Slacking

I have been slacking with my new blog.

Let's see:

Wednesday night we had leftovers.

Thursday my brother came for dinner and we grilled steaks. Now, I am not very good at grilling. I get impatient and usually burn the steaks. I steamed some fresh green beans. I love it when they are still crisp and bright green. I also made some mashed potatoes. I love mashed potatoes. I make sure to boil them for at least 12 to 15 minutes and then I whip them with my Kitchenaid with butter and milk. Yum. I forgot to take a picture beforehand so this is all I have documented for Thursday's dinner.

Grilled Pork with Basmati Rice

This picture I realize is not in focus and I know my salad looks pretty lame. Caleb and I are simple though. I buy the Organic Spring Mix from Sam's and I add petite carrots and some bell pepper.


I also buy the pork at Sam's. I buy the big pork tendorloin which is very lean and it costs about $15. When I get home from the store I cut it up into about 20 pork chops and wrap them individually and freeze it. So, if we have last minute guests there is always something in the freezer I can cook.


I really like Basmati rice; it's not as sticky as Jasmine rice. Sometimes I cook it with chicken stock, but lately instead of chicken stock I boil the water with 1 1/2 teaspoons of Season Salt and a couple dashs of black pepper. I also add about two teaspoons of olive oil to the water instead of butter.


It was a good meal even if I didn't photograph it well!

Grilled Chicken w/ Pasta

Last night I made Grilled Chicken with Linguine. Perhaps it would look healthier and more colorful if I had added some steamed broccoli.


To Make:

I used two boneless skinless chicken breasts. I added some olive oil, salt and pepper for flavor and then grilled it.


I cooked the linguine. I used half of a small box and that made about three servings. I cooked to Linguine until it was al dente. (about 5 minutes in boiling water). I put 1/2 a teasp. of salt in the water.


I chopped two cloves of garlic, some grape tomatoes and fresh basil.


On medium/high I heated up about two to three tablespoons of olive oil and added the garlic. I sauteed the garlic for maybe 30 to 45 seconds. Then, I added the tomatoes and basil. I let it all sautee and bubble for about 1 minute. Next, I poured in about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups of chicken broth. I let this all heat back up and by this time the noodles were ready so I quickly drained the noodles and added them to the tomato mixture.


At this point it was pretty soupy. I was worried my noodle would get over cooked. I hate mushy noodles. So, I cranked the heat up to high and let it boil uncovered. It ended up perfect (at least in my opinion). The liquid evaporated and the noodles soaked up the nice chicken stock flavor and they weren't mushy!

I chopped up the grilled chicken and garnished with Parmesian.


That all made about 3 servings. One for me and one for my hubby and one to keep in the fridge.

Grocery Shopping and some dinner ideas for this week

I enjoy grocery shopping at the beginning of each week. I get fresh produce and more pantry staples. I know some people hate to grocery shop, but I like it. Here is my list for today:

• 1% Organic Milk
• Squash
• Fresh Basil
• White Onion
• Potatoes
• Fresh Green Beans
• Linguine
• Basmati Rice
• Canned Tomatoes
• Canned Black Beans
• Canned Shoepeg Corn
• Muselix (if they have it in stock)
• Chicken Breasts
• Chili Powder

I think that's it.

As for dinner this week I'm thinking:

*grilled chicken with pasta and tomato, olive oil and garlic and a salad
*maybe some chili
*meatloaf with mash potatoes and green beans
*maybe grilled pork tenderloin with rice and a salad
And that's probably all I'll cook for this week. We eat left overs :)