This week I got a great buy on a pork tenderloin, cooked turkey breast, and chicken. If its close to the sell by date they reduce the price. In this case it was under three dollars for the pork tenderloin. When that happens I buy a few and stick them in the freezer. They thaw out overnight in the refrigerator and cook fast for a busy weeknight meal. The precooked turkey breast is a generous piece of meat that costs around $12 that I stretch over a week and a half to two week period. I keep my refrigerator cool enough so it doesn’t go bad. I like buying it when I need food fast due to a busy schedule. Most of my meals for weekdays generally take around 30 minutes to prepare, like the poor mans risotto. The chicken was a good buy that I cut in half and used for two nights.

SUNDAY
Brunch Quiche or frittata, fruit salad
Dinner Turkey salad lettuce cups, fruit

MONDAY
Breakfast Granola, orange or clementine
Lunch cheese sandwich, carrot sticks
Dinner asparagus soup, fruit

TUESDAY
Breakfast Granola, orange
Lunch peanut butter sandwich, fruit
Dinner poor mans risotto, fruit

WEDNESDAY
Breakfast granola, orange
Lunch turkey sandwich, fruit
Dinner roasted vegetables with pork tenderloin , fresh fruit

THURSDAY
Breakfast Breakfast sandwich, orange
Lunch asparagus soup, carrots
Dinner leftovers or chef salad,fruit

FRIDAY
Breakfast granola hot or cold, orange or clementine
Lunch turkey sandwich fruit
Dinner baked cod with roasted potatoes and asparagus

SATURDAY
Brunch Breakfast hash or poached eggs and toast, orange
Dinner grilled chicken, potato salad, grilled asparagus, fruit

SHOPPING LIST
Turkey breast, asparagus, pork tenderloin, chicken, potatoes, bread, cheese, fruit

You’ve heard of a hot dish your mother or grandmother might have made called poor mans chow mien. If not you can find the recipe on the web. This dish resembles risotto but without all the fuss. Thus the name poor mans risotto. Instead of stirring and adding warm chicken broth for what seems like hours I simply did this in one pot and it took 35-40 minutes to cook but very little stirring. I started with a 6 oz. packet of long grain and wild rice mix that I buy on sale usually around a dollar or so and store in the pantry. I cooked the rice with the flavor packet per the instructions with the lid on for 20 min. In the mean time I cut up the fresh asparagus (about 8-10 spears) into bite size pieces and cubed the cooked turkey breast (about 1-2 cups) also into bite size pieces. When the rice was finished I added a 10.5 oz can of cream of mushroom soup along with a third of a can of water. Because the rice was seasoned with the flavor packet I didn’t add any other seasoning to this dish. I mixed in the asparagus and turkey along with a half cup of shredded cheese. I had colby jack on hand and used that. You could use parmesan or cheddar or any cheese of your liking. I let the dish simmer on low for 10-15 min until it was warmed through and the asparagus were tender. Serve and enjoy.

This week I got a great buy on a sirloin steak for $5 It was delicious and big enough for two stir fry meals. I had lots of rice in my pantry and thought it was time to put it to good use. I also got the grill out and cut a chicken in half and roasted it in a spatchcock style. It really helps the even cooking. It has lots of flavor and enough leftovers for two more meals. Chicken salad and using left over chicken and rice for fried rice. The prep/cooking time on these meals left more time to be out in the garden. If you’ve noticed I’m still eating the cod. Trying to eat more fish in my diet. Also trying to do a meatless Monday and see how that works for me. My favorite dessert right now is a sliced banana sprinkled with granola and skim milk.

SUNDAY
Brunch Quiche, or Frittata, fruit salad
Dinner Spatchcock roasted or grilled chicken, roasted fresh asparagus, salad, fruit

MONDAY
Breakfast Granola, orange or clementine
Lunch cheese sandwich, carrot sticks
Dinner baked cod, roasted vegetables, fruit

TUESDAY
Breakfast Granola, orange
Lunch peanut butter sandwich, fruit
Dinner beef with pea pods, rice, fruit

WEDNESDAY
Breakfast granola, orange
Lunch salami sandwich, fruit
Dinner roasted chicken salad in lettuce cups, fresh fruit

THURSDAY
Breakfast Breakfast sandwich, orange
Lunch chef salad, carrots
Dinner chicken fried rice, fruit

FRIDAY
Breakfast granola hot or cold, orange or clementine
Lunch cheese sandwich fruit
Dinner pizza, salad

SATURDAY
Brunch Breakfast hash or poached eggs and toast, orange
Dinner beef asparagus mushroom stir fry, rice, fruit

SHOPPING LIST
Whole chicken,beef steak, pea pods, mushrooms,, lettuce, milk, eggs, bread, cheese, fruit

This is similar to other hash recipes on this blog but it starts with raw chicken cut into bite sized cubes. The secret is cooking at a high heat and cutting everything in the dish to approximately the same size. If you love peppers (green, red, hot) add them to this dish. It is a great brunch dish but also just as good at dinner. Who doesn’t like breakfast for dinner every once in a while. Sprinkle some hot sauce on the eggs before serving.

Chicken Hash
Prep Time 10 min
Cooking Time 35 min
Ingredients
1 boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite size cubes
2 medium potatoes diced
1/2 medium onion diced
4 oz Fresh Mushrooms sliced
(add diced red, green, or hot pepper if desired)
2-4 eggs
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
Dice the vegetables and cube the chicken and put in a roasting pan toss with a couple of tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread so they lie flat in the pan.

Put roasting pan in oven set the timer for ten minutes. When timer goes off stir the hash. Set timer for another ten minutes. When timer goes off stir hash. At this time crack the eggs over the top of the hash. Salt and pepper. Return to oven for 3-5 minutes depending on how runny you like your yolk. Make sure the whites are cooked thoroughly and opaque. When eggs are finished to your liking remove and serve. Sprinkle on hot sauce to taste.

This week I found that I had an extra chicken breast left over from a pack of three. Rather than freeze it I’ve been wanting to have chicken hash. Sometimes breakfast for dinner makes for a relaxing meal. It’s similar to the other hash meals but I start with a raw chicken breast rather than cooked chicken. The secret is to cut the chicken into bite size cubes for faster cooking time. Also I found a great buy on pork tenderloin. I like to stock up on them when I do because they freeze well and cook in 30 minutes

SUNDAY
Brunch Scrambled eggs, toast, fruit salad
Dinner Chicken breasts roasted with mayo and Parmesan cheese, roasted vegetables

MONDAY
Breakfast Granola, orange or clementine
Lunch peanut butter sandwich, carrot sticks
Dinner white bean salad,leftover roasted vegetables with aioli, fruit

TUESDAY
Breakfast Granola, orange
Lunch salami sandwich, fruit
Dinner cauliflower soup, fruit

WEDNESDAY
Breakfast granola, orange
Lunch peanut butter sandwich, fruit
Dinner chicken hash, fresh fruit

THURSDAY
Breakfast breakfast sandwich, orange
Lunch cauliflower soup, carrots
Dinner baked cod with roasted potatoes, salad, fruit

FRIDAY
Breakfast granola hot or cold, orange or clementine
Lunch cheese sandwich fruit
Dinner pizza, salad (make a big bowl of popcorn and watch a movie)

SATURDAY
Brunch Breakfast hash or poached eggs and toast, orange
Dinner pork tenderloin, asparagus, salad fruit

SHOPPING LIST
Chicken breasts,pork tenderloin, asparagus, cauliflower, romaine, eggs, bread, cheese, fruit