Dinner on Tuesday- Steak Tips anyone?

Today was a good day.  I accomplished much at work, saw a dear friend, and did a lot of packing.  As the days tick on, I'm getting more and more excited about my new school next year, AKA July 5th!  Ahhh, the year round schedule is stressing me a bit, but I'm trying to not focus on that. Everything else about the position is heavenly.

Jon texted me earlier today to tell me that he was working from home, so that meant I was free to wonder a bit.  I loaded up my car, and followed the road that led to Cary's butcher shop called "The Meat House".  This is a little place that I don't go to very often, and consider it a splurge.  While I was there I viewed many different types of meat, and decided to grab not only tonight's dinner, but two other items too!  I'm prepared for this week of cooking.  I didn't get home until a little after 5, then I unloaded my car, FB, and checked paperbackswap.com.  Finally, I was ready to make dinner, but I was also starving!

I started dinner with a piece of dessert.  I enjoyed the very last Cajun Blondie that I had made on Saturday for the book club. It was delicious.  I savored every morsel by cutting off tiny bite size pieces and making that one last piece last for a while.  The recipe is listed below, and if you ever need a yummy easy dessert, this is a keeper! Thanks to my mom that passed the recipe on to me.

 
Cajun Blondies 

Mix by hand and press into a buttered 9" x 13" pan:

 

1 pkg. yellow cake mix (lemon is good too)

1 c. chopped nuts

1 stick butter

1 egg (beaten)

last cajun blondie

 

Mix with electric mixer:

 

2 eggs

8 oz. cream cheese (I used fat free)

1 lb. confectioners sugar

 

Pour on top of pressed mixture.

Bake @ 325 degrees for 60 minutes.

 

Excellent but rich!

Cut in small squares.

yummy dinner roll

While I was enjoying that fantastic flavorful delight, I started the rest of dinner.  I literally pulled three rolls out of the freezer (the straight from the freezer to the oven type) and got them ready on a pan, and slid those babies into the oven.  

good ole stand by

Meanwhile, I had the hubs start the grill.  I opened a can of green beans, and mixed those with some olive oil and vinegar, an old stand by that Kid B enjoys.  

Just placed on the grill

I was finally ready to throw the yummy MARINATED MEAT HOUSE STEAK TIPS on the grill.  The rolls need to bake for 20-25 minutes.  While they were baking, the meat was grilling.  I just checked on everything and it's all just about ready!  Dinner was quick, and easy, and very very delicious!  And, I have enough for lunch tomorrow, another plus.  Off to do some other mommy chores and then maybe, just maybe I'll get to bed a little early so I can read my book.  

Cooked Meat tips 

Tonight was Burger night!

Tonight was the first time I've cooked in a hot long time.  I've been sick, and before that busy, so I've just gotten completely away from cooking.  Number one, that is extremely bad for our budget.  And Number two, it's extremely bad for my body.

So, I've got high aspirations for this week.  Tonight's dinner was moderately to mildly tasty.  The problem is that I started with frozen burgers (Laura's Lean burgers).  I've made them one other time, and as expected they continue to be very blah.  The burgers are very thin, very lean AKA dry, and not very fresh.  My advice is to get yourself some yummy lean ground meat from the store, and make your own burgers on the weekend.  Freeze those babies, and then they are at your fingertips whenever the burger urge hits you.  I should have just made 4 fresh burgers, but should of, could of, would of.... But, it was dinner, and it was quick.

As a side I made oven broiled diced potatoes.  They were delicious, but stuck to the pan.  :-) I mean, don't you understand why I might not cook again for another 10 days LOL.  But, regardless, I bought 2 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced them.  Coated them in a tablespoon of olive oil, seasoned with garlic salt, fajita seasoning, and paprika.  Popped them into the oven at 450 for 15 minutes and they were just about done.  Nice and crunchy, with a little soft center.  Perfect!  OK almost perfect, if it weren't for them sticking to the pan.

 Dinner was served, and consumed by 6:38.  That is a good deal.  I'm not sure what we'll have for dinner tomorrow, but I'm certainly cooking!  Be on the lookout for an updated dinner blog then.  Happy Monday everyone!

So, I missed a few nights :)

Well it's been a busy week here at our house.  So, dinner's sort of taken the back burner, no pun intended.  Reg made frozen pizza for the family on Tuesday night.  It was so wonderful having her home, and then making dinner on top of that, let's just say I felt a little bit spoiled.

