Be Prepared for When the "I Have Nothing in My Kitchen For Dinner" Syndrome Strikes

I literally just got home from a trip and am faced with the "I have nothing in the house for dinner" conundrum. Determined not to go out to eat or order in food, I quickly have searched my kitchen and have found the following items:

Frozen Corn
Chicken Breasts
Jarred Marinara
Parmesan Cheese
Carrots
Hummus

I've got some hungry mouths to feed, so what do I do? Whip up a quick Faux Chicken Parmesan dish fit for a king!

Here's how you do it:

FAUX CHICKEN PARMESEAN

• Thaw chicken breasts (if frozen).

• Turn on oven to 375 (I like to use the toaster oven)

• Season chicken breasts with a bit of salt and pepper (do not over salt-there is PLENTY in the jarred marinara and cheese
  

• Place the chicken breast in an oven safe dish and pour about 1/4-1/2 cup of marinara and a sprinkling of the Parmesan cheese over the chicken. Feel free to add oregano, basil, red pepper flakes or whatever spice you like to liven up the jarred marinara. Fresh spinach leaves also make it tasty! Cook for about 20-25 minutes and check internal temperature.
  

• Once nearly cooked, remove the chicken and top with 2 teaspoons per chicken breast of the Parmesan.
  

• Move to BROIL mode on your toaster or oven and put chicken on highest rack to broil. Watch closely until the cheese darkens and gets bubbly.
  

• Remember chicken is thoroughly cooked at 165 degrees, but remove it at 160 and allow it to rest. It will increase the temperature enough to reach the 165. Do not cut into it-this allows the juices to spill out and causes the chicken to by dry.
  

By omitting the breading, baking or frying of a traditional Chicken Parmesan, we've saved hundreds of calories as well as fat, saturated fat and cholesterol.

While the chicken is baking, make frozen corn according to directions.

Once chicken is done and corn is cooked, place on dinner plate. Add carrots and a tablespoon or two of hummus.

Since I like grocery shopping and usually have enough foods on hand, this is a rare occurrence. However, the last 2 weeks have been crazy and this is what I get for not pre-planning. I have to say, it was a pretty good dinner-well balanced, colorful, filling and healthy as well as inexpensive. And, it was done in 30 minutes!!

What are your go to meals when the syndrome hits?

10 Easy Ways to Save at the Grocery Store with Lauren Marek (and RP's bubbly commentary)

As I write my own grocery list for the week, guest blogger Lauren Marek's comments are speaking loud and clear! Check out my own chatter next to her excellent points!

Way to Save Money at the Grocery Store

We are all trying to cut back on our spending these days. Food is one of our biggest monthly expenditures, so why not find easy ways to save, but still get the high quality foods that you like?

Here are some easy tips to save money on groceries:

1. Watch the scanner at checkout. Did you know that Americans lose 1 to 3 BILLION DOLLARS in pricing discrepancies each year? Make sure that the price on the food matches the price on the scanner.
RP says: Seriously folks-watch this closely. I have found many an error by doing so and thereby saved money!

2. Make your own mixes. Pre-made mixes are expensive, and not as good! Bring out your inner Martha Stewart and mix up your own brownies!
RP says: I love www.epicurious.com and www.thekitchn.com for recipes.

3. Keep track of what you have at home. How many times have you showed up with a just purchased item, only to realize you already had 2 at home?!
RP says: Sadly, I do this all the time-I recently had 5 boxes of Triscuits in my cupboard. Seriously!

4. Eat first. You have heard this over and over: if you shop hungry, you buy more.
RP says: this is true. Especially during Halloween season. Those mini Kit Kat's and Reece's may be calling your name, but remember that just a few of the "minis" become a full blown extra large candy bar faster than you know!

5. Grate and chop your own foods. Pre-grated and chopped cheese, meats, carrots, etc. are expensive, and it's just too easy to do it yourself to justify the cost difference.
RP says: Do this on Sunday. You will thank yourself by Thursday when you are temped to call Pizza Hut for take out.


6. Watch out for aisle manipulation. Grocery stores purposely put the diary and meat products in the back of the store. Why? They want you to walk through all of the aisles and face the temptation of all the fun colored, new products on the way. Keep this in mind next time you're making a quick milk run and avoid the maze.
RP says: Those food marketers are smart cookies. Just take a look at how big the chip and soda aisles are these days.

7. Beware of bulk. Just because it's packaged in bulk does not mean it's necessarily a better deal. Before you buy that year long supply of marshmallows, try bringing your calculator to find out if it's really cheaper.
RP says: if you do buy in bulk, repackage into correct portion sizes when you get home. Just check the label for proper serving sizes.

8. Eat more beans! Beans are not only cheap, but they're a great source of protein and fiber.
RP says: I heart beans. What more needs to be said?

