Recipe: Easy Grilled Chicken Salad

 

I often like to just throw a salad together for dinner.  It is something easy and extremely satisfying.

1.  Grill 1 chicken breast

2.  Gather your greens (I like organic baby lettuces).

3.  1 tomato (with salt and pepper)

4.  Cheese (I like to mix Parmesan and whatever else is in the fridge)

5.  Bacon, sometimes, if already cooked and in pieces.

6.  Egg, sometimes, if already hard boiled and in the fridge.

7.  Dressing:  Something light, I usually choose Ken's Steakhouse Northern Italian with Basil & Romano.

8.  Toss and enjoy!

What kind of salad can you make in a pinch?

100 Days of Eating at Home: Day 30 Update

Eating ALL my meals at home or making them at home has proven more difficult than I originally predicted!  So, I started sort of slow.  The first week, I tried to eat 2 out of 3 meals at home, and I've been scaling down from there.  So far, it's going well this week.  I did forget my lunch at home today (doh!), so I went to Crazy Bowls and Wraps for a chicken-veggie-rice wrap for lunch.

I think I have learned that meal planning and taking the time to prep food for my work week on the weekend to be the most important things.  I am trying to make myself stick to the plan instead of making an impulsive, emotional choice of food during the day.  This is getting better!  I am finding it comforting that I have already decided what I will eat each day, and it's lowering my stress a little bit. :)

I also just weighed myself last week.  Honestly, I hadn't weighed myself since mid-July last year!  So, I was surprised to see I had lost 20 pounds!  And, since then, I have lost 6 more pounds!  Am I exercising regularly?  Uh, no.  So I'm going to just continue what I'm doing until I plateau, then add more exercise into the routine.  I have a goal to lose a total of 50 pounds by the 1 year mark in July.  It's an ambitious goal, but I'm sure I can do it if I try!

How is your meal planning and eating at home going?  What is the hardest part?

Meal Planning: Week of 1-28-2012

Day 2 - Eating at Home Challenge

I'm off work again today, so eating at home should be a breeze, right?  Maybe, maybe not.  I have this urge to run out and get a soda, which is a whole other topic revolving around a sugar addiction.

Breakfast was a success, and I stuck to the meal plan!  Amazing, I know.  I ate 2 pastured eggs with cheese and orange juice.  I even took my vitamins.

Did you know that I visited a new farm this weekend?  The farm I used to buy pork, beef, chicken, milk, cheese and eggs from recently closed to the public.  Since then, I've been researching places to buy from locally.  The farm that seemed the most similar is a bit of a hike.

Yet, the drive was pretty easy.  And, if you know me, you know I love a great drive through the country.  While at the farm, I picked up some eggs, real milk, and raw milk grass-fed cheddar cheese.  But, I think I was the most excited to pet the calves!  I really miss my grandparent's farm that I frequented growing up.

I'm hoping this milk lives up to my expectations.  I always get a little bit nervous getting food items from a new farm.  But, I should trust the reviews and information I have researched.  Off to have a glass of milk!

Day 1 - Eating at Home Challenge

 

New Year's Day 2012 is the day I chose to begin my 100 days of eating at home challenge!  I spent the night on New Year's Eve at my parent's house, and I consider eating at home to include my parent's house.  Plus, free food for me!

Did I eat real food at my parent's house?  Uh, no.  But, I woke up having some bread and butter and cinnamon rolls.  I came home and took a nap and accidentally skipped lunch completely.  That's pretty frugal!  I looked in my fridge for dinner, and I found half a jar of tomato sauce and decided I better use it up before it went bad.  I cooked up some bow tie pasta along with the tomato sauce and cheese for a very frugal, left-over using dinner.

This was not what I meal planned for today, but I still ate at home!  At this point, I see this as success.

What did you eat at home today?  Did you stick to your meal plan?

100 Days of Eating at Home Challenge

 

As a single woman living alone, I find that it is really easy to fall into the habit of eating out - frequently.  I have fallen into this bad habit, and it's time to change this.  I think part of it was a time management issue with being a full time graduate student for the past three years, but since graduation I've had more time to be domestic.

Maybe it's because I need to consider my budget more closely.  Maybe it's because my fridge-freezer AND my deep freezer are stuffed so full I cannot get anything else in there (I'll have to take a picture...).  But I need to eat what is in the house and not run out to get something at my first inkling of a hungry rumbly tummy.

Here are the RULES:

1.  Every meal should be based on making it in my house.  I know I won't always be "eating" at home (hello, work), but the food should come from my own kitchen and not Fazoli's.

2.  I will be allowed to purchase beverages when out.  Let's face it, I like to drive through McDonald's to get an unsweetened ice tea.  Beverages outside the home are legal in order for me to keep my sanity.

3.  If someone invites me to a meal out, that is legal if I can afford it.  If I am not paying for the food, then I think that's okay. 

4.  I am going to start out with a $150 per month food budget.  This is harsh!  However, I need to use the meat, veggies, and stuff in my freezer.  If I eat down some of the stash at my home, I should be okay.

5.  I will need to meal plan and try to stick to it.  The sticking-to-it is the hard part.  I can meal plan until the cows come home, but actually eating what it says to eat is and inner struggle.

6.  Buying seeds and trying my hand at my container garden again this year will not be part of the food budget.

7.  For the most part, I will attempt to continue adding in "real food" for my ongoing transition to real food.  This is going to be difficult on the budget, but hopefully I will still be able to afford milk and eggs from the farm.

How often do you eat at home?  Is it a challenge to resist eating out?

Potato Soup

Around Thanksgiving, I bought a giant bag of potatoes on sale for $1.99.  I just realized they are still sitting on my pantry floor, and haven't (amazingly) sprouted yet.  I need to make some delicious winter potato soup!

STEP 1:
Wash, peel, and cut potatoes.  The smaller you cut them, the faster they will cook.

STEP 2:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add potatoes, and boil until tender.

STEP 3:
Drain potatoes, and return potatoes to pot.

STEP 4:
Mash potatoes.  I usually hand mash, but I did purchase a new stick blender that I may try.

STEP 5:
Add butter, milk, salt, pepper, and parsley to taste.  This is just like making mashed potatoes, but add milk until desired consistency is achieved.  I just went to the farm and purchased some REAL MILK, so that will make this soup extra nourishing!

STEP 6:
Heat soup to desired temperature for serving.  Enjoy!


I also usually serve this with smoked sausage with a little melted cheese on top.  I do this because it's what my Mom did when I was growing up.  Use grass-fed cheese to up the nutrient value for this meal.