It tasted much better than it looked. The peppers and cucumbers gave it some nice texture.
For what it is, it wasn't bad.
-
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A Week Of...???
- Thread starter englanddg
- Start date
For what it is, it wasn't bad.
I like mushrooms a lot. But, either I needed more of them, or left them out...I couldn't tell they were in the dish.
Week 2 - Day 4 - Meal 1 - Mexican Breakfast Burrito
I love breakfast burritos. I mean, eggs...meat...salsa...some jalepenos for heat? Delicious! So, on with the metrics.
My weight this morning was 206.3 lbs. My BMI (body fat) is 24.3%. My hydration is 56.0%.
Crack the eggs into a bowl and whip them into a froth. Then add a pinch of salt, some ground black pepper, a few splashes of tobasco, and about 1 tablespoon of heavy cream.
Whisk until fluffy, and then melt some butter into a pan over medium heat. Add the egg, and stir constantly.
This will make some nice fluffy eggs!
But, next we are going to spice it up! Add some of the chopped jalepenos, which, by the way, are much better quality than I expected!
And add some chopped tomatoes, some chopped red onion, some chopped red pepper, a teaspoon of the adobo sauce from the chipotle peppers, and one of the chipotle peppers diced up.
Saute and mix for a few minutes, to warm up the fillings, then remove to a bowl.
Add some cheddar cheese.
And then mix it. The heat from the eggs and filling will melt the cheese.
Cube some Spam and saute it in the same pan the eggs were cooked in for a few minutes. At the same time, toast a soft taco sized flour tortilla in the oven at 350 until it's warm and lightly toasted.
Spread some of the Adobo sauce down the center of the tortilla.
And add the egg filling generously!
Roll up the tortilla. Serve with Sour Cream topped with chopped green onion or parsley, and some of the canned salsa.
Nom nommers!
This turned out great! I was really surprised by how excellent the quality of the canned jalepenos and salsa was. Excellent breakfast!
Lunch is next!
I love breakfast burritos. I mean, eggs...meat...salsa...some jalepenos for heat? Delicious! So, on with the metrics.
My weight this morning was 206.3 lbs. My BMI (body fat) is 24.3%. My hydration is 56.0%.
Crack the eggs into a bowl and whip them into a froth. Then add a pinch of salt, some ground black pepper, a few splashes of tobasco, and about 1 tablespoon of heavy cream.
Whisk until fluffy, and then melt some butter into a pan over medium heat. Add the egg, and stir constantly.
This will make some nice fluffy eggs!
But, next we are going to spice it up! Add some of the chopped jalepenos, which, by the way, are much better quality than I expected!
And add some chopped tomatoes, some chopped red onion, some chopped red pepper, a teaspoon of the adobo sauce from the chipotle peppers, and one of the chipotle peppers diced up.
Saute and mix for a few minutes, to warm up the fillings, then remove to a bowl.
Add some cheddar cheese.
And then mix it. The heat from the eggs and filling will melt the cheese.
Cube some Spam and saute it in the same pan the eggs were cooked in for a few minutes. At the same time, toast a soft taco sized flour tortilla in the oven at 350 until it's warm and lightly toasted.
Spread some of the Adobo sauce down the center of the tortilla.
And add the egg filling generously!
Roll up the tortilla. Serve with Sour Cream topped with chopped green onion or parsley, and some of the canned salsa.
Nom nommers!
This turned out great! I was really surprised by how excellent the quality of the canned jalepenos and salsa was. Excellent breakfast!
Meal Grade (purely subjective) - A+
Lunch is next!
Week 2 - Day 4 - Meal 2 - Spam Burgers
Famously pictured on a can of spam is a Spam Burger. I have no idea if this is a good thing or not...but, if they like it well enough to put it on their can, it must be ok, right?
Lets give it a shot. Not sure how this is going to turn out!
It appears from the picture that they use a center piece of the meat, sliced lengthwise.
Warm up a grill or grill pan, and place the spam slice on it.
Hrm, a few minutes on one side, and a flip. The char marks are looking pretty good!
So, lets get fancy, and do some cross marks!
