#instant pot freezer meals

[davismaia]

Instant Pot Pasta Sauce with Mushrooms and Red Wine Make a homemade tomato-based pasta sauce with mushrooms and red wine in your Instant Pot®; the sauce freezes well and is delicious with spaghetti and meatballs.

#mushrooms #freezer #instant pot #meal #lasagna #pasta sauce #ingredient

[katsukiizmoon]

Desc: Talkin’ bout Katsuki while you’re pregnant & when you have a daughter

No cause now all I can think about is katsuki with a daughter :( everyone Shutup I’m usually more immune to baby fever but oh god…. >:( katsuki needs to give me a baby girl

I can go into details and I will

Buys a giant wardrobe for her before she’s even born. Has custom made dynamight baby clothes made just for her.

Reads every parenting book known to man and has a binder of development notes!! This man has written down everything from how to cure baby gas to the best learning tools and methods for little ones

Makes freezer prep meals for when you’re post-partum and struggling ! Soup cubes, one pan sheet meals, instant pot dinners, the works. He makes frozen mandu (Korean dumplings) for an easy snack.

SLATHERS you in Shea butter and bio oil throughout your pregnancy, giving you rubs up and down all the time

Begins impulse buying childrens books and toys any time he steps into a store

Your home now has an entire room dedicated to the items he had either BUILT or BOUGHT for your child. Shelves are secured to the wall, filled with every book and pack of flash cards he’s purchased

Lays her down on his chest for quick naps with dragon tales on, humming to soothe her to avoid hics and sniffs from his beloved baby

Calls her “angel” for the longest time but here’s a list of other nicknames he uses: “squirt” , “shithead” , “princess” , “little spark”

Has the baby’s footprints stamped on thick cardstock for every two months she grows, until she hits a year. At a year he begins doing it every 6 months.

Starts teaching her to bake early on, all their favorite treats. They sit afterwards and eat to their hearts content until she inevitably knocks out on his chest watching Disney movies

Let’s her paint his nails as soon as she’s old enough. When she hits an age where it’s appropriate, they begin getting matching pedicures with you every month

Also post partum he spends time fixing you warm baths to soak in and love yourself in, while he holds the little one and makes dinner

Also also when you’re pregnant he literally has a brand new toilet installed to help you so you won’t need a peri bottle as much when you go to the bathroom :(((

Bathroom? Stocked with everything you can imagine. Tiny fridge for your padsicles? Check. Adult diapers? Check. Stool softener? Check. Baby wipes? Check! Anything you need, is stocked to the brim

Makes it mandatory that for the first 7 days of your little one’s life, only you and him will be around the baby. No visitors pressuring you, none of that. He plans the entire week in advance and tries to account for how tired you’ll be. The first thing he tells you to do when you get home is to get some sleep, and you do.

Calls his mom for help when you’re both a little too stressed and has her watch the baby in the play room so the two of you can have an hour nap

Takes you out to different attractions every week and/or has a “mommy day” planned each week to help lessen the chance of post partum depression

I just truly think he’d worship the ground yoj walked on and pave the way for her. He’d tell her how much he loves her every day. I bet he even puts a mild lavender lotion on her before she sleeps to help her rest and relax.

When she’s a newborn and going through the phase of refusing sleep, he gets you in bed and rocks her in the rocking chair until she’s asleep. He also demands the baby SHARE a room with you until she gets to at least 7-8 months. Baby cameras everywhere. Everything is baby proof. If you think it isn’t, it is.

When I die, The first thing I’m doing is having katsuki knock me up so we can live a happy life with a little one.

#bakugou #katsukibakugou #bakugo x reader #bakugo headcanons #bakugo headcanon #mha x reader #bakugo x yn #bakugou x y/n #bakugou x you #bakugou headcanons #katsuki bakugou x reader #star anise #strawberry cake

[haruharuz]

Dump & Go meals are probably going to be some of the easiest meals for people who struggle with depression, anxiety, or other types of disabilities.

If you're preparing for surgery, giving birth, or just feel exhausted all the time please look into them.

There's a few different types of dump and go meals.

Instant pot : VERY fast and efficient, you typically throw shit in there with MINIMAL work and press a few buttons and wait.

Crock pot: SLOW. Very slow. Your food will take hours to be ready so if you're going to be at home all day, throw it in there in the morning and it'll be done for dinner. For breakfast and lunch you can have easy meals like premade lunchables or sandwiches.

Pan: You throw everything on a big sheet pan and into the oven! Less dishes, simple and easy to do.

Stove: This one requires the most ACTIVE cooking. You'll need to stir/add/etc occasionally to check on it. Unlike the others where you practically add a couple things and walk away.

This also promotes eating at home and EATING in general. I'm no stranger to forgetting to eat for an entire day and then not eating only because I didn't have enough spoons to cook.

"Okay but how do I find them?" Go online, whether tiktok, youtube, or google and look up instant pot recipes, crock pot recipes, dump & go recipes, and freezer meal recipes.

MAKE SURE you thaw these out in the fridge! Every night before bed just pull one out and put it in the fridge :)

Edit: I will also make note! You can often find freezer meals that work WONDERFULLY ! An example is pre seasoning + cutting some chicken, potatoes, and broccoli. Label it CLEARLY with directions !

That means you can freeze a batch of 15+ dinners/lunches AT ONCE and then not have to panic about cooking. If you’re a rice lover like myself you can buy a small rice cooker and turn it on while the other pot goes and that’s IT that’s all it takes for healthy yummy dinner

#actually adhd #actually mentally ill #resources #actually autistic #mental health #adhd #adhd tips

[tightwadspoonies]

I am allergic to all nightshades (tomato, potato, peppers, eggplant) as well as shellfish. I'm also physically disabled, so standing at the stove or counter for long periods of time is painful. My food options are so limited as a result, and I end up relying on frozen foods more than I'd like. Any ideas?

Trail mix: Lots of things can be purchased in pre-sized pieces from bulk stores and mixed in zipper bags. I recommend dried fruit or berries without added sugar, seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, etc..), nuts, and puffed grain or cereal pieces. Making your own mix is usually a healthier and more customizable option than buying pre-made, so you can expand it out to a meal or just eat as a snack.

