In a fit of healthy eating (not really)
I made dip.
It's really a mash up of cream cheese (a pantry staple)
with diced artichoke, diced olives (both from cans) with some Knorr veggie soup mix, spring onion, hot pepper flakes, more shredded cheese and parmesean, baked in the oven for 20 min.
But for a quick weeknight fix, it's the best!
I had it with some tortilla chips and carrot sticks and I felt semi-healthy. Even though it was a lot of cheese. And tonight it's mac and cheese night!
For lunch I did use left over rotiserrie chicken, some spinach, crotuons, and walnuts for a delish salad!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
H Mart Trip
Omg Mom is so right!!! Hmart is much cheaper than Giant or TJ's for fruit and veggies. I went last weekend and bought all this for $44
I made Brocolli Soup and Rosemary lemon Salmon. The soup was good the first day, but I think I made too much and got sick of eating it lol. The Salmon was ok, but I prefer steamed salmon like what mom does or grilled better.
- Ribeye steak
- Should cut steak
-Talapia
- 2 packs of Seaweed (for snacking)
-Yu choy
-Bok Choy
- Chinese Vinegar
- Siracha!
- Mapo tofu sauce
- Curry sauce
- Tofu
- Mushrooms
-Snowpeas
- Edamame
- Oranges
-Strawberries
I ended up making some Curry Chicken, but forgot to take photos. So here are my photos this week!
I made Brocolli Soup and Rosemary lemon Salmon. The soup was good the first day, but I think I made too much and got sick of eating it lol. The Salmon was ok, but I prefer steamed salmon like what mom does or grilled better.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Grocery List 1/30/2013
Short run to grocery store
Lucky's $62
1 ice cream
2 orange juice
1 rotisserie chicken
2 lime tostito chips
1 queso dip
1 baby carrots
1 celery bunch
wheat thins
2 phil cream cheese (to make dip with)
greek yogurt
sprouts
2 tofu
1 ground turkey (more mafa tofu on the way!)
1 pint half and half
3 tomatoes
1 salad mix
1 cup cakes
Tonight I ate: rotisserie chicken
I made artichoke, black olive cream cheese dip (with some extra shredded cheese) and dipped carrots into it (sort of healthy)
tomorrow I'll use up the spaghetti sauce I've defrosted (from a prior cook) with some turkey and pasta.
Still plenty of food left!
Lucky's $62
1 ice cream
2 orange juice
1 rotisserie chicken
2 lime tostito chips
1 queso dip
1 baby carrots
1 celery bunch
wheat thins
2 phil cream cheese (to make dip with)
greek yogurt
sprouts
2 tofu
1 ground turkey (more mafa tofu on the way!)
1 pint half and half
3 tomatoes
1 salad mix
1 cup cakes
Tonight I ate: rotisserie chicken
I made artichoke, black olive cream cheese dip (with some extra shredded cheese) and dipped carrots into it (sort of healthy)
tomorrow I'll use up the spaghetti sauce I've defrosted (from a prior cook) with some turkey and pasta.
Still plenty of food left!
Monday, January 28, 2013
Grocery List for Jan 23, 2013
I made a quick run to Lucky's because I was my coffee creamer was going bad.
This turned into an all out shop fest because I always end up browsing every aisle.
Here's what $93 can get you:
1 frozne pkg of meatballs
chicken breast (I got 4 packs, they were $5 each, they each had two breasts in it)
2 lb of ground turkey ($5)
1 pkg deli turkey (b eats sandwiches)
2 tofu
2 pkg of hummus
1 pkg baby carrots for snacking (am eating this with ranch dressing, delish!)
1 spring onion
1 pkg spinach
1 ginger
1 5 lb bag of potatoes
1 rotisserie chicken (we ate it all that day)
1 bag of clementines
3-4 bags of frozen peas/carrots (I use mainly for stir fry, but also good for pot pie, pastas)
1 bag frozen fries
1 bag frozen spinach (I use this mainly to make spinach dip, I can always eat more dip!)
1 pkg chicken sausage (mostly for omelettes, but sometimes i stir fry this as well)
1 pint half-half creamer
If I am lucky I can squeeze at least 10 days worth of cooking here (along with some take out) so hopefully it'll cut my shopping frequency!
My menu planning includes:
bokchoy and fishball soup (already made)
steamed diced chicken for chicken salad
turkey and tofu ma po style
curry chicken with potatoes
spinach dip
snacks-carrots and clementines (and some other fruits in fridge)
This turned into an all out shop fest because I always end up browsing every aisle.
