Okay, so I've been promising Patrick for a while that I'll go over solid meal planning with him. Instead of just writing an email, I figure I'll post it here, that way anyone who's interested can participate. I'm going to post my entire shopping list for this week, as well as the recipes. I started with a practically empty fridge (I've been lazy the last week or so), so this is a good jump-off spot. It's also a very basic menu, which won't require a lot of spices or extras.
When I menu plan I'm feeding two people, with enough leftovers for lunch the next day. I scale my recipes back so that I'm not making too much food. Every recipe that I post is almost certainly cut in half from an original recipe somewhere. I'll credit if I copy recipes, otherwise they're my own creations. Please read all of the recipes, and amend the shopping list as necessary. My list was based on what I already had at home.
Ready?
Shopping List:
1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper
3 yukon gold potatoes, or similar
Small chunk of fresh ginger (maybe 1")
6-8 tomatillos
1 carrot
2-3 jalepeno peppers
1 serano chile
1 pablano chile
1 bunch green onions
1 small bunch of baby spinach
1 head of garlic
2 yellow onions (I like sweet, like Walla Walla or Vidalia)
1 bunch Italian flat-leaf parsley OR 1 bunch cilantro
herbs: thyme, basil, rosemary, oregano, sage (if you can find a mixed bunch go with that, otherwise you may want to choose just two or three, as herbs can get pricey when purchased individually)
2 limes
1 can black beans
1 can white beans (Cannelli or Navy)
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 pkg chicken (legs and thighs, approx 1-1.5 lbs)
1/4 lb ground pork (if you can't find this it's okay to omit, you can use the sausage instead if needed)
1.5 lbs ground beef (the cheaper the better, it's fatty, but that can be poured off)
1 pkg sage sausage (Jimmy Dean, or whatever)
1/2 lb steak strips (cut for stir-fry)
1 box crackers (to go with chili, sub rice if you prefer)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
frozen garlic bread slices
pasta- fresh if you can find it, otherwise dry is fine, I got linguine this time
Things you'll need that weren't on my list:
1/2 doz eggs (if you don't have them at home already)
rice (if you don't have it at home already)
Small container of milk if there's none at the house (you won't need much)
Bread crumbs or sliced bread (again, if there's none at the house already)
Once you're home:
divide your beef up into .5 lbs each, to be frozen, if it's not divided already
divide sausage into three equal portions to be frozen
Now I'll remind you of the recipes:
Chicken w/ green sauce and rice
Pasta w/ white beans and sausage
Beef stir-fry w/ rice
Chili and crackers or rice
Meatloaf w/ mashed potatoes
Pasta w/ red meat sauce and garlic bread
Still with me? Here come the recipes. The order in which you do your recipes is up to you. Bear in mind dry, canned and frozen foods have a much longer life than your fresh herbs and produce. Onions and potatoes keep for quite some time, but your peppers and herbs will go fairly fast. For this reason I do my chicken and green sauce pretty early in the week. I listed the recipes in the order I would do them, so that you minimize any fresh food spoilage.
Chicken w/ green sauce
6-8 tomatillos
1/2 the bunch of green onions
1/3 of the bunch of cilantro or parsley
1 lime
1 serrano chile
1 poblano pepper
2-3 cloves of garlic
Salt, pepper
1 large pinch of sugar
remove papers from tomatillos, quarter the poblano (remove seeds, stem and ribs) place under broiler and roast until skin starts to char, and they start to smell good. While those are roasting, roughly chop green onions, cutting off the hairy part at the white end. Throw into blender. (I use the entire green onion, all the way up the green part), roughly chop the serrano, again removing the seeds, stem and ribbing (you might consider latex gloves for this, if you have them, otherwise be very careful about rubbing your eyes because the oil is hot and it will burn). Throw into blender.Lay the three cloves of garlic on the cutting board, and smash with the flat of a knife. (This will remove the papers for you.) Discard papers, roughly mince. Throw in the blender. Cut the lime in half, squeeze juice from each half into the blender. (Run the peels down the garbage disposal, it will make your kitchen smell good.) Tear the leaves off the stems of the cilantro and throw in the blender. When the tomatillos and poblanos are done put them in the blender. Add quite a bit of salt, pepper and the sugar. Blend the hell out of it.
