Monthly Meal Plan: January 2012

I’m having trouble posting links in wordpress today for some reason, so I apologize for the ugliness.

One of my resolutions for 2012 is to get back to monthly meal planning…it ties in to my other resolutions of dropping a few pounds and trying new recipes (especially vegan and vegetarian ones) all while saving money. So while we are still going to enjoy our butter and bacon, we’re going to balance it out with super-healthy dinners, too.

A few things to note: I’ve been doubling, tripling, quadrupling some things and freezing the extra…this is so there is always something in the freezer on nights when I just really, really don’t feel like cooking. We don’t buy or eat processed frozen meals, so this is our convenience food— pre-made, from-scratch dinners.

I try and piggy-back ingredients; for example, the black eyed peas and the chili both use about half a large can of tomato sauce–so I can save money buying the larger can and use it over two days rather than buying two smaller cans…turkey pot pie and clam chowder both use the same vegetables; corned beef and black eyed peas can both use up the cabbage, etc.

We don’t eat a lot of red meat. When we do, it is grass fed and organic. We will eat ground beef two times in January; beef a total of five times. That’s it. Since we don’t buy very much, we can afford to spend the extra to get the good quality stuff when we do eat it. Also, I don’t believe in lean ground beef–buy it with the fat…the 80/20 or 85/15. It tastes better and the fat drains off anyway.

We eat a lot of organic chicken. We live on an organic, free-range chicken hobby farm, so it makes sense. For the three of us, I can squeeze three dinners out of one 4-5lb bird. Costco sells organic whole chickens for roughly $10 each–which breaks down to about $3/dinner or $1/person per serving…and people complain that organics are cost-prohibitive…

Jan.1 …really, we just brunched all.day.long…

Jan.2 Black-Eyed Peas with Greens (vegan) http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/recipe-black-eyed-peas-and-greens/

Jan.3 Chili in the crock pot …this recipe makes a double batch: http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/recipe-chili-with-a-little-kick-like-foosball-little-kinda-kick/

Jan.4 Roast Ham

Jan.5 Killer Quiche (using leftover ham and making a QUADRUPLE batch; three for the freezer, one for dinner) http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2011/10/30/recipe-killer-quiche/

Jan.6 Split Pea Soup (using leftover ham bone and ham)

Jan.7 Turkey Pot Pie (I froze some leftover cooked turkey at Christmas…I’m making a triple batch–one for dinner, two for the freezer) http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2009/03/17/tuesday-march-17-2009-turkey-pot-pie/

Jan.8 Clam Chowder (uses many of the same ingredients as Turkey Pot Pie, so it’s easy to do most of the prep the day before) http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2010/03/29/recipe-clam-chowder/

Jan.9 Logan’s Stew (super easy and cheap in the crock pot) http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/recipe-logans-favorite-stew/

Jan.10 Black-Eyed Peas with Greens (vegan) http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/recipe-black-eyed-peas-and-greens/

Jan.11 Broiled Teriyaki Salmon (you can use this recipe–or–pick up a jar of Soy Vey Teriyaki sauce (has a white label, Asian foods section) and marinate your salmon in that for 20-40 minutes before cooking…that’s it. Thaw salmon, marinate, wrap tight in foil, cook 10 minutes or so at 400-450, serve. Really good.) http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/recipe-teriyaki-grilled-salmon/

Jan.12 Roast Chicken

Jan.13 Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Salad (using leftover chicken) http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2011/09/03/recipe-mediterranean-quinoa-with-chicken/

Jan.14 Chicken Cacciatore (using leftover chicken) http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2009/08/03/recipe-chicken-cacciatore/

Jan. 15 Jalapeno Garlic Tilapia http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/recipejalapeno-garlic-tilapia/

Jan.16 Moroccan Chickpea Stew (Matt’s favorite) (vegan) http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/recipe-moroccan-chickpea-stew-matts-fav/

Jan.17 Killer Quiche from the freezer

Jan.18 Whole Grain Spaghetti with homemade meat sauce 

Jan.19 Roast Chicken

Jan.20 Chicken-Black Bean Empanadas (using leftover chicken) http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/recipe-chicken-and-black-bean-empanadas/

