Put some thought into lunch. Something as simple as actually setting the table and sitting down can make a big difference. What you serve doesn’t have to complicated. Here are some ideas:

• Serve Leftovers
• Make some soup or stew
• Fancy up a plain sandwich with lettuce and tomato or specialty breads
• Get a box of fancy crackers and serve crackers and cheese
• Add some cut up raw veggies and dip to your plain lunch

How about you? What is your best easy lunch recipe?

I have never eaten at Original Tommy’s but Jordon is a big, big fan.  In case you are like my husband and have a craving for Tommy’s without easy access, here is the Original Tommy’s Chili Recipe.

From The Cooking Blog.

When purchasing rice milk out of the grocery store, these products have been fortified with minerals and vitamins, such as iron, calcium, vitamin B12, and vitamin B3. Commercial brands also offer various flavors, such as chocolate or vanilla. An unflavored selection is supplied for those who wish to substitute rice milk for cow’s milk in a recipe.

All over the world, there are different forms of rice milk, such as kokkok – of Thai origin. Brown rice is its main ingredient and sometimes the only thing added to the beverage. When preparing a kokkah recipe, other rice selections and seasonings are sometimes used, such as sesame, barley, sweet rice, and/or azuki bean. A recipe for homemade rice milk is listed below:

Rice Milk

Ingredients

2/3 cup of hot rice
3 cups of hot water
1/3 cup of cashews
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of honey

Instructions

1) Simply place all of the ingredients in a blender. Mix.

2) Chill before serving.

Ground almonds are used to make this milk, which does not contain any cholesterol or lactose. Decorating the shelves of grocery stores, there are commercial selections of almond milk that come in plain, chocolate, and vanilla flavors. Below you will find a recipe for homemade almond milk, but make sure you stay away from bitter almonds. When bitter almonds and water are blended, poisonous cyanide is released.

Homemade Almond Milk

Ingredients

1 cup of blanched almonds
3 tablespoons of honey (or maple syrup)
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Instructions

1) Place one cup of blanched almonds into a blender.

2) Grind into a fine meal.

3) Add three tablespoons of honey (or maple syrup) and one teaspoon of vanilla to the almonds.

4) Gradually add two cups of water while the blender is still running.

5) Strain the liquid to remove the almond pulp.

After the liquid (and the chicken) had a chance to cool, I separate all the good meat from the bones, organs and skin of the chicken and store the pieces of chicken meat in the fridge.

Throughout the week we use the chicken to make chicken salad, chicken and cheese quesadillas, burritos and enchiladas and just about any other chicken dish that calls for cooked chicken meat.

I also save the chicken stock to cook with later, or turn it into a quick pot of soup by adding some veggies, rice and pieces of the chicken meat. Of course it is also the perfect start for a pot of chicken noodle soup.

Choices: If you feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of choices at your market it’s because the choices are staggering. Seventy years ago grocery stores stocked about 900 items. Today, our large supermarkets carry about 45,000 items.

Gender: On any given day, about 18% of women shop for an average of 45 minutes, compared to 11% of men who averaged 39 minutes.

Spending: Households spend about 13% of pre-tax income on their food. Interestingly enough, the amount we spend on food is nor sensitive to economic fluctuations. Even in times of a recession, demand for food remains relatively stable.

Busiest Times: Right after work hours, Monday through Friday from 5 to 7 pm are the busiest times to shop, with weekend mornings a close second. Best times to shop are very early in the morning or on a popular TV night, so set your VCR to record and enjoy those shorter lines.

Savings: Most consumers save at the supermarket by looking for specials in their local newspapers, participating in in frequent shopper or savings club programs and using coupons. Buying the store brand is gaining in popularity.

Health: Seven in ten shoppers believe their diets are not as healthy as they should be. But there is a strong upswing in organic and natural food sales, as well as for portion control, showing that concern for ones health is affecting the market considerably. 22% are eating less red meat, 22% are eating fewer fats and oils, 18% are buying fewer snack or junk foods and 9% are eating less salt.

The best ways to shop are with a list, armed with plenty of coupons. Never go on an empty stomach. And don’t forget to look at the lower and topmost shelves. That’s where you’ll find the best deals.

Start by making a meal plan for the week and use it to write your grocery list. That way you don’t forget any essential ingredients and you know exactly what you will be cooking when. It’s a great time and money saver.

1. Ground Beef Tip
   When you are buying ground beef, go for the bigger pack and brown all of it at once. Freeze anything you are not going to use. Package it in portions that are big enough to make a quick meal like spaghetti with meatsauce for your family. When you are ready to cook, just defrost the beef (cook it in the sauce, or microwave it for a few minutes) and dinner is ready. This tip works great for yesterdays ground beef and noodle casserole btw.
2. Chopped Vegetables
   I don’t like chopping onion very much, mostly because of the way my hand smell afterwards. When I do have to chop an onion, peppers, celery or anything like that, I chop extra and freeze anything I don’t need. That way when I am making a pot of soup, or anything else that requires the chopped veggies, they are ready for me to use, just waiting in the freezer.
3. Cook Once Eat Twice
   When you are making something like lasagna, meatloaf or any type of soup, stew or casserole, fix a double batch and freeze the second portion. It’ll save you from having to cook something from scratch for another week and you have a meal that just needs to be reheated.