Toast the bread at 350, with the cheese on the lower part of the bun. Let it toast for a few minutes. As you do this, shred the lettuce, and thinly slice the tomato. After toasting, put the mayo and a dollop of mustard on the top loaf, and add a slice or two of pickles.
Top the "burger", and devour!
This turned out much better than I expected. The Spam wasn't overly salty, and I've actually had sliced ham that's tasted worse.
For a quick lunch, it's pretty good. I wouldn't eat this every day, but I can see why sandwiches like this are popular in some parts of the country (like Hawaii!).
Off to dinner!
Famously pictured on a can of spam is a Spam Burger. I have no idea if this is a good thing or not...but, if they like it well enough to put it on their can, it must be ok, right?
Lets give it a shot. Not sure how this is going to turn out!
It appears from the picture that they use a center piece of the meat, sliced lengthwise.
Warm up a grill or grill pan, and place the spam slice on it.
Hrm, a few minutes on one side, and a flip. The char marks are looking pretty good!
So, lets get fancy, and do some cross marks!
Toast the bread at 350, with the cheese on the lower part of the bun. Let it toast for a few minutes. As you do this, shred the lettuce, and thinly slice the tomato. After toasting, put the mayo and a dollop of mustard on the top loaf, and add a slice or two of pickles.
Top the "burger", and devour!
This turned out much better than I expected. The Spam wasn't overly salty, and I've actually had sliced ham that's tasted worse.
For a quick lunch, it's pretty good. I wouldn't eat this every day, but I can see why sandwiches like this are popular in some parts of the country (like Hawaii!).
Meal Grade (purely subjective) - B-
Off to dinner!
Last edited:
I could easily see that working well. I found myself not disliking spam as much as I thought I would!
Week 2 - Day 4 - Meal 3 - Boy R Dee Lasagna
I've sat on these american classic canned meals. We loved them as kids, but I was wondering what to do with them? And then it hit me, why not make a lasagna!
So, I started by boiling water with some salt and olive oil.
I added the pasta. And, while it cooked, I sprayed a 10 x 10 glass dish with some more non-stick spray.
Then added 1 can of the beefaroni and spread it around the bottom.
Covered with motz cheese and some fresh ground black pepper and a few splashes of tobasco for heat.
Top with the finished lasagna noodles, and some ricotta cheese.
The top with the canned ravioli.
Some more noodles...
And a layer of the spaghetti sauce and some more cheese.
Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes.
Not bad!
Let it cool for about 15 - 20 minutes to firm up, then serve. Top with some fresh parm and some chopped parsley...
Overall, not a bad meal. Not great. WAY too much pasta. I think if I were ever to try this again, I'd do thin sliced zucchini instead of boxed lasagna pasta for the layers. That didn't occur to me until after I'd already made this...but I think it would work out much better.
But, overall, it wasn't bad. Not great, not bad.
I'll post the rest tomorrow. And, I'm starting my new diet tomorrow. So, the plan is to get through the rest of the posts (3 days, 9 posts) to get caught up, plus get back on track. I have the pictures, just need to make them into posts and make them real...
Thanks for following along!
I've sat on these american classic canned meals. We loved them as kids, but I was wondering what to do with them? And then it hit me, why not make a lasagna!
So, I started by boiling water with some salt and olive oil.
I added the pasta. And, while it cooked, I sprayed a 10 x 10 glass dish with some more non-stick spray.
Then added 1 can of the beefaroni and spread it around the bottom.
Covered with motz cheese and some fresh ground black pepper and a few splashes of tobasco for heat.
Top with the finished lasagna noodles, and some ricotta cheese.
The top with the canned ravioli.
Some more noodles...
And a layer of the spaghetti sauce and some more cheese.
Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes.
Not bad!
Let it cool for about 15 - 20 minutes to firm up, then serve. Top with some fresh parm and some chopped parsley...
Overall, not a bad meal. Not great. WAY too much pasta. I think if I were ever to try this again, I'd do thin sliced zucchini instead of boxed lasagna pasta for the layers. That didn't occur to me until after I'd already made this...but I think it would work out much better.
But, overall, it wasn't bad. Not great, not bad.
Meal Grade (purely subjective) - C
Daily Grade - B
Daily Grade - B
I'll post the rest tomorrow. And, I'm starting my new diet tomorrow. So, the plan is to get through the rest of the posts (3 days, 9 posts) to get caught up, plus get back on track. I have the pictures, just need to make them into posts and make them real...
