Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

March 26, 2006 By Fausta

Sunday blogging: Dinner

Front-page article in today’s NYT: Meals That Moms Can Almost Call Their Own, talks about the latest fad, meal assembly centers, where

families like the Robbinses prepare two weeks’ worth of dinners they can call their own with little more effort than it takes to buy a rotisserie chicken and a bag of salad.

While I certainly applaud the entrepreneurial inventiveness of the people who came up with the meal assembly center concept (and of course, there’s the socializing factor of cooking with several other families) here’s my take: you can do this yourself in less time.

Due to sugar intolerance and soy and MSG allergies, I can’t eat most “prepared” meals. By prepared I mean anything with added sugar, MSG, or with soy in its many forms (soy sauce, tofu, miso, etc.). Pick up a can of Campbell’s Soup, read the ingredients, and you’ll see why I have to prepare my own. Aside from that, we’re not talking rocket science. A simple meal takes, at the most, 20 minutes to prepare.

In addition to a salad, think of dinner as three things: a protein, a starch and a vegetable; Ideally, two vegetables (one starchy, one not starchy) and a protein.

Here’s the shopping list: By all means buy a bag of salad. It saves you shopping, washing, and cutting time.
Also buy a bag of frozen vegetables for each day of the week, with a different vegetable for each day.
For starches, any kind of potato, acorn squash, rice, whole-grain pasta, noodles.
For a protein, boned chicken breasts, meat, pork chops, fish, lamb. You can broil any of these, or pan-fry on canola oil (which has no cholesterol and doesn’t burn easily).
If you’re having fish, buy it and cook it immediately. Don’t keep fish overnight.
A jar of prepared pasta sauce (in my case, making sure it has no sugar or soy)
A jar of gravy. Franco-American makes a turkey gravy with no soy, MSG, or sugar.
Canola oil, butter, salt, pepper.
A steamer that you can use for cooking rice or pasta in the bottom section while steaming vegetables on top.
A tenderizing mallet.
A cast-iron frying pan. If you prefer non-stick stainless, fine.
A broiler pan.
Aluminum foil

Like I said, think of dinner as three things: a protein, a starch and a vegetable; Ideally, two vegetables (one starchy, one not starchy) and a protein.

Here’s a simple meal in twenty minutes:
Fill the bottom of the steamer with water, and add 1/2 cup of frozen vegetables per person to the top section. Place on a high flame. As soon as the water boils, add 1/4 cup of rice per person to the boiling water. Make sure you have 3 x the amount of water for the amount of rice. Bring down the flame so the water doesn’t spill over.
If you have no allergies, you may add two bullion cubes to the water. (However, all bullion cubes have at least one of my three no-nos, i.e., sugar, MSG, or soy, so I’d have to buy organic broth, which gets pricey and is much better used for soup.)
Add 2 tbs canola oil to a hot cast-iron frying pan (heating the pan before you add the oil prevents the food from sticking). Take 1/2 boneless chicken breast per serving, pound with a mallet, add salt and pepper, and place in oil, on a medium flame. Cover. Set kitchen timer on 10 minutes
After 10 minutes, turn the chicken over. Cover again. Set timer on 10 minutes again.
Distribute salad on salad plates.
When the timer rings, the vegetables and the chicken will be done. I have everybody serve themselves in the kitchen, straight from the cooking pans, but it you want to have serving plates, by all means, place the chicken and the vegetables each on their serving plate. Drain the rice, add butter. If you haven’t set the table, have each person pick up their utensils and napkins right next to the dinner plates.
Dinner’s ready.
NOTE: If you have teens in the house, DOUBLE THE AMOUNTS. Trust me on this.

If, instead of frying, you’re broiling, always place aluminum foil on the bottom part of the broiling pan so it’s easier to clean.

If you want to have even more veg, buy a bag of coleslaw (cabbage, broccoli, or red cabbage), and a jar of Lemonnaise. Mix and serve.

