not exactly the same, but you should try a southern style stewed okra and tomatoes…could even add corn in there! It’s SO good.
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I hear people have OPINIONS re whether tomatoes belong in gumbo 
I… don’t think I have ever actually eaten okra?
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Okra is okay-ish in small amounts in gumbo, where it’s part of the thickener. I’m not otherwise fond of okra, which featured heavily in school lunches in my childhood. YMMV.
And like many things, if you deep fry it you don’t notice the okra part so much!
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Yes, tomatoes in gumbo are a no no…at least IMO. It should be a brown, meaty broth…not tomato-y. BUT some people like it. Tomatoes + okra however are acceptable and delicious!
Okra is an acquired taste I think…I mean I think it tastes great, but the texture is off putting for some (it can get slimey if cooked for too long). I highly recommend finding some fried Okra ASAP because it will change your life.
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Omg yes this. Fried okra is :chefs kiss:
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I really like baked okra! A Greek place we love in Chicago does it well. This looks similar:
Today’s food:
-
✓Corn/avocado salad with bell pepper and cilantro/lime dressing for lunch.
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✓Pepper ristra.
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Soup for the freezer
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Dried greens
PICKLED OKRA!!!
!!!
!!
!
(that’s it, that’s my comment.)
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Ugh, I hate slimey. Maybe crisp and fried is the way to go. I’m sure that is not hard to find here!
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iawtc
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Okra is the devil’s work. Unless it’s pickled, then it reduces down to some minor imp’s work. It’s never actually good.
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Well. Now my lunch salad feels even sadder 
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Hey now, your little lunch salad is doing her best with what she has.
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Ok, so I already got the groceries (dh did pickup) but I kind of have to redo my entire meal plan because I can’t move, like almost at all. So. Proxy cooking this week, which means I need to wayyyyy simplify so DH can do it with my instruction. Also, they refunded me on the whole chicken rather than subbing other chicken parts so I’m short some meat, but I think I can fudge it bc I have one pack of chicken in the freezer.
Initial meal plan:
Breakfast: Hash Brown Parmesan and Green Onion Frittata / Breakfast Tacos (corn tortilla, scrambled egg, jalapeno, pepperjack, cilantro, sour cream, hot sauce)
Lunch #1: Sausage Vegetable Soup
Lunch #2: Kale Salad (parmesan, almonds, cranberries, croutons, italian dressing, crispy chicken skin, peppers) + Homemade Bread w/ Butter
Dinner #1: Pork & Mushroom & Carrot Dumplings w/ Lotus Root + Ginger Cabbage Slaw + Dipping Sauce
Dinner #2: Creamy Chicken Bacon Pasta (tomatoes, garlic, tomato sauce, parmesan, cream cheese, artichokes, bell peppers, red pepper flakes, other spices)
Dinner #3: Freezer Falafel + Ajvar Feta Naan
==============New Meal Plan===============
Breakfast can stay the same for dh since I already made it. I’ll have him steam and peel some eggs for me and I’ll just have those instead of fancy tacos.
Lunch #1 is already made.
Lunch #2 the salad can be made by dh, and I’ll have him bake the chicken tenderloins and cut them up for that. no homemade bread.
Dinner #1 ok so dh definitely can’t make dumplings but I already have the pork defrosted and all the other ingredients. I’m thinking I can direct him to make the filing as I would and then have him make them into meatballs and bake them instead. then he can make rice in the rice cooker and the meal can be dumpling filling meatballs, rice, dipping sauce (since that’s bottled). does that sound ok? IDK though…that’s so much knife work. I might have to figure out something faster for him; it takes him so long to chop stuff and if it’s not done right the meatballs will not be very good. Maybe he can do it like a fried rice, just tossed all togehter- then he could cut stuff more roughly.
Dinner #2- ok since the chicken didn’t arrive this pasta will have to be just bacon plus the other things. I think dh can handle this one if I guide him.
Dinner #3 can stay as is since it’s so low maintenance as is.
Maybe I’ll have him make the bacon pasta thing first and hope that in a couple of days I’m ok enough to make dumplings. IDK. I’m in so much pain I can hardly think straight. I think that’s what I’ll do, tomorrow have him make my eggs and the pasta dish and just wait on the pork. Oh and the kale salad I guess. Ughhhhh. Maybe without the chicken? That would be easier.
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I think if the pork meal is being done by DH I’d aim for a stir fry. Maybe on rice with the dipping sauce poured over? Or used as a stir fry sauce?
I’m still trying to figure out meals given that I was a lump this week and look like I’ll be a lump next week. AND if we lean too hard on takeout it makes me worse.
Cheese less quesadillas and pizzas
Some kind of bean salad
Smoothies (desperately need fruit)
Instant oatmeal
Boiled eggs
Rice crackers with hummus or salsa
Nuts and trail mix and energy balls
Apple sauce and seeds
Frozen burgers
Chicken nihari
Dhal
Fish
Pasta
Lasagna
Mac n cheese
We definitely need milk and frozen fruit. Salad would be nice
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Sorry you are having a bad time! Feel better soon! 
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Is DH able to get to the store for additional supplies? Maybe ground meat for meatballs instead? Hope you’re back to cooking soon 
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For dinner #1, could he do an egg roll in a bowl with the cabbage and other veg? Rough chopped, nothing fancy but super yummy and fast!
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I think that’s a good idea @elle
@noodle Meat is ground! but for the meatballs to stick together he would have to mince a lot of stuff (garlic, ginger, mushrooms, shred carrots, etc.)
thanks @gulliver <3
I forgot about the cabbage @mountainmustache29 that’s a good idea. Sautéed cabbage with other veg then saute pork separately then combine. I think that will work! Plus rice to bulk it out.
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