View Full Version : June Cook at Home Challenge
Just realized nobody has started a new thread for the cook at home challenge for June, so I will!
I'm doing pretty good so far. Did start the month off with a dinner out with a friend, and had a work meal out on Friday (free to me), but otherwise everything has been made at home. The low carb thing has been a bit difficult -- making much more meat than usual, and many of our old family favorites are now off limits to me (no pasta, rice, bread, tortillas, beans, etc.).
Had a pretty major cooking spree this morning. Have a huge pan of greek lemon chicken cooking in the oven right now, and also decided to throw in a package of bacon since the oven was on anyway -- wanted to see how it cooks up in the roasting pan, and seems to be doing fine. While that was cooking, I made a batch of salsa and a batch of pesto. Those will be good sides for the next few days.
Tonight I'll probably make the family chicken quesadillas -- I'll make a big salad as my main meal. Tomorrow lunch will be roasted chicken drumettes, which I have to make at least once a week for DD. I'm also going to try making "fake" mashed potatoes using steamed cauliflower. And I want to try making kale chips -- got a bunch of organic kale from the delivery service because I have been dying to try that.
lhamo
Been doing okay so far. Yesterday I made a huge pot of taco soup and some cheese enchiladas. Froze half of the soup and still have tons of leftovers. Today we hosted a BBQ for a friend of mine who just advanced in his career. Sent stuff home with people and still have tons left. I think it will be easy to eat at home the next few days! :-)
Bastelmutti
6-6-11, 1:56am
Have lunch planned with a friend this week and dinner for DD's graduation. Otherwise, started off with some chickpea curry and had friends over for chicken and pasta tonight.
PS Lhamo, I tried the "cauliflower rice" idea and liked it. It's easier not to think of it as rice, but something to top with curry! I just sauteed onion and then cooked the chopped cauliflower in that.
DH and I ate leftovers for dinner last night. He hasn't been feeling well and wants some ice cream. I think I might make him a batch today since it is cheaper to make it at home (and we get a lot more).
I am doing well so far. Friday I made the simplest honey Dijon salmon ever and both my dad and Zach loved it. Dad bit into it and loudly proclaimed it the best salmon he had eaten. I kid you not, all I did was brush it with a mixture of Trader Joes Dijon and honey and bake it.
Saturday was BBQ beef brisket and watermelon. Last night we had some frozen corn dogs my mom had bought because we stayed out too late on our filed trip and I had to eat something quickly before going to church.
Tonight is teriyaki chicken and rice bowls and pineapple smoothies. Tomorrow is Chinese chicken salad, Wednesday is chili and cornbread, thursday is steak and blue cheese sandwiches with salad and Friday is mushroom tartines with mornay sauce. Saturday morning I am making homemade eggs Benedict, a request from my dad and Zach for Father's Day and Saturday evening Dad is giving us money to take the kids out since he will be working and won't be able to make his usual Saturday date with them. Sunday I am thinking of making a stew with chicken, mushrooms and vegetables. I haven't figured that out exactly, I just want to experiment.
Next week I am making Tex Mex chicken pizza, another round of honey Dijon salmon, Northwoods seasoned grilled chicken and Greek lemon, chicken and rice soup, but that is as far as I have gotten.
Stella, I'm drooling! ;)
We've been doing pretty well. It's been hot, so I haven't been too awful hungry!
Pretty much all last week, we ate leftovers from a BBQ we had. Then I made chicken fried steak and my dad sent some homemade pizza he made, so we've been eating those things. Last night as a break from leftovers, I made some bacon and potato latkes (actually, the latkes were made from leftover mashed potatoes, but they tasted new and diffferent).
Yesterday I had to make some treats for DH to bring to work for his birthday (yes, like they do in kindergarten!). I really didn't feel like making anything, but I made a batch of cookies anyway to save the $10-15 it would cost him to buy doughnuts. His co-workers loved the cookies; there wasn't a single one left.
Today for lunch I made my MIL and I some sandwiches using up the last bit of meat and cheese. I also cut up the last apple for us to share and we each had a few chips and some Crystal Light to drink.
Also, I just finished making some homemade protein bars for DH. He is still doing P90X and could sure use them! They are expensive to buy, but I thought I'd give making them at home a try. If he likes them, we'll save quite a bit of money both in terms of store bought bars and the amount of food he eats!
