Thinking Ahead for Dinner

I'm subbing for a half day today, and a full day tomorrow.  As a result, I'm getting my dinner "kits" ready for the next two nights.

Tonight, we're having my version of Moroccan Chicken, which is based off of a recipe I found in the Woman's Day Magazine back in the 90's.

 

Moroccan Chicken

These are the ingredients:
11 ounces couscous
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
2 chicken breasts  (I buy the big bags of chicken breasts at BJ's)
1 onion, diced
1 10 ounce bag of frozen peas
2 cans of chicken broth  (Remember the broth cubes I made over the summer?  I'll fill the tomato can with water twice and empty it into the pot, and then add two broth muffin cubes)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cumin

To prepare ahead:
Cinnamon and Cumin are pre-measured into a small container
The chicken breasts are thawing in the fridge.  Whoever gets home first will slice them.  I don't want to handle them too much before I cook them - I have a fear of salmonella.
Onion is pre-sliced and in a container in the fridge.
And, because we really are THAT stressed when we get home, I've put the clean, empty pan on the stove, and I have the can of tomatoes and the couscous sitting on the stove, next to the pan.



Everything for Moroccan Chicken, ready to go.
I buy Couscous in a large container.  I'll use 4 scoops of couscous for dinner.

To prepare:
Slice chicken into bite size pieces.  (You can also use leftover precooked chicken or turkey here)
Brown the chicken in a little bit of olive oil over medium heat.  When the chicken has begun to change color, add the onion.
When the onion becomes translucent, add the cumin and cinnamon.
Stir constantly until onion and chicken are completely cooked.

Add the can of tomatoes.
Add the water.  (Note, if you are using canned chicken broth, don't add the water.)
Add the chicken bullion. 

Bring mix to a boil, give it one really last good stir, lower heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.  Stir occasionally.

After the 20 minutes, add the peas and the couscous.

Wait for the couscous to absorb all of the liquid, and serve.  (The couscous will really expand.  Be patient!)

When I've had the veggies in season, I've added them at the beginning stage when I add the onions.  Any summer squash tastes great in this, as do peppers fresh from the garden.

Chili

Friday night, we will have chili for dinner.

Today, I am pre-browning ground beef.  This will go into a container for tomorrow.

In the morning tomorrow, before I leave for work, I add these ingredients into my crock pot:

Ground Beef  (pre-cooked)
1 onion, diced (I'm dicing it today when I dice for dinner tonight)
1 can of whole kernel corn (or equivalent frozen amount)
1 diced green pepper (Dicing it this morning, storing in a container)
1 (16 ounce) can of fire roasted tomatoes
1 (16 ounce) can of tomato sauce
1 (16 ounce) can of black beans
Chili spices - I use 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. each of: Cumin, Oregano, Basil, Paprika, Chili Powder, Thyme, and Crushed Red Pepper.  Adjust this to your personal taste.  I like my chili to have a kick, so I have a heavy hand with the spices.

*note- I always pre-brown the ground beef.  If I put raw ground beef into the crock pot, I will have a very greasy, very heavy chili.  It's worth the time to pre-brown the meat.

Tomorrow morning, everything will be dumped into the slow cooker before I leave for work.  I'll set it on low for 8 hours.

When I walk back in the door, the chili will be ready and waiting for us.

I usually serve this over pasta, but since I have leftover rice sitting in the fridge right now, I'll re-heat the rice tomorrow night and serve the chili over rice.

The chili stuff.  The green bowl holds the spices.
I didn't have any green peppers, so I used the red and orange peppers I had on hand.
The black bowl contains red onion, the peppers, and the garlic.
I don't know if you can see, but the lids are under the bowls.  I'll cover them and leave them in the fridge.

The veggies listed above are what I consider the bare minimum for chili.  I will add almost any vegetable (not cabbage, though) into the pot to stretch it out.  Carrots, summer squash, garlic, and potatoes have made it into my chili pot.  I know it's not "traditional" chili, but I suspect that whoever invented chili also used whatever veggies they had on hand to fill the tummies of the people they were feeding! 

*Note-It turns out that I had no black beans on hand, but I did have Great Northern beans in the cabinet, so I used those instead.  The object is to use what I have on hand, not to run out to the store and spend more money!

That's what's ahead for dinner for the next two nights.  An investment of less than an hour of time today, and much less stress over what to eat when we get home later.   Priceless.