Pour green sauce in a pan, add chicken (4-6 pieces, with skins removed). Cook over med-low heat until the chicken is no longer raw. Serve over rice.
Bucatini ai Fagioli (modified from this recipe )
- serves two -
Ingredients
1/2 pound bucatini or spaghetti
1 can of white beans, with liquid
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 handful of mixed herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary), chopped
1 small red pepper, chopped
Parmesan, grated
1. In a large skillet over medium heat, pour in the olive oil. Add the garlic a handful of the mixed herbs. Cook for five minutes. Add the sausage and cook all the way through. Add the beans and chili pepper and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it becomes too dry, add some of the pasta water.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Toss in the pasta and cook according to the instructions on the box.
3. When the pasta is done, transfer the skillet. Stir until well combined, adding a little pasta water if dry.
4. Remove from the heat. Sprinkle with parmesan, season with salt and pepper, and serve.
Beef Stir-Fry w/ rice (modified from this recipe)
Ingredients
* 3 Tbsp. lime juice, 1 tsp. sugar
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 2 teaspoons cornstarch
* 1 tablespoon canola oil (olive oil or vegetable oil will also be just fine)
* 8 ounces flank steak (this is your sliced steak)
* 1 tablespoon chopped garlic (2 cloves, roughly)
* 2 teaspoons chopped jalapeno pepper, or to taste (1 pepper)
* 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
* 1/2 bell pepper, rough dice
* 1 6-ounce bag baby spinach
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* 1/2 bunch green onions
Directions
Combine lime juice and sugar, soy sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Spread steak out in the pan and cook until seared on one side, about 1 minute. Add garlic, jalapeno, green onion and ginger and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add bell pepper and spinach (the pan will be very full). Pour the lime mixture into the pan and stir gently until the sauce thickens and the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir in cilantro and sesame oil. Serve over rice.
Rita's Chili
1/2 lb ground beef, or 1/4 lb ground beef and 1/3 lb sausage
Olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 yellow onion, finely minced
2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 jalepeno pepper, finely minced
herbs of your amount and choosing, finely minced
1/2 bell pepper, small dice
small handful of parsley or cilantro
1 can tomatoes
1 can black beans
seasonings:
chili powder (1/2 to 1 TBSP)
salt
pepper
sugar (pinch)
cumin (maybe 1 tsp, perhaps a bit more)
red pepper flakes (sriracha sauce could be used also, this is just for heat)
Instructions:
In a pan suitable for soup heat olive oil over medium heat, add onion, jalepeno, bell pepper, garlic, and herbs. Saute 5 mins or so, until onions begin to soften up. Add meat, and brown until it's cooked through. Add seasonings of your choosing, in the amounts that you want, until it smells good. Add tomatoes w/ liquid, and beans w/ liquid. Adjust seasonings. Let simmer until you're ready to eat. Serve w/ crackers, or over rice.
Meatloaf and mashed potatoes
Pre-heat oven to 350F
2-3 potatoes, peeled and quartered (you'll also need a bit of milk or chicken stock, maybe 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup, and 2-3 Tbsp of butter or margarine)
1/2 lb ground beef
1/4 lb ground pork (or just use beef and sausage if you didn't buy pork)
1/3 lb sausage
1 egg
1/4 finely minced yellow onion
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 C. bread crumbs (if you don't have bread crumbs you can toast 2-3 slices of regular bread and chop them up as fine as they'll go)
Katsup or BBQ sauce, 2 TBSP.
herbs, salt pepper
Put everything in a big bowl, and squish it up with your hands until it's completely mixed together. Put in a bread loaf pan, or shape like a loaf and bake on a cookie sheet. Bake for 40-50 minutes.
While meatloaf is in the oven, boil the potatoes for 20 minutes, or until soft. Drain off water, add milk and butter to potatoes and mash until fluffy. (a hand-held mixer is especially useful here, or you can use a manual masher or potato ricer.) Keep warm, and serve w/ meatloaf.
I'm not going to put a recipe for pasta w/ red sauce and meat, because I know you already know how to make that. :)
I've also got a killer recipe for apple cake, if you want it. You would need to add 2 apples and some walnuts to your list. (Assuming you have flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda etc.)
Good luck, and you know how to reach me if you have any questions!
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