Food options

Tonight I'm stuffing chicken breasts with light laughing cow cheese, browning them then adding a jar of salsa and simmering until cooked. I'll have it will a chopped salad.

Probably a goats stew. If I feel like going out. Currently on vacation.

I've been fighting a low-key migraine (treated, but stubborn), so my appetite has been weird. I had a tiny portion of pasta with frozen broccoli and cheese sauce, a big bowl of arugula and red cabbage salad, and a big bowl of watermelon.

Dairy free gluten free Bacon & Cheddar Crustless Quiche w/ green bean almondine.

I eat whatever meat thats on sale. I dont want to use much money since I have to eat alot. For me I only eat for the macros to hit. Probably not what most people like, but.

Some family favorites my family enjoys:

French dip sandwiches
Spaghetti
Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans
Homemade pizza
Pork schnitzel with sweet potato casserole
Crock pot chicken alfredo
Spicy peanut chicken with rice
Jambalaya
Sautéed summer sausage with au gratin potatoes
Baked salmon with garlic butter and broccoli
Pancakes, eggs and bacon

I have an excel document where I track 50 different meals we eat, with the dates eaten over the last year. Some we eat every month; some may go 2-3 months between serving. We try to rotate as best we can, so any given week we have two beef meals, one pork meal, two chicken meals, one non-meat meal, and one wild card that can be from any category, cater to holidays/special events, or dine out.

Now that the weather is getting cooler, I've started cooking a bit indoors again. I've even run the oven. I'm looking forward to more pots of beans and more roasted vegetables.

Tonight I sliced a shallot, some celery, and some garlic. I put the shallot on saute, then added the celery. Eventually when the shallot was caramelizing, I added the garlic, some blended seafood and some hot chile. I deglazed with some sherry and gave a splash of coconut aminos. Pretty easy and pretty tasty. If I had more calories left and wanted a grain, I would have added brown rice or quinoa or maybe even some pasta.

Once it's cold out, I love roasted roots. Potatoes. Beets. Parsnips. Carrots. You name it. Slice, toss with oil and seasonings (salt, pepper, some kind of chile and usually garlic powder), pop it in the convection oven and turn once during cooking. Delish. Sliced onions roast up really nice too. Roasted cauliflower is really really good; broccoli is pretty good too.

Butternut squash soup is another good one. Very easy in the pressure cooker. I like to add a can of salmon when it's done (with skin and bones) for more tastiness and protein.

Did I mention cooking barley with split peas? I like hulless barley. It takes longer to cook than pearl barley, but it's better.

When I cook beans, I usually cook a whole lot. I make bean soup with some of them, and I often make a bean "salad" as well. It's more salad than beans, but for sure there's lots of beans. Also broccoli, shallot, celery, sweet bell of various colors, maybe even some jicama. Mmmm. Parsley goes good in that too. My immersion blender makes it super easy to make the bean soup. I try to pull some whole beans out and set them aside and add them back in after I puree the rest so there's some tasty bits in there too. Black bean makes really good soup.

If I go diving and bring back Dungeness crab, I like to cook them and just eat them. If I have a lot of them, I'll pick some of them and mix them up as if I were making crab cakes, although I skip the mayo. I put the mix in ramekins, top with a little panko, and bake. Deviled crab. Just as good as crab cakes, but not fried. If I have to buy crabs, I just eat them by themselves. So tasty. Commercial crab season is just a few months away around here.

For a special treat, boil some water with a bit of salt and a little baking soda. Cut potatoes into one-inch cubes. Boil in the treated water very briefly, then drain, toss with oil and seasonings and roast. They get really tasty on the outside. The alkaline water makes a mush layer on the outside that soaks up the oil and gets oh so good. Serve with anything.

So many options.

Chicken and veggies...