Is it just me, or is "whats for dinner?" the questions that pops in your head just around the time that its too late to actually find a recipe and get down to the grocery store... but early enough to sit there and ponder what you can make with the items in your kitchen. I am not a planner. I am not a cook... or even a take out, order in, or get out of my sweats and go out for dinner kind of person. Not these days anyway. There are a number of reasons I prefer cooking dinners at home these days. One- Dyllan eats around 5pm and is in bed by around 6pm- which means we can't go anywhere after 5pm (unless we have a babysitter). Two- I am trying to eat healthy- which rules out most take out or restaurants (for the most part). And three- and this is a big three- we are doing our best to stick within our food budget- which is tough enough as it is.. not taking into account many meals out or takeout. Food in Australia is expensive. Rediculous in fact. A block of cheese is $8.. meat is usually a treat...fruit is a delacacy (3 banannas yesterday costed me $7.50). Lucky we "hook-up" at Bakers Delight.. a friend of Lionel's works at the bakery down the road and every Thursday at the end of her shift- we get anything and everything we want. FOR FREE... cinamon rolls, custard berry log loafs, apple cinnamon scrolls, Vegemite and cheese scrolls, loaves of bread, hot cross buns (yes, they actually sell and eat those here.. I thought it was only in nursery rhymes!) scones.. you name it.. we get it. So every Thursday- our fridge, freezers, and cupboards are packed with bread, bread, bread.
Yesterday morning as I was working my butt off in spin class.. it dawned on me that the reason I have been feeling so lazy and "doughy" lately.. is because of all the bread. Duh. I have never been a huge carb person.. I dont love pasta, and I can usually pass on breads, rice, grains.. (sweets- though.. thats a different story..another day) and all this bread has really effected me. There are two.... ok 3 things that taste better here in Australia: Breads, Cheese, and Chocolate. Yikes. Basically until today- my diet has consisted LARGELY on those 3 things.. in any form. Melted.. Grilled Cheese, Tuna Melts, Chocolate ice cream bars (mini's so it doesn't count, right?), Shredded cheese out of the bag, cheese and tomato, chocolate scones, chocolate covered pretzels... you get the picture. Ontop of all these tasty melty treats.. I live with a husband who is in training for an Ironman. Can you imagine what he needs to eat with all that training? Well, imagine that.. and me eating dinner with him.. pretty much bite for bite we eat close to the same amount. (to my credit- I go to the gym and work out too... just not nearly as hard or as long as him.)
So today is the start of my road to recovery. I am not going to order the sweet pasteries on Thursdays anymore. (we will still get bread.. obviously. Can't pass up a (free) good thing) but no more custards, choc chip, or apple cinamon glazed treats. I usually make healthy choices when it comes to dinners- but my downfalls are snacks, sweets and now breads and cheeses. So I have decided to share with you- some of the things I have made for dinner. They are quick. Easy. Cheap. and best of all.. Healthy. I actually enjoy cooking these things- and they taste great- Bonus. Once a week (maybe more) I will share a dinner that I have made- that I really enjoyed.
The first one I'll start with is this....
Last week Dan and I had our friends Mere and Eva over for dinner. I had come up with a few ideas of what I wanted to fix before hand. On my list was bruchetta, rocket (arrugula) and spinach salad with goat cheese and pear, and for desert fresh strawberries dipped in greek yogurt and brown sugar*. I was missing a main. So who better to call on than one of my best friends Jessica. The Chef.
*One of the many tasty recipes we learned from Jodi Wes
