Meal Planning

My meal plan last week went differently than I planned...I had WAY more leftovers than I anticipated on having.  Therefore, I ate baked oatmeal and shepherd's pie all week with some variation at lunch.  It was definitely more economical, though, having one pound of ground beef stretch throughout my entire week of dinners.  This week, I'm trying to accommodate for the possibility of having a mega-leftover situation again.

Here is my meal plan for the week of 2/12/2011:

Recipe: Shepherd's Pie

Simmering in the skillet

The only times I remember eating shepherd's pie were the times when I lived in the college dorm.  Yes, good old college dorm food.  I don't remember it being very tomato-y, but I remember greasy ground meat, and layers of veggies topped with mashed potatoes.

So, when searching for new healthier recipes, I was part excited about trying a shepherd's pie recipe and part uneasy.  I tweaked this recipe with much success!  My only problem is that I ate one small square on Monday night when I made it, and I was totally full.  I had planned my menu this week to have leftovers for a few nights, but now I might need to freeze some single servings so it won't go bad.  It made a LOT!  My advice is to use a deep casserole dish.  Mine was deep, but it still bubbled over the sides a bit when cooking.  Luckily, I put a jelly roll pan underneath it to catch drippings when in the oven.  Go me for thinking ahead. :)

Ingredients:
8 red potatoes
8 carrots
Milk, butter, salt and pepper to taste for mashed potato/carrot mixture

1 lb. grass fed beef
1 large onion
4 garlic cloves
1 - 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes (the original recipe called for 20 ounce, but I only had 28 ounce and it turned out fine).
3 tsp basil
2 tbl honey
1 tsp salt
1.5 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground mustard
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1 bay leaf
4 c. of frozen vegetables (I used corn, zucchini, and green beans)
1.5 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:
First, make the potato mixture.  Chop 8 carrots in small pieces and cut potatoes.  Put in a pot of boiling water and cook until soft.  When soft, drain and mash by hand adding in milk, butter, salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.  **Note: I hand mashed my potatoes and carrots and left the skin on the potatoes for a more rustic sort of mix.  Picture below.

While the potatoes and carrots are cooking...
1.  Add ground beef to skillet and brown.
2.  When beef is about half way brown, add minced garlic and chopped onion to skillet.
3.  When onion starts to look translucent and beef is brown, add spices and tomato.  Taste and add more seasoning if desired.  Simmer for about 25 minutes.
4.  Add frozen veggies and simmer for an additional 10 minutes (or until frozen veggies are hot).
5.  Pour tomato and beef mixture into deep 9x13 casserole dish.
6.  Assemble mashed potato and carrot mixture on top of the tomato and beef mixture.
7.  Top with sharp cheddar cheese and a sprinkling of paprika.
8.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

YUM!  I'll be eating this for days because I'm only cooking for one, but this was good and filling packed with veggies and healthy beef.

Brown the beef with garlic and onion

Simmer the tomatoes, veggies, and spices.

Layer on your potatoes and carrots on the tomato-beef mixture

Cheese, please!

Hot and cheesy out of the oven!

Cultured Food

I'm posting today about a really cool class I'm excited to sign up for...if I can pinch enough pennies together to afford it!  Luckily, there is a giveaway for a free class registration and I want it!

I've bought some fermented foods at the store that haven't been pasteurized, but they are hard to come by and crazy insane expensive.  A small jar of sauerkraut at Whole Foods was $9.99!  That's just not right.

So, I'm curious about making my own concoctions.  I've read part of the book Wild Fermentation, but I still find letting things get icky on my counter a little intimidating.

I'm currently reading about the GAPS diet, and I should probably learn some of these techniques before starting that adventure, if I choose to go that route.  I hate doing things that are trendy or a fad, and I feel like GAPS is turning into a fad.  But, I'm doing my research and will then decide.

Mindful Monday: Captivating

I want this blog to be about more than food and bodily health because I believe that the mind, emotions, and soul can effect your physical health.  So, on Mondays, I'm going to share something that can expand your mind, heal your heart, help with stress relief, etc.

Today, I want to share one of my favorite books:

Captivating by Eldredge

Now, this book isn't exclusively "Catholic," but I like many of the ideas in this book.  It's easy to read, and it's one of the few books that I've read multiple times.  In fact, I wanted to take a picture of all the notes and drawings I have made in my copy, but I think one of my friends *ahem, Kelly* still has the copy I lent to her a while ago.

This book helped me through many difficult situations in my life by reminding me of my purpose as a woman and that I am loved.  It helped lead me in a "Catholic" way to Mary, the Rosary, and the Eucharist.  I invite you to read a bit of this book and see if it help expand your mind, calm your fears, or make your soul sing.

