Since the weather is getting cooler, I have been more inclined to make microwaveable dishes to take in for lunch. I made a chicken & broccoli mac & cheese last fall and made this based on some previous learnings, adapted from a recipe I found on Epicurious. I even had a package of whole wheat macaroni to use up, so that saved some costs on this particular dish this week.
Macaroni & Cheese with Broccoli & Chicken
makes 4 servings
1 1/4 cup dry whole wheat macaroni
1 large chicken breast
1 package frozen broccoli florets, thawed
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup half and half (or whipping cream, but half and half has less fat)
.75 cup shredded Asiago cheese
.75 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Cook macaroni for about 12 minutes, then drain.
As water is coming to a boil, in a sautée pan, heat a small amount of olive oil (about 1 tsp). Sautée chicken breast til cooked through and remove from heat. When the chicken has cooled for a while, dice.
In a saucepan, melt butter and add flour. Cook for about 2 minutes to create a roux. Slowly whisk in half-and-half, then stir as adding cheese. It creates a luscious, gooey sauce.
In the saucepan or a large mixing bowl, combine pasta, chopped broccoli florets, chicken and sauce. Add salt and pepper as necessary.
Costs
Chicken breast $2.19
Cheddar cheese $3.15
Asiago cheese $4.67
Half and half $1.50
Broccoli $1.39
Total costs: $12.90
Cost per meal: $3.23
Showing posts with label broccoli. Show all posts
Showing posts with label broccoli. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
Fried Rice
I made this last week for a dinner and two lunches, to use up some rice I'd cooked last week for fajitas.
Fried Rice
makes 3 servings
(you can easily adjust the ingredients to make more servings)
adapted from Bowl Food
1 egg
approximately 1/2 tsp. butter
1 - 2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into 1" strips
1/2 carrot, thinly sliced
1 stalk broccoli (I just used the florets)
2 handfuls snow peas, rinsed and trimmed (can substitute 1/2 cup frozen peas)
1 clove garlic, minced
.25 lb pork sausage
2 cups cold, cooked white rice
1/4 cup canned corn, rinsed
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 - 3 tsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
In a small pan, coat a pan with a small amount of butter (less than 1/2 tsp.). Whisk egg in a bowl and add to the pan. Gently move pan to coat bottom with egg and let cook over medium heat until small bubbles appear. Flip the egg and cook through to the other side. Remove from heat and let cool on a plate.
Heat 1 tbsp. oil in wok or large frying pan. Add red bell pepper and carrot. Allow to cook for a minute, then add broccoli, snow peas and garlic. After a minute, add pork sausage. (I cooked the pork sausage whole until it browned on both sides, then removed, allowed to cool, sliced, and added back to the mixture.) Cook for about five minutes, add a small amount of oil, and add rice. Incorporate the rice well, breaking up any lumps the rice may have formed. After the rice has fried for about a minute, add the corn and scallions, mixing frequently.
Thinly slice the egg and add to the mixture. Toss well, add sesame oil and soy sauce, stir again and remove from heat. Allow a few minutes to let the mixture's flavours incorporate. And voilà. An American girl's version of Fried Rice.
Costs
Broccoli $2.29
Corn $.89
Snow Peas $2.58
Pork Sausage $2.28
Carrot $.78
Red Bell Pepper $1.56
Scallions $.89
Cost per meal: $3 I had a lot of the pricier ingredients on hand, including the sesame oil. I put the other half of sausage in the freezer, used 1/4 of the red bell pepper in a salad I took with me on a bus ride on Thursday, and used the remaining vegetable ingredients tonight in a stir fry with a bit of chicken and some whole wheat noodles. The other half of the stir fry is tomorrow's lunch. And the rest of the week's lunches will fall out of tomorrow's dinner.
So, for just an additional $1.69 for noodles and 2 chicken thighs (4 for $4.61, two are now in the freezer), that's 5 meals for just $3.50 each (not to mention some sausage and chicken in the freezer for future meals). Not bad!
Nutritional Information: 496 calories, 23g fat, 6g saturated fat, 20% sodium, 55g carbohydrate, 8g dietary fiber, 8g sugar, 20g protein, 96% vitamin A, 262% vitamin C, 12% calcium, 30% iron. Also a good source of Folate (59%) and Vitamin K (247%). (Note: I couldn't find soy sauce on Nutrition Data so this is an estimation and probably contains more sodium than these figures.)
Fried Rice
makes 3 servings
(you can easily adjust the ingredients to make more servings)
adapted from Bowl Food
1 egg
approximately 1/2 tsp. butter
1 - 2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into 1" strips
1/2 carrot, thinly sliced
1 stalk broccoli (I just used the florets)
2 handfuls snow peas, rinsed and trimmed (can substitute 1/2 cup frozen peas)
1 clove garlic, minced
.25 lb pork sausage
2 cups cold, cooked white rice
1/4 cup canned corn, rinsed
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 - 3 tsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
In a small pan, coat a pan with a small amount of butter (less than 1/2 tsp.). Whisk egg in a bowl and add to the pan. Gently move pan to coat bottom with egg and let cook over medium heat until small bubbles appear. Flip the egg and cook through to the other side. Remove from heat and let cool on a plate.
Heat 1 tbsp. oil in wok or large frying pan. Add red bell pepper and carrot. Allow to cook for a minute, then add broccoli, snow peas and garlic. After a minute, add pork sausage. (I cooked the pork sausage whole until it browned on both sides, then removed, allowed to cool, sliced, and added back to the mixture.) Cook for about five minutes, add a small amount of oil, and add rice. Incorporate the rice well, breaking up any lumps the rice may have formed. After the rice has fried for about a minute, add the corn and scallions, mixing frequently.
Thinly slice the egg and add to the mixture. Toss well, add sesame oil and soy sauce, stir again and remove from heat. Allow a few minutes to let the mixture's flavours incorporate. And voilà. An American girl's version of Fried Rice.
Costs
Broccoli $2.29
Corn $.89
Snow Peas $2.58
Pork Sausage $2.28
Carrot $.78
Red Bell Pepper $1.56
Scallions $.89
Cost per meal: $3 I had a lot of the pricier ingredients on hand, including the sesame oil. I put the other half of sausage in the freezer, used 1/4 of the red bell pepper in a salad I took with me on a bus ride on Thursday, and used the remaining vegetable ingredients tonight in a stir fry with a bit of chicken and some whole wheat noodles. The other half of the stir fry is tomorrow's lunch. And the rest of the week's lunches will fall out of tomorrow's dinner.
So, for just an additional $1.69 for noodles and 2 chicken thighs (4 for $4.61, two are now in the freezer), that's 5 meals for just $3.50 each (not to mention some sausage and chicken in the freezer for future meals). Not bad!
Nutritional Information: 496 calories, 23g fat, 6g saturated fat, 20% sodium, 55g carbohydrate, 8g dietary fiber, 8g sugar, 20g protein, 96% vitamin A, 262% vitamin C, 12% calcium, 30% iron. Also a good source of Folate (59%) and Vitamin K (247%). (Note: I couldn't find soy sauce on Nutrition Data so this is an estimation and probably contains more sodium than these figures.)
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