We've eaten out once since mid-April - for our anniversary. I actually found a place where I could eat while on the allergy elimination diet - and have choices to boot! It was an organic, vegan raw food restaurant in Minneapolis - a fun and tasty experiment.
Anyway, so all other meals are still at home. We're adding foods back in now and watching for reactions, but it's a slow process. It's fine when we're eating at home because all the food is very fresh and good - but it's a bit of a hassle now that it's summer and everyone is having picnics and barbecues, because I don't want to appear rude, but I also don't want to blow all the effort we've put into this by accidentally eating something we're not supposed to have yet.
We've eaten out once since mid-April - for our anniversary. I actually found a place where I could eat while on the allergy elimination diet - and have choices to boot! It was an organic, vegan raw food restaurant in Minneapolis - a fun and tasty experiment.
Rosemary, could you tell me the name of this restaurant? I'm going to be in MSP in July and would love to check it out! Thanks!
Sure: http://www.ecopolitan.com/healthyfood/the-restaurant
the menu is under the "healthy food" link.
we have been doing great so far -- after our move of course. we ate too many meals "out" (mostly fish and chips -- so the cheap stuff), and now we are eating at home all the time! even with our change in schedule, we are doing great with lunch!
We are about out of leftovers (finally!), so I am going to make us a nice dinner tonight. BBQ ribs, corn on the cob, and deviled eggs. I think I am going to whip up a batch of strawberry orange muffins for DH for breakfasts. They are a "light" recipe and will help tide him over until his morning snack.
Maxamillion
6-15-11, 8:42pm
I haven't done so well this month. Funds are pretty low now, so the rest of the month I'll be eating in. Tonight I made pico de gallo salad. I found a jar of tahini at the salvage grocery store, so I've got chickpeas soaking to make hummus tomorrow. I also picked up a box of gluten-free bread mix at the salvage grocery and will be baking that tomorrow.
I'll be making beef stew sometime in the next week. I'm out of potatoes but have a box of instant mashed potatoes; I'm going to try and make some sort of dumplings out of those to go in the stew.
ETA: I ended up making a very good chicken & rice enchilada pie tonight. I put some of the fresh chopped cilantro in, and something I got at the salvage grocery called Sazon Coriandor/Annato. I added some other goodies too like black olives and onions and bell pepper and chili powder and topped with corn tortillas and cheese.
@Mazamillion--sounds good! I wish we had a salvage grocery store! :-)
I made the ribs, corn, deviled eggs, and muffins as planned yesterday. Everything turned out really, really good. Plenty of leftovers for lunch today and maybe a couple of other meals. DH took a muffin for breakfast and ribs for lunch, so I think I will make something easy tonight for dinner, like soup and grilled cheese, to give him a break from the ribs. Then tomorrow he can have ribs in his lunch again.
I keep saying this, but I really need to make a freezer inventory so I can start using up some of what is sitting in there. Chicken stock would be the first thing. Maybe I should make that today to clear out the space from all the frozen veggies and carcasses!
Maxamillion
6-16-11, 10:44pm
Well, I tried making hummus tonight and it just didn't turn out right. The olive oil I used tastes very "off" somehow. I didn't use much, thank goodness, so the chickpeas were still salvagable. I didn't use the tahini--when I went to open it, I noticed the seal was broken. I was really looking forward to trying it too. So what I ended up doing was making some sort of potato salad type mixture from the beans, with some mustard, chopped pickle, and onion. Not crazy about it at all though (I can still taste the olive oil), but I hate wasting food and what I've got on hand has to stretch till the end of the month.
I had to go to town today and didn't get a chance to bake bread. The next two or three days are going to be busy too, so I don't know if I'll get around to it.
Bastelmutti
6-17-11, 1:26pm
The oil might be rancid. I wouldn't eat it.
Maxamillion
6-17-11, 9:39pm
The oil might be rancid. I wouldn't eat it.
Thanks. I didn't know olive oil went rancid. I think I will throw it out.
For tonight's meal, I made this pasta and shrimp thing, with butter, garlic, cilantro, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Turned out pretty good.
We've bombed the last couple of nights. We went on a nice date on Thursday, so I am not sorry about that! :-) But we ordered pizza last night because I was gone all day and didn't feel like cooking anything. Oh well. At least we had some pizza left over, and we've still been doing well with breakfast and lunch!
