Deja Food

We've changed how we grocery shop & cook for the past month with three goals in mind: 1) eat healthier 2) don't waste food 3) reduce food prep time. I should really say a fourth goal too - lose enough weight to have an honest driver's license, but it's January so maybe that goes without saying.

With those goals in mind I had the idea to plan our weekly meals so that each main menu item was used twice - this ensured that we didn't waste food & cut down the prep time I had for the second meal. 

Below is my menu, shopping list & recipes from week #2. (Serves 2)

Menu:
Monday: Bacon wrapped BBQ grilled chicken with sweet potato fries

Tuesday: Chorizo meatballs with cauliflower faux-tatoes

Wednesday: Grilled chicken, rice and veggie stir fry (Deja Food: Grilled chicken)

Thursday: Stuffed bell peppers (Deja Food: Chorizo meatballs)

Friday: Southwest chicken bowls (Deja Food: Grilled Chicken)

Grocery List:

• 3-3.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken
• 1 package pork chorizo (9oz)
• 1- 1.5 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 package of bacon
• 1 head of cauliflower
• brussel sprouts
• stir fry vegetables - onion, carrots, celery (julienne any extra carrots & celery for snacks!)
• white rice
• 4 bell peppers
• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 2 avocados
• 1 can of beans (we like black or chili)
• 1 can of corn
• salsa

Recipes:

Bacon Wrapped BBQ Grilled Chicken
Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken
• bacon
• 1 tbsp chipotle powder
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1/2 tbsp pepper
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• dash of cinnamon
• 1/2 tbsp sea salt

Directions:

• Roughly cut chicken into ~1.5 inch pieces
• Lay chicken in pan and sprinkle with spices, mix chicken to coat entirely
• Wrap chicken in bacon
• Grill

Simple Grilled Chicken (pre-cook for rice & stir fry night)
Ingredients:

• remaining chicken
• kick'n chicken seasoning
• dash of worcestershire sauce
• dash of soy sauce

Directions:

• Coat chicken with sauces and seasoning
• Grill

Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients:

• 1 sweet potato, chopped in half then chopped like well, french fries
• 3 tbsp (ish) olive oil
• 1 tsp paprika
• sea salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder (mine has parsley in it too, this one
• pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350
• Coat the fries in olive oil and the spices 
  
• Place foil on a cookie sheet or loaf pan, spray with non-stick spray
• I said spray with non-stick cooking spray. 
• Seriously, spray the foil. 
• Place the fries in a single layer on the sheet,
  
   bake until crispy, 30-40 minutes

 Chorizo Meatballs
Ingredients:

• 1-1.5 lb ground beef
• 4-5 oz chorizo 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350
• Mix ground beef and chorizo
• Roll into 1.5 inch meatballs
• Place in 13x9 pan, bake 30-40 minutes or until meat is cooked through

Cauliflower Faux-tatoes
Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 4 tbsp butter
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Steam cauliflower until it feels soft when poked with fork
• Mix 1/2 of the cauliflower and butter in a food processor until smooth.  Dump into a bowl and repeat with the other 1/2 of ingredients
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Edible Brussel Sprouts
Ingredients:

• brussel sprouts
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• sea salt
• pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350
• Rinse brussel sprouts, remove stem and chop in half
• Sprinkle with olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper
• Place on a baking sheet, bake for 15-20 minutes or until slightly browned

Stir Fry
Ingredients:

• carrots
• celery
• onions
• 1 cup chicken broth
• olive oil
• sea salt
• pepper

Directions:

• Chop all the veggies
• Place the carrots in a pan with 1/2 cup of the chicken broth, cover and let cook on medium ~5-10 minutes or until they soften a bit
• Toss in the celery, add remaining chicken broth, cover and cook another ~5 minutes
• Add onions, turn heat up slightly and leave lid off
• When all of the broth is absorbed add olive oil and stir, allow veggies to brown
• Dash with salt and pepper

Chorizo Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients:

• 2 cups of cooked rice
• chorizo meatball leftovers
• 4 bell peppers, cleaned & sliced in half
• 1/4 cup ketchup

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350
• Smash up the meatballs & mix with the rice
• Add ketchup and stir
• Place in 13x9 glass pan, cook for 30-40 minutes

Southwest Chicken Bowls
Ingredients:

• 2 cups mexican rice, recipe here
• grilled chicken, chopped into small chunks
• 1 can of chili or black beans
• 1 can of corn
• 2 avocados, chopped
• salsa

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients together, heat & enjoy!

I'm excited for this new approach to planning our dinners & the opportunity to be creative in the stewardship of our finances & more mindful of what we put into our bodies.

Happy new year!
D & H