Have you ever had one of those days or months where it is hard to get motivated? I am not sure what happened because I tried to write a post for the Super Bowl (“Souper” Bowl) but then I didn’t feel like making soup! Then it was tax time! While I can do my taxes, I had a hard time pulling all of the stuff together, much less actually using the tax software to complete them. Some of this was due to the time change, I really. hate Spring forward. Not to mention, Spring hitting very hard – green pollen covering the deck, the cars, me and the dog after taking her for a walk. My allergies flared terribly and I had no idea when I started watching that there are 17 seasons of Heartland! So I apologize to my loyal followers — do I have any loyal followers – besides the spammers?? So while all those things were just distractions, I woke up this morning thinking about writing this post. It’s almost Mother’s Day so let’s think about how to make your Mom’s or your wife’s, or any special lady’s, day a little better. One of the best ways is

to cook a meal and most importantly to clean up afterwards! This is one of those win/win gifts as everyone needs to eat! And, with some planning and careful shopping, you can “cook once and eat twice!” The wise old adage, “measure twice and cut once,” refers to being precise as it’s better to spend an extra minute measuring again before cutting since the cut is permanent. Wood is expensive, and nowadays, groceries can be expensive. Let’s talk about meal planning because I know when I have set out to make some new recipes that use different spices, etc., it feels like it costs way more! And I have heard folks say that French cooking can be very expensive but it doesn’t have to be. A lot of what makes cooking expensive is trying to buy ingredients that are not “in season,” meaning they aren’t growing/ready for harvesting. To get them, they have to be imported from another area or even another country which pushes up the price.

Cooking with the ‘in season” foods can save you money and also help keep your dinners fresh! I was talking with a coworker last week about eating (no surprise) and she was excited because it’s almost “asparagus season.” I happen to love FRESH asparagus – canned or even frozen is not the same. Fresh young, tender asparagus is really good. So if you are not a fan, could be you have not had the best asparagus or maybe never had bacon-wrapped asparagus – it’s a real thing! A Thai restaurant near my house makes this wonderful Asparagus Stir-Fry and I get it with chicken and extra spring rolls! So enough about asparagus – you get the picture.

When cooking for a special occasion it really helps to create a menu that focuses on your special person’s tastes as well as the seasonal vegetables and fruits. Of course, you usually can’t go wrong with roasted chicken and a nice garden salad. Adding a special appetizer and/or a favorite dessert, setting the table with a nice tablecloth and fresh flowers makes the meal more of an event.

Think about breakfast as well. A nice warm coffee cake with hot, fresh coffee to start the day. Maybe serve with some fresh, seasonal fruit. One year, after a visit to the doctor, my mom said the doctor told her that she needed to watch her cholesterol– the woman loved her sausage! So, I suggested that she eat some fruit with her breakfast and she responded “fruit?! for breakfast?!” I was like … you used to eat cantaloupe and a lot of folks eat that for breakfast and she glared at me. So serve fruit at your own peril!

Along that line, think about eating healthier and reducing the sodium intake. For simple dinners – choose a pasta sauce with lower sodium or even better no salt and low/no sugar – check the back label and compare to ensure the brand actually is lower salt. It’s really easy to use prepared pasta sauce for a simple pasta dish or even jazzed up with some ground beef and extra spices. While it may not be intuitive, adding ingredients can “reduce” the sodium. Adding no salt added, stewed tomatoes can “freshen” the premade sauce and reduces the sodium and adds potassium. Ensure you choose tomatoes that are steam-peeled without chemicals. It isn’t really “reducing” but rather diluting the sodium. This is a really important concept as most of the time, excess sodium can cause health issues, but by adding potassium rich veggies to the sauce, it can also help balance the sodium. Cutting carrots into the “dimes” or even chopping such that they cook down, adds more nutrition and may get kids to eat more vegetables. Adding an “MJ” version of a mirepoix (onions, green peppers and optionally add carrots vice celery) to prepared pasta sauce along with some browned hamburger makes a quick bolognese.

Here are ways where you can use the “cook once and eat twice” methodology:

1- Brown Hamburger 1-2 pounds along with the MJ Mirepoix. Drain the fat, add a can of the aforementioned stewed tomatoes, the jarred pasta sauce (I like the Barilla Marinara). If you are making 2 lbs of hamburger, go with two jars of sauce and 1-2 cans of tomatoes. Bring it together and simmer until for 10-30 minutes – portion out what is needed for the current meal. If you want, you can freeze the rest of the sauce in individual servings. Portion out the noodles and cover completely with the sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and seal the container. Or put just the sauce in a freezer bag or freezer container, and mark with the date and freeze. I am always happy when I get home late and find a some home-made spaghetti dinner that I just need to microwave. This version of the frozen dinner is so much healthier than the store-bought.