Thanks for following along!
MinnieM123
Premium Member
Agreed: considering you already had enough pasta from the cans, I think that thin-sliced zucchini might be a better substitution, for the lasagna noodles, for layering. Regardless, it was a creative use of Chef Boyardee products, I must say. I haven't bought a can of those products for probably 20 years; I don't buy many canned items. When I was a kid, I used to love the ravioli.
Anyway, I am truly amazed at what you've created from some rather bland, canned food this week! It's been really fun checking in daily to see what new "surprises" are on the menu!
(P.S.: Reminds me a little of similar types of creative people, who can turn "trash into treasure"! You truly have a gift, and it's great that you're sharing this latest canned, culinary challenge of yours with all of us.)
Anyway, I am truly amazed at what you've created from some rather bland, canned food this week! It's been really fun checking in daily to see what new "surprises" are on the menu!
(P.S.: Reminds me a little of similar types of creative people, who can turn "trash into treasure"! You truly have a gift, and it's great that you're sharing this latest canned, culinary challenge of yours with all of us.)
Week 3 - Lean and Mean!
Well, I didn't post everything from the Can Can week as I planned, but I plan to post them later this weekend.
I will say, by day 4...I wouldn't recommend this diet. At all. Ever. Never ever, never ever...
I will spare you the details, but lets just say...it wasn't pretty.
A few items were ok (the clam dish was excellent, as were many of the spam dishes), and I'd actually do them again. But, whether it was the preservatives or the salt, by Wednesday I was done with it all, and feeling very sluggish.
After I post the rest of the meals, hopefully today, and certainly by Sunday, I'll post a summary...but...this isn't a great way to live. Sodium was way to high, and by day 4 or so, I was very tired, and found myself with certain other issues that didn't bode well. I actually felt worse on this menu than I did the Smart One's menu before, even though I was rarely starving like I was with the Smart One's week.
I was very happy to leave the diet yesterday. While I'd kept the weight fairly regular the first four days, in 3 days I gained 4 lbs. Not...good...
It was harder to pic and post per meal than I thought it would be, especially during the work week with real life sticking it's nose in. I'll have to consider that for weeks with more complex dishes than doing a few microwave meals...by the time I'm done cooking, I really don't have time to sit down and post the way I'd like to (right after the meal)...and if I let it sit a day or more, I tend to move on to other things, and not post.
So...trying to keep on some sort of schedule...on to Week 3!
This may be a bit repetitive...but I needed a week off to finish planning for next week (Disney Week, so you know what's coming)...which, the week after that week, I'll actually be IN Disney, so that will be a fun comparison, don't you think?
Anyhow, I'm going to do another week of frozen meals. This time, sticking to the "Lean Cuisine" brand!
And, on to metrics...
Weight is 210.8, BMI is 26.5 and hydration is 54.1.
I'm gonna give this frozen food thing another try. Why? I need another week or so to finalize the next weeks menu, which is the Disney menu.
So...a week of easy meals to prepare!
Well start with a Sausage Egg and Cheese Muffin. We tried this with Smart Ones...lets see how Lean Cuisine does?
First, the cooking directions are bit different...but so is the product.
When I unwrapped it, this is what happened.
Yeah...playing cards, eh? So, wrap it in a paper towel.
Then cook on 30% power for 1:30. Interesting...smells pretty good...but still feels cold.
Another minute on high heat and, breakfast is served.
It...was ok.
I'll update this later with metrics...but, how I feel about it? Well, I'm tired. The two weeks of mediocre eating has left me rather spent. And, I'm not anticipating this week, though I'll tough through.
If I wasn't already planning Disney, I think week 4 would be "normal diet englanddg".
However, it wasn't bad. Much better than the Smart One's brand. The English Muffin was tough. The egg was FAR better than Smart Ones, as was the cheese and sausage.
For a dollar more, but twice the amount of sandwiches (4 per box vs 2), these are a much better value. But, still a disappointment
While better, the sandwich was still bland, and it came out tougher than the Smart Ones (which, this was my least favorite dish that week)...
