Cheap lean and mean eats. simple too

[Waittz]

If held a few jobs as a chef and I love to cook. Beeing a health nut with a college budget Ive made a few Im proud of and hope others will enjoy.

Muscle Pasta.
A quick and uber cheap bulking recipe.

1 box of whole wheat pasta
2-3 cans tuna
extra virgin olive oil
basil pesto
1 small tomato
1/4 cup diced white onion
minced garlic.

boil pasta
add tuna, drizzle lightly some olive oil
add the entire tomato diced and onions
add pesto and garlic to taste

takes about 10 min and makes about 5 servings


TheSteve's TheGuac
Everyone loves my homemade quac. Great way to add healthy fat to any meal

4 ripe avocados
one lime
1 tablespoon fresh pressed garlic or the jarred kind(no powder)
seasond salt
a bit of diced tomato and red onion

peal and mash the avocados in a bowl, add water to soften it.
add tomato,onion,garlic and a generous amount of season salt(lawrys is my fav). Then squeeze the entire limes worht of juice, stir and enjoy.


Southweast bowl/salad
Great dinner, if your dieting, replaced the rice with romain lettuce

one boil in a bag of brown rice(or bed of romain lettuce)
1 skillet cooked chicken breast(slice up cook in skillet with a touch of olive oil, red pepper and season salt)
one can of black beans
one can of corn
Thesteves the guac
salsa
reduced fat mexican blend cheese


lay out the lettuce or rice, mix the beans and corn together(bout a half a can of each) and lay on top. Then the chicken, followed be salsa and a generous serving of gauc. add some low fat sour cream if you want.


Ultimate breakfast smoothie

2 scoups of Optimum wheys Tropical punch protein(best flavor ever)
make a pitcher of Orange sunrise crystal light
frozen strawberries/blueberries and a bannana

Put about 12-16 oz of the CL in the blender, slower add in the powder while it blends on low, then add a handfull of strawberries, half as much blue berries, the bannana and ice, blend and enjoy



Happiness scramble
2 large eggs
scallion cream cheese
diced tomato
onion
mushroom
diced ham
salsa

add the tom,onion,ham in with your eggs and beat till scrambled

add to skillet cooking LOWWWWW, when the eggs are almost done add a spoon full of the cream cheese and then just scramble it all together. Top with salsa.


Manlaw burgers.
2 lbs of ground round(85/15 works best, you do not want it too lean)
garlic
lime
montreal steak seasoning
lawrys seasond salt
one small white onion
mushrooms

In a large bowl, mix the beef, and the rest of the ingrediants(dice the veggies) the nadd about 2 table spoons of each seasoning, a touch of garlic, then squeeze the entire lime in and mix. Form big ass parties and grill.


Spinicopia chicken burgers(thanks mom)

1 lb of ground chicken
1 box frozen spinch
1/2 cup of diced onions
few spoon fulls of garlic
a little box of crumbled fetta cheese

mix all in a bowl, form burger patties and bake for about 20 min or so at 350 degrees

you can make gyro sauce to put on top if you like. Just add dill to low fat plain yogurt.


Breakfast muffins(thanks mom)
in one large bowl add
12 eggs
2 cans of mushrooms
1 large diced green pepper
1 diced onion
1 box of frozen spinach
one pack of turkey suasage(ge a frozen box, nuke then then dice them
big handfull of reduced fat chedder

mix it all together than put then in a muffin pan and bake for about 20-25 min, make sure you pam the pan first.



Ive got plenty more and will keep adding, I hope someone enjoyrs something from here.

[bobby]

Nice! Quick and easy, I'll definitely try these.

[Iamjennmedic]

Thanks for sharing

[RedLefty]

Those breakfast muffins are fascinating! I never would've thought of mixing all that up and making muffins from it.

[Waittz]

Lefty, I went home for thanksgiving, my mom starts making this, I laugh, then I make 3 batches to take home.

Ill try to update the list. Ive cooked and worked in so a wide variety of places. Heck ive cooked in a high price breakfast cafe al the way to a japaneese sushi bar(I make the meanest curry chicken you will ever eat).

I guess I can add the curry chicken, mind you I have no idea where to buy Hundashi.

