Slumber Party

   So far this week, I have been to the grocery store every single day.   Partly because I have failed to plan ahead, but primarily because I can’t stand to be in the grocery store for longer than 15 minutes at a time.   This is the kind of logic I’m operating under:  I don’t like to go to the grocery store, therefore I go every day.   On some level it makes sense.  I think it’s the idea that you can endure anything in small doses.  But it’s going to have to change because apparently my somewhat atypical shopping habits are starting to attract the attention of store employees.  Yesterday when I walked into Weis, some guy who appeared to be the manager actually said to me, "We're going to have give you a job here pretty soon."  So the options are: a.) get my act together and start going to the grocery store once or twice a week like a normal person; b.) start shopping somewhere else; or c.) continue to go Weis, but go incognito.  

   Fortunately, today I have everything I need for dinner.  That’s because I didn’t actually make the dinner I purchased yesterday.   On the way home from the grocery store, I stopped by my friend’s house to pick up the girls and ended up coming home with 6 of them instead of two.  I didn't think that serving lemony sautéed chicken breasts with artichokes and capers to a bunch of kids at a slumber party would be the best idea.    Also , it would have meant going back to the grocery store for more chicken, and that was not going to happen.    So I stopped by the deli and picked up some subs; the full menu was:

Assorted Subs

(Italian, Grilled Chicken BLT, Turkey, and Roast Beef)

Potato Chips

Crudite with Ranch Dip

Cantaloupe

   So tonight we’ll be having the chicken and rice that I planned for yesterday.  And tomorrow…. Well, that’s another day.

Chicken and Rice

So I'm learning a lot about blogging.  For example, I have learned how to create a hyperlink.  Not only can I create one, but I know what the word means and I can use it appropriately in a sentence.  Maybe you've noticed, but I'm not the most tech savvy person in the world.   Truly tech savvy people probably don't even use phrases like "tech savvy".   Maybe I shouldn't either.  At any rate, I am not one of those people.  For example, I still have one of those old blue tracphones,  and half the time I don't even know where it is.  If you try to call me on it, there is a pretty good chance it will be answered by a sales associate at the mall, who wants to know who it belongs to and if you know how to get in touch with me.   It drives my friends crazy.   But hopefully, by the time anyone actually starts reading this blog I will have made some serious progress.  Maybe we'll even have pictures.  Cool, huh?

Ok, I still have no idea what I'm going to have for dinner, but since I've already made beef twice this week, let's go with chicken -- chicken and rice.  How nice.  Now I need recipes.  If I consult the internet, I will only end up drowning in a sea of endless chicken possibilities.   I don't have time to deal with that -- I'm supposed to be going to work.  In, like, thirty minutes.  Oh my gosh, the pressure!!  I don't need to see a hundred billion chicken recipes, I just need one good idea.  So I'm going to pick up the first cookbook I see and go with the first summery chicken recipe I find.  Luckily, this has turned out to be the Foster's Market Cookbook, one of my all-time favorites.... this should be good.  Alright then, tonight's dinner will be:

Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Artichokes, Lemons, and Capers

Herbed Rice

Honey Glazed Carrots

I picked carrots for my children's sake.  I'm not sure how they are going to feel about lemony chicken and artichokes and capers.  But I know they will like glazed carrots and rice.  And I think the sweet carrots will go nicely with the citrusy, somewhat acidic chicken.  Adding herbs to the rice will give us something green and make it prettier.  I was just looking over the side-dish recipes and I noticed they both contain lemon.  I definitely don't want everything to taste lemony, so I will:

1. Leave out the optional lemon zest in the rice. 

2. Substitute orange juice for the lemon juice in the glazed carrots, and omit the parsley (there's   enough of that going on in the rice.)

And since there is otherwise no source of calcium in this meal, I will make sure to offer the kids milk to drink (white or chocolate.)   

