Day 6 Dinner: Pasta Puttanesca

This was one of our best dinners.  I sauteed up a lot of garlic and jarred anchovies in a skillet with olive oil.  Once the oil was aromatic, I added chopped up black and kalamata olives, capers, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.  I heated this up and topped off the pasta with crumbled goat cheese.  It was amazing!  We have enough for about 3 meals.

Day 5 Lunch: Tuna Salad

This was a no brainer.  I took 2 cans of tuna and added 2 hard boiled eggs which were already made.  I added some miracle whip mayo, sweet pickle relish, the remaining 1 tablespoon of diced onion and some seasonings.  Toasted some rye bread and made a sandwich for my kids lunch.  This classic tuna was only missing celery which we really did not miss!

Breakfast: We finished off the batter of pumpkin pancakes and went out for dinner.  We went out for dinner not because I couldn't find anything to eat but, because I had an extremely tiring day, too much on my plate, HA HA. 

Day 4 Dinner: Ginger Jasmine Rice with Sauteed Shrimp & Edamame

I had a whole hand of fresh ginger in my veggie bin so I planned on making a very aromatic rice,  I infused my broth with peeled ginger, garlic, bay leaf, lemon rind, S & P and turmeric .  It was amazingly fragrant and delicious.. In a separate skillet a sauteed 1 pound of raw frozen shrimp (25 count) in a skillet that I had already infused the oil with minced garlic and minced ginger.  I added some soy sauce and sesame oil.  I removed the shrimp and added about a cup of frozen shelled edamame to the pan, which I heated until hot.  I then added the shrimp back to the pan until all was hot and squeezed in some fresh lime juice.  I plated the rice and added the shrimp mixture.  It was a delightfully delicious meal.

Ongoing Breakfast Items and Snacks

We call them Tookie Cookies in our house because the have a lot of FIBER.  These are the simple classic oatmeal raisin cookies recipenthat are on the canister with a couple of modifications to make them a little healthier and cake like.  I cut the butter in half and add apple sauce.  Add a some chocolate chips, ground flax seed or wheat germ.  I then bake them in a pan and cut into bars.  These are also great for a quick breakfast or after school snack.  I doubled the recipe so I used all my remaining 4 eggs.  Things are going to get a bit more challenging now!  At least I am assured of breakfast for about a week. Between the muffins and these bars, I'm also sure all of us will be regular.

Ongoing Breakfast Items and Snacks

I now have only 7 eggs left so I thought about how I could get the most bang for my puck.  So all day I BAKED.  I baked 24 jumbo raisin bran muffins.  These are a great quick breakfast item that we all enjoy.  They also are great during the day with a cup of coffee or tea.  I used 3 of my eggs.  Normally, the recipe calls for 2 eggs and 2 yolks, but I just used 3 whole eggs.  Honestly, I like them better this way because they are a little lighter.  I probably will make them this way in the future.

Day 4 Lunch: Chicken Salad

I had about 3 poached chicken breasts in the fridge from last weeks chicken soup.  I also found GOLD in the fridge, 1/8 of an onion and about a tablespoon of minced parsley.  I chopped up the chicken, finely diced the onion and added the last couple tablespoon of the light mayo to the bowl. Then the creative part was to has a dollop of horseradish sauce.  I then made them into  sandwiches for my kids lunch boxes.  When they both came home from school, they commented on how great it was and how I am cooking better then ever.  Who knew? 

Day 4 Breakfast: Pumpkin Pancakes

My inspiration for todays breakfast was buttermilk.  I had about a half a container of buttermilk, so I instantly knew pancakes were in order.  Last week, I made banana pancakes, but today no bananas are around so I searched for something else.  I found in my pantry a can of pumpkin.  During the fall I usually make them a couple of times a season.  I did not have a chance to make them this fall so I thought these would be perfect, and they were!  These pancakes contain A.P. flour and cornmeal which I always have on hand.  They also contain a lot of different spices such as ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.  These pancakes are like a pumpkin pie flapjack.  YUM!

