Tag Archives: time management

September 11, 2013: Mid-week recipes and grocery list

So here we are….it’s Wednesday and some of you might be wondering what you are going to do to feed your family for the rest of the week.

The middle of the week is always a challenge with food.  It’s easy to be motivated at the beginning of the week, but once the week really starts picking up, it gets harder to make time for a home-cooked meal.

For those of you who are looking for a healthy, cost effective way to feed your family for the next 5 days, I have the perfect two recipes for you.  Both of these recipes are so simple and are packed with nutrition and flavor.  They are guaranteed to please the whole family.

Pot Roast Pot Pie

Spicy Chicken Penne

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Not only will I give you the recipes, but here is an organized grocery list to help you out at the store!

Produce

  • Baby carrots – 1 bag
  • Baby spinach – 2 bags
  • Garlic – 4 cloves
  • Mushrooms – 6
  • Onion – 2
  • Red potatoes – 1 bag
  • Shallot – 1

Freezer/Cans

  • Artichoke hearts, quartered – 2
  • Corn, frozen – 1 cup
  • Peas, frozen – 1/2 cup
  • Pie crust, refrigerated (quantity of 2 per box)

Herbs/spices

  • Cilantro – 1/4 cup
  • Crushed red pepper – to taste

Diary

  • Butter – 2 tbsp
  • Egg – 1
  • Milk, skim – 2 cups
  • Mozzarella, grated – 1/2 cup
  • Parmesan, grated – 1/8 cup

Pantry

  • Flour – 3 cups
  • Penne – 16 ounces
  • Stock – 6 cups (48 ounces)
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Meat (optional)

  • Chicken – 4 breasts
  • Pot roast – 10 ounces (or any leftover amount)

These recipes together yield 22 servings of food.  For a family of 4, that’s over 5 dinners!  These recipes are so simple that you could throw them together in under an hour…5 nights of food for under a hour of work….you just can’t beat that rate of return!

Both of these recipes can easily be made vegetarian by eliminating the meat.  Even without the meat, the flavor will still be wonderful.

I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I do.  Feel free to cook right along with me or ask me any questions you like.  I love to talk food.  Trust me, this method of cooking in bulk has saved me so much time without sacrificing health and flavor.  I do the planning, you cook the food…it’s that simple.

Here’s to easy cooking!

-The Left Brain Chef

What I want to share

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Left brain: Logical, analytical, objective

Chef: A cook

Left brain chef:  A logical, analytical and objective cook.

That’s me.  I have found an organized approach to cooking.  I have realized that cooking well and eating often comes down to one thing…planning.  I spend countless hours every week finding recipes, making lists and doing research to make sure I have fresh, homemade meals on hand all week long.

I want to share this approach with you to prove that having a busy life does not mean sacrificing taste, health and a home-cooked meal.  With all this planning, I am able to cook less and eat more.

Now I want my planning to benefit you.  You can follow along every week to see what I’m cooking.  I will share my recipes, tips and grocery lists.  You can cook right along with me and make any alterations that you like.  But, if you follow my guidance, you will be able to eliminate processed, pre-made foods from your diet and get back to the joy of cooking.