Thaw and thinly slice a chicken breast.
Fill a skillet with enough coconut(you can buy cans of it) to cover the pan. Make some vegetable broth and add a bit.
Give it a generous amount of Chill powder, and Curry powder(more curry than chilli, I cant give amounts cause you have to do it to taste, but it should turn a dark yellow)
add a pinch of salt, hundashi and sugar till its almost sweet. once it bubbles, add the chicken(DO NOT cook the chicken untill the sauce is ready, it will taste that much better)
now cook it on high and keep it moving constantly. Takes about 3-5 min.

Honey dijon salmon burgers(sooo easy)

take a nice salmon fillet with skin. Lightly coat it in olive oil, then smother it in lawrys Honey dijon marinade(like $2). Let it soak in for about 30 min, then just bake for 20 min at 350. Cut it into squares and serve on whole wheat buns with spicy mustard. This is one of my roomates favorites.

[RacerBill]

Great ideas, Steve. Thanks!

Question: have you ever tried grilling the chicken burgers rather than baking?

[James Newman]

Awesome ideas. I can't wait to try them out. You have me wanting salmon right now though.... Thanks for sharing..

Newman

[Waittz]

Never tried grilling, the thing with it, is well, basically my mom made it up. Real spinicopia(no idea how to spell it) is kind of a pastry. We replaced the bad stuff and added chicken for protein, and ditched the filo dough crust and just made burgers out of them. Ive never tried to grill it, but I bet it will be delicious.

Since Im going bye bye for a while I want to leave with something constructive to my name. Heres a few more.


Jew salad(A tribute if you will to my irseali aunt. We Jews eat alot of tuna sald and cottage cheese, and mix that with isreali salad....you get....jew salad. This is actually my FAVORITE thing to make. If you make anything, please please make this, it is just awesome and it is sooooo super simple.

Two cucumbers pealled and diced
2 tomatos pealled and diced
1 small red onion diced
1 can of chick peas(love them)
extra virgin olive oil(normall I dant care what, but extra virgin has the most flavor)
1-2 cans of solid white albicore(no chunk light, trust me)
Athenos Greek dressing with feta
1 tub of feta cheese with basil and romano
Cottage cheese.

Put all the veggies in a bowl, mix in the tub of feta, chick peas(garbonzo beans) and tuna and mix it all up good.

Next drizzle olive oil over everything, I use about 2-4 table spoons.

next just lighty(maybe the same amount of olive oil) drizzle the dressing.

stir again.

next top with a light cover of cottage cheese and freshly ground black pepper(no the powder kind,trust me)

And there you go. You have a side dish/snack/main course full of fiber, good carbs(beans), tons of protein and healthy fat. The best part is you can eat it for a meal, then use it as a side salad the next day. You can add sliced black olives if you want, but I hate the things personally.


Smothered steak.

Any cut will do, just grill it up or broil. Lawrys seasond salt and montreal steak seasoning is all you need(the best one two punch for red meat).

To make the "smother"(make this first, or time it just right)

you need a block of pepper jack cheese, milk, onion slices(nice and long, think "carmalized" and FRESH mushrooms.

first throw in the shrooms and onions(spray the pan first) once they start carmalizing, add the whole block of cheese, use milk to soften it all up(instead of fatty heavy cream) and make it "creamy".

Once the steak is done, smother it and smile.



simple side dish for the steak

Baked sweet potatoe fries.
peal the spud and cut it into thing steak fries. I use spray butter to get them...wet and generously season with cinnamin. Bake them till crispy.

Take a few large marsh mellows and nuke them(add a tiny bit of milk if you need) and make it like a dipper sauce. Or you can just put a few on top the fries when you bake them


last one for now. Thansk again mom.

Asian lettuce wraps(perfect for you lo-carbers like myself)

Ok you need first off to go out and buy some Hoisen sauce, should be in the ethnic section in your local grocery store.

Now you need some more ground chicken, yum.
I can of water chestnuts
one white onion
fresh mushrooms
shredded lettuce
long romane leaves
red pepper

chop all the veggies as small as you can. Lightly coat a large pan and throw in the shredded lettuce, shrooms and onion(do not add the chestnuts!!) you should basically have a huge pan full of veggies, let them cook.

in another pan, throw in the chicken and drench the stuff in the hoisen sauce, I mean drench it.

Once the chicken is cooked(it should look like taco meat) combine the veggies, chestnuts(do not cook them, they are for crunch) and meat, add more hoisen sauce.