Meal shakes- Combine a regular smoothie recipe with some heavy cream or nut butter for more calories. These are much easier to clean up after if you use a stick blender and rinse it off immediately.

The following recipes minimize prep, or allow prep to be done at a different time than the meal will be consumed:

Sheet pan meals: Cut pieces of 2 different vegetables (sweet potato, onion, broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, etc...) and a meat (chicken, sausage links, beef, pork, etc...) into 1-inch cubes, toss in oil of choice with spices of choice (I like garlic, onion, salt, and black pepper), lay on a sheet pan, and bake until the meat is cooked through (30-45mins at 350F).

The chopping can be done seated and/or done ahead on a good day (or even purchased pre-cut at some supermarkets) and frozen (lay on a baking tray in the freezer for an hour, then put in a zipper bag) for a quick meal on a bad day. You can cut down on dishes by lining the pan you freeze or cook with in parchment paper.

Instant Pot or slow cooker meals: Put some meat, roughly chopped onions, spices of choice, oil of choice, and broth in a slow cooker or instant pot, set to appropriate settings and wait.

Make rice or other starch ahead of time and freeze in portions. Then all you have to do is microwave it to go with a sheet pan dinner or instant pot dinner.

Non-nightshade sauces can be tricky, but here is a relatively easy one that doesn't require sautee-ing. It does require an instant pot or slow cooker and blender or immersion blender.

#health #diy #food

[abramsbooks]

RECIPE: Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri (from Meal Prep Magic by Catherine McCord)

It was in Argentina where I began my love affair with chimichurri; a pot of it accompanied whatever meat we were eating. Just the thought of pairing it with pork tenderloin makes me giddy.

PREP TIME: 15 minutes, plus 1 to 2 hours for marinating COOK TIME: 15 minutes SERVES: 4 to 6

¼ cup (60 ml) Dijon mustard

½ cup (120 ml) apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar

8 cloves garlic, minced

⅓ cup (75 ml) plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

2 to 2½ pounds (910 g to 1.2 kg) pork tenderloin, fat and silver skin removed

½ cup (15 g) packed fresh cilantro

½ cup (15 g) packed flat- or curly-leaf parsley

1 small shallot, peeled

2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Pinch crushed red pepper

Freshly ground black pepper

Place the Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, half of the garlic, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large zip-top bag. Squish the bag to mix the marinade. Add the pork tenderloin and use your hand on the outside of the bag to move the marinade around the pork. Marinate for 1 to hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

To make the chimichurri, in a food processor, place the cilantro, parsley, remaining garlic, shallot, the remaining ⅓ cup (75 ml) olive oil, the red or white wine vinegar, lime juice, crushed red pepper, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and black pepper and pulse until finely chopped.

Heat a grill to medium heat. Grill the marinated pork on several sides for a total of 14 to 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 135 to 140°F (55 to 60°C) when checked with an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat. (Alternatively, you can use a cast-iron skillet to roast the pork. Heat over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sear the pork all over for a total of 6 minutes. Transfer the pan to a 400°F (205°C) oven and roast for 15 to 20 minutes.)

Allow the pork to rest for at least 10 minutes to allow the juices to settle before slicing. Use a sharp knife to cut pork on a bias into ½-inch (12 mm) slices and top with the chimichurri sauce.

Make sure not to overcook the pork. Pork should never be cooked to more than 135 to 140°F (55 to 60°C). You want the internal color to be light pink.

Make double the amount of chimichurri sauce to serve with fish, shrimp, chicken, or steak later that week.

TO ENJOY LATER The cooked pork can be cooled and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Enjoy at room temperature or warm for 30 seconds in the microwave. Store the chimichurri in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze in ice cube trays then transfer to labeled zip-top bags for up to 4 months.

PREP IN ADVANCE Place the zip-top bag of the pork in its marinade in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to cook, place the pork chops in the zip-top bag in the refrigerator to thaw overnight; cook as directed.

Become a faster, healthier cook with secrets from Weelicious founder and meal prep genius Catherine McCord

With celebrated cookbook author and Weelicious founder Catherine McCord's step-by-step process, your kitchen will be beautifully organized and fast, healthy family meals will be at your fingertips—starting with 100 of her favorite recipes. McCord believes that success in the kitchen comes down to two things—organization and meal prep—and she’ll show you how to master both in Meal Prep Magic.

One step beyond the ideological approach of Marie Kondo and The Home Edit, McCord brings you a practical guide to organizing the most important space in your home and using it. If you’ve ever lost leftovers to the back of the fridge, failed to find a spice that you know you bought, or faced a cabinet full of mismatched Tupperware, her advice will forever change your relationship to your kitchen.

After showing how to maximize your space for efficiency, McCord offers up her favorite family recipes. Including tried-and-tested secrets for saving time, these recipes are easy to prep ahead, make entirely ahead, contain basic ingredients that are always in your pantry, and/or strategically employ your freezer, air-fryer, Instant Pot, slow cooker, and more. Think grab-and-go breakfasts like Raspberry Creamy Chia Puddings, creative packed lunches including easy-to-assemble Salad Jars, healthy snacks like air-fryer crispy artichokes, and irresistible dinners that are even better leftover, such as lemony chicken thighs with lots of herbs.

By following McCord's simple strategies for meal prepping, you’ll always have food on-hand to enjoy throughout your busy week, limiting your trips to the grocery store and time spent in the kitchen. Eat healthy meals you love, while saving time, money, and your sanity. Never again stress out about what to make for dinner! Meal Prep Magic is a lifesaver for any and all home cooks, busy parents, and fans of Weelicious and McCord's popular book Smoothie Project.

For more information, click here.

#abramsbooks #abrams books #meal prep magic #meal prep #meal prepping #meal prep tips #smoothie project #catherine mccord #recipe #free recipe #pork tenderloin #chimichurri #quick dinner idea #dinner idea #dinner recipe

[cooking-with-niki]

Cooking log: 01/14/24-01/20/24

Here I am! On my new blog!!! I am not really sure how to start off something like this but I will just say that I am a cooking enthusiast and also an Ensemble Stars enthusiast. I love collecting anime merch and since I have my Niki nui, I thought it would be fun to take pictures of him helping me cook!