Wednesday, Reg went with me to work.  It was quite a day, some therapy in the morning, and followed by a marathon of meetings in the afternoon.  Oh, did I mention that there was a bear loose in the city I work in?  No bear sightings for us, but it was quite an eventful day.  On the way home, we had to stop at the teeter to drop off some prescriptions.  While we were there, we decided dinner would be ribs, salad, and noodles.  My dad has a wonderful recipe for slow grilled ribs, but I have yet to successfully duplicate the recipe, so I stuck with what I know.  I bought a rack of baby back ribs, and seasoned them (fajita and garlic salt) after rinsing them.  Put them in the oven on a long pan at 350, flipping the rack every 15 minutes, and re-seasoning.  After 1 hour, I decided to kick the temperature up to 400 degrees.  I did this for he last 15 minutes to get them crispy and brown.  Of course, when I took them out and cut them they were just almost done.  So, we microwaved them for about 30 seconds to make sure they were "done".  It was a yummy meal, fairly quick for the sides, and the actual cooking of the meat was as simple as a timer, and some tongs that needed attention every 15 minutes.  No picture, and I'm sorry that it wasn't more gourmet-like.

Blogging about my menu is beginning to make me aware of the numerous unhealthy foods that we eat.  I must do something about that soon. 

But, today was not the day.

I went to work again today, and today was my Friday.  So, on that note, it was a good day, seeing as I'm off tomorrow for Kid B's oral surgery.

(SIDE NOTE) Currently with my job, there's a level of unknown as to where or what I'll be doing next year.  I've been offered a position, and I am contemplating that.  However today, another position or option landed in my inbox.  I felt just like Alfalfa from the little rascals when he is frantically trying to do something, and all of a sudden the heavens open.  The quote from the movie is "Then the clouds opened up and God said, "I hate you, Alfalfa!"".  I sort of felt this way at first, when I realized "on no, another decision", but as the day progressed things began to feel a little bit more manageable.  For whatever reason, God does love to give me options.  I'd rather not choose the path, just tell me which way to go (follow the yellow brick road), but I suppose he's got other plans.  Many thanks to the counselors at my school, my friends, and my mom.  I'm able to now at least visualize this second option and do not feel quite so stressed.

So, back to the dinner menu right?  I decided that since D'ster will not be able to eat for a few days, I'd make fried fish.  I'll go ahead and say it's definitely a luxury for us.  I HATE frying food in my house.  It make the place smell like fried food, it makes the range top messy, and it's just a pain.  But, oh the taste!  If it's anything, fried fish is a comfort food.  So tonight, on the eve of Kid B's surgery, and the ending of quite a day, I decided fried fish would do just fine.  I know you're surprised, but it was in my freezer.    So, um, I had the fun battle of defrosting those little filets. Nonetheless, it was accomplished.

(see below for recipe)


Mom and Dad's Fried Fish

Dinner is served! 

Catfish filets (fresh is best, but it's ok to freeze the fresh yourself)
peanut oil
Zatarains Seasoned Fish Fry
a cooking thermometer

As I attempt to make this recipe healthy :) I never "deep fry" the fish(Am I kidding myself?).  I pour about 1-2 inches of oil
in a pan(Maybe 3 inches), and heat it to 350 degrees.  I place a little of the fish fry into a doubled brown paper lunch bag, and then shake the fish into that once I've washed the fish, and cut it into bite size pieces.  Once the oil is ready, I put the fish in, cook until crispy and brown on one side, flip and repeat.  It took me no more than 20 minutes to get this little dish together.  I also made a side salad to go with it, D had tomatoes, I had an avocado and a 1/2 of tomato.

Happy Dinner Everyone!! And I'm tired don't judge my errors :)

Happy Monday!

So, tonight I got home early.  No duties at school means I can usually get in my car and be home before 5 pm.  I actually remembered to get the frozen "meat" out of the freezer before I headed off to work this morning. I admit that is my number one challenge.  I find that planning ahead helps me to remove the "thinking" aspect of dinner thoughts between 6 and 7 am when I'm getting ready to depart for work.  

