7,776 Casserole Meal Ideas In One Blog Post.

Looking for meal ideas that are healthy and not just saying they are? Look no further! I was toodling about one day and came across a piece of paper my mom had given me awhile ago. She, like a few other ladies I know, is always looking out for me when it comes to new recipes and ideas. I store them in one area until I can get to them, explore or create them and then review them.

The title caught my eye first; "In Case You're Stuck." I can't tell if mom typed this out or it came from a book. Either way, she knows me well.

You wanna talk protein combinations? Wow!

Here's what the paper says;

"The work of Anna Gordon, dietician at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, makes casseroles particularly worthy of mention. Eating better for less (Rodale Press) called it, 'an amazing piece of work' (and I agree), and reports, 'Anyone who says meatless eating is boring should take a look at this chart. Using only thirty ingredients, it has an unbelievable 7,776 possible meals.

As always, I was intrigued!

How It Works

 

1.> Choose an item from each category. There are 5 categories.

2.> Take the first 4 ingredients and combine them.
3.> Bake for thirty minutes at 375 celcius.
4.> Select 1 ingredient from column 5 for topping, bake for 15 more minutes at 325 celcius.
5.> Season to taste at the table and serve with whole grain bread.




MILLET

CATEGORY #1: (2 cups cooked of either):
Brown Rice
Whole Wheat Macaroni
Millet
Whole Wheat Spaghetti
Bulgar Wheat
Whole Wheat Noodles

 

 

 

 

 

 

CATEGORY #2: (1 cup cooked of either):

 

KIDNEY BEANS

Pinto Beans

Lima Beans

Peas

Kidney Beans

Black Beans

Garbonzo Beans (Chick Peas)

  

CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP

CATEGORY #3: (Sauce):

Cream of Tomato

Cream of Potato

Cream of Mushroom

Cream of Celery

Cream of Leek/Onion

Cream of Pea

 

 

 

 

 

 

CATEGORY #4: (Veggies to make 1 1/2 cups):

Sautéed Celery and Green Onion

Mushroom & Bamboo Shoots

Sautéed Green Pepper & Garlic

Cooked Green Beans

Cooked Carrots

Sautéed Onion & Pimento

CATEGORY #5: (Topping):
Wheat Germ
Slivered Almonds
Soy Grits
Grated Cheese
Nutritional Yeast
Sunflower Seeds







There are certain things I would choose to do differently with these recipes. I wouldn't select the grated cheese one, but I may substitute feta. I wouldn't use nutritional yeast, but I would enhance one topping with a ground flax mixture. I would also make my own home made soups for sauces before using canned soups. The sodium alone.....yikes.....

The world is our oyster - and these 7,776 recipe combinations just made life a whole lot simpler!

Enjoy - and share what you make. ;)

A Peek Inside My Cupboard

I used to grocery shop the way I thought. It was completely random, seeking out only the tastiest morsels to add to my cart. It was 'shopping on a whim' and I can't tell you how dangerous this can be! I would choose all of the foods with the coolest packaging, the most delicious looking television ads or simply the most junk content. If it was bad for me, I wanted it.

I would arrive home with case after case of soda. I would literally haul boxes of poison from the store to my house where I could sit and drink my poison in peace. Things have changed! Everything has changed - and I could never return to that lifestyle because I will never choose to. A case of soda a day is ridiculous......and if you know someone who does the same thing, you've seen it in action. If you are one of these people......save yourself!

I was the type of shopper (and chef) who bought the store packaged lasagnas, took them home and added more cheese because my family didn't think it was greasy enough. We would finish dinner, grab a family size bag of chips and go lie on the couch while we guzzled all the pop I had hauled that day.

We essentially spent our days preparing for food binges. It's hard to believe now!

This is one of our cupboards today. Surprised? We kinda were too.

Sunflower seeds, brown rice, sardines, salmon, stevia, flax seed, quinoa, steel cut oats, goji berries, chia seeds and popcorn. A cupboard aimed at wellness...and that's just one cupboard.

One epiphany I had while transitioning from a junk food diet to a healthy one was the idea that I no longer had to create huge meals. Once we had detoxed our systems and started eating the right foods (the real foods) our bodies required far less. We didn't feel hungry in the evening whereas before we were reaching for snacks while still eating a meal.

Another realization that was made? After tossing our microwave (nasty contraptions), we had to actually prepare food ourselves. It was perfect timing - real, natural foods require minimal prep time, but the different is beyond explanation.

Goji berries make a great snack - or smoothie! We also get to experiment with all of these new foods. It's like being in school all over again - but this time around is much more fun.

This time - it's on my terms. What's in your cupboard?

thefatgirl.net