Today for lunch we had grilled chicken, steamed carrots with rosemary and caramelized onions, and brown rice. Desert was individual Pear Pies! Not only did we have a good for us meal, it was easy on the pocket book and with just a little more effort now, it will save me tons of time next week. The entire meal cost aprox. $3.95. There are five of us in our family so that equals 79 cents a person.
First off how to prepare today's meal.
Chicken breasts should be thawed before they hit the grill, but if you forget you can place them on the grill still frozen just choose the lowest heat setting and the highest grate. Cook your brown rice as per teh directions on the box or bag. Next cut up a med to large size onion and place in skillet with enough water to cover the bottom. Saute until beginning to become opaque. Clean and cut your carrots how you like, we shave ours with a vegetable peeler because I find it more time efficient then trying to scrub them all clean. Place them in the skillet with the onions, add 1/2 cup water, 1 tps of garlic powder, or one fresh clove minced, add 1/2 tsp dried rosemary or about ten spikes of fresh(remember to crush before putting in pan). Simmer on low until carrots are tender. Don't forget to check your chicken often and to turn it over. Make sure to either temp check it or cut to make sure ALL pinkness has left the meat. Layer chicken on 1/4 to 1/2 cup rice and side with the carrots and onions(for those that don't like onions, just leave off the plate.)
Desert!
Either canned or fresh pears can be used. You will need one Pear for every two pies. We used fresh today because they are in season, but make sure when using canned that you purchase the ones in fruit juice not syrup. When you initially make individual pies you will need to purchase pre-made crusts, unless you have mini pie pans. Make sure that you save, wash, and reuse the pans the next time. Take your pears and quarter them removing the seeds and hard core. There are three ways to go now, you can either poach them in a pan on the stove or in the microwave, or in the oven. Today we used the microwave, but I will explain each one. Pears need to be placed with a little water 1/4 in a microwave safe dish and heated for 1-2 min depending on the size of the pear and the microwave. There is nothing wrong with doing short spurts and checking it often. Remove pears from microwave(be careful HOT!!), and cut into small pieces. Place in pie crusts and sprinkle with Cinnamon and nutmeg, serve warm. For the stove cooking just place the pears in 1/4 water and poach until soft. With the oven method, I place in 1/4 water and put cinnamon and nutmeg on them before putting in the oven. I use the oven for the pears when I will be cooking another item with them, or immediately afterward. The recipe for the homemade crust(after you use the store bought) is fairly simple. You place graham crackers in a zip lock bag and crush with a rolling pin. Mix crushed graham crackers with your choice of low fat/no fat spread until clumps can be made. Each spread is a little different so just add a small amount at a time adding more when necessary. Press into pie tins with fingers or a spoon.
Our boys LOVE having their own individual pies, so we make them often with a variety of fruits!
Now how to save time and money with this recipe. Plan your meals with whatever foods are in season, both Pears and Carrots are still available from our local farmers market. Buying things in season saves tons of money! Carrots and onions are great ones to freeze, so when I cut them for a fresh veg. recipe I always cut extra to be frozen for soups or stews in the coming weeks. It makes the time I have to spend on prep in some cases 0! Just makes sure that you label your freezer bags so that you know what you are planning on using those vegetables for and if you are planning out your meals a week or more at a time, you can even place the date of usage on the bag, so you will be sure to grab the correct one!
Please let me know your thoughts and comments on today's foods!
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