Easter dinner for two

During this time of social distancing and no external family gatherings, my husband and I were left at home alone to celebrate Easter. It just felt right to have ham for dinner, but having cooked a spiral ham a few weeks ago, I really didn't feel like going through all that again and having the pots and pans to clean up, et cetera, for us. So I opted to heat up a ham steak, you know, the kind of slab ham that you buy at the grocery store that’s about a quarter of an inch thick. One of those slabs was perfect for dinner for two, especially since we wouldn't be adding any starchy carbohydrates like potatoes or rice to the meal. No hot cross buns, either 😕

Instead, I sliced up some carrots and boiled them until just tender, then drained off the water, then added some butter and a dab of honey. Once the honey was melted into the butter and coated the carrots, I sprinkled on some parsley and salt. I remembered I had some persimmon chutney in the pantry that I had canned last fall. I figured I could reheat some of that to serve with the ham. Then I had the inspiration to open up a can of pineapple to mix in with the chutney, which was reheated in the microwave. 

I ended up with a pretty simple, yet traditional, Easter dinner for two. The best part is, in this house, whoever cooks doesn't have to wash the dishes. My husband is the best! Happy Easter. 🐣🐇🦋🐞🌷🐰🐝🐛

Persimmon chutney recipe from Saveur

https://pin.it/3g5Gu17

Easter brunch needs a casserole

Easter brunch at home

Sheltering at home has really put a damper on Easter get togethers with family. Our family has not got together since March 1st, so just a little over 5 weeks! However, we are blessed to know that everyone is healthy and doing well in spite of this coronavirus pandemic we are weathering. We found a way to see our grandkids yesterday by making a caravan trek out to see the wildflowers and had a well-spaced picnic in the meadow. No hugs, but plenty of smiles. Plus, I got to deliver their Easter baskets to them. 

This morning my husband and I enjoyed a delicious cheesy ham and asparagus quiche baked in a cast iron skillet in the oven. I didn’t use a crust because I'm trying to cut out as much carbs as possible these days. The heat from the cast iron skillet made a kind of “magic” crust around the edge of the quiche as it baked! I used the standard quiche-type recipe using 6 eggs and a cup of milk and two tablespoons of flour. I season the eggs with my chicken fixins seasoning blend, which is kind of all-purpose spice that includes herbs and added some cumin and paprika for a warm kick of flavor. I sauteed a mixture of onion, garlic, and asparagus in the skillet until the asparagus was softened, and topped it with some chopped deli ham and sliced green onions, then added a layer of shredded cheddar cheese and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. I poured the egg mixture over the meat, cheese and vegetables, and sprinkled on three chopped up slices of bacon and some chopped roasted red pepper for color. 

My daughters are sending me pictures of the kids opening their Easter baskets and playing with the little toys they found inside. Then we're going to have a zoom video chat at 11: 00. 

Afterward, I think I'll coerce my husband into going for a nice walk in the sunshine before we come home and make a ham dinner. My plan is to have a ham steak topped with a pineapple chutney paired with a spring salad topped with balsamic-infused strawberries and feta cheese with a honey-sweetened lemon viniagrete.

I included some links for a basic quiche and the strawberry salad. 

https://pin.it/2C60LmH

https://pin.it/3yjHbMg

Happy Easter, everyone!

Low Carb Meals

So the one thing both my husband and I need to do is drop some weight. It's been an issue for us for the past 15 years. We have lost weight on occasion, but we always have gained it back. The reason is because we make some adjustments in our eating, lose some weight, but then we revert back to our old eating habits. 

So we both went to the doctor this week and the main messages was: Lose 5% of your body weight in the next month. Basically, he wants us to lose 2 pounds a week until we reach our goal weight. The main way we have to do that is to drastically cut the carbs. 

