Today is a "work around the house" sort of day. So far I have the dishwasher running, the kitchen floors swept, and that piece that sits under the stove burner soaking in soapy water (I have a bad habit of spilling things down there). Right now I am taking a break because my back is simply killing me today, but soon I will get back up to mop the floor, clean off the counters, and wipe the counters down. My aim is to have the kitchen 100% clean between today and tomorrow... and the apartment 100% how I want it by the end of the year. Yes, I have lived here since March of last year, but I still have unpacked boxes and bags of stuff to go out to the trash. My health problems have made this a super crazy slow job, but I can't live like this anymore.

So, the kitchen is just job one. Then I will work on the dining room, then the living room, guest bath, my bedroom and bath, and finally the second bedroom. For now, the second bedroom will be sort of a "storage" room as I go through the other rooms. Plus, the closet of the second bedroom has boxes of Christmas decorations and the like that I have to go through so it will be the longest job.

Also on my plate for today is to work on my grocery lists for the next 2 weeks, my meal plan for the last 2 weeks of the month, and to looking up recipes for in season vegetables, beans, and lentils. I make a larger trip on the weeks I get my biggest paychecks out to Market District and get things like meats for the next two weeks and stuff that will last for the two weeks. Then the other weeks I just head to Kroger to grab the fresh stuff for those off weeks.

Speaking of my meal plan, here is what I have planned for the next week and a half.
Tonight: Leftovers
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Hot ham and cheese sandwich, fruit, and chips
Sunday: Roasted chicken legs, potatoes, and carrots
Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Meatless hash and eggs
Wednesday: Vegetarian Lasagna
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Meatball subs, roasted potatoes

Huh... I forgot about this thing

So, it appears that I totally forgot that I had this blog and it's been sitting here all alone for a few years now. I was trying to make a new one when Blogger told me my email already existed! Which was a bit of a shock for me as I had no idea I had started one. Since I found it though, I am thinking I may try to pick it back up. It won't be a daily thing, but I am hoping to update twice a week when I have time.

The blog will also change focus a bit from what it was at the start. It will still be about food a lot of the time including meal plans, recipes, photos, and fun finds at the store but I want to do even more. It will be used to help raise awareness for some health problems I have been diagnosed with. I will be posting exerts from my novels and short stories. There will be stuff about places I am finding as I explore my new city and when I travel. Plus, there will always be random fun stuff because life has a way of throwing curve balls in your direction.

So here we go (again)! 

This weeks meals part two...

Okay, I promised this post would follow soon after... it should get posted tonight, though I will have to go make dinner soon. So, it may be after dinner before I post it but at least I have already started on it.

Breakfast (x7)
Chicken and Pepper Hash and Eggs
Hard Boiled Eggs and Toast (x2)
Egg Sandwich and Fruit (x2)
Oatmeal with Blueberries, Milk, and Brown Sugar (x2)

Lunch (x4)
Chicken Tikka Masala and Naan Bread
Tuna Salad Sandwich on Wheat, Pasta Salad, Fruit
Hamburger, Pasta Salad, Fruit
Pasta Salad with added Salami and Cheese

Snacks (about 4)
Vegetables and Pita with Baba Ganush
Cheese and Crackers
Pretzels and Peanut Butter
Fruit

Dinner (x4)
Italian Chicken and Pepper Skewers with Long Grain and Wild Rice
Hamburgers, Corn on the Cob, and Onion Rings
Eggs, Country Ham, Hash Browns, and Fruit
Spicy Shrimp and Salmon, Asparagus, Corn Fritters

This weeks meals...

I need to post my honey mustard salmon from earlier in the week and I plan to do that tonight after dinner. Hopefully at that time I will also have two more recipes to share!

Right now I am focusing on eating out of the freezer because I really need to restock on some stuff that we always eat... but I have no room because the freezer is full of random stuff. I also want to be able to have some room to keep homemade waffles or pancakes up there as well. Right now, there just is not enough space for what I want to do. Thus, just about every meal has at least one thing that comes from the freezer.

I'm really struggling with any sort of diet right now. My dinners are not that bad though we splurge here and there (the Pot Roast for example this past week). We eat a lot of vegetables and leaner proteins (not as much red meat or ground beef). However, I almost always skip breakfast and then grab something out for lunch... even if I am home all day. I NEED TO STOP DOING THAT!

(yes, I just yelled at myself...)

So, I need to really come up with some healthy, tasty, and inexpensive breakfasts and lunches. I also need a way to have a lot of variety without spending too much money and wasting a lot of food. My biggest problem is that I get bored so easily and I flat out don't "want" what I have in the house. I need to change that and the way I look at food. So, I am going to make some rules for myself.

