In my last post, I shared what I keep on hand as staples and ways that you can be a little more mindful when shopping. In this post I would like to share some ways to create variety of meals with just spending a little time in the kitchen.
Items referenced in recipe suggestions below: rice, quinoa, butternut squash, carrots, onions, garlic, canned or dried legumes, a whole chicken, pork tenderloin, vegetable stock, eggs, scallions, frozen peas and carrots, oatmeal, apples, baby spinach or arugula, soy sauce / tamari, toasted sesame oil.
For trying to figure out how much you will need to make, consider a portion to be about ½ cup of cooked grain and ¼ – ½ pound of meat per person. This all depends on your and your family’s appetite.
Try to create a habit of cooking something large that can be eaten in multiple dishes during the week. Cook the double amount of rice, quinoa or other grain to use throughout the week.
Roast a pan of root vegetables such as butternut squash, sweet potato, carrots and onions for a deliciously sweet side as well as a key star on its own. Just toss with some olive oil and spices of choice. Bake for about ½ hour in a 350 degree oven or until the vegetables are cooked to your liking.
Learn how to spatchcock a whole chicken to cut down on roasting time and it will be so much tastier and juicer than the overcooked rotisserie chicken you pick up in the grocery store. You will have delicious leftovers for salads, sandwiches and stir fries during the week. I like to massage a little olive oil into the skin along with salt, pepper, paprika and top with thinly sliced lemons. I will cook this in a 350 degree oven until juices run clear when slicing into the thickest part of the bird.
A wonderful pork tenderloin is also a versatile meat that can be ready in about a half an hour in a 350 degree oven depending on the size of the tenderloin. You can also slice part of the tenderloin into cutlets and panfry some boneless pork chops or sliced even thinner you can create a scaloppini or schnitzel for some different flavor profiles from the same cut of meat that you purchased!
With the above items prepared you can make your own grain bowl: leftover quinoa, some roasted root vegetables, some roasted chicken, canned beans, freshly chopped greens like arugula, romaine, baby spinach, cilantro and a simple homemade vinaigrette.
I love to have some easy frozen vegetables on hand when I am short on time or just not want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. A mixed bag of peas and carrots with some chopped scallion go a long way into making a weeknight vegetable fried rice at home with your leftover rice with a little fried egg on top for some added protein or chop up some roasted chicken or roast pork and toss it with the vegetables and rice to create a chicken fried rice or pork fried rice. Only other things to have on hand would be soy sauce / tamari (gf), toasted sesame oil to put these dishes together and it will be so much better than take out!
You can take those same roasted root vegetables that were a side with your roasted chicken or pork and now combine with a little boxed stock, blitz in a blender or immersion stick blender (my favorite for easy clean up!) and create a warm and creamy soup to bring for an easy work lunch or pair with a nice mixed salad for a light dinner. For added crunch add some toasted pumpkin seeds as garnish before serving.
I like to ensure that I start my day off right and eat a satisfying breakfast that will hold me until lunchtime. Often I will make Baked Apple & Pear Oatmeal (recipe below) or some type of a baked egg dish like a crust-less quiche that I will make with veggies that I have in the fridge or a handful of frozen vegetables and some grated cheese and fresh herbs or a Spanish tortilla. These egg dishes also work well for a lunch or dinner with a little side salad.
I hope that these last two posts have given you some inspiration to get into the kitchen and create some new dishes and some ideas on how to spend your food dollars.
I would love to hear from you as to what you would like me to share as my next topic. Please leave a comment below.
Vibrant Health by Brenda Bodnar 