Boy, wish I would have remembered to take pics of my make aheads from last weekend.
Here's what I did:
Made chicken florentine out of the new philly cheese cooking creme from this youtube video: It was easy to freeze too. Yummy.
Then I made meatloaf out of this recipe from my old tried and true Betty Crocker cookbook: I like to combine all my favorite stuff from different recipes, partly b/c I don't like instructions, and because I like to be creative. So I used this recipe combined with the one on the back of the Kroger meatloaf seasoning packet. Then I added mushrooms, yellow and orange peppers. It was very good.
Next up: spinach quiche. I had a lot of fresh spinach left over b/c I buy bulk spinach for my kids to snack on (weird huh, they LOVE it!) so I put it into this quiche recipe and had quiche 4 times this week for breakfast!
This is the recipe I started with, minus the onions (I would have used flakes but was out) sub monterey/colby jack cheese for cheddar and fresh mushrooms instead of canned. I just had the last peice for lunch.
The beef tips and gravy was mostly for my hubby. This one was easy - Crockpot to the rescue! Throw in the cubed steak or the stew steak, half a can of mushroom soup and 2 cups of beef broth. Maybe a little brown gravy mix if you like it thicker. Let it cook in the crock pot about 4 hours on low. Get home, cook up the egg noodles and din din is ready!
I also subscribe to e-mealz b/c my mom got me a gift certificate for christmas for 6 months. Sometimes I strike out for the week and nothing looks good, but this week had some good ones including a Glazed chicken tenders recipe.
I made up the glaze and soaked the chicken in it overnight to have the next day. Since my hubs was grilling out making us a pork tenderloin that night I had him throw the chicken on so it would already be cooked. He pulled it off right before it was fully cooked so it wouldn't be too dry when we reheated it.
We used 1 stick of melted butter, 1 cup of brown sugar and some jamaican jerk seasoning (the recipe called for cajun seasoning but I had jerk, so that's what we used) to make the glaze. I baked it in a 350 oven the next night for about 15 -20 minutes and served it with corn and a salad.
This was my first time experimenting with making ahead. It took me about 2 hours and probably cost less around $50 for all the food, although I'm just guessing there. Next time I'll keep better track!
Two things you may notice from my meals. I do not stick to the recipe. I use what I have and sub things that I think sound good b/c I like to experiment. I also don't really "cook from scratch." I'm not above using packaged meat loaf or gravy mix and Philly Cream cheese cooking creme, which I had a great coupon for. It saves time which is really important to me in the kitchen.
I also don't like recipes with a lot of steps or a lot of ingredients. I joke that if it has more than 5 ingredients I'm out. I like to keep it simple.
Please share with me either here or on Facebook your tips for make ahead or quick meals. Bon appetit!
fam
My favorite people
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Some lessons learned lately
I knew this would happen.
I haven't written in a couple weeks. Not that there's not a ton I'd like to say. But I just can't. So I guess I am putting the filter on. Better late than never.
Writing is very personal for me. I have a tough time sharing my writing because it's very personal. I say what I think and if I write it down it will definitely piss someone off. And since I don't know exactly where I'm headed with this blog I will just talk about some of the things I've learned over the past few weeks.
1. Life is short. Enjoy what you have and who you have it with. As I try to teach my 9 year old son not to pitch a fit b/c his dad wants him to eat one more peice of meat at dinner, and teach my 6 year old daughter that it's not the end of the world that her brother made fun of her, I am reminded how many times I make a big deal out of nothing in my own life. What a waste of precious time.
2. People are fickle. They aren't always going to live up to who you want them to be. Try to love them anyway. It's hard, I know - my expectations always exceed reality.
3. People are judgemental. Even the ones who complain about others who pass judgement. It's human nature. It's not pretty, but if you can keep from doing it I think that you've conquered one of life's huge challenges. It's not a nice thing to do, but if you call someone else out on it, please take a look at yourself as well.
4. Being a little judgemental is not a bad thing, at least not all the time. I judge my kids all the time. I judge whether or not I'm raising them right. I judge whether or not they poop on a regular basis. I judge whether or not they make the right decisions for themselves. A world without any kind of judgement, what would that look like? I'm not sure I understand it. Which leads me to the next one...
5. There's a lot of stuff I don't understand, and that's ok. I am trying to figure it out myself as I go, just like you. So if you come to me for advice, all that's going to get you is a "suggested opinion." I don't have all the answers. But I do have a lot of experience and logic that I didn't have 15 years ago, and I am just now seeing how far I've come. I hope to keep progressing.
6. People who say they have all the answers and think they know everything NEVER ACTUALLY DO. Their ignorance in thinking they're the one who has it all figured out will really hold them back. They may never figure that out, and it's not your job to help them do it. Experience may be the only key to unlocking that door. Sometimes that door stays shut forever. Not my problem.
7. One of the most important things I can do to keep maturing and growing is to learn from my mistakes and keep my eyes open, hopefully so I can learn from your mistakes too. I'm not above that, not a bit. So I pay attention.
8. Love is the most important thing in this world. If we did everything through that prism, we'd all be OK. It's really hard, so I will forgive you if you can't.
So that's it. I'm sure I've learned a lot more; I could go on and on. But that's enough for now.
I haven't written in a couple weeks. Not that there's not a ton I'd like to say. But I just can't. So I guess I am putting the filter on. Better late than never.
Writing is very personal for me. I have a tough time sharing my writing because it's very personal. I say what I think and if I write it down it will definitely piss someone off. And since I don't know exactly where I'm headed with this blog I will just talk about some of the things I've learned over the past few weeks.
1. Life is short. Enjoy what you have and who you have it with. As I try to teach my 9 year old son not to pitch a fit b/c his dad wants him to eat one more peice of meat at dinner, and teach my 6 year old daughter that it's not the end of the world that her brother made fun of her, I am reminded how many times I make a big deal out of nothing in my own life. What a waste of precious time.
2. People are fickle. They aren't always going to live up to who you want them to be. Try to love them anyway. It's hard, I know - my expectations always exceed reality.
3. People are judgemental. Even the ones who complain about others who pass judgement. It's human nature. It's not pretty, but if you can keep from doing it I think that you've conquered one of life's huge challenges. It's not a nice thing to do, but if you call someone else out on it, please take a look at yourself as well.
4. Being a little judgemental is not a bad thing, at least not all the time. I judge my kids all the time. I judge whether or not I'm raising them right. I judge whether or not they poop on a regular basis. I judge whether or not they make the right decisions for themselves. A world without any kind of judgement, what would that look like? I'm not sure I understand it. Which leads me to the next one...
5. There's a lot of stuff I don't understand, and that's ok. I am trying to figure it out myself as I go, just like you. So if you come to me for advice, all that's going to get you is a "suggested opinion." I don't have all the answers. But I do have a lot of experience and logic that I didn't have 15 years ago, and I am just now seeing how far I've come. I hope to keep progressing.
6. People who say they have all the answers and think they know everything NEVER ACTUALLY DO. Their ignorance in thinking they're the one who has it all figured out will really hold them back. They may never figure that out, and it's not your job to help them do it. Experience may be the only key to unlocking that door. Sometimes that door stays shut forever. Not my problem.
7. One of the most important things I can do to keep maturing and growing is to learn from my mistakes and keep my eyes open, hopefully so I can learn from your mistakes too. I'm not above that, not a bit. So I pay attention.
8. Love is the most important thing in this world. If we did everything through that prism, we'd all be OK. It's really hard, so I will forgive you if you can't.
So that's it. I'm sure I've learned a lot more; I could go on and on. But that's enough for now.
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