2 – I often like to brown the hamburger like the above adding in the green peppers (carrots are optional). Cook until the veggies are soft – drain the fat, sometimes I add in tomatoes here. Save some hamburger to finish cooking your current meal. Portion out the rest of the meat for later to have a jump start on making Tacos, Chili or another pot of spaghetti. You can even add the cooked meat to Mac-n-cheese to make a cheesy hamburger pasta dish, a homemade hamburger helper. Just add in some extra shredded cheese and a bit of milk or cream to blend.

This is a good way to handle buying hamburger in 5 lbs – when it’s often cheaper. Spend an hour or two to brown some of the meat for dinners and portion out some of the meat into hamburger patties and perhaps, a meatloaf. The burger patties can be wrapped individually in wax paper and frozen – take out 1 or 2 at a time or cook all for use for a quick dinner. Even better if you have time to grill. The goal is to do the prep ahead of time and this way the hamburger will be in an easier state to freeze and use later. Especially important these days with everyone’s busy schedules.

Of course, if you would like to lighten up, ground chicken or turkey can be a great substitute for the hamburger. If kids or adults are picky, using the ground meat in the pasta sauce or tacos with the great seasonings may help with the transition. Also, while I am not a huge fan of Quinoa, I like it in tacos! Rinse the Quinoa before cooking it … rinse it several times and pick out anything that doesn’t belong. then cook per the package, don’t over cook since it will cook a bit more when mixed in. Brown the ground meat, add taco seasoning and add extra seasonings and a bit more water. I always use more liquid than the package says. Add 1/2 -1 cup of cooked quinoa. Maybe try 1/2 cup to 1lb of meat at first and then work up to 1 cup. Quinoa is lighter and texture-wise seems to blend well with taco meat. I would not add it to pasta sauce unless you really like the taste – I tried it and I didn’t enjoy it.

Another healthy tip to lighten things up, is add around a 1/2 cup quick cooking oats instead of breadcrumbs when making meatloaf. It helps keep it moist and adds extra fiber which is always a good thing. And since you are adding all the seasonings to include: mustard, eggs, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper — you won’t taste it. Of course, if you have a family favorite meatloaf, perhaps you can’t change it up without folks complaining, but that is ok. I even make “meatloaf” burgers on the grill. They stay more moist on the grill no matter your skill level and it’s helps stretch your money and helps your heart! See the links at the bottom of this post for more information.

While much of this article is about stretching your time and food budget, this is a good way to save money. This savings can help you splurge for other things. So with Mother’s Day coming, think about how best to celebrate the wonderful “Moms” in your life. Whether it is taking them out to eat or a special home-cooked meal or cookout, bringing flowers or just letting her sleep in, I am sure they will be grateful. And if you can help to keep them happy and healthy, life will be more comfortable!

The holy trinity is the Cajun and Louisiana Creole variant of mirepoix; traditional mirepoix is two parts onions, one part carrots, and one part celery, whereas the holy trinity is typically one or two parts onions, one part green bell pepper, and one part celery.

A Sofrito is used more in Puerto Rico and latin countries. It varies by region but can start with the MJ poix and add tomatoes and garlic and spicier peppers. Actually, see the link below for a basic recipe.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/basic-sofrito-recipe-2138283

https://www.allrecipes.com/bacon-wrapped-asparagus-6572419

https://www.livestrong.com/article/250246-the-psychological-effects-of-low-potassium/

https://www.livestrong.com/article/530885-the-effect-of-magnesium-on-sodium-potassium-balance/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/bell-peppers#benefits

So, while we are almost back to normal, now there is the new Delta variant.  We are not out of the woods yet!  So, it is still good to have a stash of good pantry staples to feed you and your family.  What is in your stash?  I have found that tortillas, cheese and salsa and sometimes chips are now a staple.  Why?  Well who doesn’t love a taco?  Well some folks don’t like spicy and associate tacos with spicy and hot food that they pay for later.   However, a taco doesn’t have to be spicy nor hot and tacos can be very economical and tasty.  For busy people and even people who don’t know or like to cook, a tortilla, preferably soft, will be your new best friend.  The great news is you can buy and have taco fixings on hand and it doesn’t have to be the usual hamburger with seasonings. Even gourmet cooks may like this twist on a taco.  Oooh… Drum Roll please…

I present to you, my internet friends, the “leftover” Taco.  What you say, an old soggy takeout taco leftover from Taco Tuesday?  No… nada… no-way, especially, if your family hates leftovers.