1) One glass of milk everyday. I know I don't get enough calcium and vitamin D.
2) One glass of no sugar added apple juice a day. This helps with some of the tummy issues I deal with due to some medications I take.
3) Out of the rest that I drink, only one serving of non-water. I am getting way too much sugar and calories in what I drink.
4) One serving of fruit everyday. If nothing else, so I don't waste as much.
5) I must eat breakfast every day even if it is just a piece of fruit.
6) I must eat lunch at home at least 4 times a week.

I am working on my grocery list for next week already so that I have time to come up with some ideas. As such, I will now be coming up with extended menu's that include what choices I have for breakfast and lunch for each week. I can also use this to see how I can use dinner leftovers to come up with new ideas and concepts (one of my favorite breakfast/lunch ideas is hash made from leftover meat and vegetables from the night before... the combinations are endless!). These menus will (hopefully) be posted weekly. The first one should shortly follow this post.

Menu for June!

So, today is June 1, 2011. Thought I would go ahead and post my monthly menu for this month. I am waiting on my new issues of Food Network Magazine and Rachel Ray Magazine to add a few meals to July before I can finish that.

Wed 6/1- Breaded Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce, corn bread, roasted sweet potatoes

Fri 6/3

Southwest Pasta Skillet

Sat 6/4

Thanksgiving in June: Turkey, Rolls, green bean cassarole, cranberry sauce, stuffing

Mon 6/6

Left Overs

Wed 6/8

Honey Mustard Salmon, Roasted Asparagus

Fri 6/10

BBQ Chicken, Potato/Carrot/Onion Packets, Rolls

Sat 6/11

Pot Roast, Carrots and Onions, Potatoes and Potato Rolls

Mon 6/13

Spaghetti and Meatballs, Garlic bread

Wed 6/15

Steak 'Em Up Pitas, French Fries, Fruit

Fri 6/17

Garlic-Herb Red Snapper, Rice Pilaf, Buttered Snap Peas

Sat 6/18

Orange Chicken and Brocolli, Egg Rolls, Rice

Mon 6/20

Grilled Sirloin Teriyaki, Rolls, Potato/Onion/Carrot Packets

Wed 6/22

Italian Chicken and Tricolor Pepper Skewers, Long grain and wild
rice

Fri 6/24

Hamburgers, Potato salad, Corn on the Cob

Sat 6/25

Cajun Chicken Pasta, Garlic bread

Mon 6/27

Spicy Shrimp and Salmon, Asparagus, Rice

Wed 6/29

Farmhouse Casserole, fresh fruit

Beer Braised Chicken

I am WAY too full. Tonight I made a new recipe and it was much better then I could ever have thought. So... I ate too much.

But as I promised some of my followers... here is the recipe. It actually tasted a lot like a chicken "pot roast". Very rich and flavorful. I served this with some french bread to soak up the juices. Hope everyone enjoys!

Beer Braised Chicken (adapted from Food Network)

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle beer (preferably brown ale)
• 1 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed
• 4 medium sized carrots, sliced
  
• 3/4 pound red-skinned potatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
  
• 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
• 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat.

Add the bacon and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off the excess.

Add the olive oil to the drippings in the pot. Add the chicken in batches and cook over medium-high heat until golden on the bottom, 6 to 7 minutes, then flip and sear the other side, about 1 minute.

Add the beer, onions, potatoes, mustard, sugar, thyme and 1 cup water to the pot and stir, making sure the chicken is fully submerged.

Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Discard the thyme and stir in the bacon and parsley.

Parmesan Chicken with Pasta Fresca

This was good, simple, and very light. As some of my readers know, I can not have a lot of tomato due to medical issues. Fresh tomatoes do not seem to cause the same issues as canned or sauces so I try to use those whenever possible. I found this through Southern Plate and it was really good.

Parmesan Chicken with Pasta Fresca

Pasta
-1 box penne pasta
-1/2C baby spinach
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-1/2C cherry tomatoes, halved
-1/2 red onion, large dice
-Fresh cracked pepper
-1/8C white wine
-1/8C balsamic vinegar
-1/4C EVOO

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a measuring cup, mix the white wine, balsamic vinegar, EVOO, and 1 clove of garlic.

In a saute pan, heat 2 tbl olive oil and saute remaining garlic and the onion until tender.

Add pasta and cherry tomatoes and cook until the pasta is seared.

Rewisk sauce and add to the pasta along with the spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted.

Parmesan Chicken
-4 thinly sliced chicken breats
-2C all purpose flour
-1C plain bread crumbs
-Italian Seasoning
-Parmesan Cheese
-Black pepper
-1C cream
-Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 350.

Put 1C flour in a bowl. Put the other cup of flour, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, parmesan cheese, and pepper in another bowl. Put the cream in a third bowl.

Dip the chicken into the plain flour, then the cream, and finally the breadcrumb mixture.

Using a large, nonstick pan heat the oil until hot. Pan fry the chicken until brown and crispy.

Place the fried chicken into a baking dish and bake in the preheated over 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve the chicken sliced on top of the pasta and sprinkle with more parmesan.