 Jan. 21 Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Salad (using leftover chicken) http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2011/09/03/recipe-mediterranean-quinoa-with-chicken/

Jan.22 Corned Beef with potatoes and cabbage

Jan.23 Black-Eyed Peas with Greens (using leftover cabbage from corned beef) http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/recipe-black-eyed-peas-and-greens/

Jan.24 Broiled Teriyaki Salmon (you can use this recipe–or–pick up a jar of Soy Vey Teriyaki sauce (has a white label, Asian foods section) and marinate your salmon in that for 20-40 minutes before cooking…that’s it. Thaw salmon, marinate, wrap tight in foil, cook 10 minutes or so at 400-450, serve. Really good.) http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2010/05/31/recipe-teriyaki-grilled-salmon/

Jan.25 Moroccan Chickpea Stew (Matt’s favorite) (vegan) http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/recipe-moroccan-chickpea-stew-matts-fav/

Jan. 26 Roast Chicken

Jan. 27 Chicken Pot Pie (using leftover chicken) http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2011/11/18/recipe-chicken-pot-pie/

 Jan. 28 Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Salad (using leftover chicken) http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2011/09/03/recipe-mediterranean-quinoa-with-chicken/

Jan.29 Logan’s Stew (super easy and cheap in the crock pot) http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/recipe-logans-favorite-stew/

Jan.30 Killer Quiche (from the freezer)

Jan. 31 Turkey Pot Pie (from the freezer)

Recipe: Black-Eyed Peas and Greens

God Bless the Whole Foods.

On our last visit up to Louisville to go grocery shopping, a WF staffer was preparing this recipe and giving out samples. As a rule, we’ve always been impressed with the recipes Whole Foods features, and this was no exception. Logan even liked it.

This recipe is extremely healthy, quick (if you’re using canned beans or already cooked some the day before) and affordable. It uses items already in my pantry (win!) And what I had to purchase (dried beans, collard greens) are pretty cheap.

Collard greens have unique health benefits, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=138 so we will be having this on a weekly basis and looking for other ways to add collard greens to our meals. Matt is kind of excited about that. He lives for collard greens.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 pound collard greens or cabbage or kale, cut

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

3 cups cooked black-eyed peas, rinsed and cooked* (see notes below)

1 cup no salt added tomato sauce

1/2 cup vegetable broth ** (see notes below)

1 TBSP hot sauce

1-2 TABSPs apple cider vinegar

1-2 tsps smoked paprika

DIRECTIONS

Saute the onion and garlic in a little broth until translucent. Add the greens or cabbage, water and salt. cover the pot and cook the greens about 10 minutes. Add the black-eyed peas, tomato sauce, broth, vinegar and hot sauce and stir to blend. Cover the pot and let cook for about 5 minutes more. Salt and pepper to taste. 

* For good step-by-step directions for converting dry black-eyed peas in to cooked black-eyed peas, go here: http://www.livestrong.com/article/477543-how-to-cook-with-dry-black-eyed-peas-and-beans/

**To make your own vegetable stock (And at $4/32oz for the organic stuff you really, really should) go here: http://sugarmamabakingco.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/veggie-stock-recipe/

 

Meanest. Mom. Ever.

Logan, waking me up this morning, “Mom, can you put me in a box with air holes in it and food and water, and send me to go see Aunt Faye?”

Me: “Um, no Honey, sorry…”

Logan: “YOU NEVER LET ME DO ANYTHING I WANT TO DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Recipe: Logan’s Favorite Stew

I’ve made this beef stew a few times in the last two years, made some adjustments, and recently stumbled on a combination of ingredients that made Logan ask for three full bowls of it and then request that we also have it the next night. And every night after that.

It’s easy, it’s healthy, it’s cheap. And tasty.

…about the ingredients: We use Pomi tomatoes (comes in a box) because they are BPA-free. The taste is also superior to canned tomatoes. They are available at Whole Foods and on Amazon and might be available in some other grocery stores, though I’ve never seen them anywhere but Whole Foods.

…We use organic vegetables.

