Planning Ahead

I find myself watching the Food Network daily, but fail to try any of the recipes shown on my favorite cooking shows. I make a note to myself, as I watch 30 Minute Meals, to look it up next time I am in the mood to cook. However, the chances of me remembering what meal made my mouth water are slim. Even when I do remember and manage to navigate through the website, after reading all the ingredients I need and how long it is going to take to cook, I end up throwing the idea out the window and resort to whatever I can eat right now (usually a Cup of Noodles).

Well, it dawned on me that planning ahead might help me solve this problem. From now on I spend parts of my free time building up a “recipe book”. I browse sites like Foodnetwork.com and Allrecipes.com for whatever looks easy and tasty, print them out, and put them in a folder. Then, I plan out what I am actually going to make for the next couple of weeks (usually one or two meals per week, because the left overs will last me through the week). Planning a week or two in advance makes grocery shopping easy and gets me motivated to cook. Picking out recipes ahead of time gives me something to look forward to and reduces my chances of eating instant meals or fast food.

Here is what I have planned out for this weekend and next week:

            Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic Chips

            Peanut Soba Noodles

            Spicy Teriyaki Chicken with Broccoli 

Cooking Tips

• Read the recipe from beginning to end. Make sure you have all the right ingredients, utensils, and appliances.

• Make sure you understand all the directions

• Assemble all your ingredients in one place before you start (you could even measure out each ingredient ahead of time before cooking). Pull out the utensils, measuring cups, and spoons you'll be using and keep them handy so you won't need to run all over the kitchen.

• Remember its YOUR meal, so if there is an ingredient you don't like take it out. You can even add to the recipe. Think of recipes as a blueprint.

• Taste test throughout cooking. Does it need more salt? Is it not spicy enough for you? Test tasting will ensure your on the right track.

• Don't be afraid to fail! Cooking takes practice. Even if your creation is a complete disaster, just remember:  delicious meals come out of creative, adventurous minds.

Lemon Past with Chicken

Yields 3-5 servings

Estimated cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried penne
• 2 chicken cutlets, cut into fingers
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, until done. Drain well.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large grill pan (or skillet) over medium high and add chicken. Grill until golden and completely cooked. Remove to a plate and slice.
3. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to a saute pan with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and saute until fragrant. Add the cooked pasta and turn heat off. Mix all together.
4. Remove pasta to a large bowl. Add chicken to the warm pasta and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in chopped parsley. Add the juice of 2 lemons and mix. Before serving top with Parmesan.

My Review

I found this recipe from FoodNetwork.com. This tasty meal only took 30 minutes, including prep time and cooking time. The combination of lemon and garlic was perfect. This meal was delicious, and best of all it was cheap and easy to make.

Since I was only making this for my self, I made a few changes to the recipe. My changes included:

    3 cups of pasta instead of 1 pound

    2 garlic cloves instead of 3

    2 dashes of chili powder (I did not have chili flakes)

    2 tablespoons olive oil instead of 3 tablespoons

    1 large lemon herb chicken filet instead of 2 cutlets

When i was grocery shopping I came across some pre-seasoned chicken filets, Foster Farms Zesty Lemon Herb filets. I highly recommend using these pre-seasoned filets. They definitely added more flavor and complimented the lemon pasta very well.

Overall this was a great meal! I would give it a 4 out of 5

The Disappearance of Home Cooked Meals

I recently came across an article from the Huffington Post called “How Eating at Home Can Save Your Life”. This article was an eye opener. Here are some fact, according to the article, that might motivate you to eat at home more often.

• Most family last less than 20 minutes and are spent watching television or texting while each family member eats a different microwaved food.

• More meals are eaten in the minivan than the kitchen.

• In 2010, more than 50% of meals were eaten outside the home.

• Americans spend more time watching the Food Network than actually preparing their own food. (I am guilty of this)

The author also expressed the effects of eating at home on the family, specifically children. For example, family dinners protect girls from bulimia, anorexia, and diet pills. He suggests to us to use “the power of the fork to change the world” and our health. Eat at home and bring back the family dinner!

Problems of a College Cook

Cooking in college is somewhat a challenge, especially when you're always on the go and you're on a budget. I love to cook, but I never have time to prepare those mouth watering meals I see on the Food Chanel. Even when I do find the time to cook, the available ingredients in my kitchen become an obstacle. Buying new ingredients can be expensive, and some of them are rarely used. Im sure a lot of you rather order out than spending 20 minutes at the store and then another 30-45 minutes in the kitchen. When you're hungry NOW, eating out is faster, cheaper, and more appealing. 

However, we all know eating out is not exactly the healthiest choice, and in most cases it ends up being more expensive. Well I am here to help. With my cooking tips and great recipes, you can eat cheap and fast. Say good bye to fast food and wake up you're inner chef!