Basically, I cook the majority of my meals at home myself and I really enjoy trying new ones, but I just wanted to talk about them and also share how I feel about them! And of course with including Niki and some of my other Enstars merch, especially Wataru 💖 I have to admit I am not the best at photography, but I tried my best to at least capture the full image of the dishes hahaha.

This blog is really just meant to be a log for myself so I can remember all the food that I have cooked week by week and hopefully share it with other people along the way. Since I am usually the only one who ends up eating them, I thought sharing them through something like a diary would make it fun for me! If you are reading this, then hello and I hope you enjoy reading my ramblings about food!

So! Here we go!

01/14/24 Meal 1: Natto and Rice

For the first meal I am cataloguing here, this is very fitting. I eat natto pretty regularly on the weekends. I actually love natto a lot... I learned about it maybe in like 2019? And then I found a Japanese grocery store near me that sells it, so I initially bought it just out of curiosity but ended up absolutely loving it so I buy it and keep it in my freezer basically at all times. Natto on rice is the most typical way that I would eat it, but this particular time was very no frills. I usually like to add a poached egg and green onion at the minimum, but I did not have either of these at home, so stripped down natto with just soy sauce on rice it was. And clementines are something I also buy pretty regularly. I love them a lot and go through a bag of them in a week. All in all, a very tasty meal but not anything too fancy!

01/14/24 Meal 2: Instant Pot Lentil Soup

THE SOUP! I would say that I like to make soups and stews on Sunday nights for my first meal of the week because it is easy to make a lot and prep it for the rest of the week! I chose this recipe because I had a tiny bit of lentils left over from something I had made last year and it was pretty easy to put together with the things I already had. I followed the recipe I found here on a Couple of Cooks website, but with a few modifications. They called for brown or green lentils, but they did not have any at the store I shopped at, plus the lentils I already had at home were red, so I just got more red. Additionally, they called for fresh spinach, but again they were sold out at the store so I used 2 blocks of frozen spinach. I just added it in at the end on top of the rest of the ingredients before I set it to pressure cook. I also have had a few frozen veggies in my freezer left over from last year that I blanched and froze before I left for Christmas, so I am trying to use all those up too, which is why you see the bags of frozen carrots and onions in the picture. EITHER WAY. This ended up making a lot more soup than I had initially planned for, but that was fine with me! It just meant I was running out of bowls to store it in!!!

As for the flavor, I would say it was pretty good. There aren't really a lot spices so the ingredients speak for themselves. I don't use fennel a lot in my cooking but it really did a lot of the legwork here! And of course the paprika is a nice as well. I also really like the flavor of the Better Than Bouillon broth. It was a pretty hearty soup and I enjoyed it all through the week for lunch!

01/15/24 Meal 3: Tuna Casserole

Tuna casserole is a pretty simple recipe that reminds me a lot of being a kid... I tend to like trying new things that I never had before, but every now and then it's nice to fall back on a classic when I can't think of anything. I also had half a bag of egg noodles and half a bag of frozen peas I needed to clear out of my pantry, so this was the first thing that came to mind. The recipe I followed is from here at Five Heart Home, which I have made before so I knew I would like it. It's a bit different than the one I grew up with, but I like it because making the sauce from scratch is very satisfying to me. The recipe says to make the sauce in a skillet, but I prefer to make it in the same pot that I boiled the noodles in because I hate making more dishes if I don't have to. For my strainer for the noodles, I actually use this rice washing bowl since I can just set it on the side of my sink and let the water drain out of there.

Oh, I was also going to mention, when I went shopping for this week, I looked at the cans of tuna and for some reason the tuna in oil was significantly cheaper than the tuna in water. I don't know that that is an anomaly, but I tended to grow up eating the tuna in the water, so I never really had the tuna in oil. I think because it is mixed in with the sauce it doesn't really make a difference, so I was fine to use in this case, though I don't think original recipe specified anyway.

Either way, I think this recipe is a banger. The garlic powder makes it quite addictive... I had a second bowl on the night I made it, so I ended up only having 2 more portions left for the rest of week... I also think that this is one of those recipes that gets even better as leftovers, since the sauce has time to firm up in the fridge. I would definitely recommend giving it a try!

01/18/24 Meal 4: Peasant Skillet Dish

So if you haven't noticed, I tend to just meal plan based around things I already have at home and just want to clear out the stuff I already have and not buy too much new ingredients. This was something that came up because I was actually looking for a recipe that used bacon! I bought ingredients for a dish I did not end up making this week because the soup stretched further than I thought it would and I had plans to go out on Saturday night, so the majority of the bacon I bought will be used next week instead 😊 BUT. When I was meal planning, I found this recipe here on Taste of Home, and I already had the majority of the other ingredients--but only in half of the amount. I had about 2 potatoes, 1 carrot (the rest of the bag I used to make the soup), etc. so I scaled it to make only about 2 servings' worth. I DID use 5 strips of bacon, but I just ate one of them before crumbling the rest!

I made this one in a dutch oven instead of a skillet because... my only pan is pretty small, about 7in, so I was worried that everything would fall out when stirring, so I thought the pot would be a better option. I also cut my potatoes into cubes rather than thinly sliced because I have one of those vegetable choppers that makes it so simple to chop things into bite size pieces. Plus, with the mix of baby potatoes and a regular potato, I thought it would be easier to make them more uniform if I diced them instead. I also used frozen broccoli but just steamed it in the microwave and only used half of it for this recipe and reserved the rest for another dish.

Overall, this recipe is supposed to be something to put together from things you have at home and is very rustic. It was fine and I enjoyed it for the two servings I made from it, but is not something I am super excited to make again. Definitely not bad, but not so phenomenal that I would get a craving for it. The bacon grease for cooking is pretty good, but it makes everything very one note and that note is BACON. My house also smelled like bacon for like 2 days after making this despite me having the window open while I was cooking and the over the stove fan running the whole time! Alas, I think that is just the fate of making bacon...

