You may be one of the people I most envy…those that plan, prepare and are consistent. Dinner time doesn’t catch you without a menu and the right ingredients. I am woefully inconsistent and often unprepared but I make up with creativity and courage! In fact, some of my best meals have happened at these times.
First of all, I take an inventory of what is available both in the cupboard and the refrigerator and break them into categories – protein, veggie, starch.
Then I’ll evaluate them a little more:
Proteins – quick cooking like eggs, chicken breasts, fish fillets, ground beef? OR slow cooking like ribs, stew meat, tri tip, etc? Do I want to stir fry, grill, or roast?
Veggies/Fruit – Just received your farm box of fresh produce? It’s salad time! OR is it toward the end of the week and they’re “maturing”? Don’t toss them, older veggies are perfect for soups and stews! Roasting veggies will bring out the sugars and please pickier palates.
Starches – pastas, bread, potatoes, rice, and beans can either extend your capacity if you have a lot of mouths to feed or just round it out for a nice meal!
Okay – here’s a really great tip that I hope will set you free to experiment – don’t be afraid of combining flavors and items and exploring new territory. It’s all good food so how wrong can you go?? If I get stuck, then I ‘TGFI” (Thank God for the Internet) because today I can ‘google’ the ingredients I have to find a recipe to fit your need. For example, search “Kale and Orange Recipes” or “Beef and Squash Soup” or “Carrots and Garlic.” I usually search for two or three similar ones and then adjust them to either fit my tastes or the ingredients I have handy. It helps me learn a lot about cooking and what goes together.
I try to keep some staples always on hand…Olive oil, Apple cider vinegar, organic chicken broth, kosher salt, garlic, ginger, Parmesan and Feta cheese and Lavender Pepper (which you’ll find in our Pantry).
I only use whole, fresh ingredients and try to stay away from processed, pre-made items that are full of sodium, preservatives and artificial fillers.
Finally, let me give you some of my favorite sites to look for good…no…great…recipes using whole, natural and seasonally fresh ingredients:
The One Ingredient Chef – www.oneingredientchef.com
The Seasonal Diet – www.theseasonaldiet.com
Prevention – www.prevention.com/food
Food 52 – www.food52.com
The meal in the photo here are for short ribs. I wanted to use my handy dandy pressure cooker since I waited till the end of the day to cook them and so I ‘googled’ “ribs in a pressure cooker” and combined a few recipes to make them. They were amazing. I added a simple salad with butter lettuce and roasted fingerling potatoes and carrots.
What are some of your tips to make a last minute meal? Please share them on our Facebook page.
May you eat well and be healthy!!