Now, do I have all the ingredients I need for this meal? No.  So I'm going to have to go back to the store again? Yes.  But I can deal with that.  I will take the children with me.   We will divide and conquer.  And we will not buy potato chips, gummy fruit snacks, cosmic brownies, and/or pink frosted cookies.  Nope, we won't.  On second thought, maybe I should go by myself.  Well, I'll have to worry about all that later; right now, I have to go to work! 

Dinner for Two

When my 9-year old heard that we were having Mexican Stuffed Shells for dinner last night, she was not very happy.  Her initial response was, and I quote, "Ew."  However, when it turned out that "Mexican Stuffed Shells" are basically Tacos in pasta form, she was very, very happy.  I think it's entirely possible that this recipe was invented by a child to trick her parents into inadvertently serving Tacos for dinner more often.  As a matter of fact, as I now recall, it was my 14-year old who suggested we try this recipe in the first place.  Hmmm.... ah well, conspiracy theories aside, it was a very good dish and enjoyed by all.  If I ever made it again I would probably use less cream cheese.  Or none, really.  In which case it would be even more taco-like than it already it is.  At any rate, I will NOT be making Tacos in any way, shape, or form for the rest of the week.  And I will regard any and all recipes submitted by my children with a high degree of suspicion.

So tonight, the children have gone to a friend's house for a sleepover, which means I am making dinner for two.  I had some corn leftover from last night that I wanted to use up, so here's what I am making:

Grilled New York Strip Steak with Corn and Tomato Relish  (recipe follows)

Creamy Horseradish Potato Salad
Grilled Asparagus

I chose a creamy potato dish to balance with the light and crunchy corn relish, and the asparagus for something green and simple, that could cook on the grill at the same time as the steak.  I usually cook the asparagus on the grill in a foil packet with a little salt and pepper.  Correction: I put the asparagus in a foil packet and my husband cooks it on the grill.  If he ever reads this blog he will not let me get away with that one.  He would be like, "Excuse me? And when have you ever set foot near a grill?"  Never.  I have never set foot near a grill.   I think we all know I would probably blow it up. I really should not even own a gas stove.  But that's a whole other story.  Anyway, the asparagus takes about 10 to 15 minutes to cook , depending on the thickness of the spears.   As for the potato salad, one-third of the recipe (1 pound of potatoes) is plenty for two people, with some leftover. It can also be served warm, so don't worry about needing time to chill it.


Grilled Strip Steaks with Corn and Tomato Relish

1 (12-oz) boneless beef top loin steak (New York Strip), trimmed

Montreal Steak Seasoning

Relish:

1 cup fresh corn kernels

½ cup chopped seeded tomato

1 green onion chopped

1 Tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

½ Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)

Fresh or dried basil (optional)

1. Let steak stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes prior to grilling.

2. Preheat grill.  Pat steak dry and season on both sides with steak seasoning.  Grill steak on lightly oiled grill rack for 4 – 5 minutes, then turn and grill for an additional 3-5 minutes for medium-rare (135 degrees on an instant read thermometer), or 5 to 7 minutes for medium (140 degrees).  Remove steak from grill and tent loosely with foil; allow to stand for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

3. Meanwhile, prepare relish.  Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and sauté corn for 5 minutes (if you are using leftover corn that has already been cooked, you can skip this step.) Remove from the heat and add the remaining ingredients.

