Shooting From The Hip

I’ve gotten better about planning meals.  But for the first ten years of my kids’ lives, when I was at home full-time, there was a lot of shooting from the hip.  I got comfy with it and good at it.  The key to not panicking at 5pm with no plan is to have your list of non negotiable staples in your fridge and pantry. 

Essentials of life:  olive oil, kosher salt & pepper mill & a full array of spices (key ones; basil, oregano, crushed red pepper)

Pantry:

Diced tomatoes in a can
Bag of split peas
Chicken broth
Pasta
Onions

Hot sauce - multiple varietals

Fridge:

Veggies:  always have something that keeps for a while and is great roasted, like broccoli and/or cauliflower and/or zucchini
Salad stuff (& kale!)
Parmesan Cheese
Lemons
Parsley & cilantro
Tortillas
Sharp cheddar cheese

Butter

Bonus: salsa, capers, fresh herbs

Freezer:

Hot Italian Sausage –turkey is a good sub for those trying to, I don’t know, improve.

Tilapia
Chicken breasts 
bonus: shrimp, ground beef

Based on the above, I can pull out a week’s worth of menus:

Split Pea Soup

Pasta with sausage & peppers
Baked tilapia with kale chips & potatoes
Chicken piccata, roasted veggies & rice
Quesadillas or burritos made from any leftovers

Recipes:

Split pea soup:

Saute some diced carrots, celery & onions till soft
add some salt, pepper and oregano (tsp?)
add chicken broth or water – about 6 cups
add ¾ bag of split peas (rinse them first)
cook on med-low for about 45 min, slightly mash them (hand blender is awesome), 

add rest of split peas, cook on med low another 45 min. 

not my picture but you get the idea

Pasta with Sausage and Peppers

In a large skillet add sausage (3 or so links, casings removed) and a couple chopped onions.  Break up sausage with back of spoon, stir and cook almost through – about 10 min.  Add several peppers (multi colored) that have been cut into strips, cook another 5 min.  Add salt, pepper, basil (fresh is great) & oregano and a big can of diced tomatoes.  Turn heat to low and simmer 30 min or so.  Meanwhile, cook up some ziti or penne, throw it all together and add a ton of crushed red pepper & parmesan cheese. 

Baked Tilapia with kale chips

Mix together equal parts parmesan &  bread crumbs and add some fresh ground pepper and kosher salt.

In another container put some oil or milk and coat each piece of tilapia in the oil or milk then put it in bread crumb mixture and coat it well.
Grease a cookie sheet  then place the fish on it
Bake at 425 for about 10 minutes, until flaky (if it’s thicker then closer to 15 min)

Kale chips: 
Wash kale, remove spine then cut the kale into 1-inch or so pieces.  Toss the whole mess with olive oil and a little kosher salt, layer on a baking sheet (try not to have them overlap too much) and bake at 300 for about 15 min, turning once .  Add salt if needed. 

Chicken piccata:

Pound out a few chicken breasts then cut into cutlets (flatten with your palm, cut breast into a few flat pieces)

Salt & pepper the chicken, then dredge in flour

Heat 2 Tbsp of butter and 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet , add chicken breasts a few at a time (give them a little room) and cook till golden, about 3 min per side, transfer chicken to a platter and tent with foil. 

Add ½ each of dry white wine, chicken broth & fresh lemon juice to the skillet over med/med-high heat and scrape up all bits in pan.  Cook until it thickens slightly, a couple minutes.  Stir in ½ cup drained capers and ½ cup fresh parsley, then add another couple tablespoons of butter , season with salt & pepper.  Pour sauce over chicken and serve. 

Great with rice & roasted veggies

(roasted veggies  - toss veggie with olive oil, salt & pepper and turn out on baking sheet and cook at 400 – time depends on veggie but generally about 20 min)

Quesadillas or Burritos

Heat up some beans

Cook up some rice and dump in some salsa at the end
Sautee whatever vegetables are left in the fridge
Heat up whatever meat you have left in a skillet
Dump all in a giant tortilla to make a burrito (YUM) or layer on a smaller tortilla with cheese, top with another and cook on medium heat until cheese melts