Whatcha Got Cooking

The idea came as a last ditch effort to prepare Tennie to nourish herself before moving into her first apartment. I set a summer goal to have the girls take turns making dinner with ingredients I had prepped in the fridge. Well, I got around to prepping those ingredients ONCE before Adele and I left for Hawaii at the beginning of summer and never quite got organized enough to do it again. And the girls didn't make one single meal, except maybe warming some chicken nuggets. Not one of my best goal-achieving summers...

But I did get around to creating a cookbook for Tennie with all of our favorite family recipes, and at the beginning I included this concept of prepping ingredients once a week and making quick whatcha-got meals during the week. It also includes how to divide and freeze ingredients so nothing goes to waste, and some basic recipes using the ingredients. Will she do it? TBD. But I thought I would share it here for future reference.

INGREDIENTS TO HAVE PREPPED IN THE FRIDGE/FREEZER:

Corn tortillas*

Regular tortillas*

Bread*

Bagels*

Pizza crusts*

Costco frozen, cubed potatoes*

Sweet potatoes, cubed*

Cooked rice

Cooked noodles

Chicken, cooked and cubed or shredded*

Ground sausage, cooked*

Bacon, cooked and chopped*

Pepperoni*

Eggs

Cheese, cheddar and mozzarella* (NOTE: Vegan brand Violife is delish!)

Romaine lettuce, washed and chopped (NOTE: to keep fresh once washed and chopped, place a damp paper towel in the Ziplock or container with the lettuce.)

Cabbage (NOTE: buy packed coleslaw)

Red cabbage, washed and chopped (NOTE: a produce person will often cut a cabbage and give you only ½ or even less. Just ask.)

Garlic and Onions, scallions, shallots and/or leeks, chopped (NOTE: buy pre-chopped onions and garlic when available)*

Bell peppers, washed and chopped*

Broccoli, washed and chopped*

Asparagus, washed and broken and chopped*

Zucchini, washed and quartered*

Sugar snap peas, washed and chopped*

Cilantro

Limes

Baby carrots

Celery

You get the idea…

* Divide and freeze in smaller batches. Make sure veggies are dry before cutting and freezing so they don’t freeze in a big clump.

INGREDIENTS & TOOLS TO HAVE IN THE PANTRY/FRIDGE:

Olive oil

Butter 

Balsamic vinegar

Red wine vinegar

Pizza sauce

             Pesto sauce

             OrganicVille BBQ sauce (sugar-free)

             Tamari sauce or coconut liquid aminos (soy free)

Salsa

             Rapunzel vegetable bouillon

             Black beans, garbanzo beans, pinto beans

Amy’s refried black beans

             Canned lentils

             Thai Kitchen Thin Rice Noodles

             Pasta

Coconut milk

Mayo or Veganaise

Dijon mustard

Ketchup

Curry powder, garlic powder, onion powder, Mexican seasoning, oregano, cinnamon

Vanilla

Cashews

Honey

Maple Syrup

Peanut butter

Tortilla chips

GF flour

Oats

Baking powder

Baking soda

Salt & pepper

Parchment paper

Tinfoil

Saran wrap

Ziplock freezer bags, small and medium

Ziplock regular storage bags, all sizes

Kitchen scissors

Can opener

Peeler

Lemon juicer

BREAKFAST IDEAS

Protein smoothie

Sour cream pancakes

Blender waffles

French toast

German pancakes

Fried and ham on toast

Scrambled eggs with sausage and veggies

Mexican scramble or burrito

Quiche

Frittata

Japanese pizza

Kale, egg and wild rice

Veggies and sausage with hash browns

Yogurt, granola and berries

Oatmeal

DINNER IDEAS

Veggie & meat pizza

BBQ Chicken pizza

Asian stir-fry bowl, salad or soup

Fried rice

Curry

Mexican bowl, salad or soup

Tacos

Nachos

Veggie quesadilla

Pasta salad

Bacon, egg & spinach salad

Chicken soup

Lentil soup

  

LUNCH IDEAS

Nachos

Quesadilla with refried beans and/or chicken

Bagel pizza

Tuna melt

Grilled cheese with tomato soup

Veggies with hummus and Ranch

Salami or ham with cheese and crackers

Pesto chicken sandwich

Ham and Swiss on a croissant

Bagel and cream cheese

Turkey & veggie wrap

We bought Tennie the essential tools for enjoyable cooking, filled up her pantry to get her started, and left her armed with everything necessary to eat well. Here's hoping!