Thursday, February 9, 2012

Sooo, I've taken up cooking...

So, Mom started this diet, and while I haven't fully subscribed to it, I've started trying to eat healthier, one baby step at a time. One of the things I'm trying is to make my lunch and freeze it, rather than eating Chef Boyardee's finest or getting fast food. Yesterday I made this:

I kind of just looked for what was in the fridge and went with it, and it came out SUPER tasty! I made about 7 meals worth, and froze them in single serving containers, which are the best invention ever. It reheated really well today in the microwave at school. I figured I'd share my best approximation of the recipe, so that you can try it if you want. (and so I can remember it later) There's plenty of options for customization, and this isn't necessarily exactly what I did, so don't hold too fast to the recipe. It comes out looking super fancy, but it's basically one of those "dump everything in the pot and watch it cook" kind of recipes.

1 1/2 lbs. Chicken, cubed. (I used raw and cooked it, but you could use leftover grilled or canned)
3/4 lb Frozen Salad Shrimp (I just threw them in the pot frozen, but they could be thawed or even fresh)
1 box (14.65 oz.) Whole grain bowtie pasta
1 Medium onion, sliced
5 Stalks celery, chopped
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 bag Sliced "baby bella" mushrooms
3 tbs. Olive Oil
1/4 c. Reduced fat (or regular) feta cheese (I used a mix of reduced fat and regular because I was trying to finish off some mostly empty containers.)
2 tbs. Shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
Salt

Start pasta boiling according to package directions. In a very large pan or wok, brown chicken if raw. Add onions, celery, mushrooms, shrimp, tomatoes, and olive oil. Cook until veggies begin to soften. There will be a lot of juice, don't drain it. Drain pasta and add to rest of mix. Stir together and continue heating until liquid thickens. Season with a bit of garlic powder, and salt to taste. When almost done, add feta and parmesan cheeses and stir in well, they will melt and appear to vanish, but I promise they're still there. (If you're feeling really cheesy, you could garnish the top with some cheese when you serve it) Annnnd... Voila, food! Serves about 6-7. It filled 7 of the square ziplock microwaveable containers. Let me know if you make this and how it goes. :)