Monday, December 14

{the menu} holiday stress buster - 2 for 1

Ok the holidays are upon us. Yep we are all stretched. I had fine plans of stringing cranberries and popcorn,making homemade aprons for my friends and relaxing with my family. HeLLLLLooooo...REALITY CHECK!!! Two weeks until Christmas, Hanukkah is already in full swing, Kwanzaa is fast approaching... so our goal is to eat well, enjoy ourselves, relax, remind ourselves of what the "season" is all about, give thanks, give back, fulfill dreams, make wishes come true ... oh yeah and by the way we need to cook dinner too!

Ok well here is one way I try and de-stress the kitchen portion. Cook a 2 for 1 meal. I make a meal and plan a meal using the leftovers. It really does save time and who knows I may get to string those cranberries yet.

Here is my plan I am going to double my meat for the first two days and on the last two days my main meat will be done:

Monday Dinner: Pot Roast with veggies and a salad.
  • Make your post roast and double the meat.
Tuesday Dinner: Grilled or baked chicken with roasted veggies and wild rice
  • Double your amount of chicken - lemon pepper and olive oil make a great rub in a flash.
  • Make a ton of roasted veggies. (peppers - red, yellow, poblano, jalapeno, tomatoes, onions, garlic, eggplant, and zucchini is what I am planning on)
  • Double the amount of wild rice
Ok from those two meals here is what I am planning on making the rest of the week:

Wednesday Dinner: Beef tacos with roasted peppers and slaw
  • Beef from the roast beef on Monday. I will add jalapenos, cumin, and a little cayenne and heat in a pan
  • Roasted Peppers from Tuesdays meal those can be a taco topper
  • Corn tortillas, and other taco fixings
  • Slaw (from a bag, store bought dressing adding a little lemon juice and cumin and pepper)
Thursday Dinner: Chicken & wild rice salad
  • Chicken from tuesday chopped, add a little mayo, lemon, dill ( or anyway you like your salad)
  • Wild rice, chopped celery, cranberries, pecans, salt & pepper. Dress with a little vinaigrette or just lemon and olive oil is good too.
  • Place on some lettuce leaves and grill a little bread with parm

Ok so there are a few ideas to help you stress bust your busy week ... if not there is always that great thai place down the street!

cheers!

oh and PS: If your crew at home is opposed to leftovers - don't tell them! They will never know!

3 comments:

frenchie said...

can i come over for dinner on Tuesday and Wednesday?
all sounds very delicious to me!

Char said...

sounds great!! I always double when I really "cook" as it's such a money saver, even if it's a pain, to take my lunch to work.

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