Here's what $93 can get you:
1 frozne pkg of meatballs
chicken breast (I got 4 packs, they were $5 each, they each had two breasts in it)
2 lb of ground turkey ($5)
1 pkg deli turkey (b eats sandwiches)
2 tofu
2 pkg of hummus
1 pkg baby carrots for snacking (am eating this with ranch dressing, delish!)
1 spring onion
1 pkg spinach
1 ginger
1 5 lb bag of potatoes
1 rotisserie chicken (we ate it all that day)
1 bag of clementines
3-4 bags of frozen peas/carrots (I use mainly for stir fry, but also good for pot pie, pastas)
1 bag frozen fries
1 bag frozen spinach (I use this mainly to make spinach dip, I can always eat more dip!)
1 pkg chicken sausage (mostly for omelettes, but sometimes i stir fry this as well)
1 pint half-half creamer
If I am lucky I can squeeze at least 10 days worth of cooking here (along with some take out) so hopefully it'll cut my shopping frequency!
My menu planning includes:
bokchoy and fishball soup (already made)
steamed diced chicken for chicken salad
turkey and tofu ma po style
curry chicken with potatoes
spinach dip
snacks-carrots and clementines (and some other fruits in fridge)
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Bread Types
I am getting sick of eating whole wheat grain bread slices. Don't get me wrong, this is great for sandwiches, but I am trying to learn and venture into other types of breads into my diet. Also, it is quite difficult to buy bread just for 1 person. Sometimes you cannot finish the entire loaf by yourself before it gets too dry and you have to throw it out.
Do you guys have your favorites? How do you pair bread with your meals? Please share your wisdom!
Bread Types and Ideal Meal Pairings
Do you guys have your favorites? How do you pair bread with your meals? Please share your wisdom!
Courtesy of Panera Bread
Bread Types and Ideal Meal Pairings
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Cute Japanese Girl in the Kitchen with Mommy!
I wish I participated more in the kitchen growing up! Take a look at this young chef-to-be!
MLK Weekend Cookng adventures
Even though I live in the Nation's Capital and the President lives/works 2 blocks from my office, I still had to work on Monday. But at least I got to work from home, so that really means more cooking!
Ok to be fair I am cheating a bit because a few of the dishes I made before this past weekend, but never got around to posting them on the blog.....
1. Lamb burger ( as requested by Karen)
2. Pork shop soup (mommy style)
3. Lazy sunday meal of Chickpea, spinach and spaghetti
4. Graganzola, arugula, pear flat bread
5. Chicken, had some extra shake n bake left so had to get rid of it
6. Chinese buck choy with shitake mushrooms
Let me know if you want any of the recipes!
Ok to be fair I am cheating a bit because a few of the dishes I made before this past weekend, but never got around to posting them on the blog.....
1. Lamb burger ( as requested by Karen)
2. Pork shop soup (mommy style)
3. Lazy sunday meal of Chickpea, spinach and spaghetti
4. Graganzola, arugula, pear flat bread
5. Chicken, had some extra shake n bake left so had to get rid of it
6. Chinese buck choy with shitake mushrooms
Let me know if you want any of the recipes!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Chinese Seafood Dinner
This was the winter melon soup after I already half of it this morning. Yes, I put 4 pounds of winter melon into one soup. And yes, I think I'll eat it all within 48 hours!
A delicious fresh and healthy steamed fish!
If I were to eat this at a restaurant it'd be a $60 dinner!
I think I bought all the ingredients for $15 or less!
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Chinese Cooking in a Perasian home
Tonight we went to a delish burmese/south asian restaurant at Burma Cafe
It's right next to asian grocer so we stopped by for our grocery fix for the week rather than the normal Trader Joe's run.
For $75 we got:
5 oranges
spring onion
ginger
bundle of garlic
2 baby bok choy
4 lb winter melon
3 lbs of pork bones for soup base
3 boxes of mapa tofu mix
green tea mochi
sesame rice balls (frozen)
1 dungeness crab ($3.99/lb)
1 white bass ($3.99/lb) for steamed fish
2 bags fish balls (for soup)
1 bag of thai chili peppers
1 bag of spinach (for salads)
4 limes (usually for guacomole)
bag of mixed peppers
2 cans of fried dace (yup, I still eat this stuff)
2 boxes of pop-pan crackers (and yes, I still eat this too)
1 can inari-sushi wrappers (to make the sushi rice wrapped in tofu skins)
Tomorrow I'll be cooking the seafood and making winter melon soup.
