Food Storage & Prepping in Advance

A few friends have asked me to share with you all how I prep meals in advance and how I store our food for the week. If you know me at all by now, you know a few important things.

I love good food

 I love saving money

 I can rarely finish a full portion when dining out

 I hate wasting money

So maybe you didn't know the third thing on that list, but it's very true. It's rare that I leave a restaurant without a to-go box in hand. There are two main reasons for this, one being that restaurant portions are generally huge, and the other being that if I have paid for a meal, I am not about to let it go to waste. With the same mentality, I hate throwing out groceries that have gone bad due to poor planning. Of course it happens from time to time, but I try really hard to make sure we use up our groceries before they pass their prime.

There are three things I do to try and aid with this effort. The first key is meal planning. I try to plan our meals at least a week in advance, and only buy the fresh ingredients needed for those meals. When I say fresh ingredients, I'm referring to things like fruits, veggies, dairy, cheeses, bread, and meats that need to be used up within a shorter time frame. We also try to keep a back up supply of meats and veggies in our freezer the we rotate through as well. There are certain staples that we like to keep on hand in our pantry to help round out these meals or stretch our budget that have a longer shelf life. These items include things like whole wheat pasta, brown rice, quinoa, salsa, crackers, onions, potatoes, spices, etc.

The second key to utilizing our groceries effectively is prepping meals in advance. Being that we both take our lunches to work each day, we try to save time and create less mess by prepping multiple meals at a time. At the beginning of the week I will prep somewhere between 4-8 meals to be used throughout the week. I will cook a large batch of rice or quinoa, veggies and chicken or fish. I portion each meal into its own container so they are ready to go. While these items are cooking, I take the time to chop raw veggies and slice fruits to snack on throughout the week also. This makes it super simple to grab a pre-packed meal, a piece of fruit and a bottle of water on our way out the door. No last minute panic about what to make and no resorting to fast food due to running out of time in the morning. Not only does this method of cooking save time and cleanup each day, but it also saves energy by not heating our oven or stove top time and time again, as well as money saved from not hitting the drive through or throwing cash in the trash with wasted groceries.

My last, but definitely not least important, tip to making the most out of your food is to store your foods (raw or prepared) in quality containers. We personally use the Snapware glass containers shown below. We prefer glass for a few different reasons. They are stain-proofs, oven-safe, microwave-safe, freezer-safe, oven-safe and dishwasher-safe. They are also BPA free, made in the USA and have airtight and leak-proof lids. Buying each one separately is pretty pricey, but we purchased these sets for $21 each at Costco. They go on sale there about once every 6 months. At that price, we are talking about each container costing just over $2.33, where Target sells the small rectangular ones with the turquoise lids (top left corner) for $7.99 each. No brainer. Whether you are using glass or plastic, I highly recommend using clear ones. The reason for this is simple - if you can see the food inside, it's less likely to get pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten about.

But how long should you store your foods? I like these charts as a reference for food storage and what the best form of storage is to get the most out of your hard earned dollars.

What other topics would you guys like to cover? Is there a certain task in the kitchen that is constantly standing in your way? 

Recipe: Freezer Pesto

Summer gardening is just round the corner and I love using basil. It adds delicious flavor to Tomato Basil Bisque, is great in lemonade or cocktails, and shines as the star it is in this delectable pesto.

You will need a food processor for this recipe, but its SO simple and delicious. This recipe will yield you two half-pint jars. They are able to be kept in the fridge for up to two months, so I throw one in the fridge and the other in the freezer, where it will stay good for up to 2 years. Pesto is a great topping for grilled chicken on veggies, as a base for homemade pizza, and as a sauce for whole wheat pasta. The Parmesan cheese prevents this from being Whole30, but the ratio of cheese to healthy fats provided by the pine nuts and olive oil isn't something I am going to stress out about.

Freezer Pesto

Ingredients:                                                                       

1 cup pine nuts

4 cups fresh basil, stems removed and firmly packed

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup, plus 1 Tbs., extra virgin olive oil

1. Toast the pine nuts in a 400 degree oven for 3-4 minutes, or just until golden.

2. Puree the pine nuts, basil and garlic in a food processor until smooth. 

3. Add the grated Parmesan, blend just to combine. 

4. Slowly pour the olive oil in through the top of the processor while it is running in a slow, steady stream. 

5. Scrape down the bowl to insure everything is well combined, then portion into jars that are freezer safe. Leave a 1/2" of headspace between the top of the jar and the level of the pesto. pour 1.5 tsp. of olive oil onto the surface and then top with freezer safe lids, label, date, and freeze for up to two years.

