Saturday, January 17, 2009

I've been a bad, bad, Puttanesca...

I've allowed myself to get so caught up in the chaos that sometimes surrouds life with kids and two working parents that I've gotten off track. I've been allowing myself to give in to the ease of ordering pizza or making grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.... but everyone is getting bored, including me! Today I plan to work on a meal plan for the rest of the month. I don't want to go out and buy anything other than milk, eggs, bread, or produce (and baby formula, but I think I have enough to get through the rest of the month already.)

I tried two new recipes, but they were so disappointing I won't even post them!

Stay tuned. And while you're waiting for my next recipe, some tips for time saving:

1. When you buy meat in bulk, separate it into 2 pound packages. Most recipes call for 1 pound... but you can brown/grill/bake both pounds and refreeze half of the cooked meat for later use.

2. The crock pot is your friend. It will brown ground meat in about half an hour on the high setting... no stirring or watching needed!

3. When you get your veggies home, pre-prep them. Pick over and break up your green beans, pre-peel and chop your squash, etc. Just don't pre-wash greens and herbs unless you plan to store them wrapped in paper towels and use them quickly! Moisture will make them spoil faster.

4. If you like fresh herbs, you can freeze them! I have big bags of fresh basil, parsley, and cilantro in my freezer. I pull the bag out, cut off enough for my recipe, seal it and put it back. Herbs keep a long time frozen!

1 comment:

Tami said...

Ohh! Thank you for the tips. I need them. Poor bachelorette here. :)