Amy's tip:
when making clear soup base from pork or beef bones, boil the bones once over, and toss out the water. There's so residual muck that you don't want in your broth. then boil it again with fresh water, and then let simmer for 2 hours. it's the time that let's the flavors come out. yum!
asian aromatics: ginger, garlic, spring onion
It's right next to asian grocer so we stopped by for our grocery fix for the week rather than the normal Trader Joe's run.
For $75 we got:
5 oranges
spring onion
ginger
bundle of garlic
2 baby bok choy
4 lb winter melon
3 lbs of pork bones for soup base
3 boxes of mapa tofu mix
green tea mochi
sesame rice balls (frozen)
1 dungeness crab ($3.99/lb)
1 white bass ($3.99/lb) for steamed fish
2 bags fish balls (for soup)
1 bag of thai chili peppers
1 bag of spinach (for salads)
4 limes (usually for guacomole)
bag of mixed peppers
2 cans of fried dace (yup, I still eat this stuff)
2 boxes of pop-pan crackers (and yes, I still eat this too)
1 can inari-sushi wrappers (to make the sushi rice wrapped in tofu skins)
Tomorrow I'll be cooking the seafood and making winter melon soup.
Amy's tip:
when making clear soup base from pork or beef bones, boil the bones once over, and toss out the water. There's so residual muck that you don't want in your broth. then boil it again with fresh water, and then let simmer for 2 hours. it's the time that let's the flavors come out. yum!
asian aromatics: ginger, garlic, spring onion
Amy's eating diary from San Diego, Jan 17-20, 2013
Quick travel for work!
Thur Jan 17
got up at 4am to take a 6am flight down to San Diego!
got airport food for breakfast, blah.
Panera bread catered our lunch at Kaiser
hotel conference at Rancho Bernardo Inn for dinner
Fri Jan 18
breakfast + lunch at the Inn
dinner at Bice, a lovely Italian place in Gaslamp
I got a proscuitto start, pear and gorganzola ravioli and panne cotta for dessert (love restaurant week)
drinks at rooftop bar of LoungeSix
Sat Jan 19
breakfast+lunch at the Inn
dinner at Azul, a steakhouse in La Jolla with lovely views of the ocean. great restaurant week menu!
(corn chowder, petit filet, creme brulee) with wine flight!
Sun Jan 20
breakfast at the Inn
lunch at the airport
home at last!
I don't go out too much, but I can see how consultants and lobbyists get fat! (all our dinners for conference are paid for)
Thur Jan 17
got up at 4am to take a 6am flight down to San Diego!
got airport food for breakfast, blah.
Panera bread catered our lunch at Kaiser
hotel conference at Rancho Bernardo Inn for dinner
Fri Jan 18
breakfast + lunch at the Inn
dinner at Bice, a lovely Italian place in Gaslamp
I got a proscuitto start, pear and gorganzola ravioli and panne cotta for dessert (love restaurant week)
drinks at rooftop bar of LoungeSix
Sat Jan 19
breakfast+lunch at the Inn
dinner at Azul, a steakhouse in La Jolla with lovely views of the ocean. great restaurant week menu!
(corn chowder, petit filet, creme brulee) with wine flight!
Sun Jan 20
breakfast at the Inn
lunch at the airport
home at last!
I don't go out too much, but I can see how consultants and lobbyists get fat! (all our dinners for conference are paid for)
Sunday, January 13, 2013
A quick and easy stir fry
This is definitely quick and dirty.
The leftovers after a week away from the grocery were:
heirloom cherry tomatoes + 6 eggs = tomato/egg scramble stir fry
2 bell peppers, white mushrooms + some 2 left over chicken sausage = stir fry with hoisin sauce
Add some fresh cooked white rice = lunch for two!
Next up, the other bell peppers, mushrooms, canned pantry tomatoe sauce = spaghetti sauce for dinner!
*Amy's pantry tip: My TJ's sells frozen basil by a co. called Dropot. It's basically fresh basil frozen in olive oil. It comes in pre-portioned cubes and it's about 20 cubes for $3. I tossed my fresh basic plant, so this is the next best thing.
