I was looking through my freezer the other day...I mean REALLY looking through it...and I was amazed at all the stuff I had packed in there. It just seemed like everything I moved or shifted had MORE stuff behind it. I said to myself, "Wow! I seriously need to get rid of some of this stuff. I'll bet I can make a whole month's worth of meals out of all this." Thus was born the 30 Day Food Challenge. The objective: To create 30 different dinners in 30 days with as much on hand as possible, only buying the minimal necessary iteams as well as replenishing perishable items at the grocery store. This should be fun...I love getting creative in the kitchen. So I sat down with my pen, paper and internet.
I started by taking an inventory of the contents of my freezer. I have discovered the new found knowledge that I am apparently a freezer hoarder as well as a very efficient organizer ONLY when it comes to matters of packing food because this is what I found (amongst a few other misc things):
- 2 whole chickens (Why 2?!? No idea!!)
- 1 package bone-in pork chops
- 1 package beef steak
- 1 large beef roast
- 1 smaller beef roast
- 1/2 lb ground sausage
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground sage sausage
- 1 lb breakfast sausage links
- Some cod fillets
- A few leftover pre-packaged fish sticks
- 5 sweet Italian sausages
- 1/2 lb ground turkey
- A whole LOT of chicken breast
- 3 frozen Cubanos
- 2 c. frozen shredded zucchini
Also found that I would like to use up:
- 1 turkey rope sausage
- 4 all beef, nitrite/nitrate free hot dogs
- 2 packages of fresh smoked salmon
- Some canned tuna
- A General Tso's seasoning packet
- A chicken flavor rice seasoning packet
Yep...that's right....ALL that! I should have no problem making it to day 30. So with my inventory in hand, I started to divide and conquer the huge list. It did take quite some time and I had to get creative and do some searching on the internet for a few recipes, but overall I'm pretty happy with the menu. Let's see just how low my grocery bill can be this month!! I do have to say, that when I made my grocery list for this week and it only had like 15 items on it, I started to feel a little panicky. It just seemed wrong when usually I set off with a HUGE page full of "necessities" and hit up 3 different grocery stores! I had to take a deep breath and tell myself that this was REALLY all I NEEDED. Today is grocery store day...it should literallyy take me 15 mins in and out. What am I going to do with the extra hour and 45 mins I normally allot to grocery shopping?!? I know...laundry! Hip Hip Hooray!
I decided that I would start with the beef steaks because they looked like they might be starting to suffer a small amount of freezer burn along the edges. I just sprinkled on some Montreal Steak Seasoning and served them with loaded baked potatoes and green beans...nothing particularly blog worthy. So I present to you Day 2: Cod Filletswith Herbed Bread Crumbs & Cheddar Cauliflower. I didn't have enough fillets for everyone, so I made the fillets for my husband and I and used the leftover fish sticks for my kids. I did make them take a bite of the fish fillets which went over so so with them. I think had their not been the alternative fish sticks sitting on their plate it would have been better received. Despite having onion, chives and mayo in the recipe, my husband commented on how the fish was really good! I would consider this to be a HUGE WIN since my husband openly detests onions and mayo!! I LOVED the cheddar cauliflower, but surprisingly it didn't go over well with the kids. Tyler said it was "okay". Brenna and Aiden wouldn't touch it after the first bite. Ethan just happily ate his rice cereal. I think they thought it was macaroni and cheese and the disappointment of it NOT being so was enough to make them shun the cheesy goodness sitting before them. Oh well...more leftovers for me! I'm going to make up some rice, cut up some ham and throw some peas in and mix it all in the leftover Cheddar Cauliflower for lunch today. 2 days down, 28 more to go! Please note I was cooking solo yesterday...my Assistant Chef was not interested in assisting because Tyler was home from school all yesterday and she was playing trains with him.
