This is actually the first official day but last night I made dinner using the normal portion quantities and had a pleasant surprise. Thought I'd share. A little back story first...
I don't waste much, especially food, and I plan things out to use things up. Last week I bought 2 turkey thighs in a package for $5.53, threw them in the crockpot with 1 med-lg size potato and 2 carrots cut into chunks, onion and crushed garlic. Out of that I got 4 dinners, 1 taco and had meat left over that inspired dinner last night.
The left over turkey and the congealed juice left in the bowl with it was miraculously turned into turkey & dressing for one. I sauteed a little onion & 2 skinny hearts of celery in a dash of olive oil and a smidgen of bacon dripping (for added depth of flavor). Reading labels is required and I found out 1 cup of chicken broth and 1/2 cup of dry stuffing mix is a serving of each.
Now, I was dismayed by the 1/2 cup info because I was hungry and this seemed inadequate to my tummy.
Once the veggies were semi-tender (I do not like soggy veggies & prefer a bit of crunch to my food) I made room in the center of the little skillet and put some poultry seasoning and 2 dashes of crushed red chilies in the bottom of the hot pan to 'bloom' the flavors. This literally takes only a couple of seconds! Next went in the chicken stock and the chopped turkey. Once it was heated thru, I added the stuffing mix, stirred it in and turned off the heat. ...If I had not been starving I would have taken a few minutes to bake this in the toaster oven for texture sake and next time I will...
Meanwhile, I heated 1/2 cup of mixed greens in the microwave. This, too, seemed inadequate when reading.
I served the turkey and dressing with greens on my plate. I was wildly surprised by how much food that turned out to be! My tummy was, too. It was far more than adequate, it was very filling. And tasty! YES, if I had made more, I would eaten more because my mouth was begging for it even tho my tummy was saying NO!
So, just sharing the need to keep an open mind and stick with discipline. It was my 'thinking' which said that was not going to be enough and my 'habits' of indulging my mouth that made me want to eat more than I should.
A couple of side notes:
The crushed red chilies served two purposes. Added a tiny dash of heat and interest but the main thing is that it wakes up your taste buds and allows you to more fully enjoy the depth of flavors of your food.
Second, remember to keep your receipts from the grocery store to help build you data base on the cost of food per serving. I have started a log in a spiral notebook and will build on it for future reference.
Food cost per serving....
Stuffing mix..........less than 10 cents
Mixed greens.....................23 cents
Turkey..........................$1.00 appx
Chicken stock...................33 cents
Total meal cost..........$1.66
I'm taking a field trip to HEB today to get the cost of foods I have on hand so I can keep track of what it is each meal costs. Don't you wish your life was this exciting!!!! PLEASE!! LOL
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About Me
- M'Lynn McKeethan
- I am one blessed woman! My family provide love, support, inspiration and endless encouragement in my writing endeavors. I am a woman with many interests; writing and cooking two of them! I am blessed to work as a author and freelance writer from my home office which is only a few footsteps away from my kitchen. I can work and cook at the same time. How awesome is that?! Two passions at once...see, I am blessed! I also love cooking shows, reading, growing veggies in the backyard. My favorites are, of course, getting creative in my writing and in the kitchen. I believe food, like a good book, needs to nourish the soul. Food needs to tickle our taste buds and be a feast for our eyes. Colors and spices are mandatory. Nothing can expand your mind like a big juicy storyline. Color and spice come to play here, too! Life is in living color and, thanks to God, ours for the taking!
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