There's a saying in the military about The Seven P's... Proper Prior
Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. I find that often it's not the
actual cooking that's the problem, it's knowing what to
cook, and having things there and ready. So, I'll give some tips for
the current meal, and ideas for prep work to make things easier for the
next day's dinner. It's a lot easier to chop some onions, and brown off
some ground beef after dinner, when things aren't so rushed. You can do
it when the kids are doing homework, or when the little ones are in bed.
Dinner for this day is Spaghetti with Sausage. If you're on Phase One, and all pasta is out, spaghetti squash is a workable alternative. If you've never cooked spaghetti squash, this site has some good instructions with photos.
Otherwise, whole wheat pasta or Barilla Plus is a good choice. As long as you keep the portions reasonable, you can diet and still have pasta using the whole wheat kind. The added protein makes it lower on the glycemic index, so you metabolize it more slowly.
While the pasta is simmering, cook off the meat. We use turkey sausage. After cooking it in a skillet, remove to a plate (for cutting up in chunks - makes it go further) and deglaze the pan with the sauce.
Choose a sauce that doesn't have added sugar, and watch the salt content. Some are not too bad. Turn the burner off first - tomato sauce really splatters. Whenever possible, I deglaze the pan I cook meat in. It adds a lot of flavor, and more than makes up for lower fat/salt content. And, it's free, right there in the bottom of the skillet. Just put your sauce or other liquid in the pan, and scrape up all those brown, carmelized bits of flavor. I use a little wooden scraper or spoon for this.
Then add the sausage back to the pan, heat the sauce through, and dinner's ready. They also have some "light" grated cheese for topping.
Tomorrow's dinner is tacos. Prep work for that would include browning off the meat and making the filling mix. Chop the tomatoes and lettuce and store in fridge for the next day. For "tacos" you can use whole wheat pitas, a not-bad substitute. If you must have tortillas, see if you can find the low-carb versions. They don't always have them available, but I know I've seen them. I'll be honest. I use regular corn tortillas. As long as you don't have a half dozen tortillas, you'll be okay (IMO). The real problem with tacos is the fat in the meat. Use lean meat or ground turkey or chicken. If you like sour cream in your tacos, pick up some low-fat or fat-free types.
Dinner for this day is Spaghetti with Sausage. If you're on Phase One, and all pasta is out, spaghetti squash is a workable alternative. If you've never cooked spaghetti squash, this site has some good instructions with photos.
Otherwise, whole wheat pasta or Barilla Plus is a good choice. As long as you keep the portions reasonable, you can diet and still have pasta using the whole wheat kind. The added protein makes it lower on the glycemic index, so you metabolize it more slowly.
While the pasta is simmering, cook off the meat. We use turkey sausage. After cooking it in a skillet, remove to a plate (for cutting up in chunks - makes it go further) and deglaze the pan with the sauce.
Choose a sauce that doesn't have added sugar, and watch the salt content. Some are not too bad. Turn the burner off first - tomato sauce really splatters. Whenever possible, I deglaze the pan I cook meat in. It adds a lot of flavor, and more than makes up for lower fat/salt content. And, it's free, right there in the bottom of the skillet. Just put your sauce or other liquid in the pan, and scrape up all those brown, carmelized bits of flavor. I use a little wooden scraper or spoon for this.
Then add the sausage back to the pan, heat the sauce through, and dinner's ready. They also have some "light" grated cheese for topping.
Tomorrow's dinner is tacos. Prep work for that would include browning off the meat and making the filling mix. Chop the tomatoes and lettuce and store in fridge for the next day. For "tacos" you can use whole wheat pitas, a not-bad substitute. If you must have tortillas, see if you can find the low-carb versions. They don't always have them available, but I know I've seen them. I'll be honest. I use regular corn tortillas. As long as you don't have a half dozen tortillas, you'll be okay (IMO). The real problem with tacos is the fat in the meat. Use lean meat or ground turkey or chicken. If you like sour cream in your tacos, pick up some low-fat or fat-free types.
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