Happy What I Ate Wednesday. Hope you’re having a great day. This week I’m sharing a look at what I ate last Wednesday.

Do you ever have one of those frustrating days where you feel like you’re biting your tongue the whole time? Or maybe you keep swinging from self-doubt to anxiety to anger? That was me last Wednesday. I couldn’t put my finger on why, but it seemed like everyone I talked to also seemed to feel that it was the worst day ever for no good reason.

When I’m struggling with that, I pause to remind myself of the small, good things: I went to a great morning yoga class, I had a job to go to, I’d slept well the night before, an article of mine had just been published…it was still tough to drag myself through the day. I felt like I was being followed around by a dark cloud raining Impostor Syndrome. I guess we all have those days.

Mine turned around when I got home from clinic and saw I’d received my shipment from HelloFresh. The company reached out last month and offered to send me a few meal kits to try.  Here’s what I got:

Smoky Adobo Chicken Tacos with Mango Slaw and Lime Crema

• Ingredients:  Chicken Breast, Red Onion, Lime, Flour Tortilla (Wheat, Soy), Red Cabbage, Mango, Sour Cream (Milk), Adobo Sauce

Bayou-Spiced Rockfish with Southern Succotash and Crispy Roasted Potatoes

• Ingredients:  Rockfish (Fish), Corn on the Cob, Green Beans, Grape Tomatoes, Russet Potatoes, Chives, Bayou Spice Blend

Roasted Cauliflower with Bulgur, Tzatziki, and Spiced Oil

• Ingredients:  Cauliflower Florets, Cracked Bulgur (Wheat), Vegetable Stock Concentrate, Dill, Greek Yogurt (Milk), Pepitas, Cumin, Chili Flakes, Lemon, Cucumber, Grape Tomatoes

I made the fish meal first. Even if I hadn’t known that fish has the shorter shelf life, this handy “make me first” sticker would have gotten the message through loud and clear. My inner food safety nerd really appreciates that.

It turned out to be great cooking therapy! By the time I called it a night, I was feeling good about life again and ready to take on the rest of the week.

Here’s what was on the menu the rest of the day.

Breakfast: Savory oats topped with veggies, goat cheese, and tahini. I’m stuck on this recipe lately—love that turmeric.

Lunch: Salad at clinic. This had greens, some veggies that needed to get used up, spaghetti squash, and shirtaki noodles, with white balsamic as a dressing. Around 3:00, I had some plain Greek yogurt with ~1/3 cup Fiber One cereal. I don’t eat it often, but once in a while it satisfies a craving.

After-Work Snack: Frozen Banana Nice Cream with pea protein—I knew I had a long afternoon/evening of errands and work ahead and that dinner would be late. This totally hit the spot. I also completely forgot to take a picture.

Dinner: I sipped at a half-ounce pour of bourbon while cooking—does much more for me than a glass of wine (aka headache juice). 

I made this HelloFresh Bayou-spiced Rockfish with roasted potato coins and a mix of green beans and tomatoes. I skipped the corn that came in the kit because I wasn’t in the mood and instead added in some broccoli rabe I was trying to use up. Not the best plating I’ve done, but also not the worst…

Snack: An apple with peanut butter. Again, unpictured, but delicious. I cut the apple into chunks and microwaved with cinnamon and vanilla like so for a minute before adding the spoonful of peanut butter.

Want to try HelloFresh for yourself? Enjoy a $35 discount off your first box by using the discount code “FRESHFANSRD35”.

Have you ever tried a meal kit? How do you unwind after a long day?  

To see more WIAW, check out founder Jenn’s blog Peas & Crayons or visit hosts Laura and Arman‘s blogs.

Disclosure: I received  free samples from HelloFresh but was not monetarily compensated for my time. Ideas and opinions are my own.