Baked Oatmeal: Smiles and Update

Rolled Oats

I previously posted the recipe for the baked oatmeal I tried yesterday along with my disappointment in how it turned out.  I had this nagging feeling like something important was missing.  Something sweet, but not necessarily sugar.  WHAT was it!?!  Well, this morning, after doctoring up my slice of oatmeal a little more I realized what the problem was.

Raisins!

Yes!  I figured it out, and I'm kicking myself for not figuring it out earlier.  Duh.  This morning, I realized that the baked oatmeal was much better cold and not hot out of the oven.  It was very dense, but filling that way.  I added cinnamon and real maple syrup to it today, which helped some with the sweetness, but raisins would be much, much better.

So, I say go ahead and make this lovely cake-y breakfast, but take my advice and let it cool, add some cinnamon, and get the raisin-y goodness in there!

Finally, I can say...YUM!

Recipe: Baked Oatmeal

Baked Oatmeal

I was really looking forward to this breakfast recipe so I could do something different with my oatmeal.  Let's be honest, a normal bowl of oatmeal most mornings can get old very quickly.  But, I wasn't thrilled with this recipe this morning as is...  I even put a good amount of cinnamon on top, but that didn't seem to really help.  On the site where I found this recipe originally, the blog comments mentioned adding spices and maple syrup.  I think next time I'll try more add ins.  I do think it's worth another attempt with tweaking, but the tweak-factor will require some thought.

Ingredients:

6 c.  rolled oats
3 bananas
3 c. buttermilk (or yogurt)
2 eggs
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 c. coconut oil

Directions:

1. (Optional) Soak oats in buttermilk (or yogurt) on countertop for optimal nutrition.

2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3.  combine all ingredients until well combined.

4.  Pour into greased baking dish (I greased with coconut oil, and it burned! Need a solution...) and bake in 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes.

Like I said before, it was a little bland.  I felt like it needed a spice kick and a bit more sweetness.  I also used more walnuts (because I'm a big nut!).  I will post a follow-up when I try this one again after I figure out the tweak-factor.

Mix 'er up

Put 'er in the dish

Hot out of zee oven!

Recipe: Mac and Cheese (Not from a box)

Yummy Mac & Cheese

Cheesy comfort.  MMM...  This is one of my favorite comfort foods.  A recipe passed down from my Gramma, the taste of this recipe always reminds me of family.  Although this is a simple recipe, it tastes so much better than the famous box mix.  Just my humble opinion...

Ingredients:
1 cup dry macaroni pasta
1 cup milk (I used organic whole milk)
2 Tbl butter (I used pastured butter)
2 Tbl flour (I used organic whole wheat sprouted flour)
Sharp cheddar cheese (to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  Bring water to boil and cook pasta.  Drain.
2.  While pasta is cooking, melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.  Add milk and flour, stirring frequently.  Continue cooking until sauce has thickened.  Add some cheese and incorporate into sauce.
3.  In your casserole dish, combine cooked pasta and white sauce.  Top with additional cheese.

4.  Melt cheese under broiler.  Or, if your broiler doesn't work like mine, melt cheese in oven at 450 degrees. :)

YUMMY!!!  This is a halved recipe from the original and fits well in a 1-quart casserole dish.  For a family, my Mom always doubled it and used a 2 quart casserole.  I usually serve with salmon croquettes or a ham based dish.

Combine cooked pasta with cream sauce in casserole dish.

Top with grated sharp cheddar cheese.

Mac and Cheese with Salmon Croquettes

Recipe: Salmon Croquettes

Nourishing salmon in a recipe passed down from my Gramma.  My Mom would make this all the time growing up, and it's one of those comforting dishes that feels like home.  I always say that home is where your Mom is (and my Mom loves it!).  :)

I changed a few things from what my Mom does for this recipe (gasp!).  I used whole wheat sprouted flour instead of all purpose flour.  Additionally, I used peanut oil instead of icky rancid vegetable or canola oil.  It was my first experience with peanut oil, and it was nice to know my food didn't taste like peanuts or like it came from a Chinese fast food restaurant!  Double woot!

The worst part about making this recipe is the yuck factor with the canned salmon.  EWWW!  Removing the round bones and skin is not my favorite thing.  Ever.  But it's worth it in the long run.  I promise.

