/skinless chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs; 2) Substituted 2 Tbsp of bottled lime juice since I didn’t have any fresh limes; 3) Used golden raisins (the recipe didn’t specify which type to use). I’ve found they plump-up better and I prefer the flavor to regular raisins; 4) Didn’t add the suggested garnish of cilantro and almonds.

Paul ate his over rice, but I’m really loving the flavor of braised cabbage in my dishes lately.

(Reminder: I’m following the Whole30 for the month of July. Here’s why.)