Cutting carbs is hard to do when you're eating out of your pantry, I know. The foods we have to avoid are the staple items such as pasta, rice, beans and grains. Over the past few days, we watched a bunch of videos with Mark Sisson, who wrote the Primal Diet. I get the premise: Just eat a lot of protein and fresh vegetables, avoiding legumes and potatoes, processed foods, etc. Organic grass-fed proteins are key. Sugar is out. However, Mark still allows or recommends a glass of red wine a day and some dark chocolate for a sweet treat. He also adheres to the 80/20 rule, meaning you strive to adhere to the guidelines of his diet 80% of the time. He also said if you put a teaspoon of sugar in your coffee in the morning, that's not going to kill you, as long as you cut out sugar in the rest of the foods throughout the day, meaning no processed stuff no breads, cakes, muffins, energy bars, sugary sauces, etc.

So last night we had a healthy big ass salad (that's what Mark calls it!) with a bunch of vegetables and some chicken for the protein, using a homemade lemon juice and oil vinaigrette with a dash of mustard and honey thrown in. I had roasted the beets and marinated the eggs in the beet juice drippings and vinegar for a pickling effect. I think it all looks pretty Eastery on the plate, don't you?

My very skeleton-bones outline of our daily diet will look like this:

Breakfast: eggs with sauteed vegetables or a protein powder drink or Greek yogurt with berries.

Lunch: big ass salad with viniagrete and a protein.

Dinner: protein (chicken, beef, fish, lamb, bison, etc) with grilled/steamed/boiled/roasted vegetables.

Snack: handful of nuts (macadamia, almond, walnuts), dark chocolate, berries.

We can throw in some cheese here and there, but that really falls into the 20% category. 

I'm still going to keep my pasta, rice and beans for the 20% side of our cooking, meaning maybe we'll only have it once a week. My husband and I will start tracking or meals again on MyFitnessPal, which is a really good tool that shows not only your calories, but also your macros and the nutrient content of the food. I found I can pair it with my digital scale and my Garmin wrist watch, as well as Map My Walk, so it captures all my steps and exercise as well as my weight. I was pleasantly surprised to notice when I looked at the MFP app this morning that under the recipe section, they have categories for Immune Support and Pantry Meals. It looks like MyFitnessPal is keeping up with the times!

Make your own Spice Seasoning Mixes

So it's Taco Night and you go to brown your ground beef and find you don't have that packet of taco seasoning? Now what???

I started making my own taco seasoning! After all, I already had chili powder, plus some other seasonings like salt, garlic powder, onion flakes, paprika, cumin, and pepper. I most often buy these spices in those little packets at the grocery store that cost around $0.99 a piece. If you read the ingredients on your name-brand taco seasoning packet, you'll likely find those ones listed, along with some other preservatives and maybe even sugar. If I if I buy a store-bought seasoning blend that I like, I'll look at the ingredients list and try to make my own, leaving out the stuff I can't pronounce. So why not experiment by mixing up your own blend and storing it in a little spice jar for future use?

Since I already have a variety of herbs on hand, I blend them together for my own Italian seasoning mix. The main herb is parsley, but also includes basil, rosemary, oregano, red pepper flakes. If you want a Greek seasoning it's similar but go heavy on the basil, add some dill, mint, and some minced garlic.

My Ranch Dressing mix not only makes good homemade dressing using either sour cream, buttermilk or Greek yogurt with some kind of milk to thin it out (cow, almond, coconut, or oat--whatever is in the frig that day!). Ranch mix is also good for sprinkling into pasta salads, casseroles, etc. 

I also came up with a great seasoning blend for tri-tip steaks with a blend of chili powders and coffee (Big Daddy's 805 seasoning)! It's great for ground meat or anything you can barbecue, too. 

My go-to seasoning blend, however, is one I call "Chicken Fixins", a kind and all-purpose mix that is not only good on chicken, but also eggs, fish, salads, vegetables and just about everything else. I make this up in big batches because my grown kids like it, too, and I will share a jar with them from time to time.

Here are three recipes to get you started, but feel free to improvise and improve!

https://pin.it/5Goexro

Teriyaki turkey and vegetables over rice

I didn't have much energy for cooking an elaborate meal tonight. I asked the Hubs what he wanted for dinner and he answered with the typical, “I don't know,” which left me open to suggest something that I knew would be quick and easy. “How about teriyaki chicken and vegetables,” I said. “That sounds good,” he answered.