I wasn't very happy. Perhaps lunch will be better?
Well, I didn't post everything from the Can Can week as I planned, but I plan to post them later this weekend.
I will say, by day 4...I wouldn't recommend this diet. At all. Ever. Never ever, never ever...
I will spare you the details, but lets just say...it wasn't pretty.
A few items were ok (the clam dish was excellent, as were many of the spam dishes), and I'd actually do them again. But, whether it was the preservatives or the salt, by Wednesday I was done with it all, and feeling very sluggish.
After I post the rest of the meals, hopefully today, and certainly by Sunday, I'll post a summary...but...this isn't a great way to live. Sodium was way to high, and by day 4 or so, I was very tired, and found myself with certain other issues that didn't bode well. I actually felt worse on this menu than I did the Smart One's menu before, even though I was rarely starving like I was with the Smart One's week.
I was very happy to leave the diet yesterday. While I'd kept the weight fairly regular the first four days, in 3 days I gained 4 lbs. Not...good...
It was harder to pic and post per meal than I thought it would be, especially during the work week with real life sticking it's nose in. I'll have to consider that for weeks with more complex dishes than doing a few microwave meals...by the time I'm done cooking, I really don't have time to sit down and post the way I'd like to (right after the meal)...and if I let it sit a day or more, I tend to move on to other things, and not post.
So...trying to keep on some sort of schedule...on to Week 3!
This may be a bit repetitive...but I needed a week off to finish planning for next week (Disney Week, so you know what's coming)...which, the week after that week, I'll actually be IN Disney, so that will be a fun comparison, don't you think?
Anyhow, I'm going to do another week of frozen meals. This time, sticking to the "Lean Cuisine" brand!
And, on to metrics...
Weight is 210.8, BMI is 26.5 and hydration is 54.1.
I'm gonna give this frozen food thing another try. Why? I need another week or so to finalize the next weeks menu, which is the Disney menu.
So...a week of easy meals to prepare!
Well start with a Sausage Egg and Cheese Muffin. We tried this with Smart Ones...lets see how Lean Cuisine does?
First, the cooking directions are bit different...but so is the product.
When I unwrapped it, this is what happened.
Yeah...playing cards, eh? So, wrap it in a paper towel.
Then cook on 30% power for 1:30. Interesting...smells pretty good...but still feels cold.
Another minute on high heat and, breakfast is served.
It...was ok.
I'll update this later with metrics...but, how I feel about it? Well, I'm tired. The two weeks of mediocre eating has left me rather spent. And, I'm not anticipating this week, though I'll tough through.
If I wasn't already planning Disney, I think week 4 would be "normal diet englanddg".
However, it wasn't bad. Much better than the Smart One's brand. The English Muffin was tough. The egg was FAR better than Smart Ones, as was the cheese and sausage.
For a dollar more, but twice the amount of sandwiches (4 per box vs 2), these are a much better value. But, still a disappointment
While better, the sandwich was still bland, and it came out tougher than the Smart Ones (which, this was my least favorite dish that week)...
I wasn't very happy. Perhaps lunch will be better?
Meal Grade - C
Week 3 - Day 1 - Meal 2 - Chicken, Spinach and Mushroom Panini
This is another rather unique and new offering for Lean Cuisine. It's a series of grilled paninis with a "Revolutionary Grilling Tray". It's, interesting. You flip the top of the box over and position the sandwich on the tray. I note, there are no "grill marks" on the bread. I wonder how well this contraption will work?
Hrm, turned out pretty good! Nice smell, and quite appetizing.
I can live with this for lunch!
And, it was as good as it looked! The chicken was tasty. The bread was a little tough. And, the cheese melted really well throughout the sandwich and tied it all together. For a quick lunch, this is better than fast food, and I'd highly recommend it! Serve up with some salt and vinegar pringles...yum!
This is another rather unique and new offering for Lean Cuisine. It's a series of grilled paninis with a "Revolutionary Grilling Tray". It's, interesting. You flip the top of the box over and position the sandwich on the tray. I note, there are no "grill marks" on the bread. I wonder how well this contraption will work?
Hrm, turned out pretty good! Nice smell, and quite appetizing.
I can live with this for lunch!
