A Man, A Can, and a Plan

by: David Joachim, The Editors of Men's Health
List Price: $15.99
Binding: Board book
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.612
Publication Date: June 17, 2002
Publisher: Rodale Books

(Unsolicited Review)

Okay, you all are going to have a good laugh. That's okay! I love trying gourmet recipes and southern recipes and ethnic recipes. You name the food combinations, I want to try it. So, this cookbook seems exactly opposite to what I love about cooking.

A bachelor friend of ours invited us over for a meal. It was a yummy chicken and noodles combination, and he admitted it was inspired from a recipe he found in this cookbook. When he pulled out the entire collection for us to browse through, we realized just how brilliant this is. It's sort of like garanimals for pantry foods, to get a meal on the table quick. The recipes are good just as they are, but many times you can think of something similar that would also work in a pinch, and that new combination also turns out to be a success.

I bought the book for Russ to use since I travel so much. But on days I'm working 14 hours, we are finding these recipes a helpful alternative to trying to eat out in a town with very few eat-out or take-out choices.

So now, like Rich, I want to go buy the entire set of books. I purchased our copy "like new" through a used bookstore, so you don't have to pay retail price to get good recipe ideas.

There are ingredients in the book we don't like, so we just use those recipes as "starting off points" for new recipes using ingredients we do like. And some recipes are great as is.

For anyone needing to use staple goods more than fresh foods, or for simple cooking when crunched for time, these are great starter recipes. These would be great for hurricane recipes, camping and hunting recipes, and budget recipes.

This week, three of our meals came from "A Man, A Can, and a Plan" and I'm guessing we will try at least two recipes a week from this helpful guide. And then, on days when I have more time and money to focus on the more complex recipes, I can return to my beloved "foodie" hobby!

RECIPE: Quick Brown Rice Casserole

Okay, I invented this recipe last night when I didn't have the ingredients for a traditional rice pilaf, and didn't have all the ingredients for a baked brown rice.

serves 4-6

1 boil-in-bag Brown Rice (quick rice that cooks in 10 minutes)-cooked
(Brown rice is healthier and has a nice nutty taste perfect for this recipe)

Mix with:
1 small can mushroom stems 'n pieces
1/2 cup or so of frozen seasoning mix (I think its onions, peppers, celery, parsley)
1 tsp. butter
little shake of poultry seasoning, and garlic pepper seasoning, and sea salt
1 egg

Bake for 375 in a convection oven for 10 minutes. Or 375 in regular oven for 15 minutes.

Remove and add about 1/2 cup of grated reduced fat Mexican blend cheese-stir. Pat down with back of spoon. Then sprinkle about 1/3 cup of sliced almonds on top.

Go back in the 375 convection oven for about 5-10 more minutes.

It's all ready in just 30 minutes--most steamed brown rice takes 50 minutes so this is a good time saver, boosts up the taste AND the nutritional values.

YUM!

A New Meal Planning Technique!

My hubby is always wanting variety in our meals. And wants them to be healthy, yet affordable, without getting stuck with many leftovers. I will plan menus, give him several choices, but sometimes things just don't sound good to him. But when I ask him what he wants, he says the best gift I can give him is him not having to make a meal choice. So, round and round we go. The good news is that he's willing to try new things.

I'm saying all of this because I'm guessing most of you meal-planners out there have the same problems when you are coming up with your menus.

Today, I decided to make a game out of it. Rather than asking Russ what he wanted this week, I told him we were going to play a game, and he was to tell me the first thing that popped into his head. Maybe some of these questions will get you going on your own meal-planning game time.

Here are the questions I used today, and I'll come up with more as time goes on. It was fun!

- Name a food starting with "s."
- Name the meal you would request on death row as your last meal.
- Name a food you would most likely grab at a potluck dinner.
- Name a meal made from hamburger.
- Name a white food.
- Fill in the blank, "I'm hungry for ____"
- _________ counts as a veggie!
- "You can't make me eat green foods, except for ______"
- I wish you would try to make _____ like I order at ____ restaurant.
- I wish you would make ____ like I see on the TV food network or in a magazine.
- I always requested ____ for my birthday dinner.
- I wish you would buy _____ fruit sometime.

Do you want to know the answers? Here goes:
- Salmon starts with "s."
- Pork Chops and Applesauce for a "last meal."
- Lemon Bars at the potluck meal.
- Make stuffed meatloaf with hamburger (also strogonoff).
- Garlic mashed potatoes are white.
- I'm hungry for pork loin roast.
- Corn as a veggie.
- Salad as a green food (I'm making Spinach/Strawberry/Almond salad)
- Crispy Orange Chicken from Applebee's (found recipe online)
- Make fish like on TV
- Never had a birthday request
- Buy berries for fruit.

Let me know in the comments section if you try this game in your own household!