At the beginning of the school year, I began to get really into cooking. Surfing for recipes online and asking Mom about my favorite dishes became routine for me. My friends and I began cooking together once a week and worked up to making some pretty elaborate dishes--like pistachio crusted salmon with a lemon creme sauce and a beef stew recipe I can't even pronounce. The upside: we were able to set aside time together each week. The downside: the recipes took forever. I quickly realized that cooking a sophisticated and healthy dinner each night wouldn't be possible, so I reverted back to my go-to meals of Chick-fil-A and SpaghettiOs most nights.
Starting the New Year, my goal is to have healthy meals for myself most nights by cooking realistic dishes, entrees that make good leftovers and those that don't need hours of attention. One strategy I've come up with is making a meal on Sunday and one midweek. The Sunday meal can serve as a leftover in the days following, and the midweek meal can serve as a leftover in the coming weekend.
Sunday, I made my mom's vegetable soup. Soups are great because they require a minimal amount of steps and sometimes all the ingredients can be thrown in together. This soup in particular is great because I am able to get a good source of meat and vegetables all in one meal. To pair with the soup I made Jiffy cornbread, a mix that can be found on the cooking aisle in the grocery store. The recipe serves approximately six single servings.
Tonight I am planning on making another recipe of my mom's and my favorite entree, chicken and cheese rolls. Chicken and cheese wrapped inside crescent rolls with a cream of chicken glaze on top is another easy entree that tastes delicious. To get some vegetables in the meal, I usually stir-fry squash, mushrooms and green bell peppers. While the leftover vegetables may only last until the next day, they can be eaten as a snack, and the chicken rolls will last into the weekend and could be paired with a baked potato.
I also try to utilize the deli at grocery stores. Rotisserie chicken and turkey breast are great entrees that can be bought already prepared. Twice baked potatoes can be found there, as well as fresh bread. Mix and match these items, throw in a banana and there's another complete meal that required little effort.
Although I do still enjoy Chick-fil-A and SpaghettiOs, I try to save them for one day or night a week instead of several.
Vegetable soup:
Ingredients:
1 pound of hamburger meat
2 cans of Vegeall
1 can of tomato juice
Directions:
1. Brown the meat, seasoning it with garlic salt, basil and pepper
2. Pour in both cans of Vegeall, including the juice
3. Bring pot to a boil and stir
4. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally
Chicken and cheese rolls:
Ingredients:
1 can of crescent rolls
2 cans of Swanson chicken
Cheddar cheese (shredded)
1 can of cream of chicken soup
Basil
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix half a can of water with half a can of soup and coat the bottom of the casserole dish
3. Roll out the crescent rolls flat and place the chicken and cheese inside
4. Roll the crescent rolls back together and place them in the dish
5. Pour the rest of the water and soup mixture on top and sprinkle a little basil.
6. Bake for 35 minutes
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