01/20/24 Meal 5: Natto Omelette

You see? Natto is something I eat like ALL the time!!! This is the other most common way I have natto, which is very not traditional. I think I watched a youtube video of a person making a natto omelette a while ago when I was trying to learn more things to do with it, and ever since this has been my other favorite way to enjoy it. This is really simple, just egg, natto, and cheese, but I did also have 2 strips of bacon to get the grease for the pan. Plus, even though the smell had just finally left my house, I still wanted to eat it 😂

I had wanted to actually use up the rest of the bag of cheese I used for the tuna casserole, but there is still probably a half of a cup left, but that's fine because I have plans for it for next week. For the bacon, you can see that I have it wrapped in plastic wrap--this is how I tend to store bacon when I buy a package. It is so hard for me to use up the whole amount in a reasonable time, so I will remove all the strips from the package and store them in groups of 2 strips wrapped in plastic wrap so they don't touch, and I stick those packets in a big freezer bag laying flat. I just put the individual packets of 2 strips in the fridge the night before i plan to use them and let them defrost overnight. I think it's really convenient to be able to freeze stuff for later and have it at your disposal pretty much for enough time to be able to actually use it! Yes, I will talk about the miracle of freezers infinitely!!!

Anyway, this is of course a very tasty way to enjoy natto, but unfortunately cooking bacon always makes my fire alarm go off so I am happy that I will be rid of the rest of it soon.

1/20/24 BONUS! Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies

That's right A BONUS! One of my dear friends was celebrating his birthday on Saturday and I asked what he wanted for his birthday and he said "pistachios" so I ended up baking these cookies for him. Now, something I will say is that I actually do not like pistachios, so this was indeed a labor of love for me. I waffled thinking on following recipes that used pistachio pudding mix and made very vibrantly green cookies, but I ended up following this recipe here on The Recipe Critic because I thought just a variation on chocolate chip cookies would be pretty good even for someone who doesn't like pistachios like me!

So this recipe uses 1 1/2 cups of pistachios which ended up being about 3/4 of a one pound bag of shell-on pistachios... That's right, I bought shell-on pistachios and shelled them all by hand. A LABOR OF LOVE!!! It took me about an hour to shell all those pistachios, but I did it in advance of actually baking the cookies so that I could have them ready to go and not be overwhelmed by all the steps. I would recommend buying shelled pistachios though if you want to use them in large quantities!

For me, this was also the first time I had the chance to try the stand mixer that my parents got for me for Christmas! It is not a KitchenAid but something a bit smaller so that it can fit better in my kitchen. Although, I am still working out where I am going to store it because I have no room on my counters for anything else at the moment... ANYWAY. The stand mixer worked pretty well, although the gap between the bowl and the mixing arm made it difficult to pour in ingredients while mixing, so I had to keep turning it off and on to lift the bowl out of the base and add the ingredients back in. I think it will work pretty good otherwise but I am still not throwing out my trusty vintage egg beaters just yet!

So, this is where the drama comes in... Because of all that shuffling back and forth to add ingredients in, it seems that I mentally swapped some of the numbers when I was measuring out my ingredients and added 2 cups of flour rather than the 1 cup called for in the recipe... My dough ended up a bit firm and I had to mix it with my hands rather than a spoon when it came time to add in the roughly chopped pistachios and chocolate chips. It was like kneading bread dough I'm afraid... I didn't question it because I had never made the recipe before and just assumed it was a thicker dough than normal! It was only after I put in the first batch into the oven that I reread the recipe and realized my mistake! So coming out of the oven...

The cookies didn't really flatten out at all, staying very round! For the second batch, I added maybe a teaspoon of milk and flattened out the dough before putting them in the oven so that they would be more cookie-shaped.

I thought they turned out okay, but quite dry. Definitely would be better with coffee. Either way, I gave them to my friend and explained the story, but he was very gracious and really liked them, eating 2 in front of me because he loved them so much! I am happy that it all worked out even despite my mistake. I also gave him a whole bag of pistachios with the rest of the bag that I used to make the cookies added to it so that he could enjoy even more pistachios for his birthday.

And there you have it! The catalogue of all the meals that I cooked and ate this week. I hope you enjoyed reading and hearing the ups and downs of my cooking adventures. I am looking forward to the meals I will be cooking next week~

#cooking #food diary #niki shiina

[clatterbane]

It took some converting, but for 200-250g of short pasta I will use about 3/4 of a 400g jar of sauce and half a can/Tetra Pak of chopped tomatoes. The labels fooled me into thinking those were crushed at first, but nope "krossade" means chopped if you're a Swedish canned tomato. Didn't need quite all of that water this time.

Now throwing together some pseudo-sausage pasta in the Instant Pot. Using this standby tomato-based recipe as a reference for the basic proportions. Works great with any kind of protein, with veggies thrown in on top, etc. if you have the proportions down.

We actually do have plenty of frozen meatballs right now, btw. I just got a sausage craving, and this frequent need to make things more complicated.

Last night I got industrious and went ahead to mix sausage seasonings into the ground pork from the grocery delivery. Before it went bad, like last time. Half with my own homestyle sage sausage blend, and half (US) Italian style. Which I made sort of medium on the chili, and honestly the same with the other. Wasn't in the mood for either hot-hot or totally mild.

We also don't seem to have a mortar and pestle right now, so I was in here in the middle of the night trying to quietly crush fennel seeds folded up in a random piece of paper using a glass bottle because that was the best tool I saw. Unexpected fun! I tried a piece for seasoning when I was just frying it, and it tasted pretty good though.

So, I couldn't resist using the "Italian" with some pasta today. With plenty of chunky-cut onion and some mixed peppers out of the freezer, even though I'm the only cooked sweet pepper fan around here. I sorta compromised and used about half the amount that I would for myself. The sausage really needs some peppers.

Was originally going to just simmer up some sauce and cook the pasta like normal, but nah fuck it. I just didn't have the spoons left by the time the veggies were chopped up. Lazy one pot style it is. That's plenty good. Still more work than I really needed with this virus fatigue, but another decent meal will be nice.