In the future when I get another fresh plant, I think I will save the extra fresh herbs by freezing them in olive oil in an ice cube or other container in pre-portioned trays.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Working from Home and A Day in the Kitchen
I love being able to work from home every now and then. I feel so much happier and more productive especially after slaving away in the kitchen all day! I started my day with a trip to Trader Joe's at 8:00am right when they opened and replenished my groceries for the next 10 days or so. All for a total of $44.
So after taking some tips from Tai sister blogs and some google recipe searches, I attempted to use the oven. (Note that I have been living in HK for the last 5 years and having an oven in HK was definitely a luxury. I did not have an oven until last year). I modified the shake and bake recipe slightly by using flour instead of bread crumbs, since that is all I had.
I made enough food for Friday lunch (Chicken avocado salad) and Friday dinner (drumsticks, veggies, rice)
Shake and Bake Chicken , asparagus, and rice
baked asparagus and carrots, marinated Teryaki sauce drumsticks (baked w/foil on top) and left over shake and bake chicken
avocado salad with leftover chicken and cranberries + tomato
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Ma-Pa Tofu Quick and Dirty
This is definitely one of the easiest dishes to make, ever.
I stock up on tofu that comes in the foil containers (the ones that can sit in the pantry, no refrigeration needed) and stock up on the tofu sauce (the kind they sell in the asian stores)
1. brown ground turkey in pan with some oil
2. toss the cube of tofu in it, mashing it up along the way (no extra dish needed!)
3. stir sauce on top (add extra pepper, salt, etc if desired)
4. put some spring onion on top as garnish*
*Amy's pantry tip: I buy a lot of spring onion all at once (like the value pack at the store)
I can never use up all the sprigs within a week before they go bad, so I dice it up, and then store it in a tupperware container (usually 4 oz one is sufficient, I've seen ppl use a water bottle too) then you freeze it! When you need some garnish or whatever, you use take it out of the freezer and shake out the portion you need! This way you can have spring onion on hand all the time!
I stock up on tofu that comes in the foil containers (the ones that can sit in the pantry, no refrigeration needed) and stock up on the tofu sauce (the kind they sell in the asian stores)
1. brown ground turkey in pan with some oil
2. toss the cube of tofu in it, mashing it up along the way (no extra dish needed!)
3. stir sauce on top (add extra pepper, salt, etc if desired)
4. put some spring onion on top as garnish*
*Amy's pantry tip: I buy a lot of spring onion all at once (like the value pack at the store)
I can never use up all the sprigs within a week before they go bad, so I dice it up, and then store it in a tupperware container (usually 4 oz one is sufficient, I've seen ppl use a water bottle too) then you freeze it! When you need some garnish or whatever, you use take it out of the freezer and shake out the portion you need! This way you can have spring onion on hand all the time!
Lunches at the office
Lunch is probably the hardest meal of the day to plan for. I never know exactly what a day might look like, some days the team will take one hour breaks other days we are trying to squeeze in 15 min to grab a bite. But because, I usually get home early enough to cook my dinners, I'll make something extra for lunch the next day. But I always find that the same meal twice
in a row never tastes quite the same, regardless if its wontons, pasta, or something else.
However, right before the Holidays as I was worried about not being able to finish off my salad mix I found this easy recipe. Not only is it a replacement for the boring turkey sandwich, but great way to get more veggies into my day and something a little different!
However, right before the Holidays as I was worried about not being able to finish off my salad mix I found this easy recipe. Not only is it a replacement for the boring turkey sandwich, but great way to get more veggies into my day and something a little different!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Quick and Easy Trader Joe's weeknight meal
This involves:
1 box steamer clams (pre cooked, from TJ's $5, can heat in microwave)
1 box spaghetti noodles (cook al dente)
some fresh basil, diced garlic tossed into hot olive oil
toss the heated clams with the noodles in the oil mix
voila! dinner served.
so easy. for a creamy sauce you can add some half-half (or all cream but it's too rich for me, plus i always have half and half around for coffee but never the full cream)
Amy's short cut kitchen secret-I use what I already stock on hand for substitutes all the time! half and half is perfect cuz it's good for any white cream sauce, bechamel, to creamify the chicken pot filling, to make your omelette more creamy. it's not just for your coffee!
This is also the only way I can use it up fast enough.
I use to buy the fake creamer stuff but that's so full or artificial preservatives. Even though cream has calories, it comes from a cow!