And, it was as good as it looked! The chicken was tasty. The bread was a little tough. And, the cheese melted really well throughout the sandwich and tied it all together. For a quick lunch, this is better than fast food, and I'd highly recommend it! Serve up with some salt and vinegar pringles...yum!
Metrics
Cost - $3.29
Calories - 320
Fat - 12%
Sat Fat - 15%
Cholesterol - 10%
Sodium - 23%
Potassium - 9%
Carbs - 14%
Sugars - 20%
Protein - 38%
Vit A - 10%
Vit C - 2%
Calcium - 30%
Iron - 15%
Meal Grade - A
Cost - $3.29
Calories - 320
Fat - 12%
Sat Fat - 15%
Cholesterol - 10%
Sodium - 23%
Potassium - 9%
Carbs - 14%
Sugars - 20%
Protein - 38%
Vit A - 10%
Vit C - 2%
Calcium - 30%
Iron - 15%
Meal Grade - A
One word - ketchup.Week 3 - Lean and Mean!
Well, I didn't post everything from the Can Can week as I planned, but I plan to post them later this weekend.
I will say, by day 4...I wouldn't recommend this diet. At all. Ever. Never ever, never ever...
I will spare you the details, but lets just say...it wasn't pretty.
A few items were ok (the clam dish was excellent, as were many of the spam dishes), and I'd actually do them again. But, whether it was the preservatives or the salt, by Wednesday I was done with it all, and feeling very sluggish.
After I post the rest of the meals, hopefully today, and certainly by Sunday, I'll post a summary...but...this isn't a great way to live. Sodium was way to high, and by day 4 or so, I was very tired, and found myself with certain other issues that didn't bode well. I actually felt worse on this menu than I did the Smart One's menu before, even though I was rarely starving like I was with the Smart One's week.
I was very happy to leave the diet yesterday. While I'd kept the weight fairly regular the first four days, in 3 days I gained 4 lbs. Not...good...
It was harder to pic and post per meal than I thought it would be, especially during the work week with real life sticking it's nose in. I'll have to consider that for weeks with more complex dishes than doing a few microwave meals...by the time I'm done cooking, I really don't have time to sit down and post the way I'd like to (right after the meal)...and if I let it sit a day or more, I tend to move on to other things, and not post.
So...trying to keep on some sort of schedule...on to Week 3!
This may be a bit repetitive...but I needed a week off to finish planning for next week (Disney Week, so you know what's coming)...which, the week after that week, I'll actually be IN Disney, so that will be a fun comparison, don't you think?
Anyhow, I'm going to do another week of frozen meals. This time, sticking to the "Lean Cuisine" brand!
And, on to metrics...
Weight is 210.8, BMI is 26.5 and hydration is 54.1.
I'm gonna give this frozen food thing another try. Why? I need another week or so to finalize the next weeks menu, which is the Disney menu.
So...a week of easy meals to prepare!
Well start with a Sausage Egg and Cheese Muffin. We tried this with Smart Ones...lets see how Lean Cuisine does?
First, the cooking directions are bit different...but so is the product.
When I unwrapped it, this is what happened.
Yeah...playing cards, eh? So, wrap it in a paper towel.
Then cook on 30% power for 1:30. Interesting...smells pretty good...but still feels cold.
Another minute on high heat and, breakfast is served.
It...was ok.
I'll update this later with metrics...but, how I feel about it? Well, I'm tired. The two weeks of mediocre eating has left me rather spent. And, I'm not anticipating this week, though I'll tough through.
If I wasn't already planning Disney, I think week 4 would be "normal diet englanddg".
However, it wasn't bad. Much better than the Smart One's brand. The English Muffin was tough. The egg was FAR better than Smart Ones, as was the cheese and sausage.
For a dollar more, but twice the amount of sandwiches (4 per box vs 2), these are a much better value. But, still a disappointment
While better, the sandwich was still bland, and it came out tougher than the Smart Ones (which, this was my least favorite dish that week)...
I wasn't very happy. Perhaps lunch will be better?
Meal Grade - C
@englanddg - Please tell me we're not done.
momof1princess
Well-Known Member
I agree! I was enjoying your little series, even if I never commented. Hope all is well.