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Recipe: Tomato Basil Bisque

This recipe is one that I love for many reasons. First of all, it's delicious. Secondly, it's freezer friendly, simple to make in bulk batches, and relatively easy. Can it get any better than that?

Tomato Basil Bisque

Ingredients:                                                                       

1 onion                                                            48 oz. Fire Roasted Tomatoes

3 cloves garlic                                                             (Two large cans)

Olive oil                                                           ½ cup basil

Black Pepper                                                   ¼ cup cream

1. Chop the onion and garlic, sautee over medium heat with a little olive oil until they take on a little bit of char.
2. Add the two cans of died tomatoes. Fire roasted gives the best flavor, but regular diced tomatoes will also work. Place a lid on the pot and simmer for about 45 minutes.
3. Add some freshly cracked black pepper and taste, adding more if need be. Remove the soup from the stove and blend until smooth using an immersion blender or regular blender.
4. Add the basil and blend just to combine. Add the cream and blend until smooth.

This can also be made Whole30 compliant by simply omitting the cream. I prefer the small touch of cream here because it tones down the acidity of the tomatoes significantly. Depending on your needs, freezing this soup can be done a few different ways. It can be frozen in freezer safe half-pint glass jars for individual servings, or frozen in larger, family-sized portions as well. I use our Snapware brand of glass storage containers more times than not. They stack well in my freezer and can be easily transferred to the fridge when planning to use in the following few days. Refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 6 months.

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Falling Behind and Catching Up

It's been far too long since I have posted anything here, and boy am I ready to be back at it. The past two weeks have been very busy for us, and with that we did what most people do... fell off the band wagon. With work, an upcoming bridal shower AND a class reunion taking place, life got hectic, but that's not a good excuse. We are feeling less energetic and not sleeping near as well as we had been, so it's time to buckle down and focus.

With all of that said, I wanted to let you all know where our intentions lie long term. We don't plan to eat Whole30 all the time, but we do hope to keep to a clean, quality diet that is primarily Whole30 approved. For us, this means a meal high in protein, veggies and fruits, with the occasional side of quinoa. Or a salad that may have added croutons every now and then. Or a soup that only contains a small portion of dairy, but is otherwise compliant.

We will eat out, we will eat things like chips, pizza and pastas, but we don't plan to have those kinds of items each week, let alone each day. Personally, I struggled for a while of how I wanted to balance things out. I loved the impact and effects Whole30 had on me, but I know that there are other things in life that I enjoy also. And while I don't want to stray far from the guidelines of the program, mainly because of how good it makes me feel, I do believe that life is too short to banish ice cream forever. Everything in moderation... that's my motto moving forward.

After a crazy couple weeks, I spent today prepping meals that we could enjoy and feel good about for this coming week. There's a whole chicken in the crockpot as I type, I made a batch of Tomato Basil Soup earlier, and we've planned out some tasty sides and salads to accompany all that chicken this week also. I'm wanting to share a few more recipes this week that can be made in advance and either frozen for later use or have a longer life in the fridge. Those with busy lives will appreciate the once-a-week cooking approach, or at least I hope so.

Recipe: General Tso Chicken

I know what you're thinking... there's no way that you can make something like Chinese takeout into a Whole30 meal and it taste the same. I was skeptical too, but this one is a really great version that gives you that something different in your life when you've had one too many roasted veggies and two too many pieces of fish or chicken breast this week.

The recipe I based this from was one I found on Pinterest by Katrina Runs For Food. Her version included a bed of rice or cauliflower rice, but to be honest, I felt that was one too many laborious steps at the time, so I went without.  I also adjusted the ratios of broccoli, chicken and some spices to better suit my tastes.