Just before the lid went on, to help demonstrate the total liquid level that generally works well for me. You want it just barely up to the top of the pasta.

#food #instant pot #sausage pasta #gluten free

[adlamu]

here are some things that i have learned in the last ehhh 10yrs of living alone (more or less):

best before = it is at its best until a particular date but is still safe/edible for another 28 days after that date (ie: roughly a month).

use by = it is very unsafe and very, very unwise to eat/drink that thing after the date on the packaging. you will get sick. trust me.

three options for bread keeping: i. keep it in an air-tight container (such as a bread bin), ii. keep half out and the other half in the freezer (and defrost it later), or iii. keep the bread in the fridge at all times - if it's white spots on the crust only, cut the crust off and toast the bread, if it's Green spots, it's been out longer than 2 months and you should throw it away.

bottom shelf is where you'll find the cheapest stuff, usually (can be top, but is usually bottom because the BrandsTM have to be in direct eyeline - ie: the middle).

don't trust a can? sniff test. don't trust the milk? sniff test. if it smells bad in Any way, throw it out.

sugar is fine, it doesn't go off, only throw it out if it Somehow has bugs in it.

salt is the same as above (i've had the same salt pot since 2017, it's fine).

don't buy 8p potato salad - you will absolutely regret it.

if you aren't going to eat a whole thing of something, bung it in the freezer - depending on what it is, it can last anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months (but once you defrost it, you Have to eat it immediately).

put green bananas in direct sunlight so they ripen and then put the yellow bananas in the fridge (this will slow down spottiness process & prevent fruit flies).

if, for some reason, you have noodle seasoning packets laying around, you can use them to enhance whatever vegetable/meat-based meal you are making (it's basically stock).

if you are hungry (and i mean you are in Pain from hunger) you will end up making a meal out of whatever the fuck you have and/or eat something directly out of its container - this is fine, you're eating something and that is more than enough but also: only eat custard, rice pudding, tuna, and stuff like spam out of the can, if it's like chicken or whatever don't do that, you will get sick.

if in doubt: washing up liquid is good for cleaning p much everything (not the bathroom... just use basic bleach for that if you don't have fancy schmancy stuff).

tap water is usually fine (in the case that it is not, buy a HUGE 3L bottle of water).

a bottle of cordial lasts longer than a carton of orange juice (it's not watertok bs, believe me. ribena? godsend. vimto? godsend.).

weetabix/weetbix/wheat bisks is your best bet for cheap cereal - you add a lil sugar for flavour, maybe some fruit, and you can eat it Both hot and cold.

backpacks are best for carrying heavy objects like bottles, save the totes & reusable bags for lighter stuff if you can.

an electric kettle is your best friend - you can use it for (instant) coffee, tea, hot chocolate, instant ramen/pot noodle, instant soup, anything that is 'instant', use the kettle and you will have Something to fill your belly up.

don't overthink stuff - meal prep if you want but don't overthink it, especially if you're living by yourself - you don't wanna plan a whole roast dinner when it's just you, so get enough stuff for 1 person.

yes the cheap stuff is literally the same as the brand stuff (i get it if you're nd and you can only have Certain foods but this is more for the nts), it's not a conspiracy (fuck you shane dawson and your classist fuckery), it's the same stuff because it's made in the same place, usually.

if you're worried about prices, use a calculator on your phone and then you can put back whatever is making your basket/trolley overbudget BEFORE you get to the checkout.

i don't care what tiktok moms or whatever the fuck are saying, you do not need that super expensive brand thing - it's usually got less portions and doesn't last anywhere near as long as you think it does. just because it tastes good doesn't mean it's gonna last you the week/month.

if you can buy it frozen, do so - it's usually cheaper and lasts far, far longer.

ASK FOR HELP. I KNOW YOU ARE PRIDEFUL AND AFRAID OF THE STIGMA BUT ASK FOR HELP IF YOU NEED TO BUY GROCERIES. IT IS OKAY TO ASK. IT IS OKAY TO GO TO THE FOOD BANK AND ASK FOR HELP. IT IS OKAY TO ASK SOMEONE (FRIEND/FAMILY MEMBER/SOMEONE YOU TRUST) FOR HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT.

#newtrabble

[airfryerburrito]

Mix 'n' Match Meal Prep

I've been trying a different "mix and match" method of prepping food for the week. You cook a few components like proteins, vegetables, and sauces, and then reheat and rearrange them to create different meals. Here's my method, inspired by the Downshiftology approach:

Pick 2-3 proteins, a few vegetables, and at least one sauce to prepare. I also like to bake a snack.

On Sunday, do your cooking.

During the week, eat one protein, some vegetables, and some sauce with a starch. Change up the starches and proteins to create variety.

Meal plans so far:

Week 1

Cooked: Greek sheet pan chicken with roasted potatoes and vegetables (sheet pans are the ultimate meal prep hack), salmon bites, crispy air fryer chickpeas, tzatziki sauce, chocolate chip cookies.

Dinners: chicken and potatoes, salmon and fries, chicken and pasta, salmon rice bowls, chicken and rice.

Lunch: chickpeas with salad and focaccia.

Week 2

Cooked: Instant pot ground turkey, sheet pan vegetables, cubed sweet potatoes, morning glory muffins.

Dinners: Ground turkey and pasta, ground turkey and mashed potatoes, ground turkey and nachos, tinned fish and pasta, burgers from the freezer.

Lunch: Black bean and sweet potato rice bowls and burritos.

This week I made balsamic chicken (pictured) and vegetables, plus marinated tofu to air fry another day, and blueberry muffins. I really appreciate how flexible this approach is. A protein / pantry staple like black beans doesn't need cooking -- just opening a can. I can also switch to a store-bought sauce when I have less time. There's less waste, and it's a relief not to worry about what's for dinner.

#meal prep #meal planning #weeknight meals

[cylentlycrafting]

Recipe: Empty Your Pantry Burrito Bowls

Hey, guys! Here's another recipe I made very recently! There will be images included at the end of the post.