9. Make a coupon file. Instead of cutting them out and throwing them in your purse to forever be forgotten, make a coupon file and look in it for the items you need before you hit up the super market.
RP says: I am not a coupon queen, but I am getting better. It's amazing how much you can save if you are looking for the RIGHT coupons. Don't clip something you don't buy just to get the discount!

10. Cut back on bottled water. According to the New York Times, "Almost all municipal water in America is so good that nobody needs to import a single bottle from Italy or France or the Fiji Islands. Meanwhile, if you choose to get your recommended eight glasses a day from bottled water, you could spend up to $1,400 annually. The same amount of tap water would cost you about 49 cents." This is not to mention all of the plastic Americans are wasting...
RP says: I do drink Dallas water on a daily basis and I feel pretty good.

This last tip from me doesn't save money per se, but it does save the environment. Hoping up right now to put my recycled bags at the back door so I don't forget them!

How do you save at the grocery store? Post a comment and let us know!

Inside the Fridge Welcomes Dana Palmer-A Mom of 2 Who Makes Dinner Happen in 30 Minutes or Less

Welcome to the Premier Posting of
Inside the Fridge

Fridge Aficionado: Dana Palmer, 34. Wife and Mom of 3 year old twins from Dallas talks turkey about what its like to feed her family healthy, quick and affordable meals. Photo at right is Dana's actual fridge!





ITF: Where do you shop for food?
DP: Target, Costco and Kroger primarily with some Central Market

ITF: Do you love food shopping or dread it?
DP: Both-I enjoy looking at all of the possibilities but hate that I never end up buying anything different from week to week

ITF: What is the single most important thing on your mind when you are shopping for food?
DP: Quality for a reasonable price

ITF: How often do you shop?
DP: Minimum of once per week usually twice

ITF: How many do you shop for? Ages?
DP: 4: 2 adults (34 and 39) and 2, 3 year olds

ITF: What is your weekly food budget?
DP: Approximately $150-$200

ITF: How many times a week do you eat out? (based on 21 meals/week)
DP: At least 8 per week

ITF: How do you plan your weekly meals? Create a spreadsheet of fly by the seat of your pants?
DP: Usually make the same several meals each week

ITF: What is the most coveted food in the fridge right now for each member of the household? Why?
DP: Me: Myoplex Lite (daily breakfast) Husband: hummus from Costco (daily snack before dinner) Kids: Horizon organic chocolate milk and Yo Baby yogurt

ITF: What is the oldest item in the fridge right now?
DP: Fage yogurt that expired some time last week (it could be worse but we have someone who acts as a fridge monitor for us weekly)

ITF: Do you believe in leftovers?
DP: I personally do not care for leftovers but my husband lives for them so I save more than I prefer to save

ITF: What convenience product can you not live without?
DP: Egg whites in a carton! And hard-boiled eggs already de-shelled from Eggland's Best

ITF: What brands do you swear by? Why?
DP: Boar's Head deli meats because they are the only deli meats that are always pure, no gross parts, fillers, etc.

ITF: What cooking utensil/piece of equipment/appliance do you live for?
DP: Speed Bake feature on our GE Trivection oven-can cook a whole chicken in under 30 minutes!

ITF: When you hear the word "homemade" what is the first thing that comes to mind?
DP: Baked goods that are high quality and yummy

ITF: What food/s are important when recalling food memories?
DP: For me, always sweets

ITF: How have your cooking/shopping habits changed over the last 10 years?
DP: Now I have to buy for my children so I am much more sensitive to how processed certain food are but overall, my habits are pretty much the same for myself and my husband. I do feel that there is a wider variety of places to buy good food without spending a fortune now than ever before

ITF: What are your go-to food/nutrition/culinary/cooking website/s, book or cookbook?
DP: I love Weight Watchers recipes, cookbooks, etc. but I also like the Food Network's website, Allcooks.com and sometimes Cooking Light's website

ITF: What was the last meal you cooked from scratch?
DP: I made meatloaf last week on the night before we went out of town

ITF: What was the last meal you cooked from convenience products?
DP: Rotisserie chicken from Costco with a salad

ITF: If one person could cook for you tonight, who would it be?
DP: Not that picky-as long as it's not me cooking, it sounds good

ITF: What words of wisdom or advice do you have for other folks who are doing their best every day to fill the fridge?
DP: It doesn't have to be fancy or complicated, it just has to be something that interests you and your family, and hopefully its healthy

ITF: What are you working on these days that you'd like to tell us about?
DP: My goal these days is to find some new staple-type meals to add to my weekly menu so that our meals will be a little more varied

ITF: Anything else?
DP: A theme that is very important in our rather busy house is to prepare a meal that can be ready in less than 30 minutes with less than 10 ingredients total. We try to use as few packaged products as possible