Since I didn't plan the week's meals in advance, I've been scouring the internet trying to find recipes that complement the mish-mash of food we have in the fridge and pantry. I've found some delectable menu items:
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| Tuesday's dinner: couscous, chick-pea and vegetable stuffed peppers. Yum! |
- Monday: Black bean and goat cheese quesadillas (who'd have thunk it?)
- Tuesday: Couscous-stuffed peppers
- Today: Chicken and green bean stirfry
I've been playing the substitute queen, though. I'm a firm believer in making a tasty sounding recipe work, even if you're missing an ingredient or two ... or, er, five.
Now, as the week continues and our produce and pantry supply dwindle, we'll see how creative I can get. And I think I'll really have to be creative for at least one or two dinners. I do plan on taking advantage of the homemade ricotta gnocchi I froze a few weeks ago, but I'm not quite sure how else to round out the week.
This is definitely a problem of not planning ahead, something my husband cites every week we go shopping together.
That aside, I've either been lucky and found terrific recipes that are simple and quite tasty, or this "homemade" business every night is just as time-effective as hitting a restaurant for take-out or calling for a pizza delivery.
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| Wednesday's dinner: chicken and green bean stirfry with (leftover) couscous. |
Tonight's dinner -- the chicken stirfry -- only took 10 minutes to prepare and less to cook. The most time-consuming meal thus far was the stuffed pepper because I turned down the oven temperature so I could get in a workout (so the peppers needed a little extra oven lovin').
My goal as the week comes to a wrap is actually creating a comprehensive game plan for next week. I'll also take advantage of the four-day weekend to bake and do some serious meal prep for the coming week (even seeing what I might be able to prepare and freeze for a quick go-to meal should an evening get completely out of hand). We really are trying to limit the "let's hit XYZ on the way home" conversations.
One main challenge as we move forward is finding meals that not only the hubby and I enjoy, but also that our children enjoy. I can decidedly say they did not dig the couscous-stuffed peppers, but the quesadillas were a hit (albeit with some ingredient adjustments). The other big challenge is really defining "homemade" (which I firmly believe I've been successful at so far, at least for dinners) and incorporating that meaning into lunches and breakfasts throughout the week, too. But, that will come later ...
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