One Chicken - Three Meals

A couple of weeks ago, my CSA box contained a whole chicken.  It wasn't a huge chicken, but it was just right for my family of three. (And, I knew EXACTLY where it came from, which for me is a really big deal.)  I wasn't ready to "deal" with a whole chicken just then, so I put her in the freezer until I was really good and ready to tango!

Since I am a work-outside the home, 100-mile round trip commuting mama, I knew the deed would need to be done in the slow cooker (not to mention that it's been in the 90s since the end of May).  So I mustered (not mustard) up one of my favorite recipes (here) which is very quick and easy and off to work I went.  I love coming home to a nice cooked meal where the rest of my effort is minimal after a long day at work.

Once the bird is done, there are sooo many options. The first of course is to eat it as is out of the slow cooker.  Once you've eaten from the bird, it's time to prepare for other meals - and in my case it's two more.  I love to shred the chicken.  It stretches the meat so much further than any other method (in my opinion).  I pick every single piece of chicken off those bones that I possibly can. It's a little messy, but well worth the reward.  Once you are done pickin' you should have a bowl of chicken that looks similar to pulled pork. (And remember, you can freeze what you picked, too.)

My two stretch meals were Chicken Nachos and Caesar Chicken Pasta Salad.  Yum and Yum...(recipes will be posted soon!)  Please share your ideas...I would love to know what you would do with the chicken!

6-8 Delivery: An Amazing Assortment

First, let me apologize for not getting this posted last night.  BUT, I was so busy shelling peas that I got side-tracked, and then I got sleepy.  I slept better last night than I have in weeks.  Maybe it was the peas :) 

Check out the bounty for this week!  Isn't she amazing...

Here is the meal plan for this week (as always - subject to change!)

Thursday: Tonight is snack night (hubs and I both had late lunch today and are not that hungry). DD is having a turkey dog and steamed broccoli!  Tonight is also the night that I will be doing a little batch cooking as well as chopping, blanching, vacuum sealing, etc!

Friday:  Slow Cooker Spiced Whole Chicken (from An Oregon Cottage, one of my favorite blogs), steamed broccoli, and roasted potatoes.

Saturday:  Caesar Chicken Pasta Salad (my recipe which I will post on Sunday)

Sunday:  Chicken Divan (one of my favorite recipes that my Fairy Godmother used to make when I was a kid - I will post recipe)

Monday:  Roasted Vegetable Fritatta (from Faithful Provisions, another of my favorite blogs); I will use zucchini only since I don't have yellow squash yet.

Tuesday:  Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps and Crunch Slaw

Wednesday: "Clean out the box night" - stir fry with rice or noodles using up what's left!

I plan to do a few extras this week also:  Blueberry and Zucchini Muffins - YUM!  

Looks like a yummy week.  What do you have planned?

Changing Things Up a Bit (and Burgers too!)

As a busy working mother, having a meal plan is really important.  Being flexible with the possibility of changing that plan on any given day is essential!  This week that is exactly what I have done..so far, not one night has gone "according to plan" - but that's o.k.  We adapt and move on.

So tonight we will have those hamburgers on the grill we didn't have Thursday night.  One thing I love about burgers is how versatile they are...seasonings, add-ins, toppings.  The possibilities are endless!  Tonight I am going to do my version of a Lipton Onion Soup burger.  (One thing I try to avoid as much as possible is pre-packaged seasoning mixes.  Sometimes I can find organic versions on sale at Whole Foods that aren't chock-full of weird ingredients,  but I really prefer just to add my own.)

This recipe falls right into my philosophy of using only items that come from my CSA box and what is already in my pantry, as I received 2 lbs. of grass fed ground beef!


Onion Burgers (Makes 4 1/4 lb. burgers)
1 lb. Ground Beef
2 spring onions, finely chopped (I use the bulb and the stem)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
A few dashes of worcestershire sauce (to taste)

Mix all ingredients together.  Shape into 4 patties.  To keep burgers from puffing up, create a well in the center in the burger. Grill to desired temperature and enjoy.  One note - grass-fed beef tends to cook faster than other beef.  Turn your temperature down a little before grilling.

I would love for you to share your favorite burger recipe or what you are cooking this weekend!

6-1 Delivery - Spinach and Broccoli and Beets, Oh My!

This week's box was HEAVY!  Take a peek...

So many wonderful options for the week!. Here is what I have planned for the next week of dinners...

Thursday - Hamburgers (utilizing 1 lb of ground beef and spring onions)
Friday - Frittata (utilizing bacon and spring onions)
Saturday - Lunch - Spinach salad with Roasted Beets; Dinner - Roasted Chicken (from previous delivery), Steamed Broccoli
Sunday - Lunch - BLT sandwiches; Dinner - Shredded BBQ Chicken, Pasta Salad utilizing bits and pieces of delivery
Monday - Tacos (utilizing 1 lb. ground beef, shredded lettuce)
Tuesday - Stir Fry (utilizing bits and pieces of delivery)
Wednesday - depends on what we have left!
**Meal plan subject to change based on chef's preference and family's whining level each day :)

We have received Kohlrabi each week so far.  I personally like it, but the hubs is not too fond of it.  I am thinking I will make a batch of soup with the "bulbs" I have left and freeze it for when it ever gets cold again...ha!

Everything I make will consist of what was in this box plus items I already have in the pantry.  This weekend I was able to score 9 boxes of Ronzoni Garden delight pasta for $4 thanks to printable coupons!!!  They were on sale at my Food Lion for $1 per box, and I had 4 coupons for $1 off of two boxes - score!  Trust me when I say over the next month or two, you will see quite a few variations of cold and hot pasta dishes!  I will post recipes with pictures as they happen.  What do you plan to prepare this week?  I would love for you to share your thoughts!  Happy Vegging :)