General Tso Chicken

Total Time:  30 minutes                     Serves:   3

Ingredients:                                                                 

  3/4 lb of chicken tenderloins, cubed                     3 Tablespoons of coconut aminos

  1/2 cup of diced onion                                          1 tsp. Arrowroot Powder

  2 Tablespoons of olive oil                                    4 cups of broccoli florets

  3 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes             2 green onions/scallions sliced

  5 cloves of garlic

  1/4 cup of Orange juice

1.  Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil, red pepper flakes, and cloves of crushed garlic. Swirl to combine. 
2. Add cubed chicken and onion, cook through about 7-8 minutes. Do NOT let the heat get about medium setting or garlic and pepper flakes will scorch, so be sure to stir occasionally as well. Once cooked through, remove everything from the pan and set aside. 
3. Add broccoli and 1/4 cup of water to the pan. Place a lid on and let cook until crisp yet tender. While the broccoli cooks, measure the arrowroot powder and place in a small bowl to the side. 
4. Remove broccoli from heat and divide among the serving bowls.
5. Return chicken to the pan. Add orange juice, coconut aminos, and half of the green onions. 
6. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then scoop a few tablespoons of the hot liquid into the bowl of arrowroot powder. Whisk until no clumps remain, then stir into the pot. This helps the sauce thicken. 
7. Remove from the heat and serve over broccoli. Top with remaining green onions.

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The Right Tools for the Job

Something I hear from a lot of people is that they don't feel inspired to cook, and often times this is because they don't love their kitchen or they don't have the right tools to make the job easier. For the most part, I love my kitchen. It's a little small if there are multiple people working aside one another, but I'm pretty fortunate to have all the features I do have. I find that if your kitchen is a space you enjoy, you'll enjoy working in it much more. Just like how you may not feel super motivated or creative if you're stuck in a monotone gray cubical for 40 hours a week, but adding some personal touches, pops of color, and the right office supplies may perk you up a bit. Same concept here. I am by no means going to sit here and tell you that in order to make your kitchen a functional and happy space that you need to do a complete remodel, invest in granite counters or buy all kinds of wacky gadgets that no one actually needs. I do, however, recommend arming yourself with a quality set of tools that serve multiple purposes, and also feel that some pretty towels, flowers, or artwork might lift your spirits.

So what kind of tools are in my kitchen? Well, let's start by saying that the following list/photos are not necessarily all the utensils or equipment I own, but they are some of the basics that I truly believe will make cooking more enjoyable and manageable for you. Get out a piece of paper if you must and jot down some of these items as ideas for upcoming gifts like Christmas or your birthday. As much as I would love to buy one of everything featured at Crate & Barrel or Sur la Table, I'd be in debt to my eyeballs and have tons of unnecessary things lying around. Prioritize which ones you think you are in need of most, and let the others be added to your collection over time. And just for fun, how about a little flashback to the kitchen in our first apartment to our kitchen now:

Our First Apartment

Our Current Home

As you can see, our current home has much more modern features, plus more storage and my favorite, the added dishwasher! But, it is also much more our style and we were able to add the back splash ourselves with the help of Jason's dad, Brent. While the decorations on top of our cabinet don't serve tons of purpose, they help if feel more like home, and they are added visuals without taking up any precious counter space!

So let's get to it. What tools will help make cooking at home more manageable?

Small Wares:
These are the items we use most often in our kitchen. For knives, I recommend a quality paring knife, chef's knife and serrated (or bread) knife, plus a pair of kitchen shears. Quality knives are not terribly expensive, but they will last you a very long time if you take care of them. Ever heard the saying "it's easier to cut yourself with a dull knife"? It's true, and it's because you are having to apply way more pressure to cut with a dull knife than you would be using a sharp knife. This means that the knife is more liking to slip and cut you, rather than gliding smoothly through the food. Maintaining sharpened knives also extends the life of them, and sharpening them yourself is very easy to do. I love my mother, but I hate using her knives. She knows this because I complain about it nearly every time, but once you experience using well sharpened knives, you'll understand and never go back. And don't forget about cutting boards. We have a few different sizes and materials, depending on what we are using them for. I prefer wood for breads, and plastic for basically everything else.

Other utensils that we use on a very regular basis include high-heat rubber spatulas, whisks, metal spatulas, tongs, and wooden spoons. Other items that are super helpful but not used as often include a garlic press, ladle, and citrus juicer. And remember how I said I love my mom? Yes, those are engraved wooden utensils she bought me one year for Christmas. I prefer using those for serving rather than cooking, and use some cheaper ones for day to day use that I don't care quite as much about if they get stained.