INGREDIENTS:

1lb round beef steak, cut in to 1″ cubes

1 box Pomi diced tomatoes (24 oz…)

2 cups water*

3 cubes Beef Bouillon*

*OR 3 cups beef broth

2 potatoes, diced

3/4 cup dried minced onion

4 carrots, chopped

1 15oz can green beans, with liquid

1 15oz can whole kernel sweet corn, with liquid

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp Kosher salt

1/4-1/2 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in large crock pot, stir,  cover and cook on high 6 hours.

Adventures of Logan: Holiday Season 2011

My spousal unit dictates that I commence using more brobdingnagian words in my virtual correspondence because our ebullient 7-year-old has taken to reading our txts and facebook statuses…and the Lilliputian one was able to decipher his most prodigious holiday gift by reading over our shoulders.

Little twerp.

He asked for some kind of strange, but totally Logan, things for Christmas:

• Night Vision Goggles
• Trix Cereal (because I don’t allow him to eat boxed cereal at home, so he resorts to begging Santa each year)
• Some oddly specific, obscure actions figures (he is, infact, a nerd in training)
• Aunt Faye to come visit again

He’s getting three of the four action figures he asked for (because luckily, or unsurprisingly, his father shares the Nerd Gene), Trix cereal, and hermit crabs.

…Wont he be confused when he finds a 10-gallon glass tank with hermit crabs in the guest room instead of Aunt Faye.

 

 

 

 

Adventures of Logan: Advent

We have a large, lodge-looking advent calendar for Logan.

There are 25 doors for candy to be placed behind. This is roughly the entire contents of one bag of “fun size” Hershey Kisses or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

But I forgot to get candy for the advent calendar.

So we put a Tootsie Roll, leftover from the kid’s Halloween haul, behind the Dec.1 door.

Logan was none the wiser. He totally thinks it is new candy that came from an elf.

 

 

 

Recipe: Chicken Pot Pie

No pictures available because we all ate it wayyyyy too fast. Everyone had seconds, including my good friend who only eats rabbit food. That should tell you something.

My husband asked that I make this every week.

I used a new pie crust recipe–one that is flakey and really delicious. It’s a keeper. You will need to double that recipe if you want to use it for this.

This chicken pot pie recipe is modified slightly from one at allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cubed (I just used leftover cooked chicken from a roast chicken the day before)
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 potato, chopped/diced small
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/4tsp poultry seasoning
• dash of garlic powder
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/3 cup whole milk
• ADDITIONAL CHICKEN STOCK for boiling vegetables, see below

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
2. prepare pie crust, pre-cook bottom crust for 10 minutes.
3. In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add chicken stock to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
4. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions and diced potato in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

 

 

Month of Thankful Thinking: Day 14 Being Busy

So this year I completely bite at writing each night about what I’m thankful for….but I’m sort of thankful for that.

It’s because I’m busy.

Doing stuff.

Stuff that is good for me.

Stuff that helps make ends meet.

Stuff that reminds me how much I really do enjoy journalism and broadcasting, even after a few years off.

I got a job.

And it’s not a dream job or anything, but it utilizes my talents and skills and gives me a chance to update my resume for when I’m ready for bigger things one day.

The best part, though, is that this job still allows me to be a homemaker. THAT is pretty awesome and rare, especially in this economy, to get a job that fits around your needs more than theirs.

And I’m thankful for that.

Month of Thankful Thinking Days 6,7,8,9,: Coffee. Still.

I forgot how nice it is to wake up to coffee ALREADY IN MY KITCHEN.

So.Freaking.Awesome.

I’m also thankful for my grass-fed local organic half and half . It comes in a glass jar. It’s hardcore. And it makes me happy to be able to spend a couple extra dollars and make a little difference in the world.  Same for our organic fair-trade coffee we buy from another local business. It’s just a few bucks, but it’s a few bucks that go to causes and people I believe in…and the quality is a gazillion times better than the stuff at the grocery store. Everybody wins.

And that’s pretty cool, to be able to make a little difference with a little cup of coffee, first thing in the morning, before putting a bra on even. That, right there, is cool.

 

 

Month of Thankful Thinking: Day 5…coffee.

After two months without a coffee maker, we finally got one this weekend.

Thank God.

Baristas within a 50-mile radius can now breathe a sigh of relief, I am done terrorizing them. For now.