The entire inspiration for this recipe is to empty your pantry or freezer! I have a TON of beans, frozen potatoes, and instant brown rice, so I got some of it used up in this recipe! I will also say this is higher calorie, but I struggle to get all my calories in as most days I don't feel that hungry, but you can always cut the calories by removing rice and putting in WAY more veggies!

*This recipe is also fairly easy to make vegan or vegetarian, just replace the ground chicken with plant-based meat or lentils, and replace the beef broth with vegetable broth or stock!

Total Cost: $13.49

Cost per Serving (5 Servings): $2.70

Calories per Serving (5 Servings): 709

Ingredients:

1 LB Perdue Ground Chicken ($3.64)

1 Bag Bird's Eye Oven Roasters Sweet Potatoes Carrots & Red Potatoes ($2.97, was on sale)

5 Servings (1/2 cup dry) Great Value Instant Brown Rice: $.90

1 Can Great Value Chickpeas: $.78

2 Cans Great Value No Salt Added Dark Red Kidney Beans: $1.56

1 10oz Can Rotel No Salt Added: $1.24

1.5 Cups Great Value Unsalted Beef Broth: $.50

1 Orange Bell Pepper: $1 (got it in a pack of 3 for $3)

2 Servings Great Value Seasoning Blend Frozen: $.70

2 TBPS Great Value Classic Olive Oil: $.20

Seasoning for Rice: Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Cumin, Chili Powder, Paprika, a SMALL amount of Cayenne, Black Pepper, added Accent when finished.

Seasoning for Chicken and Veggies in Pot: The exact same minus Cayenne, but added Accent while it was cooking.

I HIGHLY recommend following the instructions on the packaging for any rice you use and if you plan to bake your veggies! (Or look up a recommended cook time.)

I followed the directions on the Oven Roasters, making sure to preheat my oven before I started prepping anything else. I lined a pan with aluminum foil (highly recommend doing that for easier cleanup! It saves me HELLA time.), tossed the veggies on, and gave them a light spray with canned olive oil. This is not necessary and does not add any calories, but I like crisping my veggies up a little so they hold their crunch when I freeze them.

After getting that into the oven, I put the broth and water for the rice on to boil (I counted the broth into the rice's needed water), then got my olive oil heating to medium heat in a large pot. You want a pot big enough to hold everything but the rice and oven veggies!

When the olive oil is heated, add the frozen seasoning blend (or onions, onions and peppers, etc) and give it roughly 5 minutes to cook and thaw the onions before adding the bell pepper. After adding the bell pepper, give the mixture another 5 minutes to sweat the vegetables.

When the water is boiling, get your rice in.

After the veggies have sweated, get the ground chicken in the pot. Season both the rice and the chicken veggie mixture. (I go pretty heavy with seasoning as I don't add salt to anything due to my diet.)

Set your rice and the oven veggies to the side, and turn your full attention to the chicken mixture.

When the chicken is about 3/4ths of the way cooked (most of it has changed color, there can still be some pink just not much), add in your chickpeas. This gives them time to soften a little and start soaking in all that seasoning. You can add the Rotel and beans in now as well, or wait till the chicken is starting to brown.

I believe I gave it an additional 15-20 minutes to let the flavors mix and merry.

When everything is done, either serve with the chicken mix on top of the rice and oven veggies, or if you meal plan like I do, I used those long rectangular bowls that have no sections, and put my rice on one side, the chicken mixture on the other, and the oven veggies on top of the middle area!

Hope you enjoy <3

#recipe #weight loss #weight loss recipes #recipes #healthy recipes #empty your pantry recipe #meal prep #meal prep recipes

[thessalian]

Thess vs Big Weekend Plans

Yeah, okay, pushed it too far this week and now am attempting to decide what to do with myself. Tonight’s cookery extravaganza is going to be roast pork, mostly because all it involves is basically coating the rind in salt (for to make crackling, y’see) and shoving it in the oven. Thing is, I really did want to make potato soup today and now I’m looking at peeling and chopping and blending (because I have to make half-and-half, because they do not have that in this country) and fart-arseing around with the instant pot and going, “Oh, gods, do I have to?!?". And, I mean, technically I don’t have to. None of it’s going to go bad if I save this all for tomorrow. But the idea of settling down on the sofa with potato soup and Korean horror later on when the sun finally goes down is seriously enchanting. It’s just a shame that it all requires so much ... doing things.

Also, if I wait until tomorrow, it’s going to interfere with the marinading process for tandoori chicken, which I need to start first thing. This takes awhile, apparently, because it involves cooking some spices in oil, and then throwing yoghurt and lemon juice and stuff in it and then coating the chicken with that and letting it sit for about six hours. I’m also going to have to skin my chicken legs, but that’s okay - one recipe I’ve got (I don’t remember which, but it was somewhere in my “Ooh, yay, Japanese favourite” list) requires that one cooks chicken skins until all the chicken grease comes out, for to use in cooking. So as weird as this sounds, I am going to skin my chicken leg quarters and then throw the skins in the freezer for later use. Which is good because the reason I half-forgot that recipe was because I had a thing about “How am I supposed to just get random chicken skin?!?” and envisaged myself asking a butcher about that (which I guess I could probably do, especially if I went to Peckham, but my anxiety forbids that level of potential weird). I guess this is the other way of doing it.

On the subject of cooking, I had a flip through my new One Tin cookbooks, and ... okay, the first one’s more or less fine but the second is all kinds of fancy. There’s figs and pomegranate and parma ham and goat’s cheese and a whole bunch of stuff that I’m looking at like, “Well, I guess this never said anything about being on a budget...” Because this lady does not seem to have ever been in the same room as “budget”, given the ingredients. I should hand that one over to my mother. She’d probably appreciate it a lot more. My stepfather, on the other hand, probably not. Her last complaint in his direction was something about being frustrated that he insists on carbs - rice or potatoes or pasta - with every meal. Meanwhile I’m sitting there going, “I’m with my stepfather on this one”. At least in part because stuff like that is filling and tasty and, most of all, not that expensive in comparison to a lot of the vegetables that take the place of carbs in recipes like that. (Well, I mean, except for the pasta in my case, because gluten-free is always just made of expensive, but y’know.)

