Breakfast for Dinner [in bed]

I didn't cook this. I was so tired. b made it for me. love b.

A Weekend Run to Lucky's and Marinade Recipe

I'm working this weekend, but it's also P's birthday! What to do? Grill tonight and lunch out tomorrow!

Lucky's Groceries $145.43
meat stock up (yes, I tend to only buy meat infrequently, but large amounts at a time) $50
3 pkg of chicken breast
2 pkg ground turkey
2 pkg ground pork
2 pkg of beef sirloin for stirfry/kabob
1 pkg tri tip steak
1 pkg pork chop

tofu x3
salad fixin' for dinner
cucumber, tomato, butter lettuce (p's favorite)
brocoli
mushrooms, pineapple for grilling
strawberries for snacking
pomegranate juice
OJ
soy milk x2
greek yogurt x2
hummus x2
pasta x4 (on sale, cheaper than Smart and Final prices!)
ranch dip mix
cream cheese x3
french fries

This is enough for:
mapa tofu x3
chili
grilled steak and kabob
pork chops

So definitely enough food for another 2 weeks, with maybe a veggie stock up in between.

Time to marinade and grill (clockwise from left: sangria, butter lettuce salad, grilled steak, french fries, grilled mushrooms and pineapple)

I made a steak marinade today for the tri tip:
-orange juice (tenderizes)
-sesame oil (small bit adds loads of flavor)
-soy sauce
-lime juice
-canola oil
soak the steak in for 6 hours!

Chicken in Tamarind Sauce

I tried a new ingredient today. I like tamarind soup in SE Asian restaurants, so I opted to buy some and try it!
Today I made a simple stir fry with tamarind, garlic, ginger, fish sauce all in one.

I used chicken with corn starch to soften, and some veggies like carrots, celery, basil, onion, straw mushrooms.

Monday Blues

A busy day, a speeding ticket, and PMS all hit at once. This calls for ultimate comfort food!

A quick and easy mac and cheese with some cheese to spare:

macaroni with salt and pepper
add grated cheddar, machego, parmesean (all at hand)

toss in some fresh basil leaves for a green kick.

serve with a glass of red wine for the ultimate Monday night feast!

Friday Fast and Furious Stir Fries

Rice Cakes (shanghainese style)

-soak defrosted rice cake for 30 minutes in cold water
-soak dried shitake mushrooms in warm water (not in glass bowl people!)
-slice napa cabbage

1. put in mushroom water into wok, boil down to concentrate umami flavors
2. put in rice cake, sliced mushrooms, napa
3. season to liking with oyster sauce, pepper, salt, sugar
4. use some corn starch to thicken
5. serve!

Stir Fried Shrimp
-defrost shrimp under running water
-slice ginger, green onion, garlic

1. heat oil in wok, toss in aromatics
2. stir in shrimp
3. top with oyster sauce, sugar, cooking rice wine
4. cook quickly until sauce evenly coats shrimp and shrimp all pink
5. serve!

Look at how easy it was (all done in less than 30minutes, and so good all eaten in less than 30 minutes!)

Another weekday craving satisfied: clam chowder

I didn't get home until 7pm. I had to stop by and get half and half, and of course that meant I ended up getting some extra ingredients for more cooking.

Here's what I got ($48) at Lucky's
4 cans of green chiles (for chili)
2 cans of black beans
4 bags of cookies (milano, brussels)
teeny pint of ice cream
loaf of bread
celery
napa cabbage
half and half
strawberries
rotiserrie chicken
eggs

This should fetch me at least 3-4 meals.
Meal plan:
rotisserie chicken shredded into enchilada (what I ate for dinner)
clam chowder (used potatoes, onions from home, celery ribs for stock, canned clams from home)
pair with bread
stir fry rice cake -asian style with napa and mushrooms (still at home)

So tomorrow for lunch, I get to bring:

BBQ, Asian Style

All right, what would a Sunday be without lots of cooking?

We made: pork ribs, flank steak, french fries.
Then I made: leeks with beef, and yu-chai.
This should be enough food for the next few days (lunches and dinners)
We will use the leftover flank steak for quesadillas and burritos.
I cooked brown rice to eat with the stir fry for lunch. yummy!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

In celebration of the weather and 5th of May, we've got a little Latin theme going on.

Sangria (fresh strawberries, frozen mango, fresh orange) some bottled dry red table wine (no need for pricey stuff here) and grape juice (we had white grape, but traditionally it's made with red grape juice-use whatever you have!) Let it meld into the fruit a bit (fridge for 1-2 hours at least) then serve!

Quesadillas (I used wheat tortillas from TJ's, you can use whatever you prefer-white flour, corn, etc) and I also had sharp cheddar (other cheeses work too) I tossed in some avocado and used greek yogurt as substitute for sour cream. the boy added some hot sauce. simple and fast lunch!

Tonight we're barbequeing!

Oh how long it's been, my long lost friend: Trader Joe's

I haven't had time to grocery shop in a very long time. Whenever I send the boy, he returns with very little to show for it.
Here's what I got today.

Farmer's Market $10
yu-chai (chinese veggie)
leeks
green leaf lettuce
strawberries!

Trader Joes $115
steak tips (for stir fry)
deli meat (pastrami, turkey)
ground turkey (for stuffed peppers, maybe some quesadillas too)
tortillas (see above)
cheddar cheese
cream cheese x2
manchego cheese for snacking
eggs
soy milk x2
orange juice
lemonade
pomegranate limeade (it's pool and sangria time people!)
baguette
basil plant
4 cans of stone clams (for clam chowder all the time)
crimini mushrooms
cereal x2
frozen burrito x3 pkg
bananas (with above strawberries-delish smoothie!)
almonds for snacking
2 bags tortilla (medley of flavors here)
frozen mahi mahi (for grilling or baking)

Today's lunch:
leftover brown rice, canned tuna, avocado, tossed with lemon juice, garlic infused olive oil, pepper, a little mayo, over bed of green leaf lettuce for lunch. delish!

A Little of This, A Little of That

Mapa Tofu to the Rescue!
We ran out of white rice so we cooked brown rice for a nice change of pace.
Then we steamed some brussel sprouts with a balsamic vinegar, olive oil and sea salt. delish!

Next up on my menu for the week: stuffed bell peppers (to use the bounty of veggies the boy's mom brought over last week)