BBQ beef brisket, minestrone soup, pizza pasta, vegetarian bowl, sausages with roasted cabbage and potatoes, persian turkey burgers
Raise your hand if you're finding cooking with what you have on hand a bit of a trial these days. I think it's especially difficult if you're used to keeping just what you need for a few days in your fridge or pantry and running out to the store every other day. When we were encouraged to buy just what we need for a week or two, even I struggled to come up with a complete list, in spite of meal planning.
One thing I did do ahead of time was to use an hour or so and inventory my pantry, cupboards, and freezer so I knew what I had. Next, I made a list of recipes that I could make using things I already had, or that only needed a couple of things to round out the rest of the ingredients.
The way I look at it, we have two choices - we can either be upset and frustrated with the way things are or accept them and try and move forward. I am doing my best to keep moving forward and that means thinking about cooking with what I have on hand as a fun challenge or maybe even an adventure. Take the beef brisket I cooked on Sunday. I had found a recipe I wanted to make a few weeks ago, and as sometimes happens with me, I quickly skimmed the recipe ahead of time and thought I had everything I needed. Fast forward to when I was actually ready to cook it, and surprise, surprise, I didn't have any barbecue sauce. I really debated running out to the store but given all of the social distancing measures we've been told to take, it seemed like a bit of a silly risk for only one thing. Instead, I used my handy dandy Google search engine to find a different recipe that used things I did have in the house.
If I'm honest, I'm kind of a stickler when it comes to having the exact ingredients a recipe calls for, but these days that isn't always an option. I'm trying to relax and give myself some space to stretch and try new things, like substituting what I have for something I don't. Most of you are probably not quite as anal as I am, and would be totally comfortable making substitutions on your own without any recipe advice, but I prefer to "follow the rules" when it comes to those.
Sidebar: I thought this was an interesting article about "How to Prepare a Healthy Pandemic Pantry", although it might have been handy ahead of time.
I'd love to hear how you're facing this "Coronavirus Pantry Challenge" - let me know what you've been making using what you have on hand.
On the menu March 22 - 28, 2020:
Sunday Slow Cooker Beef Brisket with BBQ Sauce with mashed potatoes, frozen mixed veg and coleslaw
Thanks to Trick's Creek Farm for another amazing cut of beef. I've never made brisket before, but I will definitely be making it again! My son is anxious to try it on the barbecue this summer. This homemade barbecue sauce was a little sweeter than I would normally choose, but it was so good. I made the brisket ahead of time and just warmed it up while the mashed potatoes and veggies cooked. Super tender and flavourful, (and apparently it tastes even better the next day.)
Monday Classic Minestrone Soup
I'd been wanting to make Minestrone Soup for a while, and I thought about getting some white kidney beans and zucchini when I was next at the store (you wouldn't believe how many Minestrone recipes call for both of those items!), but instead, I found a great recipe that allowed for a little more flexibility, calling for "seasonal vegetables". This recipe was awesome and I was able to use veggies I had on hand, like the last of a bag of frozen peas, some frozen butternut squash, and one potato. I substituted dark red kidney beans for the white cannellini beans all on my own (lol), and they tasted great. This soup was really hearty and flavourful and it made a lot so I could share with some friends (passed along at a safe distance!) and still have leftovers for us for one more meal.
Tuesday Pizza Pasta with green salad
This was delicious and super kid-friendly. Best of all it uses ingredients I think most of us likely have in our cupboards and freezers right now, except for maybe the pepperoni. I think you could even use pepperettes instead. If you like, you could also add other pizza topping ingredients, like olives, peppers or mushrooms. It's hard to go wrong with pasta, ground beef and mozzarella to begin with, but the pepperoni added a great punch of flavour. I had some turkey pepperoni in the freezer so I used that, along with my staple, organic, grass-fed ground beef from Trick's Creek Farm. My son will definitely be taking this recipe with him when he goes off to college. It serves 6, and stretches a few ingredients a long way!
Wednesday Autumn Glow Nourish Bowl
I've been grateful to be able to purchase some veggies and ingredients with a bit longer shelf life, like Brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes. Definitely helpful when trying to avoid going to the store frequently! This bowl made use of both of those ingredients, and also a few others that I had on hand, like tahini, dried cranberries, some roasted almonds, and quinoa. I did not have any pomegranate seeds and fresh pomegranates were not available, but President's Choice sells frozen pomegranate seeds. I didn't feel like parting with $4.99 to buy them right now, but they would have been nice to have. This bowl was very tasty and satisfying. Bonus - the author includes suggestions for other veggies you could add or use instead, as well as some sauce ingredient swaps that you could make to suit your taste or your pantry.
Thursday Leftovers / takeout / frozen pizza
I know this meal might seem a lot like last week's One Pan Roasted Kielbasa and Cabbage Dinner, but I promise, it tasted completely different. I omitted the nutmeg, upped the number of potatoes, and didn't have any fresh sage, but it was still really, really good. I used turkey honey garlic sausages because they're what I had on hand, but you could easily use your family's favourite sausage, as long as it goes with maple syrup and mustard. The sauce for this was super, albeit maybe not the healthiest. I was happy to use up the rest of the cabbage from last week, and it was nice to know I was serving something that was likely a bit more local.
Saturday Naked Persian Turkey Burgers
I didn't have the ingredients to make turkey burgers from scratch today, but I did have some pre-made ones in the freezer. Sometimes it's just really handy to have something that you can pull out and make last minute, and today was one of those times. I didn't have any mint either, so I adapted this recipe using ingredients I did have and made a Greek salad to go along with it. Delicious, refreshing and carb-less. If you're an emotional eater like some of us can be, this social distancing thing is definitely a challenge, and the news can be super stressful. I figure if I'm going to drown my sorrows in some ice cream later, I may as well eat a lower-calorie supper so I can justify that! lol
Wishing you and your loved ones health and safety, and sending you all a virtual hug today!
#quickandeasymeals #weeknightmeals #mealplanning #eatmoreveggies #alltheveggies #ilovesoup #soup #iloveveggies #trickscreekfarm #pickuplimes #allrecipes #cookieandkate
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