Adventures in Dinner

I've been planning to do a series of posts on my "usual" dinners/lunches/breakfasts. Tonight's dinner has inspired me to start off with the last meal of the day.


Who says dinner has to be boring when you're dieting?

(clockwise - Green Giant steamed carrots + zucchini + green beans in rosemary butter sauce, chicken cordon bleu (Target meat counter, 6 points), and baked sweet potato with ICBINB spray and one wedge of Laughing Cow garlic & herb cheese mashed in. Whole meal counted as 11 points.)

I tend to keep it fairly simple when it's just me. I've been trying to keep the freezer and cabinets stocked so that I can plan my meal from work, taking into account points available and how I feel.

My typical dinner will have three components: a meat, a veggie, and a starch.

Staple Meats:
(toaster-broiled or toaster-baked, seasoned or marinated)
- chicken thigh (boneless, skinless - I prefer dark meat)
- turkey italian sausage
- filet of fish (tilapia, catfish, salmon, tuna, halibut)
- scallops or shrimp

Staple Veggies:
(veggies add bulk to my meals without costing lots of points. When I can have a big pile of veggies with dinner, I tend to feel more satisfied)
- Green Giant has recently come out with these absolutely AWESOME veggie mixes in 7-8oz boxes. One whole box is generally 1-2 points for a huge, filling serving of veggies. They are seasoned with somewhat sophisticated flavors (my favorite is rosemary butter) and (microwave) steam in the bag in less than 5 minutes. I keep a stack of boxes to choose from in the freezer at all times.
- I'm a big fan of steamed veggies. When I want something other than a frozen mix, I have a steamer basket for my pots or when in a hurry, ziploc brand microwave steamer bags.

Staple Starch:
(I can't live without carbs...)
- baked potato
- baked sweet potato
- rice (Minute Rice Ready to Serve cups)
- stuffing (Stovetop Quick Cups)
- pasta (various, 1 cup serving)
- biscuit (individualy frozen dough rounds)

Simplicity is very important to me. I'm a good cook, but I also live alone. Most recipes have too much yield for me and fresh veggies tend to go to my refrigerator drawers to die. At the end of a work day or after a jog, I just want to come home and have a filling dinner in front of me in 20 minutes or less with minimal clean up.

That is not to say that I don't sometimes get more elaborate (especially when you add cooking for my BF to the mix). On days when I can afford the points and have a little more ambition, I take my 3 components and add some kind of sauce or special prep. Among my favorites are Thai red curry, Indian korma, lite alfredo or marinara, mushroom marsala, or teriyaki/general tsao's stir fry.