Even though I did make brunch yesterday, pancakes, eggs, and sausage links, we ate before 11:00, so a nice dinner was also on the menu. However, I wanted to be outside for a long walk. Several weeks ago I had bought a large pack of thin sliced boneless pork chops from Aldi, my last stop there on route home after my last call center shift. My weeks are running into one another, but I think we had them three Sundays ago, and froze half. Yesterday, after thawing, these just went into the crock pot with cream of mushroom soup. I used a packet of instant potatoes and canned green beans as the main sides. We had no apple sauce, but I have apples so I peeled two, and sliced thin, mixing them with a hefty sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar, and cooked them through in the microwave, for a speedy sort of baked apple sauce. It was good, and a nice addition to the quick meal. There are still days, despite being home, I just want quick and easy meals and sides and am willing to cut time corners.
There's three porkchops left. I sliced them thin and will decide later what we will do with them. They might be part of a cottage pie, or just have gravy added and used to serve over potatoes for another meal. If I don't decide by tonight, I'll toss in the freezer to pull out another night. Already cooked and ready meat is a great help for easy meals. I'm planning ahead for more. I've got burgers on the menu this week, but I'll split the package into two, 1/2 for three burgers and make meatballs with the other 1/2, ready for pasta, BBQ sauce, or gravy.
Steamed mixed vegetable are another go to item for quick meals and sides. Perfect as a side dish themselves, but we like them stirred into ramen noodles and rice-quick stir fries or fried rice. I put a large bag on my shopping list as having them tucked in the freezer is a windfall. Same with baking potatoes-leftovers are nice to have in the refrigerator to then use to bulk up a hotdish, or fry up with onions, mushrooms, or other savory veg for a quick side dish. If nothing else, I am stretching my creativity for using up items that often might have been pushed to the back of the refrigerator and thrown. Now, in my quest to have no waste, I'm finding these bits of leftovers and bags of staples are bases for quick meals. Fast food at home. I'm hoping one change that comes out of the way we have been living is that restaurant and the occasional fast food is a treat, a rarity, and for that more appreciated.
Monday, April 20, 2020
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I love quick meals, and stretching food seems to be everyone's objective right now. I am all about "beefing" up whatever we are eating with veggies of any variety.vThe hamburger helper I found at the lake was really pretty good when I added onions, mushrooms and broccoli.
ReplyDeleteI admit, there are a few HH meals I really like the taste of. The beefy noodle one-pure comfort food.
DeleteWe've never done eating out much (maybe a date night and a random weekend meal for the kids). I'm finding that takeout is pretty unappealing - same price as the restaurant experience minus the restaurant fun & the food is never as warm/right temperature. We've gotten it a few times to support local businesses, but it's definitely not the same.
ReplyDeleteTake out with friends-yes, , but for just us, as you said a bit anti climactic.
DeleteI had grown tired of eating out long before this ever happened. The food was always over priced, and mediocre in quality, and the service sub par. And, somehow, at restaurants, no matter what the level, I always wind up seated next to the table with a loud, whiny, messy obnoxious kid, licking his fingers, smacking his lips, getting up from his seat and running around the table, with parents none the wiser. It got so that if I did find myself in a restaurant, I would sit in the bar area if there was one, to avoid other people's ill behaved kids. The only thing I enjoyed about dining out was not having to cook or clean up, but coming home to dogs who need to be let out and walked, or hungry kids who still need to eat if they didn't come with us, created its own annoyances. It's just not worth it to me. When I stopped eating out, I decided that I wasn't going to be as careful about what I spent at the grocery store, figuring that even paying full price for, say, sirloin tip steaks to feed the entire family, was cheaper than one meal out, let alone the whole family.
ReplyDeleteIt's curious that your husband and kids like to eat out as often as you have shared. I wonder what the difference is in terms of experience? I guess if I was in your shoes and already feeling like you won't enjoy, I'd stay home and not bother either, but I typically enjoy when we go out, particularly if it has been a few weeks or with good friends.
DeleteThey typically go out for breakfast or lunch during the weekdays when young kids are in school, and parents working, or on the weekends to a favorite greasy spoon which isn't really kid friendly. When the kids go out on their own together, they are never placed by a party with children. I honestly think when hostesses see a mother, they figure she doesn't mind other people's kids. I have become very vocal on the rare restaurant visits, about not being sat near kids--my favorite Mexican place knows where to place me, at least.
DeleteI have always used up everything. But, now I think there is stuff down where the crisper drawers go. I really cannot get down there to see. So, I suppose I will try to rake it out with a big spoon.
ReplyDeleteOh no= crisper soup fixings perhaps. But I guess it is hot already there and not soup weather.
DeleteIsn't it great when you can take meat and make several different dishes with it?
ReplyDeleteIt's the closest I get to batch cooking.
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