First off, I got out my rice cooker, put in 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water, closed the lid and plugged it in and turned it on. Note: plugging the rice cooker is key here because there have been many times that I thought I was cooking rice and later found it was not was not cooked!

I had already washed and trimmed some broccoli a few days prior and had it in a container. I retrieved it from the frig, and then all I had to do was peel and slice some carrots and the five or six mushrooms that were also left in the fridge. I smashed three cloves of garlic and chopped three green onions in preparation for my cooking process. I sifted through the frozen meat in the freezer and found a package of cooked turkey meat which was the remnants of our Thanksgiving turkey. It was a pretty good-sized portion, about 10 oz. I threw that bag into the microwave to defrost and proceeded to saute my vegetables.

I love the flavor of the sesame oil in Asian cooking, but it's pretty expensive, so I usually pour in some canola oil and add the sesame oil just for flavoring. I stir-fried the sliced carrots and chopped broccoli in the oil for about two minutes, then added the mushrooms. Once the vegetables were heated through and slightly softened, I put them into a bowl.

Then I added the meat to the pan, along with the minced garlic and a teaspoonful of minced ginger. I cooked the meat in the oil and then poured in about half a cup of teriyaki sauce. I let that simmer so the sauce could flavor the meat all the way through. Then I added the vegetables back to the saute pan and topped them with fresh bean sprouts. 

I made a quick slurry with a cup of water, a tablespoon of cornstarch, and about 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. I stirred that into the vegetable and meat mixture and simmered it for about 5 minutes.

Once the vegetables were crisp tender and everything was heated through, I checked that the sauce had thickened up some and the rice was fully cooked. Then I called my husband to dinner and we dished it up and had a feast, all in less than 20 minutes!

Old School Curried Chicken Casserole

What's in your pantry or frig?

Tonight's dinner was a version of the curried chicken and rice casserole that my mother-in-law used to make using Campbell's cream of chicken soup. I know I used to have the recipe but I couldn't find it today, so I improvised.

I cooked one cup (dry) of rice in the rice cooker and I added some chicken bouillon and about a teaspoon of curry powder to it for infused flavor. (Sometimes I would make this with leftover rice, so I would stir the curry powder into the soup ingredients.) I had about 2 cups of leftover rotisserie chicken that I diced and added one cup of frozen mixed vegetables from the other night's meal.  I added four fresh green onions, sliced. I also had a small about a cup of chopped red and green bell peppers and onions that I sauteed in olive oil and added to the mix.  (Typically, when I cut up a bell pepper into slices or squares, I save bottom and the top and dice them up and save them for another time like when making an omelet.) I stirred in one can of cream of chicken soup, a half cup of mayonnaise, and some black pepper. (I figured the soup had enough sodium in it already so I didn't add any more salt.)  This mixture created a bowl full of chicken and rice mix.

I spooned the mix into four ramekins that I can bake in the oven or the microwave, and then I put the rest of it into two 2-cup Rubbermaid square containers to put in the freezer for another night. I heated the ramekins for 3 minutes in the microwave at dinner time.

So, this dish is good for using up leftover chicken or leftover rice. The curry powder really made the rice tasty and it was a pretty good dish.

Pantry inventory

It's April 6th and we are into our third (?) week of sheltering at home. What started out as a suggestion has been incrementally increased to where everyone who is non-essential is supposed to be staying at home, limiting their trips outside to a weekly grocery store run, doctor appointments and perhaps just getting some fresh air while keeping at least 6 feet distance from other persons outside of their immediate family unit.

As people started to realize the impacts of this quarantine, there was a run on our grocery stores and many supplies were depleted. Business as usual ceased. Supplies of toilet paper, disinfectant cleaning products and many pantry staple items were depleted. Toilet paper, antibacterial wipes, paper towels, bleach, hand sanitizers, etc., are now a scarce commodity. People are stocking up not knowing when to expect a resupply of any given product. Shoppers have come up to our area from the big cities searching for fresh food, staple items, and cleaning products.

