Tag: mealprep

Save time – Save money

So when Covid-19 hit... and things were getting locked down, we were all scared to go to the grocery store and I wanted the fresh veggies I was used to. I wanted to stock up on things we would use and I didn’t want things going to waste. You know how you buy onions, peppers and even cauliflower or zucchini or potatoes and if you don’t use it fast enough, the onions get slimy, the potatoes grow buds, the veggies are not as firm and fresh…. eeek… sometimes they turn into watery messes if you leave them too long.

So I fixed that!!! I was so thrilled to have been doing this before the pandemic… but I was doing it on a smaller scale…

Buy a bag of onions and chop the whole thing!!! Buy potatoes and chop the whole thing ( julienned, cubed, sliced). Wash and chop those peppers (diced or in strips) and FREEZE them FLAT! Why flat? So they can break apart easily! OMG! Such a game changer in our house! Anyone can pull off a nutritious omelette with onions and peppers and even potatoes in it and it takes no time at all due to all the prep! Freeze left over ham, cubed, for quick ham and cheese anything or a pasta carbonara!

  • Quick onions and peppers for omelettes
  • Frozen diced peppers
  • Frozen diced onions
  • Onions for stir fry
  • Green and red peppers flat
  • Thin sliced peppers for pad thai/stir fry
  • Julienned potatoes for hash browns/egg scrambles

Making Pad Thai or Stir Fry and need those red peppers sliced thin? Got that covered! How about making homemade chili? Toss those frozen peppers and onions into your crock pot or saute pan and you’re good to go! I love how this method has saved me prep time in the moment!

Need a side dish in a hurry, just take those cubed potatoes out of the freezer, drizzle with oil and spices and pop in the oven! SOOOO simple! The trick I found with potatoes is that once they are cut, you’ll want to rinse them in water to get some of the starch off… otherwise they’ll turn brownish pink before they get frozen!

I hope this inspires you to save time during the week in your daily cooking and saves you money as nothing will go to waste! Cooking has been so much more enjoyable when most of the prep work of washing and chopping has been done!

Comment and let me know if you tried it and what you think!

Cooking Therapy –

We are still in lockdown here in New Jersey... although we can get take out or delivery, our family is having fun cooking from scratch and trying different recipes! Without the commute time, everyone pitched in and we had this meal in less than 1 hour! One night this week, my daughter got the idea to try to recreate one of her favorite meals from a restaurant in Blacksburg, VA

Cabo Fish Taco Soy Ginger Shrimp Tacos is what we tried to recreate! I am pleased to say it turned out AMAZING… and healthier since we didn’t beer batter fry the shrimp! Take a look at the process!

Soy Ginger Shrimp Tacos

I’d start with the Marinade…. just to get things moving….

1/3 C Soy Sauce

2 TBS honey

3 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp ginger minced

1 tsp sriracha sauce

2 tsp fresh parsley chopped

1 Lb of shrimp (We doubled the shrimp and marinade for 5 people… you can make what you want to eat but leftovers will also be amazing so okay to make more than you need!)

Homemade Flour Tortillas – (made and perfected by my son’s girlfriend)
3 cups of flour
1/3 c canola or sunflower oil
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 c warm water
Mix all ingredients and roll into one big ball. Separate into 12 balls ( we doubled it for 5 people and had some extra) and roll out with a rolling pin. Use a non-stick skillet and cook until bubbles appear and flip them. Keep them warm in a warm oven while you’re preparing the rest of the dish

Here’s how they’ll look when they bubble and when they are ready!

You’ll want to make your salsa before you assemble it all… you can do this ahead of time and save some prep time in the moment! Don’t skip this step… jar salsa just won’t do in this case!

Take a little time to prep the fixins…. either shredded cabbage or lettuce and some extra cilantro and your salsa!

Also helpful to take the tails off the shrimp prior to cooking! Heat a skillet and add all the shrimp and then the marinade! Once shrimp are cooked through, remove them and leave the remaining marinade in the skillet. Make a rue with about a cup of hot tap water and about a TBS of corn starch and mix thoroughly before adding to the marinade…. stir over medium heat until thickened. This can be drizzled over the tacos when assembling!
Optional side dish- prepare 2 cups of jasmine rice and then transfer to skillet with a jar of salsa and sprinkle cumin to taste to get your home made Spanish rice side!

VOILA! Bon Appetit!

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Please comment and tell me how yours turned out!

Sweet Tooth!

IMG_9368

So I have been on a massive “slim down” for summer…. and if you’re like me…. YOU love Chocolate!

Well… this does not exactly taste like rich chocolate mousse…. but it does help the cravings and gives me something to sip on in the evening that feels like a treat!

Another idea to feel like you are getting something decadent….combine non-fat greek yogurt with stevia sweetener… Coconut, chocolate… pick your favorite and just enjoy!    On the Weight Watchers plan, it is ZERO points!  I’m all about that!   I think I’m going to try freezing some to see how that tastes!  YUM!  Stay tuned!