Operation Clean Freezer/Fridge/Pantry was a success! And while it seemed like we had a lot of food, it is depressing how much I threw away – from stuff that was unidentifiable/not dated or freezer burned.  If I have one resolution to add for 2010 – label my food and use my food saver to vacuum seal.  The above mentioned 2006 chicken was vacuum sealed and didn’t have ANY freezer burn.  I just don’t think Tony deserves to eat 3 1/2 year old chicken!

So here is the plan – note that the breakfast and lunches are just for me – Tony and Hannah are on their own!

Breakfasts:

Lunches:

  • black bean corn chicken quesadilla
  • baked potatoes two ways (chili and broccoli cheese with bbq sauce!)
  • wonton soup with homemade pork gyoza
  • spinach lasagna roll ups
  • spicy potato tomato soup with grilled cheese

Dinners:

  • bolognase pasta with Italian sausge and garlic bread
  • turkey breast, mashed potatoes, stuffing with gravy
  • pork gyoza and stir fry veggies and brown rice (for me and Hannah)
  • classic tuna noodle casserole (for Tony – I don’t like tuna and I forget how much he likes this!)
  • taco fiesta
  • surf & turf: king crab legs with New York strip

So I was able to put the above menu together with almost everything I had on hand – I have a few things to pick up to round out the meals – such as fresh fruit and some veggies.

Yesterday we had brunch – we went to a 12:10 movie, so we had an early lunch at The Lucky Monk.   This is our second time back after the soft opening.  While they do have the most amazing burgers, I decided to have a cup of their White Chicken Poblano Chili and a Ceasar salad.  I LOVED the chili, and while the salad was good, I forgot to ask for the dressing on the side – so I only ate about half of the salad.

Tony's Monk Burger - classic cheddar and bacon
I am going to try to recreate this - I think it had Navy beans in it?

But it wasn’t spicy enough for me, so I added this:

I did like the fresh shaved Parmesan on the top!

Then it was off to the movies!  We saw Youth in Revolt with Michael Cera.  I loved it – because it is a quirky off beat movie – but I could see Tony begin to fade about half way through the movie.  It actually reminded me a lot of Juno!

When we got back home, I still had dough leftover from my Mexican pizza, so I baked up a loaf of bread.  I am not a huge fan of this dough and will go back to my 5 minute Artisan Bread.  I gave a piece to Tony and he almost choked on it!!

it's actually much better toasted

I liked this picture with the steam!

I have my SIL to thank for our dinner last night!  For Christmas she sent us an Omaha Steak package.  On the menu: prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes and crisp green beans (luckily since they were frozen, I was able to pick out the frozen pieces of onion!) 😀

these baked for 45 minutes in a 350 oven
I just sauteed in a hot skillet - they were really nice and crisp!
these were precooked - so after defrosting, they only needed a couple minutes on each side

Thanks Jody!  Everything was great!

In going through the freezer, I had lots of shrimp, so I made shrimp cocktail to go with our dinner.  Have any of you tried our no fail shrimp cocktail?

I rarely do my stats on the weekends – I micro-manage it so much during the week that I give myself a break.  I still test my blood sugar to make sure I am on track though! 😀

Our last hostess just started a new job, is flying to Vegas this week and is really swamped, so I am going to continue the BSI contest this week.  Good luck this week Melissa!!

Drum roll please. . . .CHEDDAR CHEESE! You know how much I like my cheese!  We’ve had ricotta and feta, but there is nothing like classic cheddar cheese!  If you participate, just send me an email with your link and you’ll be entered.   If you don’t have a food blog, just email me the recipe and I’ll post if for you.   My email:  bdl319@gmail.com.  Please submit by Sunday, January 16 and the winner will be announced on Monday and I’ll select a new host.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you what the prize is!!

I love this one!

While I am pissed that Jillian is selling weight loss supplements, I love this 40 minute video – you’ll love it!

Plans for today:

  • small grocery shop
  • laundry
  • meet my mom for a movie – It’s Complicated (love Meryl Streep!)

Enjoy your day! 😀