TL;DR “Winter is here” meal planning
TL;DR “Winter is here” meal planning
But first…what I got on hand:
I cooked a whole chicken this weekend which yielded a ton of meat, some of which I already used in gigantic amount of chicken soup (a triple-batch, which I then split into two kinds). Additionally, I have an ABUNDANCE of bok choy (four large heads AND four baby heads–and shut UP, I’m not making kimchi. I don’t like it, and just no.), chicken stock coming out the wazoo, and since both ground beef and turkey were on sale last week, I have a pound each. I’ve also got some hot Italian sausage, a whole chicken in the freezer from August? September?, along with two 3 lb. pork shoulder blade roasts, and a medium sized Porterhouse steak. So that’s meat covered.
As for produce: there’s winter squashes, carrots, cabbage, garlic, bananas, blueberries, blood oranges, clementines, tomatoes, lemons, onions, mushrooms, radishes, scallions, and apples. In the freezer, I have sugar snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach. Fresh herbs I have are: flat-leaf Italian parsley, thyme, bay leaves, and rosemary. Oh, and I’m chopping and freezing at least half, if not more of that bok choy for soups/stews (someone found me a no blanch method).
Pantry includes: brown rice, barley, penne, a shitload of dry beans (kidney, black, Great Northern, and pinto) diced and whole tomatoes, tomato puree, tomato paste, albacore tuna, tomato basil pasta sauce (5 ingredients, no sugar), and several quart boxes of shelf-stable unsalted stock (both beef and vegetable/chicken).
Soooooo, this means a whole PACK of wolves won’t be at my door for awhile, and I’ve got lots to work with for probably the whole winter, considering the amount of pantry and frozen items. Any fresh things I have, I don’t want languishing for long in the fridge—so I’ll be busy producing some meals out of that stuff—which can be frozen.
And I always have oats, eggs, salad and sandwich-making things, a couple kinds of cheese, some dressing-makings like vinegars, vegetable and olive oil, herbs, bits and bobs of things like maple syrups, tiny jars with a scrape or three left of jam or pickled spread of some kind, always a couple kinds of mustards, sherry or white wine, red wine, and one or two kinds of berries.
Menu ideas for eternity:
(Suggestions? I forget anything? Mention kimchi, and I’ll cut you)
Breakfasts:
Yogurt with blueberries, bananas, clementines, etc. alongside oats (almost always have 3-4 cups prepared and in a small pot in the fridge during winter)
Eggs with tomatoes, broccoli, cheese and/or onions and LOTS of hot sauce
Lunches:
These are pretty much salads and sandwiches in the summer, soups in the winter with salad or a piece of fruit, then I have salad at dinner. Sometimes I skip the fruit and have it as a snack, which keeps me from eating chips or ice cream – still my downfalls 🙁
Chicken salad spread made with walnuts, onions, mayo (stfu), and chopped bok choy stems (I’m out of celery and water chestnuts, or I’d use them). Should go great with some romaine leaves, on some sprouted grain bread.
Spaghetti squash stuffed with Italian sausage, marinara and mozzarella.
Chicken, broccoli, and mushrooms with penne in a cream cheese sauce (don’t judge)
Winter squash stuffed with apples, maple chicken sausage, wild rice, chopped greens, onions, and cheese
Beef stir fry with cabbage, bok choy, sugar snap peas, carrots, scallions, over brown rice.
Salads:
Romaine, tomatoes, radishes, oranges, scallions/onion, shredded carrots, parsley) with homemade yogurt buttermilk dressing or roasted red pepper vinaigrette or just EVOO/vinegar.
Soups and misc for anytime:
Turkey and white bean soup with homemade stock and greens and Tuscan seasonings (dried bell pepper, black pepper, parsley, crushed red pepper, onion, garlic, marjoram, oregano, basil).
Cream of wild rice soup w/chicken – Already made, from half of the giant chicken soup batch. I know I’m not going to eat it all up right now so I might invite some people over to share or else I’m freezing up some and bringing some to Mom’s.
Braising some lentils with tomatoes and veg scraps is something I plan to do when I’m out of nearly everything, and there’s still a hunk of vacuum-sealed smoked ham in the freezer from October I could use in it.
Butternut squash and herb minestrone with kidney beans, greens, and either barley or pastina (tiny soup pasta), in a vegetable broth
Crockpot pulled pork (again) – most of the time, I just plop it in the crock pot plain to braise in its own juices, but sometimes I add some chili-style spices like cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne, and oregano, or pour some juice over it w/apple cider or wine vinegar. No matter what though, I wind up making tacos, soup, BBQ sandwiches, enchiladas, or tostadas with it. I might make some chili with it this time around, since I’ve got a heap of beans and canned tomatoes.
Crock pot refried beans for tostadas, dip, spreading on soft corn tortillas and loading up with stuff like tomatoes, shredded pork, etc.
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Oh! And I love the sound of this, and I’m sure it’s really LOW-CAL and shit. It’s basically a cheesy greens & beans bread pudding:
http://www.thekitchn.com/slow-cooker-recipe-cheesy-swiss-chard-bean-sausage-panade-recipes-from-the-kitchn-183619
Hehehehe! Kimchi
runs really, really fast
i really like doing stuff with tortillas. the quiktrip down the street has mac and cheese taquitoes…. i know, ew! but i like em 🙂
omg instant death
You’re lucky you can run fast, Terry McNeil! That, and my knives need sharpening.