Today was a very nice day off. I made my usual after payday trip to Walmart for groceries. We are beginning the third week of a new way of meal planning. Over the past months, I noticed that a lot of our meals had turned into pre-made, processed foods, like breaded chicken, fish, tater tots and those meals in a bag. There were many times when I would come home from work and have no idea of what sounded good for dinner. So I would dive into the freezer and pull out something that you could turn into a complete meal in 11 minutes or so. 
Well, about a month ago, I decided that I needed to make a change. Hopefully also one that was a little more healthy. So I came up with a plan. I decided that I would plan our meals two weeks ahead. For the most part, I find a meat, a salad and some kind of veggie for each meal. I have been scouring cooking sites for dishes that sound good and relatively quick and easy to make. Then, as I come up with a plan for a day, I compile a shopping list for everything I need as far as ingredients.
So I thought for today I would share the recipes for today’s dinner.
Last night I made 4 Bean Salad. This is a dish that I remembered from my childhood, but I have never made it. I didn’t really care for it as a kid, but I was hoping that my taste buds had matured! LOL (They must have, because I thought it was pretty good.)
Four Bean Salad
1 can each:
garbanzo beans
kidney beans
green string beans
yellow wax beans
Dressing:
½ cup sugar
½ c red wine vinegar
½ cup salad oil
½ cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Wash and drain all beans well. Pour remaining ingredients
over & chill for 24 hours, stirring once or twice.
The side was Baked Noodles Romanoff
1 (8 oz.) pkg. egg noodles
1 c. cottage cheese
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. herb seasoned bread crumb stuffing
1 tsp. parsley flakes
Cook noodles.
Combine drained noodles with cottage cheese, sour cream and grated cheese. Turn into greased 2 quart
casserole.
Sprinkle with stuffing and parsley.
Bake at 350 degrees until brown, about 25 minutes or longer if kept in
refrigerator unbaked.
The meat dish was Lemon Pepper Chicken Breast. It was fried, so not completely the most healthy choice. So although it was tasty, I definitely won’t be making it frequently.
Lemon Pepper Chicken Breast
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
2 tbsp. lemon juice
Garlic powder
Pepper
Melt butter in skillet. Wash chicken and dust with flour.
Season well with garlic and pepper. Brown breast in butter.
Continue cooking until chicken is done, turning frequently.
Pour lemon juice in skillet. Simmer 2 minutes on each side.
Yum…a delicious dinner, if I do say so myself…
Good idea! I know since I'm working it is easier to do the microwave frozen meals..but they are not healthy at all. I want to start trying more recipes that make more than a few servings, to not only stretch the dollars a bit, but to make it unnecessary to cook every day. Be better on the road!
ReplyDeleteSince I work at home I usually cook from scratch, but Craig really likes a lot of the pre made stuff from Trader Joe's.
ReplyDeleteI find it best to just add one here or there as part of a total meal.
I really like to make what we call "two dayers." Takes some time cooking the first night, but on the second it's just warming up the leftovers!
it sure is difficult to plan meals when you work full time!..and aren't home till late!..that is one thing that I do dislike about working..much prefer the summer months when I have all day to plan what to make for dinner!!
ReplyDeleteOne problem in RV life is the limited freezer space. I like to use crockpot a lot. I need to get a new one soon. Mine was old, old, old. Last trip we must have hit a large bump. Found the lid broke into many pieces.
ReplyDeleteI don't use many prepared meals. Our problem is eating out too often. Now that is really not healthy. Not only for our bodies but also for our bank account.
Sounds like a great plan ~ we try to do that too but not for 2 weeks.
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays
Donna