Eating for two

Congratulations to me! I've been keeping up with our menu planning for two weeks now! Mark likes it, so even though it's a pain, it's here to stay. This week, I've made a this menu pool to choose from. Here it is...

Chicken with peppers and rice and steamed broccoli
Meatloaf with quinoa and baked cauliflower
Chicken with vegetables and pasta
Mahi Mahi fish tacos with black beans and pineapple salsa
Salsa verde pork with steamed spinach and rice

Leave a comment if you want me to post the recipe for any of these.

Dinner Time - All the Time

Don't know if it's just me, but everyday when I come home the first thing I start is Dinner. I have to think about what to cook, how long it will take, prepare the day before (or end up making a trip to the store), and it feels like it never stops haunting me. I get bored with the same types of food, so I'm quite frequently trying to think of new recipes and how to make them healthy. I guess it's like cleaning or laundry: it never ends.

But enough with the bitchin'. I've got my food in the oven right now as I type. What's that? Already in the oven? Yes, and pretty much done, too. I know last night's crab cakes didn't turn out as firm as I'd have liked, but I'm giving Rachel Ray another chance. It's a 30 min meal, hence the amazing finishing time, and I'm feelin' lazy. SO, don't do me wrong a second time, Miss Rachel. ;)

Shepherd's Pie!

4 potatoes
1 cup light sour cream
pot o' water

Cube the potatoes and boil for like 12 minutes. Drain them and mash with sour cream.

1 lb ground beef
2 carrots diced
1 onion diced
1 cup frozen peas
1 clove of garlic minced
salt and pepper to taste

Cook all this stuff together until it's done.

drizzle of olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup beef broth
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

Medium heat, cook flour in olive oil for a couple of minutes (starts to turn golden brown) then whisk in broth and sauce. Cook until it looks like gravy.

Now - mix the meat and vegs with the gravy. Put in a casserole dish. Layer the potatoes on top. Bake at 250 for however long you feel like.

Go sit down, have a beer, and blog about something.

I LOVE LAZY COOKING.

Dinner Time!

In order to facilitate a healthier lifestyle, Mark and I have started Meal Planning! Grocery shopping will be more efficient, and we can be more careful about what we eat. This should make things much easier, right? Errr... Kind of. For some reason, I can come home and whip up dinner in a few moments without even thinking about it. When I start planning it out, I run dry on ideas.

Cookbooks are coming in handy now! Just scan through and pick a few. I have a couple of Rachel Ray cookbooks, but all her food seems to consist of some unhealthy main dish paired with some crazy salad. WTH, Rachel? You're not making this any better. What I've ended up doing is this: taking a couple of her recipes and making them healthy. For example, cutting out the extra butter, cheeses, and sauces she loves to top food with, and using whole grains and whole wheat instead of white breads and processed flour. Hmm... That's better!

So that I don't feel "blah" about meal planning, I've made a pool of recipes for the week. That way I can have a little bit of flexibility on what I feel like eating or cooking on a particular day. Planning out each day feels like a trap and makes me want to rebel. Instead, I just pick from a list and it's all good.

This week's recipe pool:
Crab cakes with quinoa and steamed spinach
MahiMahi fish tacos with black beans and pineapple salsa
Shepherd's Pie
Turkey Burgers
Spaghetti with chicken, mushroom, and onion, with tomato sauce

Tonight is Crab Cakes!

Another incentive to cook more and eat out less (saving lots of money!) is this great new Chef's Mat Mark purchased for me! It's filled with a wondrous gel that makes my feet feel cushy! I very sincerely believe that everyone should go to Bed Bath and Beyond and purchase your own. It takes the tired feeling away from your feet, knees, and hips while you slave over a hot stove.

And then it doesn't even feel like "slaving" anymore. ;)