Do you have any tips that save you time when you cook dinner? Please take a moment to share them in the comments section below.

Sweet potatoes are native to Central America and considered one of the oldest vegetables in history. When analyzing Peruvian caves dating back 10,000 years, it is shown that sweet potatoes fed the inhabitants of the past since prehistoric times. Throughout the years, the sweet potato has become an important ingredient in many Asian and Latin American dishes. The southern part of the United States has also embraced the vegetable, which is known to create a well-known delicious holiday pie.

Buying Sweet Potatoes

When purchasing sweet potatoes at the store, you should choose specimens that are firm, free of cracks, and without any soft spots or bruises. If you pass by sweet potatoes showcased in the refrigerated section of a produce department, avoid purchasing them because cold temperatures seem to alter their taste for the worst. After bringing home a bag of sweet potatoes, store them in a cool, dark and well-ventilated place within your home. The potatoes typically keep fresh for ten days. Storage should be loose and not kept in a plastic bag. Exposure to light and high temperatures will also cause the sweet potatoes to ferment. As a rule of thumb, uncooked sweet potatoes should not be kept in the refrigerator.

Eating the Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A and also provide a decent source of vitamin C, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium, and iron. With all of these healthy components, the sweet potato is associated with fighting cancer; combating the aging process; and helping dieters lose weight. As you encounter the preparation of the sweet potato, you will find that the entire tuber, flesh, and skin are edible (when purchased as an organically grown product). Peeling is usually the common method of preparation for sweet potatoes. Cooking the sweet potato immediately after peeling is suggested, as the longer you wait – the more nutrients are lost through the oxidation process.

Cooking Ideas

When serving sweet potatoes, there are numerous approaches to consider. For a tasty treat, you may want to create a puree containing bananas, cinnamon, and maple syrup, which are then topped with chopped walnuts. Some people steam cubed sweet potatoes with broccoli, adding raisins and serving hot or cold with curried vinaigrette dressing. Sweet potatoes also make great desserts, including a wealth of muffin, pudding, bread, and pie recipes.

A few sweet potato recipes include Indian-Style Lamb with Sweet Potatoes, Braised Kidney Beans with Sweet Potatoes, and Louisiana Sweet Potato Pancakes. To get a picture of the variety associated with cooking with sweet potatoes, consider the recipe for Sweet Potato Balls, which includes canned sweet potatoes, butter, crushed cornflakes cereal, maple syrup, and large marshmallows.

One of the reasons I didn’t like making meat loaf for a while was because the meat mixture was so cold it literally hurt my hands to mix it all together. Sure, I tried using my kitchenaid mixer, but then I ended up with more mess and dishes to clean, so it wasn’t exactly the idea situation either. One day it finally dawned on me – I could stick the ground beef in the microwave for a bit to warm it up.

Tip #1

Microwave the hamburger mixture (without the egg) for 30 seconds to 1 min (depending on how much meat loaf you are making, time also varies from one microwave to the other). Then add the eggs, any other spices and proceed as usual. The meat should just be warmed, not starting to cook.

Tip #2

Add sausage for different flavor. I got this tip from my MOL. She uses different types of raw breakfast sausage and mixes some of it into her ground beef mixture for a different flavor. It also keeps the meatloaf nice and moist.

Tip #3

Make your meatloaf healthier by replacing some of the meat with veggies. Dice or shred anything from cabbage to zucchini and add it to your meat loaf mixture. We particularly like diced bell peppers, onion and celery.

Tip #4

If you usually add some chopped onion to your meat loaf for flavor but run out use one of the following instead:

• Onion Soup Mix (dry)
• Onion Salt
• Onion Flakes (dry)

Last but not least, let me share my favorite meat loaf recipe with you.

Meat Loaf – Family Recipe

• 2 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 pack bulk breakfast sausage (optional)
• 1/2 onion – finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 pack saltine crackers – crushed
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Ketchup

Pre heat the oven to 400 F. Combine the first five ingredients in a large bowl. Spread the mixture into a greased casserole dish. Spread a layer of ketchup on the top and bake for about 45 minute or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of at least 160F.

Optional – You can peel a few potatoes and cut them into 8th lengthwise. Stick these potatoes all around the outside rim of your meatloaf (in the casserole dish). This way the potatoes bake halfway in the meatloaf.

Otherwise just serve with mashed potatoes and a few veggie sides (We like corn and green beans or steamed broccoli).

Please share your own favorite meat loaf recipe using the comments section below.