An Introduction to Meal Planning

In exactly two moths from today, our American adventure will come to a close. I will be very sad to leave my sisters and their families behind but am looking forwards to seeing my loved ones in Sydney and of course getting a job again. 

I have been having a great time living the life of a lady of leisure (unemployed) but I am very much looking forwards to working again. I look forward to the feeling the responsibility, sense of  accomplishment and belonging that go along with working. It is funny how we take all the little things for granted and I am grateful for this opportunity to find perspective. 

But leaving the USA after so many months means starting to pack up mentally. There is a lot to prepare for and one thing that may sound silly is the food. I love to cook and also was brought up to have reserves in the pantry. This means that I have quite a bit of food in the cupboard that I have to get through before we leave.

What I decided is that for once in my life I have to get organised about cooking. Usually what I love about cooking is that I just do whatever I feel like. I never want to just follow a recipe but use them instead as inspiration and a starting point in my own personal creative journey in the kitchen.

But once we hit less than 10 weeks to go I knew that I needed to plan ahead in both shopping and cooking. I have been doing this for two weeks now and it is incredible. I had forgotten about half the products I had on the top two shelves of the pantry - being short it's not as though they are in eyesight! 

Now I am already halfway through what I had in the cupboard and my weekly shop went from over $150 to $40 (yes really!).

Having a plan made me spend less. First I only bought what was on the list, thinking I only have time to eat these planned meals and anything else I buy will go bad and be thrown out. Therefore I eliminated expensive impulse purchases.  

Secondly, I find that I go on autopilot at the supermarket and buy the same basic items whether I actually need them or not. This means I end up with 20 cans of diced tomato but forget something I needed. This would lead to a second smaller shop later in the week. In this way I am spending too much on both occasions and buying too many unnecessary items.

Besides from saving money I am working towards eliminating food waste. In a world where enough food is produced to feed everyone yet one in every 8 people goes hungry I feel like is a crime to waste food. Of course I am guilty of throwing things out from time to time but it is my goal eliminate food waste in my household. Even before I ever thought of food planning, I always try to make my perishable ingredients last by storing them correctly and not buying more than we can consume before they are spoilt. This took a lot of practice when we first moved out of home but now is a normal part of our routine and we don't even notice it. Having a meal plan is just a way of strengthening my efforts. 

Here is a planner that I developed, although as you can see, it is very easy to make your own to suit your own particular needs (available on PDF here)

I hope this is helpful to anyone wanting to organise themselves, save money and stop wasting precious food. 

Washington DC

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel named Washington DC the #1 city of 2015. I have been lucky enough to visit on several occasions and the more I see the more I like it. 

First lets talk about the abundance of quality museums, the majority of which are FREE!!! As in gratis, without charge, no payment required, come as you please, at no cost, for nothing, on the house... Oh yea, like music to my ears! 

Not only are there many museums to visit but they are also large and require some time at each to take in all the exhibits. On our last trip to DC Tim and I very much enjoyed the Smithonian National Museum of American History. Downstairs we peered into an exact replica of Julia Child's kitchen which had me drooling with kitchen envy. Then we explored the changing relationship of the American public to food from the 1950's to now. By examining the effects of a changing population and especially introduction of new technologies and their impact. Something that stood out to me was a 1960's 7Eleven poster promoting parents to leave children in their car while shopping. I guess that with hindsight we are all experts, I just thought it is interesting to see a changing perspective laid out in chronological order and clearly with interesting items on display. 

The upstairs highlight for me was Faith Bradford's Dolls' house. It must be the best one ever made! It is all antique furniture and dolls and I think it is like a gorgeous little work of art. They also have other interesting popular culture displays such as the ruby slipper from The Wizard of Oz as well as original dresses from all the past first ladies. Another more serious exhibit that I found fascinating was that of the now defunct American Whaling Industry. This was in the naval history exhibit which was surprisingly interesting. It also included models of slave cargo ships which leave a shocking impression. This exhibit was the broadest and most complete in my opinion. All in all there is something for everyone at this museum. 

 

  

Also, we toured the Capitol or Congress building. This is a guided tour that takes you though the different rooms of the building and explores the history of the politics of the nation. It was very much geared to an American public but was very informative and I think enjoyable overall to any visitor interested in history and / or architecture or American History. 

On another visit, I went to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. This was a very sober experience, but I think that it is an important place to visit. Here you will learn facts about a tragic human experience that needs to be remembered, so as not to allow it to happen again in the future. 

Aside from all the wonderful Museums of course there are many great Monuments as well. Sometimes it may seem silly to be visiting a big statue like say the Big Prawn in New South Wales. But this is a different kind of big thing. Firstly, the monuments were erected to commemorate a different historical figure or event. They are obviously very significant to Americans and I can respect them. I can also respect the sheer scale of some of these things, they actually are big!