Equipment & More Specified Uses:
You've heard me rave about my immersion blender and my Crockpots, so here they are. These items pay for themselves very quickly in my opinion and can be used for so many different things.

We also have a few bigger pieces of equipment we use for more particular tasks. These include our food processor, pasta roller (not pictured), blender, stove-top popcorn maker, salad spinner and my beloved Kitchen Aide stand mixer. I use these items much less regularly, but they make a HUGE difference when I am making things like salsa, jams, pasta dough, and LaraBars (food processor), and cookie dough, breads, whipped cream, and even some DIY beauty products (Kitchen Aide). These are a bigger investment obviously, but will last a very, very long time and are great items to have on your wish list. If you have no intention of ever making your own pasta or don't eat popcorn, then those are probably not something you would need ;)

Pots and Pans:

There is very little cooking that can be done without the use of some pots and pans. I am THRILLED to be getting my hands on this new set soon thanks to my future mother-in-law, Patty. We currently have a set of Food Network Non-Stick pots and pans that have gotten a good workout the last five years. They still do the job, and we will hold onto them for when we are cooking for a crowd. We opted to go for ceramic non-stick this time around since they are more eco-friendly. We read lots of reviews and specs on numerous styles of pots and pans, but we loved that these were non-toxic, eco-friendly, non-stick, non-scratch and easy to clean. I mean, what's not to love about that?!

I also recommend a good set of sheet pans. The ones I have are available at Costco as well as many restaurant supply stores. I highly recommend looking into restaurant quality kitchen tools. They are typically no more expensive, and often actually less, than ones you would find at Walmart or Target. When you by rubber spatulas that are a package of 5 for $6, you can go ahead and assume they aren't heat resistant and they will probably be flimsy, as well as wear out quickly. And if you buy the nicer ones offered in box stores, you are paying for the name (i.e. Rachel Ray brand or Paula Dean). Quality pans will not warp on you at high temps and they are great for both baking and cooking/roasting in the oven. I knew nothing about Silpats (the orange/brown item pictured with the sheet pans) until I attended pastry school, and now I can't live without them. The name brand ones are kind of pricey, but Food Network and other brands are more affordable and work just as well. These replaced the need for parchment paper or aluminum foil when baking or roasting, which eliminates tons of waste (you know I love that). They also are awesome for candy and chocolate making, if you care to venture that far. And if you're a baker, a French Style wooden rolling pin, some different sized scoops and other various tools might be handy as well! 

Later this week I'll be posting about how we store all of our food and make the most of limited storage space, plus how we buy in bulk to save money. Am I missing any of your must-have kitchen tools?

Our Whole30 Meal Plan + Printables

After over four hours of working on this, I am finally happy enough with the results to share them with all of you. When my Dad and Shelly visited last week, Shelly mentioned to me that I should type up and publish a calendar type format of all the things we ate over the course of our thirty days. She's right, having this in a summary, as well as the blog posts that covered each day in more detail, would make things much easier for people to follow if they are new to meal planning or are overwhelmed with where to start with their Whole30. So, shout-out to all those who are embarking in a Whole30 of their own or are taking steps toward a healthier life-style by changing up some of your meals for Whole30 compliant ones.

Without further ado, here are at-a-glance, easy-to-follow printables for you to use to your heart's content.

I fought with the formatting on these forever, and I finally settled on the idea that a week-by-week approach was better than a page with all thirty days on one calendar. This was mainly due to the fact that the space limitations of a calender would force me to either make the font size 6, or abbreviate things in a way that I am certain even I couldn't fully interpret. So in an effort to make my life (and yours) easier, this was what I came up with. Remembering that its a full thirty days, not 28, you'll see the bonus slots for days 29 and 30 at the bottom of the second page.   

I listed out what we ate each day for lunch and dinner. Given that 90% of our breakfasts were a variation of eggs, bacon and sausage, cramming that into this printable just didn't seem worth while. I am also working on compiling a list of compliant snacks that I can post a handy reference of, but snacks aren't something that required quite as much planning and prep work, so feel free to add those in as needed.

