Yummies!

We have been students now for more than a month. Knowing that student loans are costing us what they are for the next ten years, it only makes sense to limit them as much as possible. And why not, when it means we can eat a little healthier at home? So I have cooked at least once a week a meal that will last us several days, and with enough variety and satisfaction that a sandwich everyday at lunch somehow hasn't gotten old. That actually says a lot because I get tired of food and leftovers after two or three eats. I have yet to cook the same thing more than once, and we've only gone out to eat a handful of times. Here are some of the things I've whipped up and the changes I would make next time. Most of them took a little longer to prep than the recipe says, but the more I'm in the kitchen, the better I get at it, so maybe your time will be a little more efficient and you'll be on target with the recipe's timing. Enjoy!

SIDES
Caprese!
This Italian salad is one of my favorites, and is ridiculously easy and tasty. You don't even need the drippings; just tomato, mozzarella, and basil is plenty good all on its own.

Green Pepper Tomato Salad
My husband really liked this one. It lasted us entirely too long, though. I liked it alright, but would've divided the recipe in half, at the very least.

White Bean Dip with Pita Chips
This is a great snack to just have on hand so you aren't over-eating queso from a jar. Ew. It's a lot easier to make than I thought it would be. If you can't find cannellini beans (which I usually have a hard time locating), use any other white bean; great northern works well. I also added a little vegetable seasoning from a packet-- the ones next to the spices. It was delicious! The only reason it lasted more than two days is because I told my husband it needed to refrigerate (though I bet it'd be delicious hot, too!). The chips would be good with hummus or other thick dips.

Superfast Asparagus
This one was perfectly crispy and easy. Worthy of a repeat! It doesn't store well, though, so I'd recommend this amount for 2-3 meals tops, or more eaters at one meal.

SOUPS
Chicken Tortilla Soup
My husband and a guest of ours really liked this one a lot. It was super easy, very hearty, and I never got around to putting the tortilla strips on it, ironically enough. It lasted us about 7 meals total.

Tomato Basil Soup
Hands down, probably my favorite thing that I've made. Quite possibly the least healthy (butter and cream? Oh geez!) but incredible. Be careful if you blend this while the ingredients are hot-- it gets messy, turns your blender orange, and the lid doesn't want to stay on. But it's SO worth it!

Chicken Veggie Soup
My husband got sick one week and needed a hearty soup. I didn't have broccoli or cauliflower so I used whatever other veggies I had in the fridge. You could also add noodles before serving.

ENTREES
Shepherd's Pie
Now shepherd's pie can be really good; my coworker used to make it and it always looked very colorful and smelled great. This one, however, lasted forever (I'd probably cut the recipe in half, but again, my husband liked it plenty) and I got tired of it, so if you want to make this much I'd add variety in the vegetables: corn, peas, squash, maybe beets, and really whatever you like.

Sour Cream Pork Chops
This turned out pretty well-- crock pot recipes are really the way to go! If I had to redo this one, though, you don't even need the sour cream part at all, but I would mix that part in a lot less juices so that it's a thicker gravy.

Honey Baked Chicken
Ridiculously easy and SO good. This one will get repeated when I run out of ideas and creativity. We also tried the sauce on salmon, and it was fine, but not nearly as yummy as the chicken. The sauce might even make a good salad dressing! Really, it was good and easy, and I added the chicken to sandwiches a few days. Come to think of it, my husband may have actually put this one all together after I found the recipe...

Turkey and Spinach Stuffed Shells with Arrabbiata Sauce
This one took about a million years to make. Really-- my hair went white and everything. Our grocery didn't have the recommended pasta, so I used manicotti, which probably took a little longer. They also didn't have frozen artichoke hearts, so I used frozen spinach. It turned out really good and it lasted us about a week. You also didn't need the pancetta for the sauce-- it was good, but there's plenty of other meat and I used spaghetti sauce from a jar so that probably didn't allow for the pancetta flavor to really come through.

Pot Roast
Don't think I'd make a single change to this one! I served it over brown rice and added more seasonings later, but I don't think I'd added enough before I browned it.

BBQ Pork for Sandwiches
This made more than a week's worth of sandwich fillings. It was quite good; I used a hickory smoked BBQ sauce. I'd probably cut the recipe in half and you'd still have plenty!

FREEZE-FRIENDLY BREAKFAST
Zucchini Bread
Fabulous and freezable! Be sure to do the shredded thing. I tried chopping up extra zucchini because for some reason chunks sounded good later. Not so much. They're just kind of awkward-- go ahead and shred. I also added walnuts and chocolate chips, which I really liked. It makes a great breakfast if you don't have time to sit down for something more. I froze half after cooking and it was still just as good when I took it out later.

Banana Bread
Yes, I know the link is to muffins. I did everything they said except for put it into muffin cups. I put it into a pie pan and froze half of it after cooking. My husband is a big fan of this one.