What's cooking this weekend (non-diet edition)

Since starting this med I've been trying to keep some joy in my kitchen, and this weekend I'm making a big pot of gumbo because 12 lbs down doesn't mean I have to eat like a rabbit forever. I figure a small bowl with lots of broth and a scoop of rice is totally doable. What's everyone else actually excited to cook or eat this weekend, diet rules optional?

Only 6 lbs in but the gumbo idea already sold me, making a small batch of chicken and sausage jambalaya tomorrow for the same reason. Portioning the good stuff into a smaller dish has been my whole strategy so far. Might attempt my first real roux if yours turns out well.

Gumbo is worth every minute of that roux stir, and day three leftovers really are the prize. I'm down around 55 and still do a full red beans and rice Sunday, just a small bowl with extra broth and it satisfies like it always did. Might steal the gumbo idea for next weekend honestly.

Congrats on the 12, and gumbo sounds like a perfect weekend project. I'm at 28 down and my thing is a chunky jambalaya, just a ladleful over a bit of rice and it hits the spot. There's something about a slow-simmered pot that makes the small portions feel generous instead of sad.

Congrats on the 12 down and keeping the kitchen alive, that's the whole game honestly. I'm around 70 lbs gone and a slow-simmered bolognese on Sundays is my version of your gumbo, small bowl and all. Day three leftovers really do taste better, no idea why.

31 down and still doing a low country boil whenever I can justify it, so I get the gumbo plan completely. Small bowl with extra broth is exactly how I handle stuff like that too. Jacksonville here, so a good roux pot on a weekend is basically required.

22 down here and the small-bowl-of-something-real trick has saved me too. This weekend it's a short rib ragu I can let sit overnight, which always tastes better on day two anyway. Your roux patience deserves a medal, that stuff takes forever.

28 lbs down here and I still cook a full etouffee every few months, just keep it to a ramekin portion and savor it slow. The dark roux trick is real, a little goes a long way when the appetite's small. Gumbo day three is honestly the best day.

Gumbo for sure, the dark roux is where all the flavor lives so a small bowl still feels like a real meal. Down 58 lbs here and I still make my grandma's knoephla soup a few times a winter, just half a bowl and it hits the same. Leftovers from a big pot are the best part anyway.

Fifty-two down here and I still plan weekends around what's simmering on the stove. My smoking thing is a dutch oven of red beans with a ham hock, and a little bowl with cornbread feels like a feast instead of a compromise. Enjoy that roux, dark is where all the flavor lives.

Nice call on the gumbo, a smaller bowl of the real thing beats a sad substitute every time. I'm down about the same as you and finally made a proper short rib braise last weekend, had a few bites and saved the rest, and honestly it tasted better than it has in years. Enjoy that pot, sounds like it'll feed you well past the weekend.

Gumbo sounds like the right way to celebrate 12 lbs down. I'm at 37 lbs gone and I've learned leftovers are my friend too, a rich braise or stew tastes even better on day three when my appetite is small but my standards are high. Might do a slow roast this weekend myself.

Seven-ish down and gumbo weather got me too. A dark roux is mostly patience, so take it slow and don't wander too far from the stove. Smaller dish trick works for me as well, feels way less like a restriction.

Down 23 myself and gumbo is exactly the kind of thing I stopped denying myself, just ladle mostly broth with a little rice underneath. Watching a roux is basically free entertainment on a slow weekend anyway. Yours sounds like it's going to be worth every minute of stirring.

48 down and the roux stirring is still sacred weekend therapy for me. The cold pan trick is new to me too, mine usually teeters right at the edge of done so I might steal that. Red beans and gumbo both sound like the right way to keep these meds livable.

Down 13 here and this thread got me craving it, Tucson heat be damned. My abuela's trick was stirring in a cold cast iron pan when the roux gets close, slows it way down. Small bowl, extra okra, no regrets.

Eleven down here and the cold cast iron tip is going in my back pocket for next time, mine always goes a shade too far. Doing red beans and rice this weekend, same deal with a small bowl and way more of the broth side of things. Gumbo weather is the one season I refuse to waste.

20 lbs down and I'm in Miami where it's too hot for gumbo, but this thread has me planning a ropa vieja this weekend anyway, tons of broth, small portion. That cold pan roux trick is exactly the kind of thing I'd never have thought of, filing it away.

Gumbo in this heat is a bold move but 12 lbs down earns it. I'm down 11 on tirzepatide and doing a shrimp fry this weekend, mostly boiling the shrimp myself so I can pick at a few and skip the baskets. That cold pan roux trick is all over this thread, adding it to my notes too.

Only 3 lbs in but this thread is already worth it for the cold pan roux trick alone. I'm doing a simple chicken and sausage jambalaya this weekend, small scoop and extra broth on the side. Nice reminder that the med doesn't have to kill the fun of cooking.