Cod with Herb Bread Crumbs (adapted from Epicurious.com)
2 tsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp very finely grated onion (I ran a whole onion along my box grater)
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 c fresh white bread crumbs
2 tbsp dried chives
2 tbsp dried parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cod fillets (defrosted if they were frozen)
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp paprika
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| I was going to go to the store yesterday because I needed white bread for the topping, but it was pouring all day and I didn't feel like dragging all the kids to the store. I decided to be resourceful and bake my own instead. |
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| Once the bread was cooled, I ground the bread in my mini processor to get 1 cup soft bread crumbs. |
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| In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onion and garlic and saute over medium high heat for 1-2 mins. |
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| Add the bread crumbs and stir until the butter is absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in the chives, parsley, salt and pepper. |
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| Place the cod fillets in a greased baking dish. |
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| In a small bowl mix together the lemon juice, mayonnaise and paprika. |
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| Brush mixture over the top of the cod fillets. |
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| Top the fillets with a generous layer of the bread crumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere. |
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| Bake in a 450 degree oven until the fish is cooked through, about 20 mins. This would be awesome with chicken too, but I would bake it at a lower temperature for a longer time! |
Cheddar Cauliflower (this is from my white Rachel Ray binder)
1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 c. milk
2 c grated cheddar (her recipe called for sharp white cheddar, but I used regular cheddar)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
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| In a sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 min. |
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| Whisk in the milk and bring just to a boil. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 5 mins). |
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| Add the cheese and stir until it is melted. |
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| Remove from the heat and stir in the nutmeg, salt and pepper. I didn't add any extra salt because I think the cheese is salty enough. Cover to keep warm and set aside. |
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| In a large pot, bring one inch of salted water to boil. Add the cauliflower, cover and cook until tender, about 10 mins. |
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| Drain the cauliflower and return it to the pan. Add the cheese sauce and mix well to coat. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools. |
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| Cod Fillet with Herbed Bread Crumbs and Cheddar Cauliflower. A nice alternative to fish sticks and macaroni & cheese!! |
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| Cheddar Cauliflower. |
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| Cod Fillet with Herbed Bread Crumbs |
Recipe for: Cod Fillets with Herbed Bread Crumbs
www.momsaysjustonebite.blogspot.com
Adapted from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Scrod-with-Herbed-Breadcrumbs-2700
To prepare: Preheat oven to 450°. Grease a small baking dish. Recipe serves 2.
Ingredients | Directions |
2 tsp. unsalted butter 1 tbsp. onion, very finely minced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 c. soft white bread crumbs 2 tbsp. dried chives 2 tbsp. dried parsley Salt and pepper to taste 2 cod fillets, fresh or defrosted if frozen Juice from ½ a lemon 1 tbsp. mayonnaise 1 tsp. paprika | 1. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. 2. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 1-2 mins. 3. Add the soft bread crumb and stir until the butter is absorbed. 4. Remove from heat and stir in the chives, parsley, salt and pepper. 5. Place the cod fillets in the prepared baking dish. 6. In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, mayonnaise and paprika. Brush over the cod fillets. 7. Top the fillets with a generous layer of bread crumb mixture and press gently to adhere. 8. Bake in the preheated oven until the fish is done, about 20 mins. |
Recipe for: Cheddar Cauliflower
www.momsaysjustonebite.blogspot.com
To prepare: Recipe serves 4 people.
Ingredients | Directions |
1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets 2 tbsp. unsalted butter 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour 2 c. milk 2 c. grated cheddar cheese Salt and pepper to taste 1/8 tsp. nutmeg | 1. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. 2. Whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute. 3. Whisk in the milk and bring just to a boil, and cook stirring often, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 5 mins). 4. Add the cheese and stir until melted. 5. Remove from heat and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cover and set aside. 6. In a large pot, bring to boil one inch of salted water. 7. Add the cauliflower, cover and cook until tender, about 10 mins. 8. Drain the cauliflower and return to the pan. 9. Add the cheese sauce and mix until cauliflower is well coated. |
