Today, I had a large store run. Four value packs of chicken, plus a bunch more. Everything is in the house and all perishables are in the fridge or freezer. I am taking a break for a half hour or so to get my oomph back. Then I will get out Ziploc bags, my wooden cutting board to use as a work surface and a cookie sheet pan for repacking.
Why did I get so much? I don’t want to have to go to the store again till next month, unless it is for a few veggies or some fruit. One value packs tends to get us through about a week. I have a spouse and a kid, so you might go through more or need less, depending on how many are in your household. Estimate two pounds per adult and a half pound to a pound of protein per kid per week. That is enough for eight 4 ounce servings of meat or meat substitute per week. What about breakfast and lunch? My kid eats at school and my spouse gets and makes his own. So I got some extra protein for lunches and special meals, like chicken Italian sausage for spaghetti or homemade pizza.
Produce depends more on how much everyone eats. Ideally a bunch, getting more every week, but few people eat enough fruits and veggies every day. I try to have them in the house, but fresh goes bad within a week or so, depending on what it is and how it is stored.
Dinner will be stir fry, sauteing carne asada marinaded beef strips with onion, bell pepper and mushrooms. With luck, there will be some left for my next meal.
I will put 1 1/2 cups of long grain rice and 3 cups of rice in the rice cooker. That is a 1:2 ratio of rice to water. Since it takes 30-45 minutes for that much rice to cook, I’ll have time to make the stir fry. I will add 1/2 teaspoon per cup of water, so 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt.
I have a deep frying pan from a Pioneer Woman set to cook the stir fry in. A tablespoon or two of olive oil. I usually cut a couple of rings from an onion, then cut them in half and the halves into three or four places to get large chunks. Then I cut half a bell pepper into strips, then cut the strips into chunks. The mushrooms are already sliced by the store. I will toss the meat and the veggies into the pan and turn on medium high. I set the timer for twenty minutes right away for getting the meat cooked completely. Use the salt and pepper grinder liberally, and go chill or repack for a bit.
- Start rice in rice cooker
- Cut veggies into bite size chunks
- Use slices of meat, chicken tenders/tenderloins, or cut meat into bite size chunks
- Add healthy oil, meat and veggies to pan
- Turn burner on to medium high
- Check and stir about every 5-10 minutes for about 20 minutes cooking time, a few minutes longer or shorter depending of when meat is cooked through
- After 20 minutes, add fresh garlic, if desired and cook 1-2 minutes
- If rice is not finished, turn burner to warm or off, put lid on pan
- When rice is finished, serve with stir fry with rice
Poof, dinner is done
Change the meat, change the veggies, add fruit that can stand cooking, change the rice, or leave the rice out and have just stir fry.
When it comes to learning to cook, the key is practice. The more you do something, the better you get and the better you get at fixing mistakes. Last night, I pulled a pork chop out too soon. I just sliced it and put it back in for a bit. Virtually all cooking mistakes can be fixed. Too much seasoning and cooking until charcoal are among the few that can’t. So, try out a not a recipe, have some fun with it and tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Now, time to quit typing and start doing.
Tenders are two to a bag, thighs and breasts are one to a bag. Carne asada stir fry with rice soon, and a tortilla is my spouse wants his as wraps. I have four thighs set aside to be stuffed tomorrow. Sausages, imitation crab and tilapia are hanging out in the fridge until I am ready to deal with them.
A Timid Goddess in the Kitchen 