Day 3 Dinner: Antipasti Pasta Salad

This is a meal in one.  I had about two tablespoons left of giardiniera in a jar, so in a large bowl I added about 2 cups of canned garbanzo beans.  To that I added a 1/2 can of olives which I sliced, 1/2 can of drained diced tomatoes.  I then diced up some jarred roasted red peppers, cut up artichoke hearts, and added about 1 pound of diced summer sausage.  I needed some extra seasoning so I added some additional olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, and oregano.  I also had about 2 cups of cooked egg noodles in the fridge so I added that as well.  Topped it off  with about 1/4 cup of grated asiago which was also in the back of the fridge. BADA BING!!!

P.S. Lunch was a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich, yogurt Kiefer smoothie, pretzels, and raisins! Simple and quick!!! My kids love this kind. 

Day 2 Dinner: Cuban Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew, aka "The Castro Special"

This stew was inspired by the 3 sweet potatoes I had in the pantry.  I sauteed 1 shallot with 2 cloves of garlic in olive oil for about 2 minutes. I added the one can of black beans, and one can of diced tomatoes. I seasoned this with the following spices: cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper and tabasco sauce. To this mixture I added cubed cooked sweet potatoes. I heated the entire stew for about 20 minutes on medium heat. I also found some pumpkin seeds in my freezer, so I toasted them in the oven, then sprinkled them on top of the stew.  Everyone really enjoyed this cuban vegetarian dish. Yum Yum!

Day 2 Lunch: Salmon and Boursin Cheese w/ Radishes and Lemon Zest

This lunch time snack was inspired by the left over boursin cheese in the fridge. I also had about 4 oz. of smoked salmon in the freezer. I simply spread a thin layer of the cheese on the Melba toasts, topped it with the salmon, thinly sliced radishes, lemon juice and lemon zest.  My kids felt that the zest was a little to overpowering so they removed it. I, however, enjoyed it! The only question tonight is, what will be for dinner?

Day 2 Breakfast: French Toast With Toasted Pecans and Maple Syrup

What a delicious breakfast we had this morning.  I had a loaf of cinnamon bread in the freezer so I decide to start out with our first breakfast with a bang!  I made the entire loaf of bread, so that all four of us could have  3-4 slices.  I also used 3 eggs, along with about a 1/2 cup of skim milk.  I felt I needed some additional protein so I toasted some pecans in the oven.  I added assorted spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, vanilla, brown & white sugar.  Yum Yum!  I cooked them on my griddle, sprinkled them with the pecans, powered sugar and topped the french toast with maple syrup. What a delight! 

Day 1 Snack: Mixed Berry Smoothie

Normally I use more frozen bananas in my smoothies but I only had 3 frozen ones available to me so I felt I needed to conserve them for a later recipe. 

I used plain yogurt, 4 frozen strawberries, 6 frozen blackberries with  splashes of milk and apple juice.  I also included raspberry and blueberry preserves to enhance the berry flavor.  The outcome was not as good as my original recipe but it was certainly a tasty beverage!  I hope to have enough ingredients later to make it again.

My Freezer, with many starch items.

My Fridge, with various items.

My Only Essentials

My Pantry, fully stocked, but only contains 2 bulbs of garlic, 1 shallot, three sweet potatoes, four B-sized red potatoes.

NO ONIONS! WHAT WILL I DO!

Condiments

The ONLY fresh produce available!

Day 1: The Genesis

Oh baby its cold outside and I have nothing in the fridge to eat.  I really need to go to the produce market to purchase some fresh produce.  The cupboard is bare, I mean really bare, plus I have not shopped for food in about a week.  I have been known to create food from "nothing in the fridge".  I have been challenged by my kids (my husband is not positive about this experiment, but then again he gets to go out to eat during lunch so he's not overly concerned!) to go for an entire month without going to the grocery store to see what I can create.  

The only fresh produce I have in the fridge as we speak is 2 pear, 5 radishes, 2 lemons and 2 limes.  I also have about a hand of fresh ginger and about 7 Meyer lemons on a lemon tree in my family room!

I am going to take pictures of my freezer, refrigerator and pantry so you can see what type of foods I am going to create.  I am going to try and feed my family 2 square meals each day for a minimum of 1 week and maximum 1 month. Oh and by the way we are also following weight watchers and counting flex points so this will be an additional challenge. Wish me luck!

Chef Michelle