Greetings Family! Hope all is well. If you know me then you realize I am both president and vice president of the Foodie fan club! I am a working foodie as most women today are. I have a long commute back and forth to my day job so when I get home I need to cook quick fast and in a hurry!! I wanted to share with you some of my Foodie tips that make my meal prep easy.
I always make sure to have the following in my pantry:
Chicken stock-Great base to make quick gravy or sauce for meat and fish! Add your own seasoning, fresh herbs, butter or wine for fab sauce. Cook my brown rice in chicken stock instead of water for added flavor.
Canned tomatoes-I use these often and you can get low salt ( same for the chicken stock!). I add a can of diced tomatoes when making my turkey meat loaf. It adds great flavor and makes the meat moist! Sometimes I use as a base (add brown sugar to make sweet or herbs and red pepper flakes to make spicy!!) and then when I make a quick fish fillet I serve on top of the tomatoes.
Beans, beans, beans!-Did I say beans. Black beans take five minutes. A lot of the time I buy black bean soup for flavor but then rinse off for less salt. Season with salt, pepper and cilantro and serve on top of brown rice and your seasoned canned tomatoes. Great dinner in 10 minutes!!
Smoked turkey-I don’t do pork so I use smoked turkey parts to season greens or even veggies for great flavor. I usually keep them in the freezer so they last longer. When I need just either boil in some water and add my greens or add right into a pot of veggies.
Fresh Herbs-This really makes such a difference. I always try to have fresh basil, parsley and rosemary in the house. I throw the herbs in if making a sauce and always add to my meatloaf. When I make my fish packets (fish of your choice) and add seasoning, fresh herbs, olive oil, fresh veggies and wrap individually in foil. Pop in oven and healthy dinner in five!!
Sweet Potatoes and Baby Carrots-We have sweet potatoes as a side maybe twice a week. Hubby and I love them! Sometimes I slice and add cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar for a quick stove top version or sliced and add raisins and cook in orange juice for great flavor or just pop whole potato in microwave and eat the healthier way. For the baby carrots just add to pot with some water and add the cinna, nutmeg and brown sugar combo and steam for 10- 15 minutes and you have instant sweet potato carrots lol!
Creamed/whole corn-Love corn bread and Jiffy is a gem! Sometimes I add the whole kernels for extra flavor or will add the creamed corn to the dry mix without any other wet ingredients. It makes like a corn soufflé in five minutes. I usually make in a muffin tin and then take any left overs for breakfast.
Well, all this food talk is making me hungry! I hope you found some of these helpful. Maybe next time I will share the kitchen tools I can’t live without…(this is big stuff for me lol!) Would love if you can share some of your tips. I will be waiting anxiously at the dinner table to receive them.
Donna
Love your tips for "quick fast and in a hurry" meals. We eat a lot of the same foods...I'm big on chicken, fish, and turkey. I too make the ground turkey meatloaf...Haven't eaten ground beef in about 15 years. I'm the biggest bean eater. My husband loves navy beans and I love all kinds of beans. I could eat them everyday. I haven't grown to liking the brown rice...but maybe I will try it with the chicken stock...that I always seem to run out of because I use it almost everyday.
ReplyDeleteI can attest that many of your tips are very helpful. One of my most favorite "quicky" is a stir fry or medley of steamed veggies. Can't get enough of them. My favorites...variety of bell peppers, onions, broccoli, zucchini, carrots, and sometime tomatoes seasoned with olive oil, and spices...it make for a beautiful presentation served over rice.