Ok so beyond satisfying the desires of cheapskates like Tim and I with all the free venues, did I mention that it is really gorgeous? I don't think that I realised it at first, but every time I go I think I see it a little more. It first hit me when we were driving alongside the Potomac on George Washington Memorial Parkway as the sun was setting. Most of the buildings seemed to glow on the other side of the water and on our side, despite being on a semi free way, there was so many beautiful trees it felt like we were in a timeless place. My sister lives in Arlington next to a park which to me is more like a nature reserve. I couldn't believe that such a major city would be so green. 

   

But otherwise it is not all memorials, museums and parks. For the young hipsters out there, there is the lovely Georgetown. This is a beautiful historic district that is full of great stores including both boutique and vintage. It's also a foodie area full of bars, restaurants and cafes. They really have it all, and it comes wrapped in a pretty and laid back wrapper of an atmosphere. There are so many places to see there that even though I have been several times I always have somewhere new to go on my next visit. But the hightlight for me has to be Georgetown Cupcakes. I am afraid that I have never paid a visit to the city without stopping in for a cupcake (or several...). I don't even mind the wait. At first I thought it was stupid to line up for cupcakes. But unlike my experience lining up for Bignets in New Orleans (which I would not repeat) I am very happy to wait for these babies any day. 

Incidentally there is a sprinkles cupcake shop just down the street which is so damn bad! I thought I would try to see how they compared so I ordered a selection to share with everyone. They were dry and so crappy we couldn't even palate them after having the faultless Georgetown Cupcakes on the same day! 

And believe it or not, Georgetown is also the setting of the film the Exorcist. Of course we snapped some pics on the stairwell from the final scene for a little bit of a laugh. 

Jamón Pasta Carbonara

This recipe is simple and very tasty but does require two elements to be done simultaneously. While you are cooking the pasta you must be preparing the other ingredients so that the minute they are done you are ready to combine them. This recipe needs fresh, hot, but drained pasta to cook the raw egg just enough that it does not make scrambled eggs. It is very straight forwards. Simply prepare all ingredients first. Then while cooking pasta, cook other ingredients at the same time.

Ingredients 

2 Garlic Cloves

1 Pack Spaghetti (I use wholemeal or brown rice spaghetti). 

150 grams Sliced Spanish Jamón

2 Large Eggs

1/2 Cup of Shredded Cheese such as Parmesan or Provolone (I often substitute with whatever I have on hand, in this case cheddar)

1 Small Bunch of Parsley (in this case I used coriander as a substitute)

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Method

Peel and thinly slice garlic and set aside. 

Whisk eggs and cheese together and set aside. 

Wash and roughly chop fresh herbs so they are ready and set aside.

Place a large pot of water with dash of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt on high heat. 

While waiting for the pasta water to boil, add a tablespoon of oil to a fry pan and heat on medium-low heat. Gently cook the garlic for a minute or so without browning or it will turn bitter. As soon as it is softened add the jamón and gently sauté for another minute or so. 

Once the water is boiled, add pasta to the pot and cook for approximately 7 minutes until al dente. As soon as it is ready drain, but reserve a cut or so of the water the pasta boiled in. 

Immediately after draining and while the pasta is very hot combine with the raw egg/cheese mixture and stir through to allow all the pasta to be coated in egg while simultaneously gently 'cooking' it. 

Once all the pasta is coated add 1/2 - 1 cup of the reserved pasta water to thicken the 'sauce'. 

Add the cooked garlic and jamón and stir through. 

Next add the fresh parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve and enjoy.  

Baked Tofu Stir Fry

This dish is very quick and easy to make. It is a great healthy choice for breakfast lunch or dinner (Yes, I have tried it for each meal!) 

Ingredients

1 Package of Firm Tofu

1 Punnet Cherry Tomatoes, halved

250 grams Sugar Snap Peas, halved

1 Medium Onion, diced

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 Tablespoon Ginger, minced

1 Large Egg, Whisked

Coconut Oil

Salt 

Pepper

Soy Sauce

ZhenJiang Vinegar (Chinese Black Vinegar)

Sambal Oelek ( Garlic Chilli Paste)

Method

Preheat oven to 180° Celsius or 350° Fahrenheit. 

Cut tofu into approximately 5cm cubes, dry with paper towel to remove excess moisture.

Place tofu evenly on an oven tray greased with coconut oil and season with salt and pepper. 

Bake for 20 minutes and then flip around to brown on each side. Bake on other side for another 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, peel and mince the onion, garlic and ginger.

Wash and halve the cherry tomatoes.

Wash, trim ends and halve the sugar snap peas.

Crack and whisk egg in a bowl and set aside.

Add 1.5 tablespoons of coconut oil to a large pan. Sauté the onion on low heat until soft and translucent. 

Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute longer. 

Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for approximately 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and releasing their juices. 

Add 1 tablespoon of Sambal Oelek, 1/2 cup of Zhenjiang Vinegar and 1/4 cup of soy sauce and mix through. 

Add sugar snap peas and cook for 1 minute

Add egg, mixing through to allow an even distribution.

Add baked tofu and incorporate well into sauce.

Serve on its own as a side dish or on a bed of rice as a main.