Being a girl from Louisiana, I should have been having Red Beans and Rice, but guess what, I don't like them! But, sticking with my roots, we had Jambalaya for dinner tonight. I have a special "mix" that I use, that I typically purchase when I go home and visit my family.  But, lucky for you guys, I've found a website that sells this little gem.  So, you can have the deliciousness of Louisiana without having to go on a long trip down south.  Although, I must admit, going to Louisiana is a wonderful experience.  I may be partial, but everyone should at least go once.

http://www.lacrawfish.com/Oak-Grove-SmokehousebrCreole-Jambalaya-Mix-79-oz-P83.aspx


Jambalaya (Oak Grove Version) 
I started with some Hillshire Farms Polska Kielbasa, how this fits in with Cajun food, I'm not sure... But we'll just go with it.  I sliced it into little bite size slices, and sauteed the sausage in a bit of olive oil.  Once the sausage began to get nice and caramelized, I then added 2 1/2 cup of water to the pan, covered and brought this to a boil again.  Once the water & meat mixture began to boil, I added in the mix.  I then turned the fire very low, so that the pan was just slightly simmering, and cooked this for 25-30 minutes covered.

Tonight's Jambalaya was by far the best I've had in a long long time.  I have enough left over for lunch tomorrow, for both me and the hubs!  I served this quick and easy dinner with a side of salad.  Right, you're asking, "does your picky 13 year old eat salad? "  But, he actually does.  We had a tomato and green bean salad.  I put a little salt and pepper, some olive oil and vinegar, mix... and enjoy!
Dinner was satisfying and not exhausting tonight.  I call that a success!
Happy cooking everyone.

So the winds a changing...

A good 2 months ago, I decided to try to run.  I did OK with it for a while, but quickly got discouraged for various reasons.  But I missed blogging!  So, I redesigned my blog, and low and behold, I'm back!
This time with something that I think I do more consistently, cooking.  Typically, I cook for a party of two. Myself and my son.  There are other times, when the husband is able to join us, and then I up it to three.  If I were going to classify their eating habits, I'd say that they fall in the category of "limited and picky".  That is the number one reason my job of meal planning is exhausting.

The hubs decided to start a new "challenge" in our family where we don't eat out for a month.  Well, I can honestly say it's been hard, and it's only May 15.  We've broken down twice already!  But on the flip side, we've done a good job planning meals, and eating at home a lot too.  I've even encouraged and gotten him to cook a few times.

This week, I sat down and started the meal planning.  I've got some good meals on the menu, and even some that the boy child will not eat.  On these days, he can eat a corn dog, PB& J, or leftovers from another night.

But, I didn't cook tonight, we actually had Chili's, Yum!  Yesterday for lunch however, I did cook.  So, I thought I'd share that quick and yummy meal with everyone.

Buffalo Chicken Tender Strips served with cucumbers, bell peppers, or some other veggie that is popular in your home.

Chicken Tenders (fresh or frozen)
Frank's Red Hot Original Sauce
Butter
Seasoning (I use fajita seasoning and garlic salt)

I bake these little babies in the oven at 350 degrees, for about 20-25 minutes on a pan sprayed with Pam.  I season them before they go into the oven.  While the chicken is cooking, I cut up the veggies and put them in bowls on the table with ranch and blue cheese.  Once the veggies are cut up, I make the sauce.  I put about 1/2 cup of Frank's Red Hot original Sauce in a microwavable container, add 1/4 cup of butter, and cover.  I typically microwave this for about 1 minute.  Once the chicken is ready, I dredge it through the sauce and then place the done, sauce coated chicken on a plate.
Dinner is done!

This is such a wonderful recipe.  We originally made it with buns, but I prefer no bread.  I like it straight on a plate with a side of yummy veggies and blue cheese.  My 13 year old, 20 year old (college student), and hubby really like this dinner!

I hope you can make it soon, and that your family enjoys it also!!
Be on the look out for another dinner idea tomorrow.  Till then, happy eating!

Day 2 and 3 of Week 3

So as I type this blog, I'm sitting in the study, with sweat dripping down.  I apologize for not blogging separately about the two days, but life has been crazy, busy and crazy busy.  My Day 2 of Week 3 run, was suppose to occur on Friday.  But, I can assure you that was not the case.  Jon and I went car shopping on Friday night, so of course that entailed eating out, which allowed no time for running.  But, as to not disappoint my many many followers (yes, this is intended as a slice of comedy), I woke up early on Saturday in order to do my run.  Well, I woke up, and decided to get it out of the way.  I believe the temperature was like 34 or something horrible.  So, I decided to treadmill the run.  But, to spice it up a bit, I ran/walked at a 2% incline for the whole thing.  I enjoyed serenading my husband during this 30 minute time period.  He happened to be in the living room without the TV on, so he got to hear my lovely voice.  He felt the need to point out that I'd start out singing strong, and then decline to barely a whisper... Really? You think.  I'm not sure that common piece of knowledge needed to be shared but, OK.  I'm no Brittany Spears, I can't run around and get all fitness-ized and belt it out.  Oh wait, maybe Brittany couldn't do that either... Did she lip sing?  Anyway, the run was uneventful, and completed.