Basically there’s a lot to do this weekend. My tomato plants have grown like kudzu the last couple of weeks and it might be time to repot them soon. Honestly, same for my marigolds, asters, zinnia, and black-eyed Susans. The coriander’s not doing too shabby either, though I’m probably going to wait just a little longer - maybe another week - before I shove it into a larger pot and put it on the balcony rail. Honestly, the whole lot could probably wait another week, and might have to, because this weekend is about starting meal prep for the next little while. It’s just nice to have all the stuff I need in the fridge or freezer, ready for defrosting and/or reheating. I don’t think I could do gardening on top of that. Plus it’s better when the root structures of my plants are a little tighter; I don’t like cramping them, but I also find it’s easier to replant them when the roots are really well-established and keeping the soil in place. So another week won’t hurt, and I can do it when there’s less spoon energy required for cooking things.

Which means I should probably suck it up and start my potato soup. Get some use out of my gluten-free flour. Also clear some space in the potato bowl. Look, I had plans towards this soup and aloo gobi and Japanese curry and those all require a metric buttload of potatoes - literally, as a lot of the recipes I trip over are American and I keep having to go, “Okay, so how much is that in metric?” Seriously, I’m so glad people stopped talking about trying to make the UK go back to Imperial units becuase holy fuck would that get people confused. Base 10 is a good thing, guys.

...Oh fuck, Monday’s the May bank holiday. I was going to pick up my prescription on Monday and my local pharmacy, where I get my prescriptions, is generally speaking shut on bank holidays. But I do have enough to last me until I can pick it up on Tuesday, so that’s okay. Just aggravating because I was hoping to fit that trip in on Monday so I don’t have to go rushing down there either just before work or just after work on Tuesday. This is the problem with having Mondays off in perpetuity - you tend to forget things like bank holidays.

#Thess cooks #Thess on gardening

[ireallyamtryingthistime]

chicken burrito bowl

[freezer/meal prep approved] [suitable for lunch/dinner]

ingredients:

chicken (or eggs or tofu)

rice

grape tomatoes

arugula

corn

black beans

spices to your liking (for the protein and rice)

cooking instruction:

season your protein

(only for chicken) place them in a pot and fill it with water only enough to cover the chicken.

bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat.

let the chicken simmer until cooked (around 15 minutes).

drain the water and allow the chicken to cool for a few minutes.

use two forks (or a hand blender) to shred the chicken into small pieces.

rinse your rice using a mesh strainer.

cook your rice according to instructions.

add your preferred spices before the rice is fully cooked (ex: cumin, paprika, black pepper)

once the rice cooks, it's assembly time.

for instant consumption: place your portion of protein and rice in a bowl. add corn, sliced tomatoes, arugula, black beans and any other additions you want. top it off with your favorite dressing and enjoy. (you can have it with wrap instead of a bowl).

for meal prep: place your protein, rice, corn, sliced tomatoes, arugula, black beans and any other additions into containers. only add the dressing at consumption. better to be eaten within a week.

for freezer meals: place your protein, rice, corn, sliced tomatoes, arugula, black beans and any other additions into freezer-safe bags/containers. only add the dressing at consumption. better to be eaten within 4 months.

#burrito #mexican #meal prep #freezer meal #meal planning #burrito bowl #healthy #recipe

[supercantaloupe]

happy sleepover Saturday!! How’s your week been? Have you cooked anything good lately? (I’ve been very into making banh bot chien - frozen radish cakes fried w egg and soy sauce and garlic, ideal late night meal) and a sleepover question: if you were a weapon, what would u be?

ough banh bot chien sound lovely -- i would love at some point to be able to try more vietnamese cuisine, especially more homestyle stuff rather than just like. restaurant pho (although i do love a bowl of pho it must be said)

i haven't had a lot of time or ingredients to cook with recently but tonight i made a big pot of cheesy pasta with sausage and zucchini (adapted from this; sub chorizo for beef, "mexican" cheese blend for the cheddar, and extra zucchini). i shared some with a girl in my dorm and stuck three leftovers containers in the freezer so i can enjoy something a little more wholesome than instant noodles after my rehearsals this week, and i'm looking forward to that!

week has been decent; really long, but then when isn't a week long for me, lol. such is the way when i have three nights a week with rehearsals/classes that end after 9pm. but i got confirmation that i don't have to re-audition for grad school, and i got a research grant opportunity forwarded to me that i'm working on an application for now. and even though it's a little bit of a pain to go all the way to my teacher's place for a lesson, my lesson on thursday went well (plus i got a bagel and a boba tea out of the trip lol) and a great set of rehearsals that evening too. and a tour of the kennedy center yesterday which was amazing :)

i think i'd be a bow and arrow tbh. i like being able to keep a safe distance from Situations, plus it's one of the only weapons i have any real experience with, and also they're sexy. runner up would be spearthrower/atlatl; those things are cool as hell. deceptively simple

[ask meme]

#sasha answers #tempestclerics #ty!! #ask meme #sleepover saturday

[ainyan]

🍖 What was the last meal you ate? Did you make it?

Let's see. The last meal I ate was lunch, which was a bowl of brussels sprouts in butter topped with bacon bits, a pair of croissants, some Ruffles, and a Diet Dr. Pepper. I did indeed make it myself; it's my usual lunch - quick, easy to make, and only requires a minute in the microwave. Perfect for a lunch period that lasts all of 18 minutes. XD

If you're curious about a real meal - last night I made a pork roast with potatoes and carrots in my instant pot. Quite delicious, although not quite as tender as usual. I think the meat had been in my freezer longer than I usually like. And yes, I also made this one; I do 99% of the cooking in our household. :D

Original Ask Meme

Thank you for the ask!

#asked and answered #about the author #ooc

[msbarrows]

Made pizzas yesterday - one to eat and two to freeze, that latter part being one of the things that turns making pizza from scratch into less of a chore, since it means future meals with no prep necessary (something I am always a fan of).