Ingredients:
1 large can of red salmon (I guess pink would work, too)
2 pieces of soft sandwich bread
1 egg
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 Tbl. flour (I used whole wheat organic sprouted flour)
Peanut Oil (or preferred oil for frying)

Directions:
1.  Add oil to skillet at low-medium heat.
2.  Drain salmon.  Remove round bones and skin (ick!).  Long thin bones can be left in.  Flake in medium bowl.
3.  Add egg, salt, pepper, and bread (torn in small pieces).  combine with hands until mixed thoroughly.
4.  Make patties of desired size in hands (larger patty = longer cooking time).  Dust with flour on both sides.
5.  Place patties in pan with hot oil.
6.  Cook on each side for approximately 10 minutes or until you reach your desired crispiness (I like crispy edges).
7.  When finished, place on layers of paper towels to drain excess oil.

YUM!  You can always add more bread for a filler to make more patties, but be sure to add more egg or moisture to help bind the patties together.

Meal Planning

Planning a week's worth of meals is one of my least favorite things to do, and therefore, I don't do it very often!  I'm really trying to change that bad habit.  So, I've decided to give myself a deadline and share my tentative meal plan for each week here.  It's a big undertaking!  I don't know about you, but I tend to make meal decisions based on how I feel, how stressed or busy I am, or what I'm "in the mood for."  But, I feel that some of my stress will be reduced if I don't have to worry about what I'm having every meal...it will be all laid out and pretty in a chart for me to reference.  So, without further ado, here is my meal plan:

I'm not sure how well you can see this lovely screen shot of my meal plan (click on it to enlarge), but it's all there, along with references to some new recipes I'm going to try out this week!  I'm still a bit of a loss on the "Snackies!" section, but I have an e-book on healthy snacky foods that I may need to break down and try out this weekend.

Now, I'm curious to see how well I stick to this plan.  I think if I can assemble the Shepherd's Pie this weekend so it's ready to go on Monday night, I should be in pretty good shape.  I may need to do some soup cooking this weekend, as I've been eating a LOT of soup out of my freezer recently, and it's getting a little sparse!  To this plan, I still need to add my prep activities and additional cooking in order to replenish my freezer supply. However, I am way too tired at the moment to get that accomplished!  Happy meal planning to all, and to all a good night! :)

Sally Fallon-Key Principals of Traditional Diet

Sally Fallon-Milk

Sally Fallon-Broths

Sally Fallon- The Queen of Butter

Sally Fallon- Soy Foods

Sally Fallon- Preparing Grains

Sally Fallon- Fermented Foods

Sally Fallon-USDA Food Pyramid

Recipe: White Beans and Greens

Photo from The Nourishing Gourmet 

I have been searching for new recipes that would be work lunch friendly using ingredients I have in my home.  I've also been trying to look at my grocery bill and determine how many times a week I can eat veggie or cut costs without eating peanut butter for lunch everyday.  I found this soup recipe at The Nourishing Gourmet and decided to give it a go.  I had never really had white beans before, nor had I cooked with spinach besides the frozen block of spinach in a spin dip recipe.  The one thing I didn't like about this recipe is that if you don't eat it all right away, the spinach turns from bright pretty green to dull skunky green.  I took some out today for lunch and no more pretty green spinach.  Oh well, it still tasted fine!  I tweaked the recipe a little from the original because I didn't have any tomato paste.  In the future, I think I will use both fresh tomatoes and tomato paste, and that is reflected in this recipe.  I might also consider tearing up the spinach or chopping into smaller pieces.

White Beans and Greens

1 bag of Great Northern Beans

13 cups of water

9 cloves of garlic

4 tsp Oregano

3 bay leaves

2 tsp Parsley

Salt & Pepper to taste

1/3 c. + 2 tbl olive oil

1/2 c. fresh diced tomatoes

1/4 c. tomato paste

1/2 lb. fresh baby spinach

Grated parmesan cheese for garnish

1.  Soak dried beans overnight in water.

2.  Rinse and sort beans.

3.  Add water, 2 tbl of olive oil, beans, bay leaves, and 3 garlic cloves (peeled and smushed) to stock pot.  Bring to just a boil, then continue to simmer until beans are tender (it took me about an hour).

4.  When the beans are tender, combine rest of olive oil, oregano, tomato paste, 6 garlic cloves (put through garlic press), fresh tomatoes.  Smush fresh tomatoes with end of spatula while cooking, and continue to cook until the oil begins to turn red and the garlic is soft.

5.  Remove bay leaves.

6.  Add tomato/oil mixture to stock pot with beans.

7.  Add spinach to stock pot with beans, cook about 5 minutes or until the spinach is tender.

8.  Season with salt/pepper to taste.

9.  Serve with fresh grated parmesan cheese on top.

Yum!  I was originally apprehensive because of all the olive oil in this recipe, but it is definitely not "oily" in the final presentation.  The taste was different for me because my beans are usually in a taco or chili situation, but with the parm cheese, this was very good and filling!  I ate mine with bread and butter and a glass of whole milk.