My pantry dry goods.

For those of us who regularly keep shelf-stable items in their pantry at home, this has been a little less scary. I always keep a supply of sugar, flour, oatmeal, rice, beans, quinoa, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, assorted spices and dried herbs, as well as dried pasta, beans, nuts, various vinegars, and types of oil, coffee, tea, and easy-to-fix items such as ramen noodles, instant oatmeal, macaroni and cheese mixes, Rice-A-Roni mixes. I also have an array of canned foods such as tuna, chicken, Spam, assorted types of beans, vegetables and fruit, chicken broth, olives, chili beans, Spaghetti'Os and sauces such as ketchup, salad dressing, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, salsa, jam, peanut butter, and protein powder. I realize a steady diet of this stuff is not the healthiest choice, but in times where you can't run to the grocery store every day to get fresh stuff, this will definitely keep you going. Also, staples such as rice and pasta will help you stretch your fresh vegetables and meat a little further, as your grandmother will tell you from back in the wartime era.

Oils, vinegars, nuts, dried fruits, pasta, etc.

The refrigerator is always stocked with eggs, butter, milk, cream, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, open bottles of sauces and dressings, lunch meat, cheeses,  and fresh vegetables and fresh fruits. Those are the items but I am used to  stocking up on weekly and I hope they continue to be available at the grocery stores in the coming weeks. I usually also pick up an extra loaf of bread or carton of butter to put into the freezer. I can and have made my own biscuits and muffins, but making bread requires a lot of flour and I don't have that much on hand right now.

All of that stuff, on its own, can keep you alive for quite a while. Most of it requires the addition of heat and/or water. Hopefully, our power and water will continue to be readily available! But if not, we have our camping supplies. Now is the time to refill and stock up on those propane canisters, firewood, charcoal, and matches. Storing gallons of bottled water is also a good idea. Okay, now you're hearing the panic-prepper in me coming out. Actually my husband and I have always had this in mind but we've never stocked up to a level where we felt completely comfortable, like having a years supply on hand. I am more on the food supply side, while he is on the equipment supply side.

We weren't panicking, but as we were down to our last three or four packets of ramen noodles and two or three cans of tomatoes and beans in the kitchen pantry, we went searching for those on our next trip to the grocery store and their shelves were wiped out! When we did find some ramen, the store was limiting buyers to one package... That's one package not one carton! We also picked up case packages of canned tomatoes canned vegetables and canned beans when we saw them. Fortunately on the toilet paper side, I ordered some from Amazon a month ago when I first started hearing of people making supply runs at the grocery stores. A 24 pack of the mega rolls should last us through June! Other items that I didn't have a large supply of included tissues, wipes, food storage bags and bleach, so in my weekly grocery runs I am looking for those items and picking them up where I can.

Ready-to-use frozen foods.

We also stocked our freezer with frozen foods and did a lot of prep cooking of meats feeling those up into dinner size portions for quick evening meals. I can pull out a package of season taco meat, defrost it, and have tacos or burritos or enchiladas in just a few minutes. I can add Italian seasoned meat or chicken to pasta or rice dishes or some other meal alternatives. I have my own frozen hamburger patties and meatballs cooked and ready to defrost and eat. This not only saves time and cooking on the weeknights, but also saves time on clean up because I don't have as many pots and pans to wash.

One thing is for sure: In the future, I will be looking into storing larger supplies of rice and beans and flour and sugar by doing some dry canning in half gallon jars. I will also stock up on more canned food, water, and fuel. Also, one tool I highly recommend is a food vacuum sealer. It is versatile and has really helped me stock my freezer with my ready-to-eat meats, as well as homemade soups and broth, extra cooked rice, fruit, etc.

Stay safe, take precautions and God Bless!

P.S. Here is a link to article on home prepping and food storage tips:
https://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/packages/help-around-the-kitchen/emergency-preparedness-kit