I also realize that what was on our menu may not be suited for everyone's taste, so I also am sharing a blank meal planning template that you can print and fill out yourselves if you so choose. This one I believe will be very helpful if you are doing Whole30 or not, or if you are new to meal planning or need a refresh in the meal planning world. These are also planning for two weeks at a time and for lunch and dinner each day. I have to say, I am probably going to switch over to these myself for meal planning. And considering how much time went into them, I am happy that I am liking the results this much already!

Please, please, please share your thoughts on these with me. I hope they help make this journey easier for you. If there is something else I could post or create to help motivate or help you along, I would love to hear it. And remember that just because you write out a meal plan doesn't mean that it has to be followed to the T. Having a plan is the important part, but adjusting along the way is totally normal!

Recipe: Chipotle Barbacoa

This recipe was one from Danielle Walker's Against All Grain cookbook and was an awesome twist to our normal menu (especially during Whole30!) Her blog. Against All Grain, has tons of awesome recipes, and she even has them categorized based on dietary needs. Her original recipe is double the size of this, but since it's just the two of us, I cut it in half. It still gave us enough meat for 4 meals, and you know I am all about using leftovers to make life easier! Did I mention this is yet another super simple crockpot recipe? I know, I get excited about the little things. 

photo by Danielle Walker

Chipotle Barbacoa

Ingredients:                                                                 

1.5 pounds beef shoulder roast

2 large dried chipotle peppers, seeds removed

1/2 one yellow onion

1/8 cup fresh lime juice

1/8 cup tomato paste

2 cloves of garlic

2 1/4 tsp. apple cider vinegar 

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/3 c. chicken or beef stock (great use of all the extra stock from the Overnight Stock Recipe!)

2 bay leaves

**For Serving, you'll want Romaine Lettuce, Avocado or Guacamole, and Salsa, but if you have extra lime juice or fresh cilantro, those are added bonuses!)

1. Cut the roast into two large chunks, trimming any excess fat. Place them in the bottom of your slow cooker. For this size recipe, I used our smallest crockpot, but if doing a double recipe I would use the larger. 

2. Combine all the other ingredients, EXCEPT the stock and bay leaves, to your blender or food processor and process until smooth. I sound like a broken record here, but an immersion blender works wonderfully too. 

3. Pour the mixture over the beef, then add the stock and the bay leaves. 

4. Cook on low for 6-7 hours, then shred with a fork and continue to cook for another 1-2 hours, or until super tender. 

5. Serve on top of lettuce with the toppings listed above. If you're not following Whole30, you can also use like tacos with tortillas. 

**You can also do steps 1-3 a few days ahead of time and store in the fridge, then simply dump in the crockpot and cook when ready to use!

Printable Recipe Here

Recipe: Oven Roasted Cabbage

I have totally been slacking on your guys this past week, and for that I apologize. My Dad and Shelly visited this past weekend and we crammed all kinds of things into their four day visit. Things like an oil change for our car, a motorcycle licensing test for Jason, a full day of dress shopping for the wedding for Shelly, a suit fitting for Dad... oh, and lots of food. Admittedly, not the best of food choices over the past few days, but we've lined things back out at this point.

The process for this oven roasted cabbage is so simple its unreal. And I love how incredibly cheap organic cabbage is. The last time I was at the produce market we scored organic white cabbage for nine cents per pound. A whole head was about $0.20 and made enough to have for three meals. And I said it before, but cabbage wasn't something I thought I liked until I tried it like this, so give it a shot!

Oven Roasted Cabbage

Ingredients:                                                              

1 Head of White Cabbage

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper (or other seasonings like garlic salt or blackening seasoning) 

Instructions:

1. Remove any outer leaves of the cabbage that may not be in as good of shape as the others.
2. Slice the cabbage into 1/2" thick slices. Be sure that the base of the cabbage (where it was separated from the plant) is on the bottom when you begin slicing. So in other words, if you set the cabbage right-side up on your cutting board and then begin making your slices, you're good to go.
3. Lay the slices out on a sheet pan that is lined with parchment, aluminum foil, or a Silpat.
4. Drizzle with olive oil and your choice of seasonings. I've used things like just salt and pepper, garlic salt, or blackening seasoning; all of which were delicious.
5. Place the sheet pan in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes, then flip the slices over. Turn the oven onto Broil (high setting) and cook for another 10-12 minutes until the edges are browned and crispy.
6. Serve along side fish, chicken or your favorite entrée.


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