Friday Feasts #3: Lasagna Baked Penne June 24, 2016

Another Friday Feasts is here! This week was another family pleaser which was a HUGE surprise! It was such a pleaser that Punk has asked for it again. Hopefully I’ll make it again soon. This is another HelloFresh recipe, and the full recipe can be found here.

I was a bit skeptical of this recipe when I opened the box and saw just how much kale was in the box. WHOA. A LOT of Kale. Honestly, I think I used about 1/4-1/3 of the kale cause I wasn’t sure how it would cook down. I think it was just enough.

I got caught up in the cooking process and didn’t take as many pictures of these steps as usual. I chopped the kale as small as I could before I added them into the casserole. I did get a bit heavy handed with the chili flakes. It was on the spicy side which is what made it so surprising that the kiddos DEVOURED their servings and asked for MORE. It was such a pleasant surprise. Punk did scrape off the meat, but he’s still in the if it’s not chicken, turkey, or some fish he won’t eat it.

This meal was incredibly easy to prepare and was more than enough for all four of us to eat plus leftovers! I didn’t add anything other than a can of mushrooms to the recipe this time. And… maaaaaaaaaybe some more garlic. Shhhhhh! This would be a perfect meal to prepare and freeze for a quick busy night meal. This has been one of my favourite boxes that we have gotten so far. I HIGHLY recommend the Lasagna Baked Penne!

Before baking, and after we chowed down! It smelled so good, we dug in immediately and I forgot to snap a plated picture! I still can’t get over how much the kiddos loved this recipe. Such a surprising family pleaser!

Friday Feasts #2: Korean Style Beef Stir Fry June 17, 2016

Time for Friday Feasts again! This week’s recipe is another from HelloFresh. It’s Korean Style Beef Stir Fry. This recipe, which can be found here, was a little outside of our comfort zone which was fun! We stuck close to the recipe, but if we do cook it again, we’ll probably spice it up a bit and make it more of our own.

Again with this meal, I threw in the ground meat into the box with the rest of the ingredients. It’s just a matter of convenience for me so I just have to grab one thing when it comes time for dinner instead of digging around in the fridge.

I don’t think I’ve ever cooked with ginger or scallions before. Hubs and I also had never had broccolini. I personally think it tastes the same and is inconvenient cause I don’t like the stem part cooked or raw! I still think it’s so awesome that HelloFresh includes all the ingredients!

Steps of cooking! The HelloFresh recipes are easy and simple to follow. Occasionally there might be a missing minor step, but it’s usually pretty easy to figure out what you’re supposed to do! I love getting to cook with all the fresh ingredients. We usually try to stay on the fresh side, but sometimes it’s easier to grab the processed stuff. That’s what I love so much about HelloFresh! Fresh goodies right on hand with a simple click of the mouse.

We really enjoyed this meal. This is one that we didn’t try with the kiddos. We probably could’ve pulled out enough for them from ours, but they’re not too crazy about ethnic food that isn’t quesadillas or (plain) spaghetti! I spiced mine up with a bit of shrimp sauce after a few bites. It just needed a little something extra. I also didn’t use the full amount of ginger because I wasn’t sure how powerful of a taste it would be. Next time, I would use the full amount of ginger, add a bit more soy sauce, and definitely include the shrimp sauce! I would also switch to beef tips or chicken instead of ground beef. We’re not crazy about ground beef, we usually substitute ground deer, and even then it’s usually only in spaghetti. Ground meat just isn’t a favourite in our house! This was a good recipe though!

I always have a referral code to HelloFresh which takes $40 off of your first box! The code is:

S6RMQS

 

I also occasionally get some boxes that I get to give away for free. Keep an eye out on my Twitter (@armywife2310) for your chance to snag a free box! (New subscriptions only)

What do you think of the Korean Style Beef Stir Fry? Does it look like a recipe you would be willing to try?