Does this challenge include breakfast, lunch and dinner? or just dinner? Cuz if it's just dinner, I'm rocking it, if it includes those other meals, well....not so rock'n.
this week's meals -
breakfasts - buckwheat/almond meal pancakes, granola w/ almond milk and nuts, homegrown strawberries
lunches - salads, hard-boiled eggs, gingered black-eyed pea/carrot/spinach soup (a return to cool, rainy weather!)
dinners - lamb rogan josh with added cauliflower and peas; salmon and roasted brussels sprouts; chicken tacos with homemade corn tortillas, homegrown lettuce, and other veggies (2 nights) - introducing cheese into the rotation, for the first time since mid-April; veggie stir-fry with Chinese kale from the farmers' market and cashews.
I had yogurt for the first time in 2 months yesterday. Dairy, wheat, and sugar seem like unnecessary adornments now. I hope to keep it that way. I don't miss the 10 pounds that I lost. I will test them all, to see if any of us have any reactions, but plan to limit their use in our house.
Well, I made some homemade mac and cheese with mixed vegetables that lasted a couple of days. But DH (whe requested to grill out last night) ended up not feeling like it, so we ended up eating out again. Grrr. I had things in the house I could have made, just not any last minute things. Guess I need to be sure to have a back-up arond in case that happens again.
Anyway, he says he will grill on Thursday now, so tonight I am planning on making biscuits and gravy. Friday I am planning on making a beef roast.
I'm a newbie to this forum, but this week my family and I are trying to cook most of our meals. We did have pizza once this week while we were out and about running errands (it was late - around 1:30PM and the kids were getting hungry since we missed lunch) but so far we've cooked some reasonably healthy meals. On Sunday afternoon, we made homemade eggplant parmesan and some breaded chicken cutlets, plus fresh salad (with lettuce from our garden). On Monday we had "breakfast for dinner" (eggs, some sausage, and we also cooked up some shredded potatoes). Tuesday the kids made some BBQ chicken on the grill, and tonight we are making turkey burgers, mushrooms and onions, some fresh lettuce, and home made french fries. My middle child is preparing most of the meal (with parental supervision). I figure if we are going to eat "fast food" it might as well be home made.
I have a new favorite cooked leafy green: kai-lan, or Chinese kale. I prepped it in a very simple stir-fry last night and it is really tasty with no bitterness. I'm having the leftovers for breakfast now. A huge bunch of it was only $1 at the farmers' market.
Bastelmutti
6-23-11, 8:22am
We've been doing very well this week (although DD2 and DH had lunch out yesterday) after I stocked up on snacks and groceries, including at the farmer's market - yum! Mostly we've been making toast/eggs for breakfast, also "chia pudding" - it's kind of like tapioca, but made with coconut milk and chia seeds. Lunch has been leftovers or sandwiches. Dinner has been black bean/rice bowls (w/salsa, cheese, etc.), pasta w/ red sauce, and easy stuff like that, since I am taking a class two nights/wk. Am also trying to use up some things in the freezer - those are almost all gone.
Welcome, cynergyou! I love breakfast for dinner! :-)
Last night I made biscuits and gravy as planned. DH loved the biscuits; he said he wanted to eat them with more meals! I just cute up some watermelon to go with. Simple and delicious. Tonight DH will be grilling chicken, and I'll make some rice to go with. If I remember, I will take a roast out of the freezer today so I can cook it in the crockpot with some vegetables tomorrow.
Maxamillion
6-23-11, 11:31am
Last night I made rice, and then cooked the last of the shrimp from the freezer in a little Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice.
We've been doing really well with this challenge. I have been trying to keep protein bars and low-fat muffins made for snacks. I've also been sticking to my menu plan and really trying to use up leftovers and food from the freezer. Some of the things I have made include chili cheesedog casserole, chicken and dumplings, and macaroni and cheese. I hope to continue this on in the month of July. I need to make some freezer meals to keep on hand for when the baby is born!
Made a Yankee pot roast from the freezer last night, using up all kinds of odds and ends. I also made some peach ice cream. We have plenty leftover, plus we still have leftover macaroni and cheese, chicken and dumplings, and chili cheesedog casserole. Should be easy to not eat out!
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