2.   Slice steak thinly and top with corn relish.  Serves 2.

My Dinner Problem

  So, here is the problem.   Actually, let's begin with what the problem is not.  The problem is not that I am incapable of coming up with a well-balanced dinner menu.  I am totally capable. I have been doing it for a long time.  The problem is, sometimes I wish somebody else would do it.  Sometimes I try asking other people to do it, such as my children.   I don't know why I keep trying to ask the children because all they keep saying is "Tacos!"  I like Tacos, but if we have them every single day of our lives forever, we will all hate them sooner or later.  Probably sooner.  So sometimes, I ask my husband.  My husband usually says, "Whatever the kids want", which brings us right back to Tacos.   Or sometimes he says, "How about something for the grill?"  This is not really an answer.  I need specifics.  Specifically, what kind of protein would you like? How do you want it seasoned?  Dry rub, sauce, glaze, marinade, brine?  Do you have a recipe for that?  And what will we have to go with it?  There's the kicker.  What exactly are we going to have to go with it? What would go with it?  A recommendation I frequently read is "Serve with a simple tossed salad and a baguette."  And it's a great recommendation. Super easy.  But I already did that yesterday.   

  Sometimes I ask my friends what I should make for dinner.  Maybe they're getting tired of this line of questioning.  The other day one of them actually handed me a package of spaghetti and a jar of vodka sauce right out of her cupboard.  I love my friends.  They are always there for me.  Of course, I couldn't exactly ask her, "Do you have any protein to go with that?"   I have also tried asking the internet.  The internet does not seem to understand my problem.  I don't really need a hundred billion recipes for what to do with chicken breasts.  A hundred billion recipes will not solve my dinner problem.  What I need is well-balanced and varied total-package dinner MENUS.

  As far as I can tell, nobody else is going to solve my dinner problem for me.  I will have to continue to solve it myself.  But maybe, just maybe, I can help solve somebody else's dinner problems in the process.  Maybe I can take something that is already challenging and make it even more challenging by writing a blog about it.  I am not sure why I think this is a good idea.  But anyway, here is what I propose to do:  Every week, I will plan at least 6 dinner menus, sometimes 7.  They will be well-balanced and varied.  They will not include a "simple tossed salad and a baguette" more than once a week.   They will be affordable; they will have to be, because they will be the menus I am actually going to serve my family. They will not (usually) take forever to make.  They will always include at least one thing that can reasonably be expected to please most children most of the time, and which they can fill up on if all else fails.  In other words, I will try to be considerate of the children, without catering to them.  I will give them plenty of opportunities to expand their nutritional horizons.

I should probably tell you at this point that I am a nutritionist, that is, a Registered Dietitian.  Don't let that scare you.  I promise you that I have never once cooked one of those bland or boring, yet nutritionally virtuous meals that people often associate with healthful eating.  I have, on the other hand, been known to serve a Chocolate Pecan Babka for dinner.  In a totally balanced way.  Because I am an educated professional, I can make a balanced meal out of almost anything, even frosting.  (I'm just kidding about the frosting.  Sort of.)

OK, so let's get things started with the first meal.  Tonight for dinner I am going to make:

Mexican Stuffed Shells

Corn Off the Cob
Green Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette
(there it is, you won't see it again for another week, I promise)

All the bases are covered.  We have ground beef for protein, pasta shells for carbohydrate, and two vegetables (one is starchy, one is not; one is cooked, and one is raw), as well as a source of calcium.   The shells are rich, and the sides are light.  The corn is a second carbohydrate in this meal; technically you only need one.  You could omit the corn and still have a balanced meal.  I've included it because it provides more variety which makes the meal more interesting, and because corn just seems to go with Mexican foods.  It's sweetness is a nice balance to spicy flavors.

The nutritionist in me wants me to tell you that I purchased lean ground beef and light cream cheese for this recipe.  I will probably not put sour cream on it, because I just don't think it needs it.  I'm using fresh corn and cutting it off the cob, because it is August and corn is in season and our local farm has the most wonderful corn in the whole wide world.  And because I obviously have a lot of time on my hands today.  If I didn't, or if corn weren't in season, I would use frozen.  To cook it, saute the corn over medium-low heat in a small amount of butter for about 8-10 minutes, and season with salt and pepper.

At this point, I have no idea what I'm going to have for dinner tomorrow, let alone the rest of the week, but I will get working on that right away.  As soon as I figure it out I'll let you know.   :)