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My life is kind of driven by lists, grocery lists, recipe ideas, appointments, blog posts, blah, bah, blah. Sometimes Post-it notes take over my life – I guess you can say I’m a planner. But when it comes to planning meals in advance? Yeah.. not so much. Honestly, I pretty much suck at planning a meal more than a few hours ahead of time, and really have no desire to do it. I am in utter awe of the bloggers that rock the whole meal planning concept out days, weeks, or months at a time, but it’s just not for me.
A typical day of meal planning through text messages:
Brian: “Hey, what’s for dinner?”
Me: “No idea – What are in the mood for?”
Brian: “Not sushi.”
Me: “Okay, are you in the mood for anything?”
Brian: “Meat”
Me: “Okay, well I’ve caught on to that after five years, anything specific?”
Brian: “No”
Me: “Thanks so much for the help!”
Brian: “No problem.”
Seriously this conversation happens at least four days a week. So I’ll usually scope out the fridge and pantry and figure out what I have on hand and what I can whip up to please Brian’s uber descriptive craving.
Earlier this week my fridge was overflowing with produce, so I thought I’d put the onions and peppers to good use and whip up these Asian Chicken Kebabs. Although they were not the juicy steak that Brian had in mind, he loved the sweet and slightly spicy flavor of these kebabs and declared this meal a keeper – which is a pretty good rating from someone who is not so fond of chicken.
I served these Asian Chicken Kebabs alongside steamed rice and grilled asparagus with a little finishing garnish of toasted sesame seeds and green onions. This meal was simple, delicious and perfect for a summer evening.
Looking for more delicious recipes for grilling?
Grilled Peaches with Marscapone Whip from goodLife {eats}
Fajitas from Bluebonnets & Brownies
Grilled Shrimp and Sausage Kabobs from Cookin’ Canuck
Grilled Corn Grits from the Nifty Foodie
How to Grill Pizza from Tidy Mom
Grilled Caesar Salad from Simple Bites
So tell me, are you a meal planner?
Asian Chicken Kebabs
Ingredients:
For the Marinade
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons honey
1-2 teaspoons Sriracha (or other hot sauce)
3 slices fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic, crushed
For the Kebabs
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cubed
1 large green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 red onion, cut into wedges
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
Directions:
1. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the soy sauce, oil, honey, Sriracha, ginger root, and garlic. Heat in microwave on medium for 1 minute, then stir. Heat again for 30 seconds, watch closely so it doesn’t boil. Set aside.
2. Thread the chicken, green bell pepper, onion, and red bell pepper pieces onto skewers alternately. Place skewers in a shallow baking dish and cover with marinade. Cover dish and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
3. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill Asian Chicken Kebabs until chicken is just cooked through, turning occasionally, about 9-12 minutes.
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We rarely planned meals until we had more kids. It became a necessity in order to maintain some level of sanity while juggling everyone’s schedules. Before that, Ole and I were very much in-the-moment meal planners, sometimes hitting up the farmers market hours before it was time to eat.
Haha! I have the exact same conversation with my husband every week! They can’t think past protein, i.e. Meat! Why do we even bother?
Gee, that conversation sounds familiar! Men…sigh. Lucky for me, these kebabs look pretty simple to throw together for those nights the Mr. isn’t any help at all. ;)
That conversation sounds awfully familiar! These kabobs are mouthwatering and your photos make them look even better.
I’m not a meal planner. Our meals happen the same way…I ask H what he wants…he says “I don’t know.”…I come up with an idea…he says “nah…back and forth. Erg…it’s pretty difficult!!
Thanks for linking to the corn grits on my blog, by the way! :-)
Part of the benefits of having gotten into food photography and blogging is that Linda and I have become very deliberate about what we are going to prepare and seem to base our days around what’s for dinner.
Fortunately for her, I’ll eat anything that is not still moving of its own accord. Our only problem is not having a yard or patio from which to grill. Our converted commercial building is built full to the lot lines and we would have to grill out on the sidewalk, which might draw uninvited dinner guests…
Ha ha, that sounds like the conversation I have with my husband every day! These look delicious, I’ll try them next week. Thanks for the chuckle and great ideas :)
Delicious and flavor packed kebabs look so yummy…
Yum! Asian food is amazing :)
Jamie – I come to the blog to see what you are baking and cooking, but I really enjoy reading the funny snippets of your life that you sometimes include in your posts. I found myself laughing out loud reading your meal plan text conversation!