A magical tortilla will proudly present your leftovers as a fresh new meal.  You know, salsa and cheese can be very forgiving, just like your favorite yoga pants.  Anything can go into a taco – ok, maybe not soup.  But a tortilla CAN go into the soup but that is another post.  And if your leftovers are gourmet, your tacos can be gourmet! 

On Friday, I went out to dinner and had grilled salmon on a nice salad and it had a lot of goat cheese. So, what if your leftovers are from a restaurant, like my salmon? I finished the salad but since I was having dessert, I didn’t finish the salmon and brought it and the goat cheese home. Today, I split the salmon in half length wise and heated in the microwave with a smidge of water. Toasted the folded tortillas in the toaster and … put a tiny smear of goat cheese on bottom, added in kale salad, and poppy seed dressing and salmon. Added radishes and squeeze of lime and crack of pepper. Delicious tasty salmon tacos. <hint:  add sliced radishes and your dish is now fancy>

I know most people think of Taco Tuesday as the norm, but I suggest that we move it Thursday.

Here is why:  if you cook on Sundays and make pot-roast, then on Monday you pick up a rotisserie chicken and maybe some salad.  On Tuesday, you make pork chops and yellow rice and some black beans.  Wednesday …. cooking is getting old so you make frozen fish in the oven and french fries – fyi make extra fish. So now Thursday, ugh … who wants to cook?!

Let’s look at these leftovers… pull out the leftovers:

A little bit of beef and potatoes from Monday

Rotisserie Chicken – pull that off the bone.

And there is a bit of salad or a salad kit

One pork chop and some rice and beans

A few pieces of cold, breaded fish

Mmm …. not enough for a whole meal by themselves.  However, get those tortillas warming in low oven and set up the taco bar…. Slice the pork chop into thin slices (while cold), take the pulled chicken, and the beef and potatoes and warm up in the microwave.  Or if you want to get gourmet add to skillet and warm up with a bit of water and salsa (and any onions or bell peppers for extra freshness)

Heat up the rice and beans separately and strip the fish of the icky breading and heat that up as well.

And, because you planned ahead, you have the avocado/guacamole, Monterey Jack or your favorite cheese, sour cream, and if you want more spice, fresh jalapeño or Tabasco – heat lovers know what they need to do! 

Everyone gets to put some cheese on their tortilla, and pick whatever meat and toppings they want. Guess what – that little bit of salad is just enough to add some crunch and freshness to your tacos.  Tacos are things that the kids can help pull together. A squeeze of lime and it all feels and tastes fresh.

And yes, you can put pot roast and potatoes in a taco!  It’s delicious.  Maybe use cheddar cheese and radishes to bump it up in flavor!  You can even just use left-over roasted veggies with cheese and salsa!  The great thing is the flexibility.  Don’t be afraid to try or even mix meats.  Play around with cheeses, perhaps Taco Thursday is the night to use up that half bag of cheddar and the provolone? Props to the most creative taco builder!

Perhaps you don’t want to wait until Thursday to eat the leftovers, I have friends that will toss them out after 3 days.  Well, my friend, take the potatoes and pot roast and heat up in the non-stick skillet on medium while you crack/beat two eggs.  Pour over the warmed goodness and turn the heat down a smidge and stir with spatula.  When the eggs begin to set, add some cheese and salt and pepper and turn off heat. Let the egg mix continue to cook while you warm your tortilla in microwave for a few seconds. Now make your heavenly breakfast burrito and if desired, add a bit of salsa or Tabasco. Wrap and you can take it to-go in the car and have some comfort food for the commute. 

Ordinary leftovers with some taco fixings can make Thursday’s a fiesta.  Especially when served with a tasty beverage!  You may be surprised how the family gets into planning the meals to get the best Tacos on Thursday.

All those leftovers that were not enough individually for a whole meal, and, bonus, the fridge is cleaned out! It’s a total win/win. And what can be more comforting than an economical and a fun family dinner!