Today has been a pretty long day.  I had an IEP meeting at 8, therapy sessions all day long, and then another IEP at 4:15.  Needless to say, I did not get home until close to 6pm.  It may have been 6pm on the dot.  I threw on my clothes, and decided to hit the pavement outside.  I needed to see if I could actually do it outside, since every run this week had been inside, not to mention it's sunny and in the 80's today.  Ahh, NC spring, can you please make up your mind.  So while running outside in the scorching temps, I was able to breath in the fresh air that happens to be saturated with pollen.  I'm sure I'll regret  running outside a little later.  Before I headed out, I tried to hydrate on my way home, maybe drank 3/4 of a bottle of water.  I double knotted my tennis shoes as this has been an ongoing problem... Laces flopping.  Pulled my hair back in a pony, and I was ready to go.  Devan told me he'd go, but it was so hot, and he just came in from outside.  He even warned me to be careful in the temps.  :-) Just tell me you don't want to run!
I took a totally different route today and oh changing up the scenery is about the best thing ever!  I went down a less hilly street, around a pond, through some wooded area, and then repeat.  I was able to run the various times as instructed by lovely podcast.  I can even say I don't feel exhausted and that maybe, just maybe I could have gone a little further, or a little longer.  But, there is always time for that during week 4, so I did not push it.  I'm off to get food, stop at the store (I'm making a cake), pay bills, do more work, and then perhaps finish reading a book that must be done by Sunday.  Ahhhh, oh yeah and respond to two  emails.

Happy Monday blog followers!  I hope the rest of the week goes as smoothly with less work!!

Week 3, Already?

Today was Day one of week three.  It's a miserable day in North Carolina, temperature wise, and precipitation wise.  I decided after doing bus duty in the frigid temps that I was going to kick it old school, and spend some time with my ever so precious dreadmill... AKA treadmill.  I was really not sure about the whole change of scenery since I was already planning on altering my workout for the new week.  I wondered if the new environment would be too much, and perhaps push me over the edge?  Or worse yet, make me walk.  I've literally been thinking and worrying about this workout all day, Would I be able to handle it?  


Before the last bus came, I stepped into the office and had a small conversation with a high school junior (our school's receptionist's daughter) about my back hurting.  Since I've been run/walking, my lower back is achy.  She (a track runner) told me that it was probably just a strain.  Then I mentioned that today I had to go a whole three minutes running without stopping, and lets just say that I'm quite impressed with her ability to hold back her laughter.  She look at me as if I was some crazy old lady who is COMPLETELY out of shape, then she realized that I was serious and corrected her response.  I find this mildly comical and somewhat depressing at the same time.  I thought my exploration of becoming a runner was something I should be proud of, not something others would find ridiculous.  So, with my bruised ego, I made dinner when I got home, popped it into the oven and then went upstairs to change.  


Once on the treadmill and plugged into my most favorite tunes with Jon Hayden's copycat version of my couch to 5K podcast, I was ready to get going.  I did my five minute warm-up, on to my 90 second run, followed by a 90 second recovery, and then I was there.  Yep, there at the three minutes of running, running without stopping.  Luckily for me, my ability to focus really well on abstract objects (thank you lamaze training) and sweet tunes being pumped into my ears I was able to run the entire interval!  Three minutes of recovery, and then I was back to running.  And now that it's said and done, it really wasn't very challenging at all.  It actually felt like my workout was easier than normal.  I did an additional 90 second run before my 5 minute cool down, just because!  Crazy right?  So I think that the dreadmill, is not quite as dreadful as I thought.   But instead,  my neighborhood hills are the dreaded road blocks in my very near future.  Being a girl who grew up in southern Louisiana, I have a special loathing for hills.  Oh sure, they're gorgeous to look at, make for interesting scenery, but they suck when it comes to exercise(biking, walking, running).  

Can you guess what my new obsessive worry will be until Friday?  Yep, will I be able to do this outside on the hills? I'm hoping the weather turns around, and I can run outside Friday.  But secretly between us, if I have to do the inside easy workout again, that'll be OK.