MOXOMUMD
Well-Known Member
ketchup
I am nothing, if not consistent.
And with Ketchup, consistancy is important!
Day One - Magic Kingdom
Freedom Pasta
Freedom Pasta
Disney describes the dish as "Rigatoni Pasta with Sauteed Seasonal Vegetables tossed in a Cream Sauce with Sauteed Shrimp" on the current menu. However, a quick search shows that they used to use Fusilli. In fact, not ONE of the many pictures I found of this dish from the restaurant used Rigatoni, so this much be a rather recent development. Just a guess, but I suspect this is a carryover from where they blended the dish with the now defunct William Penn Pasta, which DID use Rigatoni.
And, since I made that dish last week (posted in another thread, I'll post here later), I don't want to do Rigatoni again. So, Fusilli it is! Also, I just made a shrimp dish a few nights ago (Jikos Swahili Grilled Shrimp, another recipe I will share here later, but is posted on another thread), and don't want shrimp again, so I'm going to go with the also common (as in, in every picture I could find) "Chicken" topping that is not listed on the current menu.
So, those deviations from the current menu notes, here's the dish I'm going to attempt to copy!
And, since I made that dish last week (posted in another thread, I'll post here later), I don't want to do Rigatoni again. So, Fusilli it is! Also, I just made a shrimp dish a few nights ago (Jikos Swahili Grilled Shrimp, another recipe I will share here later, but is posted on another thread), and don't want shrimp again, so I'm going to go with the also common (as in, in every picture I could find) "Chicken" topping that is not listed on the current menu.
So, those deviations from the current menu notes, here's the dish I'm going to attempt to copy!
Ingredients (serves 4)
[ ] ~1lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breast
[ ] 4 tsp of Saki or Seasoned Rice Vinegar
[ ] 2 large egg white
[ ] 2 Tbls Corn Starch
[ ] 1/2 tsp salt
[ ] 2 Tbls Peanut Oil (or vegetable oil), divided
[ ] 16 oz Fuseli Corti Bucati (or Cavatappi, which is similar easier to find)
[ ] 4 Crimini mushrooms (if you can't find these, Baby Bella works fine too)
[ ] 4 Button Mushrooms
[ ] 12 fresh basil leaves
[ ] 2 cloves garlic
[ ] 4 roma or plum tomatoes
[ ] 4 cups heavy cream
[ ] 1 cup vegetable stock
[ ] 2 cups Parmesan or Parmesan Reggiano Cheese
[ ] 1 tsp kosher salt
[ ] 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
For Seasoning and Plating
[ ] Kosher Salt
[ ] Black Pepper
[ ] Extra Parmesan or Parmesan Reggiano Cheese (I prefer the latter, but Parm is probably more accurate)
"Velvet" the Chicken
First, we need to "velvet" the Chicken. You've probably had this many times before, and it's rather common for stir fry and Chinese take out chicken. Basically it involves marinating and boiling the chicken to cook it. The process imbues a special texture to the chicken that is hard to replicate with simple marinating and or grilling, and based on the pictures, it appears that is what they've done to the chicken for this dish.
Step 1) Slice the Chicken Breast into thin strips, at an angle.
Step 2) Whisk the Saki, egg white, corn starch, salt and 1 Tbls of Peanut Oil together in a medium bowl and add the chicken, coating thoroughly. Marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Note - If you are trying to make this dish as efficiently as possible, while marinating the chicken, proceed with the Pasta and Sauce step further below, then come back to here
Step 7) Remove the chicken to a colinder or use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water and place on a plate with a paper towel. Allow to drain before serving with the dish.
Pasta and Sauce
Step 1) Add 6 quarts of water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Then add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a large pinch (about 1 tsp) of kosher salt, and the pasta. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Final Dish
For this step you could do it all at once, but I find making it one to two servings at a time works better...
Step 1) In a wok or a large pan or wok (or you could use a pot, but I think a wok works best), add the a splash of oil and the garlic.
Step 2) Lightly brown the garlic, then add the chicken and the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper, then saute over medium heat, until they soften, stirring often until the mushrooms start to soften and the chicken starts to brown slightly.
So...how did it turn out? You be the judge.
Freedom Pasta (AMURICA!) DONE!