It was a cold day yesterday so I decided to try out something I’d theorized about previously, and set up the Instant-Pot to be a warm spot for rising the dough. It worked beautifully, and I am definitely repeating that for any future non-bread-machine bread making on cold days. Took a photo of the bowl of bread dough set to rise over the Instant-Pot (using the “less” heat setting, with about an inch of warm water in the pot) and then decided to photograph the entire process, because why not. Besides, it’s been just over 10 years since I last posted pizza process photos :)

Following my “rarely the same dough twice” method of just throwing stuff together for the dough, this one used milk, salt, sugar, proofed yeast, 1/2 cup or so of canola oil (I find crusts high in oil tend to cook from frozen better), 1/2 cup cornmeal, 1 cup multigrain flour, and the tail end of a jar of pesto, leftover from making tuna pesto pasta last week. Then kneaded in enough all-purpose flour to get a good dough (which is one of those make-bread-by-hand-enough-times-and-you-just-know-it-when-you-feel-it things).

Went with my default toppings of peppers, onions, olives, cheese, and pepperoni, though this time I also threw in a pound of bacon that I’d previously chopped and fried. Unlike in my previous pizza photoset, I’m less concerned with having pretty hand-cut veggies and more concerned with them freezing and cooking-from-frozen well, which means I ran them through my alligator chopper to dice them (which is a huge time saver over hand cutting) and then sauteed them with a little olive oil to drive out as much excess moisture as possible (which with bell peppers is... a lot. As in pepper juice puddling around and dripping from the chopper by the time you’re done dicing). You can skip sauteing if you’re planning to cook the pizzas immediately, but when freezing it makes a huge difference in how well they cook later. The freezing kind of bursts the cell structure of the veggies, so they give off A LOT of liquid as they thaw, and you end up with a very wet pizza, with potentially over-saturated, not-really-cooked dough. So - if freezing to cook later, saute all the veggies. The freezing will make them mushy instead of crisp anyway.

For faster pizza assembly, once the peppers and onions were sauteed I added the already cooked bacon and sliced olives to the pan and stirred it all together, then spread it evenly over the sauced crusts, topped with grated mozzarella, then the cut up pepperoni, and a sprinkling of parmesan. One went directly into a hot oven (400F for 20 minutes) while the other two got covered in foil and then popped into the freezer for future meals.

When cooking homemade pizzas from frozen, I find what works best is to loosely tent foil over the frozen pizza (see also: why I use foil when freezing them, instead of plastic wrap), and put into a 350F oven. Let cook 20-25 minutes, which should have the crust partially baked and the toppings thawed, then remove foil, increase heat to 400, and cook another 15 minutes.

#Recipe #Baking #Pizza

[hua-mo-jin-is-a-cutie]

Please add things to your instant ramen packs

It’s really easy, makes your ramen taste better, and adds some nutrients. I wouldn’t call it a healthy meal, but it’s better than just the noodles and seasoning packet. 

How to spice up ramen:

Add vegetables

This is super easy. Keep veggies in your freezer. Whether you buy them frozen or freeze them yourself does not matter. Frozen veg is super convenient and holds basically the same nutrients as a fresh veg so yea keep them longer by freezing them. 

To add these icy veggies to your ramen, you just add them to the water while you wait for it to boil. They’ll cook in the hot water :) 

I personally like to add onions, green beans, carrots, snap peas, and or green onions to my ramen. Broccoli could be good too if you add it a bit later since broccoli cooks pretty fast and tends to turn to mush if you boil it. 

Add eggs 

Adding eggs is a bit more tricky, but is a great way to add protein. The way most people add eggs to ramen is by either hard boiling beforehand and cutting the egg in half OR poaching the egg. 

To poach eggs is kinda similar to hard boiling, but without the shell. You crack the egg into boiling water. This can make the water bubble over so be careful!!! You can do this either in a separate pan or in the same pan before/after adding the noodles, they cook at about the same speed so it depends on how done you want the eggs. 

Add miso paste

Miso paste is pretty good for you. Since it’s fermented, it has active cultures which aid in digestion. Miso also tastes really good and can add some umami to the often bland pack of noodles. 

Miso paste can be difficult to find in the average American supermarket so this option may not be the most accessible, but if you can find an Asian market, they usually sell miso paste. 

So how do you add miso? Well you can’t add it directly to the boiling water because it will kill the active cultures. Basically just grab a mug, scoop out some of your hot water, and add a tablespoon or two, and stir into the water until you have a sort of slurry. THEN you can add it to your already cooked, no longer boiling pot of noodles. It really is nice and if you aren’t too keen on the taste of miso, but want the healthy benefit, I can say with certainty you can hardly taste it if you only add like one tablespoon. 

Add Furikake 

Once again, if you don’t have an Asian market nearby this may not be the option for you. Also if you hate that fishy taste this is really not for you. 

Furikake is a yummy Japanese seasoning mix and it goes great on instant ramen to add a lot of flavor. There’s not much to this, just sprinkle it on top when you’re done making the noodles. 

Add Meat or Tofu

Adding meat or tofu, just like with eggs, is a great way to add some protein. I don’t do this often as it requires a bit more prep to add meat and I don’t have tofu in the fridge most nights, but it’s certainly something to make instant ramen into more of a meal. 

Obviously, precook your meats. Silken tofu is a great option for ramen since it’s more of a soup. 

Add an extra little bullion cube

Sometimes the seasoning pack is not enough, bullion cubes are so good to add extra flavor

Those are my tips for making instant ramen feel a little less depressing to eat. I wanted to make this, despite a lot of these being fairly obvious, for those of you out there that may not know how to cook anything. My roommate grew up in a household where her parents rarely cooked, they had fast food often, and when they did cook, it was bad and as simple (and white) as possible. My family wasn’t much better, but my parents did cook, again very white food, but they did cook. Going to college taught me a lot about how to cook for myself and how simple some cooking can be. Soup is a great place to start when learning to cook because it’s really easy to make good soup. So I guess this goes out to all the bitches out there that are afraid to cut a watermelon or fucked up last time they tried to make rice. Just because these are obvious to some, doesn’t mean you should feel bad for not knowing them sooner, I just wanted to put these out here so that anyone who needed to see it could see it. You can make ramen better. And you should. You deserve to eat good food. 

#cooking #recipes #recipe #ramen #instant ramen