The following day, follow the same procedure, but make sure you have a different vegetable, a different starch and a different protein. To avoid repetition, keep track by making a list of what you have prepared each day by date. Keep the list on the refrigerator door.
For instance, cook some noodles (read the cooking time so you don’t overcook them and they turn into laundry starch), warm up the gravy, and serve together, along with steamed green beans and pork chops.

If you have more time, oven-bake the potatoes, or cut the acorn squash in half, add a pat of butter, and bake for an hour (half a squash per person).
If you’re feeling fancy, sautee mushrooms and onions before you add the meat.

Like I said, it isn’t rocket science.

The hard part is coming home from work exhausted and having to start dinner, which is hard enough. What I’m saying is that simplifying the menu and making sure you have the ingredients in advance will save you an even more exhausting, and more time-consuming last-minute trip to the supermarket right after you get off from work.

For “guidelines on choosing a dinner menu” see page 57 of the housekeeping bible:

Share

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Tweets by @Fausta
retirees_raise-2015_300x250

Pages

  • About
  • Email

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Previous Posts

  • Mrs. Maisel goes full Alinsky on Mrs. Schlafly
  • Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • You need to unfriend me
  • Go ahead and Kiss the Girl, if you dare
  • Ashamed

Recent Comments

  • John on Mrs. Maisel goes full Alinsky on Mrs. Schlafly
  • Today’s hot topics: Democrats’ collusion shift, tax-return rift, Venezuela drift, and more! – PoliticalWitchDoctor.com on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Today’s hot topics: Democrats’ collusion shift, tax-return rift, Venezuela drift, and more! - AmericanTruthToday on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Did Venezuela’s Minister of Defense Back Out At The Last Minute? on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Roseanne Not Back, Khan not Invited, Operaman’s back, Jobs back, Fausta’s back (but not here yet) Thoughts under the fedora – Da Tech Guy Blog on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?

Archives

  • 2019
    • December 2019
    • May 2019
    • January 2019
  • 2018
    • December 2018
    • October 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
  • 2017
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
  • 2016
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
  • 2015
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
  • 2014
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
  • 2013
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
  • 2012
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • October 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • March 2012
    • February 2012
    • January 2012
  • 2011
    • December 2011
    • November 2011
    • October 2011
    • September 2011
    • August 2011
    • July 2011
    • June 2011
    • May 2011
    • April 2011
    • March 2011
    • February 2011
    • January 2011
  • 2010
    • December 2010
    • November 2010
    • October 2010
    • September 2010
    • August 2010
    • July 2010
    • June 2010
    • May 2010
    • April 2010
    • March 2010
    • February 2010
    • January 2010
  • 2009
    • December 2009
    • November 2009
    • October 2009
    • September 2009
    • August 2009
    • July 2009
    • June 2009
    • May 2009
    • April 2009
    • March 2009
    • February 2009
    • January 2009
  • 2008
    • December 2008
    • November 2008
    • October 2008
    • September 2008
    • August 2008
    • July 2008
    • June 2008
    • May 2008
    • April 2008
    • March 2008
    • February 2008
    • January 2008
  • 2007
    • December 2007
    • November 2007
    • October 2007
    • September 2007
    • August 2007
    • July 2007
    • June 2007
    • May 2007
    • April 2007
    • March 2007
    • February 2007
    • January 2007
  • 2006
    • December 2006
    • November 2006
    • October 2006
    • September 2006
    • August 2006
    • July 2006
    • June 2006
    • May 2006
    • April 2006
    • March 2006
    • February 2006
    • January 2006
  • 2005
    • December 2005
    • November 2005
    • October 2005
    • September 2005
    • August 2005
    • July 2005
    • June 2005
    • May 2005
    • April 2005
    • March 2005
    • February 2005
    • January 2005
  • 2004
    • December 2004
    • November 2004
    • October 2004
    • September 2004
    • August 2004
    • July 2004
    • June 2004
    • May 2004
    • April 2004
    • March 2004
Content Copyright Fausta's Blog

Site Developed and Managed by 300m.com