1 box steamer clams (pre cooked, from TJ's $5, can heat in microwave)
1 box spaghetti noodles (cook al dente)
some fresh basil, diced garlic tossed into hot olive oil
toss the heated clams with the noodles in the oil mix
voila! dinner served.
so easy. for a creamy sauce you can add some half-half (or all cream but it's too rich for me, plus i always have half and half around for coffee but never the full cream)
Amy's short cut kitchen secret-I use what I already stock on hand for substitutes all the time! half and half is perfect cuz it's good for any white cream sauce, bechamel, to creamify the chicken pot filling, to make your omelette more creamy. it's not just for your coffee!
This is also the only way I can use it up fast enough.
I use to buy the fake creamer stuff but that's so full or artificial preservatives. Even though cream has calories, it comes from a cow!
Monday, January 7, 2013
Post Holidays Food Budget Review
Week 1 of January has been a success! After consulting with both of my sisters, I decided to start my new years with a trip to Trader Joe's. I spent about $60 on groceries for 1-2 weeks worth of food (packed lunches, dinner and frig essentials) This has lasted me for 8 days now, but I will be restocking soon this upcoming weekend. I also was ate roasted duck (+brocc and rice) brought back from Mama Tai's kitchen over the holidays.
Week 1 food budget review: I only spent $32 on 2 lunch meals (on New Year's Day and this past Sat lunch). I also spent $6 on coffees. I am also trying to cut back on my coffee intake and replace it with tea or just plain water. But sometimes, I can't help it with my long work hours!
New York restaurant week will start next week: http://www.nycgo.com/restaurantweek
Week 1 food budget review: I only spent $32 on 2 lunch meals (on New Year's Day and this past Sat lunch). I also spent $6 on coffees. I am also trying to cut back on my coffee intake and replace it with tea or just plain water. But sometimes, I can't help it with my long work hours!
New York restaurant week will start next week: http://www.nycgo.com/restaurantweek
This will be bad for my budget, but hopefully, I can control myself!
simple baked asparagus, roasted potato, baked salmon, veggie soup
Graduating in both life and the kitchen
After many nights of pasta, ramen, and canned corn (supplied by mama Tai) in college, I think its time that I upgrade my diet. Here is to growing up and living a healthier life!
Grocery Haul First week of Jan: (restocking post- holiday)
- potatoes ($5 bag)
- Rosemary
- Orange juice
- milk
- Asparagus
-Shake n Bake
- Pita bread
- ground lamb
- salad mix
- yogurt
- lettuce
- Turkey sandwich meat
- pepperjack cheese
Biweekly Total $50
After giving my sister recipe ideas, I realized that I hadn't made some of the menu items I suggested in awhile lol. So here's a list of the things I made over the past few week....
Wednesday: Wontons by Mama Tai
Thursday: Lamb Burgers with a side of steamed broccoli
Friday: Shake n Bake Chicken with roasted potatoes and steamed broccoli
Sunday: turkey meatballs with roasted potatoes and lemon roasted asparagus
Monday: Pasta with asparagus
I love reusing leftovers from the night before in a new dish so that I eat everything I cook and try to minimize the waste (something Amy Tai loves as well).
Grocery Haul First week of Jan: (restocking post- holiday)
- potatoes ($5 bag)
- Rosemary
- Orange juice
- milk
- Asparagus
-Shake n Bake
- Pita bread
- ground lamb
- salad mix
- yogurt
- lettuce
- Turkey sandwich meat
- pepperjack cheese
Biweekly Total $50
After giving my sister recipe ideas, I realized that I hadn't made some of the menu items I suggested in awhile lol. So here's a list of the things I made over the past few week....
Wednesday: Wontons by Mama Tai
Thursday: Lamb Burgers with a side of steamed broccoli
Friday: Shake n Bake Chicken with roasted potatoes and steamed broccoli
Sunday: turkey meatballs with roasted potatoes and lemon roasted asparagus
Monday: Pasta with asparagus
I love reusing leftovers from the night before in a new dish so that I eat everything I cook and try to minimize the waste (something Amy Tai loves as well).
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Useful TIps and Posts
A Good Larder is Hard to find
or how to stock up a pantry when you are poor and single
What A Make When You Don't have Food
or how to cook even though you think you have no ingredients in the house
(or be like big sister every day and scrounge every day)
or how to stock up a pantry when you are poor and single
What A Make When You Don't have Food
or how to cook even though you think you have no ingredients in the house
(or be like big sister every day and scrounge every day)
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