Meats:
1 pound chicken breast tenderloins
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 whole roasting chicken
2 pounds of tilapia or other fairly firm, white fish
½ pound of baby shrimp
½ pound of bacon
Dairy:
Real butter (not margarine)
Eggs
Milk
½ pint half and half
½ pint heavy cream
4 slices Mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
(Optional) Crumbled Bleu cheese or Feta cheese
Frozen Food:
1 small package peas and carrots
1 small package corn
Fresh Produce:
3 yellow onions
1 head of garlic or one jar of crushed garlic
1 bunch green onions
1 bunch of parsley
1 bunch celery
1 head iceberg lettuce
2 large portobello mushroom caps
4 cups baby spinach
Spring salad mix
1 navel orange
1 lemon
10 russet potatoes
1 small bunch of asparagus
1 small bag of broccoli florets
1 fresh jalapeno, or 1 small can diced jalapenos
2 other hot peppers
Canned Food:
1 jar sliced green olives with pimientos
1 small can black olives
5 cups chicken broth
1 jar or can sliced red pepper
1 small can mild green chiles
1 jar pesto sauce (or make your own with basil and pine nuts or parsley and sunflower seeds)
2 cans (13 ounce) crushed tomatoes
1 can (13 ounce) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 ounce) tomato sauce
1 can (13 ounce) pinto beans
Dry Food and Staples:
Flour
Sugar
Risotto (Arborio or Carnaroli rice)
Rice
1 pound rigatoni
Olive oil
Sourdough or other firm white bread
½ cup walnuts, chopped
½ cup craisins or raisins
Spices and Condiments:
Salt and pepper
Oregano, basil, thyme, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, star anise
Dry white wine
Red wine
Raspberry vinaigrette
Although this recipe calls for tilapia, any firm white fish will do, including striped bass, halibut, or flounder. We like to have peas and carrots as a side dish with this, but any of your favorite green vegetables is fine.
Ingredients:
2 pounds of tilapia, cut into four serving pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed, or 1 teaspoon crushed garlic from a jar
1 teaspoon crushed oregano
½ teaspoon basil
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup of dry white wine
1 small package of frozen peas and carrots
Ingredients for the shrimp stuffing:
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
1 cup half and half
½ pound of baby shrimp, or larger shrimp, chopped
½ teaspoon of salt
¼ cup of parsley, chopped
Garnishes:
Shredded lettuce
1 small jar sliced green olives with pimientos
1 boiled egg, chopped
Freshly grated black pepper
Preparation:
Put the onion, garlic, oregano, basil, salt and wine in a skillet and heat to a simmer.
Place the tilapia in the pan.
Cook the tilapia until it flakes with a fork, about ten minutes.
While the tilapia cooks, make a white sauce for the shrimp as shown in the next steps.
Place the butter in a saucepan and melt it.
Sprinkle the flour over the butter and whisk them together.
Slowly add the milk a little at a time. The sauce will be very thick and pasty.
When the sauce is whisked smoothly with no lumps, begin adding the half and half a little at a time, whisking well after each addition.
Add the salt and parsley, and stir.
Add the shrimp and stir.
Place the shredded lettuce on a plate.
Place the tilapia fillets on top of the lettuce.
Spoon the shrimp mixture on top of the tilapia.
Sprinkle green olives and chopped egg over the top.
Grate a small amount of pepper over the fish.
Cook the peas and carrots in the microwave and top with a small amount of chopped parsley. Serve it as a side vegetable dish.
This meal uses portobello mushrooms instead of meat, making a healthy, filling meal. Serve it on a bed of baby spinach. Altogether, it takes about 30 minutes to prepare. For more information about how to use risotto, see my article, What is Risotto or Arborio Rice?
Preparation:
Prepare the salad ahead of time and place in the refrigerator to chill.
Pound the chicken slices between two pieces of plastic wrap with a meat mallet.
Cut each pounded piece in half.
Spray an indoor cooking grill with cooking spray and preheat it.
Salt and pepper the chicken, then place on the grill and cook for three minutes.
Spray a cooking pan with cooking spray and preheat it.
Lay the bread slices out and place a slice of Provolone on four of them and a tomato on top of the cheese.
Lay the grilled chicken on the other slices and top with pesto sauce.
Put the sandwiches together.
Cook the sandwiches until brown on both sides and the cheese is melted.
Serve piping hot.
This is another perfect dish for when you have to use up a few things before going shopping, or when you are waiting for payday. It’s filling and it’s simple, using basic ingredients that should already be in the pantry. It will feed 4-6 people, depending on how hungry they are.
Ingredients for gnocchi:
4-6 russet potatoes
1 ½ cups of flour
1 tablespoon of butter
¾ teaspoon salt
1 egg
(Optional) 1 tablespoon fresh parsley and 1 tablespoon fresh basil
How to make gnocchi:
Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, about 20 minutes.
Run cool water over the potatoes, then slip the peels off.
Mash the potatoes with a masher.
Stir in the flour, butter, salt, egg, and herbs if you are using them.
Stir with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients pull together.
Place the dough on a floured surface, and knead ten times.
Pull handfuls of the dough off the main ball and roll into snakes.
Slice into pieces about 1 inch thick and 1 inch long.
When the marinara sauce is ready, drop the gnocchi into boiling salted water and cook just until they float to the top.
Drain the gnocchi and stir them into the marinara sauce.
Ingredients for quick marinara sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed, or 1 tablespoon crushed organic garlic from a jar
2 cans (13 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon sugar
(Optional) 2 tablespoons red wine (The red wine adds body to the sauce.)
How to make the marinara sauce:
Stir the ingredients together in a saucepan.
Allow to simmer over low heat while making the gnocchi.
Serve the gnocchi and marinara sauce Parmesan cheese on top and with a fresh green salad and plenty of crunchy croutons.
This recipe was born one night while I tried to use up all the things in the pantry and refrigerator before going shopping again. It turned out so good, my family declared it a hit.
Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breast tenderloins
4 green onions, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 can of diced tomatoes
¼ cup of jalapenos, chopped (I used canned. If using fresh, one chopped and seeded pepper will be just right.)
1 can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 small can of sliced black olives
2 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of rice
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
Preparation:
Saute the chicken breast tenderloins in a few tablespoons of the chicken broth. After cooking, cut them into chunks and return to the pan.
Cook the onion and celery in a few tablespoons of chicken broth, just until tender.
Add all the ingredients to the pan, and cook over medium heat until the rice is done, about 20 minutes.
Serve it with a salad.
This dish goes together in a flash and tastes impressive. The rigatoni is a big pasta, perfect for scooping up the creamy sauce.
Ingredients:
1 pound rigatoni
1 small bunch of asparagus, trimmed
1 small bag of broccoli
1 cup of heavy cream
1 tablespoon basil (fresh if you have it, otherwise 1 teaspoon dried)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Zest of ½ of a lemon
Preparation:
Boil water for the rigatoni and cook it 15 minutes or according to package directions.
During the last 4 minutes, add the trimmed asparagus and broccoli to the boiling pasta water.
Stir together the cream, basil, parmesan, and lemon zest.
Drain the pasta and vegetables.
Add the cream sauce to the pasta and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
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