Now take the romane leaves and fill them with the meaty mixture, wrap and add a toothpic to hold it(think lettuce borrito) I still cant think of anything to ...dip or top them with but they dont need it. Depending on the size of the wrap, you can make it as an entre, appetizer or ordurv(sp?)



I hope you enjoy, sice I was 14, Ive done a ton of crazy jobs, but mor than half seemed to be in the food industry, Ive worked at 5 grocery stores, and Ive served and cooked from dinners, gourmet food, bistro cafes, sushi bars. All i can say for someone who isnt good or new with cooking is, leanr by doing, do not be afraid to experiment(most things i make are completely ad libbed) and taste your food while you make it. Most importantly have fun. Cooking is a great hobby that will save you money, inches on your waist and most importantly, you know who and WHAT has touched your food.

Ill see you when I see you everyone.

Love, peace, and chicken grease.
-Steven

[Waittz]

On last thing, if you are cooking for someone else, PRESENTATION IS EVERYTHING. Keep the plate clean where food isnt(that means runny sauce), organized well, and garnish with COLOR. Easiest way to garnish, take a long carrot, once its pealed, peal a few clean slices, some parsly and a super thin lemon slice and just place on top.

[Frank.S]

Steve, you have already saved my ass once with your cooking skills.

Ive tried a few of the things on here and they have all been excellent. This weekend I think im going to try those breakfast muffins. Cooking is not as hard as I thought. Ive expanded from only eating trail mix and eggs.

Thanks again steve

[LT Hebert]

The Muscle Pasta looks great, too bad I'm not bulking! But maybe in a smaller portion...

[RobLL]

Originally Posted by TheSteve

On last thing, if you are cooking for someone else, PRESENTATION IS EVERYTHING. Keep the plate clean where food isnt(that means runny sauce), organized well, and garnish with COLOR. Easiest way to garnish, take a long carrot, once its pealed, peal a few clean slices, some parsly and a super thin lemon slice and just place on top.

Really agree with this. The home cook need not be like a three star restaurant, but some thought needs to be put into the table setting, avoiding haphazard mismatches of table ware, clearing dining table of debris it otherwise gathers, the appearance of food, more than a little care into matchings of the various foods. People who think these things don't count just don't realize why the family doesn't look forward to the meal. In a way the family meal is a sacramental occasion. I particularly remember my farm grandmother's dinners - by no means was she fancy, very educated, or gourmet but she put care into it all. Fond memories.

ps Also have some humorous sad memories of Grandma after she became senile inisting my aunt and I sit down to a full table of food we know wasn't safe to eat. That also is a fond memory

[Waittz]

Awesome feedback guys, thanks.

Thank you Stacy(my gf) for this one.

Homemade Chicken Parm

First coat the chicken breast in egg white, then lightly layer with bread crumbs(if you phsyco like me, you can get whole wheat crackers and crush them in a plastic bad)

Then bake for about 10 min on 350-400. After that, add marinara sauce, slice mushrooms and cover with Mozerelle(sp?). then finish baking for another 10-15 min and enjoy. Same great taste, no nasty frying.

Frank make a big batch of the "muffins" and just throw them in the fridge and nuke them whenever, i usally make enough for 4 days or so.

Boiled peanuts.(my roomie just made them and I am addicted)

Get a bag of raw peanuts, and boil them in a pot for about 4 hours(takes forever but soooooo good). Add hot sauce and red pepper in the water and wait, then enjoy for days. Or sell them on the side of the road:

[LisaS]

I make that something like that chicken at least once a week - but without the breading (I'm LC right now). Just start seasoned boneless skinless breasts with a slight bit of marinara so they don't dry out - then more marinara, mozz & parm to melt & brown just a little - perfect. Left overs are good for lunch too.

[Alcoholiday]

i tried the chicken/beans/corn/rice/guac thing tonight and it was very good.

few subs:

i used quinoa instead of brown rice
and i smash my own avacados, and use a powder mix that i use often (no unhealthy stuff in it).

[Frank.S]

Today I made the muffins. They are awesome. Ill be making these alot in the future.

I also made the guac and its really good as well.

I didnt change anything from your recipies and they worked out great, ive been eating really good today..

[Waittz]

Glad to hear man. Yeah man, that guac, well there is no comparison! Try it with eggs, it is too good. I tend to make allot more P+F meals than the other. Guac is an awesome way to add healthy fat to any meal.