I've had take out sushi three times this week. Not the most economical, but laziness won. And boy was it delicious... every... time.

Tonight, I spent an hour battling myself to cook at home rather than grabbing take out again. I looked at multiple take out menus with consideration to distance and price, but I finally accepted that the quickest and cheapest meal is right in my own kitchen.

Freezer: steak and a bag of beans.
Fridge: leftover homemade tomato sauce.

Pan fried the steak with dried, crushed basil leaves and olive oil. The beans were cooked in the same pan to take up any residual flavours.

Heated the sauce in a pot and just like that, no money spent today.

Earlier in the week I made a vat of parsnip and ginger soup. I microwaved a bowl up to start my dinner meal.

(I now own an immersion blender. Soups will start to be a large part of my life.)

This meal was all about the sauce.
Grilled the chicken and boiled the brussel sprouts.

Sauce:
Roast the red peppers
Throw that in to a blender (magic bullet!) with chili powder, paprika, ground pepper, and soy milk.

And plate.

A pack of twelve chicken wings for $5 that lasted me two meals. Used the chinese seasoning pack with soy sauce for the wings and then made another chopped salad.

The meal was paired with funny moments from When Harry Met Sally...

Leftover veggies in the fridge from the beef wellington night.

Grilled the mushroom in the oven and pan fried the sweet potatoes, carrots and onions.

Simple enough for me.

Ever since Leaving Vancouver the couple times in July, I haven't made a proper meal at home. The only times I would cook was to make instant noodles. The majority of my meals have been subway and instant noodles. This doesn't count when I was away. Those days were pizza, pasta, fried oysters, burgers, fries and the solo salad that I ordered to trick myself into believing I still cared about my health.

Today, I spent more than five minutes in a grocery store and bought actual groceries. The only way I could make myself do that was to give a short notice dinner invite to my parents. I figure, if I said I'd make them dinner for 7:30pm, then I'd be forced to plan a meal and also clean my apartment. Along with ignoring my diet, I've also neglected the sanitation of my home.

Nothing like the feat of my parents' judgement to whip me back in to shape.

The menu for tonight (provided by Jamie Oliver): Sweet potato and chorizo soup. Chopped cucumber, avocado, butterhead lettuce, alfalfa sprouts salad. Beef Wellington.

I'm one meal away from cleaning up my fridge! I've put a sizable dent in my freezer, but I don't think I can have pork and beef every meal for the next month. T & T, here I come!

Freezer items: pork
Fridge items: zucchini, spinach
Pork marinade: soy sauce, garlic chili sauce, lemon juice, garlic, ginger zest
Veggies: simmered in lobster stock and chopped garlic and ginger

June 8, 2012

For the last two weeks, I've been having nothing but green salads for lunch. I bought too many greens for a work BBQ, so I had to make as many meals with them as possible. I don't know how those models do it. As delicious as a salad can be, I get bored of eating the same thing over and over again. I know what to expect each time. There's no excitement or surprising flavours bursting in my mouth. I have the same spinach and pea shoot mix with shrimp and drizzled with a honey, mayo, lemon juice and mustard seed dressing... Everyday. I shrug and nod after every bite. "yeah, just as I thought, tastes okay like yesterday.". So at the peak of my taste buds' frustration, I regrettably ordered myself a plate of fries today. It was heaven for the first quarter. The last few bites each were preceded by groans. A mistake was made.

It's the weekend now, so I won't be seeing raw veggies until the next coming work week. Let's celebrate with a pork stir fry! Pork neck would have been ideal, but I continued my freezer cleanse and thinly sliced a defrosted pork chop. Not as tender as the neck... But the flavour was there. And it's food, so there is essentially nothing to complain about.

June 5, 2012

Last time a package of seasoning, this time, bottled sauce. When will it end?!

The naan was from the Indian/pizza place downstairs. I'm never going to attempt to make it. Vikram Vij has chefs who can't even make good naan. So, I choose to use my energy to take the five minute walk downstairs. Guaranteed delicious, soft, chewy naan.

I made the rice. That's all I'm good for.

I'm not a fan of using hamburger helper-like packages to cook. It kind of feels like cheating, don't you think? Sometimes when you have to prepare more than one dish for over 20 people, you cave. And when I caved, I discovered what wonders of flavour the clubhouse pasta mix provides in less than 30 seconds of ripping open the packaging and stirring. It scares me that now that I've had a small taste of these dinner helpers, I won't be able to stop. At least I know where I draw the line: instant rice.

Another day of clearing the fridge. I bought too much for the company bbq and pizza seemed like a more fun way to get rid of veggies than making a stew or a casserole.

Red peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, chicken and spinach laid on top of Newman's Own Sockarooni sauce!

Continuing to save money and clear out my freezer.

Pan fried pork sprinkled with thyme and pepper.
Pea puree - pan fried onions, garlic, peas and butter.
Boiled green beans.

I'm a simple girl.
Instant noodles with wieners and a fried egg.

Working out in Calgary for the next two weeks and although I'm there for work, the thought of new eats fills my head! Grabbed a list of restaurants from Matt from Production... Oh the places I will eat. Lunch so far hasn't been an adventure yet since there is work to be done. I ordered a Wendy's salad yesterday, which came with a not so pairing side. When I got back to the office, I opened my take out bag to find a bowl of chili. Maybe it's law in Calgary that beef is served with every meal.

Advice! When shopping for groceries for the office, check that you have the right dishes and utensils first. This entire office has cups and two spoons.

Freezer items: cod, bread.
Fridge items: eggs, parsely, lemons, mayo, pickles.
Pantry items: flour, dill weed, cracked pepper.

I have an addiction to purchasing and freezing food. It's now time to make room in my freezer.
Freezer items: sirlon steak, bread.
Fridge items: enoki mushrooms, pea sprouts, onions. Japanese mayo mixed with ketchup and mustard.

Can't say I've perfected the art of making crepes, but what I was able to put together sure was satisfying.
Soy milk crepes, salmon, enoki mushrooms, pea sprouts, onions, pasta sauce and cheese.

Bought twelve drummettes months ago and pulled them out of the freezer today. Not much time to cook tonight, so a wing night made sense. Sprinkled half a packet of some Chinese seasoning, drizzled sesame oil and soy sauce, did some hand mixing, threw the drummettes on to a pan, 15 minutes in the oven... Eat! And that's how I like it. Nothing but drummettes.

Looks like I left this blog after moving in. Much has happened, but one thing stays the same. Food is my main love. Rice is Nice will now be my food diary. Food talk and nothing else. Time to feast.