it's time to move Beyond Bacholor Salad.
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| Empty Fridge, Nothing Else To Eat Meal Planning | |||
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We all have evenings when we open the refrigerator, stare glumly inside and realize there’s nothing for dinner but some ketchup and yogurt. It’s a side effect of being single and busy…either there’s no time to shop or there’s no time to cook. When the "no time to shop, nothing left to cook" predicament strikes it doesn’t have to mean that there’s nothing in the house to eat. With one shopping trip you can set up a stash of dinner essentials to keep in the back of the cupboard ready for the next empty fridge emergency. When the "no time to shop, nothing left to cook" predicament strikes it doesn’t have to mean that there’s nothing in the house to eat. With one shopping trip you can set up a stash of dinner essentials to keep in the back of the cupboard ready for the next empty fridge emergency.
The trick is to put the ingredients for these meals in the back of the shelves, where you won't see them every day. Out of sight, out of mind, until the cans in front are gone...then you'll know you're down to a four meal buffer and may just take the time to hit the grocery isle the next time you leave the house. The three dinners here all have one thing in common…everything you absolutely need for each recipe can be stocked in the cupboard or freezer. The canned goods will keep for years and, as long as the power’s on, the frozen food will be good (unopened) for about a year. Take a look at the shopping list and maybe come up with your own favorite last ditch dinners, then hit the store…just remember to pick up some fresh fruit and meat for dinner tonight.
1) Red Beans and Rice. Cooking time: 5 to 10 minutes Clean-up: 1-5 minutes Easy to Increase for more diners. The basic ingredients for this classic dish are red beans and rice. Buy the red beans dry or canned, but the canned variety is best for fast meals because they just need to be reheated. The dry beans will add about an hour to your menu prep, so stock the canned variety. Rice comes three ways… dry (uncooked), fast cooking (which means you have to reconstitute it, but it’ll be ready in 1 minute instead of 20) or pre-cooked frozen. Frozen rice is surprisingly good. Keep it in the freezer if you care more about convenience than quality when it comes to emergencies. Basic instructions are: Prepare 2 cups cooked rice. You’ll need 2 cups frozen rice and almost no water, or 1/2 cup dry rice and 1 cup boiling water. Check the package for exact instructions. While the rice is cooking, open an 8 ounce can of kidney beans. Rinse the beans then pour them into a pan. Add ¼ cup water. 1/8 cup diced green pepper if you have it, ¼ cup celery if you have it, ¼ cup onion if you have it, or 1 tbsp. dried onion if you don’t. Season with ½ bay leaf and a couple shakes of thyme, oregano and pepper. Heat to boiling, then turn the heat down and simmer 2-5 minutes. Pour beans over cooked rice and wash it down with a beer. 2) Soba Noodle Soup Cooking time: 5 to 10 minutes Clean-up: 1-5 minutes The basic ingredients for this dish are chicken stock, soba noodles and frozen Asian style mixed vegetables. The base of this soup is canned chicken stock. Swanson’s makes a good low salt version called “Nature’s Goodness” which is also low in MSG. Another advantage is that you can buy the stuff in a box with a snap shut lid. Once it’s open you can keep it in the fridge for a couple of weeks and use as little or as much as you need when you need it. Buy soba noodles in the Asian food section of any grocery on the West Coast. Top Ramen seems to be the most popular brand. The dry noodles come neatly folded in rectangular packages and a little chipped off the block goes a long way. Heat 1 cup chicken stock and ½ cup water to boiling. Add ¼ package soba (Top Ramen) noodles. (Discard the “flavor” packet unless you really like MSG and salt.) Add ½ cup frozen Asian style or California blend mixed vegetables and/or ¼ cup canned chicken. Season with cilantro, chopped chives and pepper. When the soup returns to a boil, drizzle in one beaten egg for an optional version of egg drop soup. More Dinner Ideas:
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