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What to you eat for dinner?

robnybbq
robnybbq Posts: 1,911
The OT Not worth it thread got me thinking.  I dont want to go out to eat as much anymore as its a huge wallet drain.  I would like to know how to cook to make meals better at home without the long low and slow cooks that come out good.

What do you normally eat during the week vs weekends?
If its an egged meal  for example do you just grill a plain piece of chicken(yuck) and some sort of side like nuked frozen vegetables? 

Do you make elaborate cooks during the week?

What are you god non egg cooks for during the week?

What do you eat when you dont have allot of time?  Like getting home at 8:30 PM and plan to go to bed at 10.  I can't stand leftovers so looking at other options.  I am still on the getting healthy battle that I dont want to get into but good healthy food cant hurt.

_______________________________________________________________
LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


Garnerville, NY
«13

Comments

  • Walt2015
    Walt2015 Posts: 583
    @robnybbq
    1 night a week - salad with kale or spinach or mixed greens, make a dressing from balsamic or red wine vinegar and evoo, add in some veggies/fruit to it and can add grilled chicken steak or shrimp. Ready in under 30 from lighting egg

    1 night- grilled fish + veggie/sweet potato or mushrooms 

    1 night soup inside (leftovers good for lunch or other nights, soup is one of those things that's good for leftovers)

    1 night marinated chicken breasts/thighs/quarters, could also do some sort of pork loin or chop for variety with Brussels, broccoli, zoodles, zucchini/squash

    mexican at least one night with steak/chicken or ground beef and a side of beans-- can still be pretty healthy with limited tortillas or none. Sometimes we eat the meat and veggies on top of beans or shredded iceberg with no tortillas (fish tacos rock too)

    this is our usual format for a weeke of meals. Planning ahead helps cutback on eating out and buying exactly what we need weekly at the store. 
    Memphis, TN ----> Chattanooga, TN
  • evie1370
    evie1370 Posts: 506
    I just did a weeknight cook of Morrocan Chicken Skewers. Marinate for 2 hours, put them on skewers 425 dome and done in 20 minutes tops. Side was broccoli roasted on the gasser...just easier for me but can be egged also. See thread copied below. Have also done Flank Steak, marinated either as pinwheels or just straight up, real quick on the egg. Lots of possibilites.

    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/1736218#Comment_1736218

    Medium BGE in Cincinnati OH.

    "

    "I don't know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, by God, they frighten me. " Duke of Wellington, Battle of Waterloo.
  • blasting
    blasting Posts: 6,262
    edited May 2015
    I don't pretend to be a great cook, but I do put the effort in to put out a decent meal most nights.  It has become a hobby; I find myself planning meals a couple days in advance.  I try out at least a couple new things each week.  

    The last seven nights: (all on the grill)  pizza, stuffed chicken breasts, taco night, grilled Cuban sandwiches, spatchcock chicken, stuffed peppers.  Tonight will be cornbread (first time), along with acorn squash, and stuffed burgers.  I wouldn't consider any of these meals fancy or overly time consuming.

    My daughter loves my cooking, and it's a big part of what we do together.  She throws out terms like "flavor profile" - I find it hilarious.
    Phoenix 
  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,654
    edited May 2015
    I think most people, these days, even if they love to cook, just don't have the time to cook a really nice meal every night of the week.  It's too bad you hate leftovers -- lots of people do, you're not alone! -- but that sure is one easy way of having a nice meal more than once with little effort the second time.

    Many people try to do something other than just reheating leftovers, to make them into a different meal.  Like Walt2015's salad idea, for example.  Why not grill something one night, and then a few nights later, have the leftovers sliced and on a salad?  Or maybe in a hot sandwich like a panini (or something along that line cooked in a skillet).  Or thrown into a stir-fry.  (I think there are frozen things in the supermarket that you just add meat to, and leftover meat would be great for this, while being a completely different dish than you had made the first time!)  Or chop it up and make tacos with it!

    Some dishes, like chili and most stews, are better after a day or a few days, so it hardly seems like "leftovers" to make a pot of chili and have some that night, and then a few nights later, have it again and it'll only be better!  Or freeze some, and have it a week or any time later -- all you have to do is take it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge the night before you want to cook it, reheat it, and presto -- doesn't seem like leftovers at all, and no effort or time!  And maybe vary what you have with it to make it more of a change.  Maybe all by itself the first night, and maybe with some guacamole (store-bought is easy) and a salad, or a quesadilla or something (grilled cheese sandwich?) a few nights later.  Or sometimes I'll make a salad and dump some chili and tortilla chips in it and call it "taco salad."  OK, it's not gourmet food, but it's quick and really easy.

    And about "just grill a plain piece of chicken(yuck)": you might want to try different ways of grilling chicken, because pretty darn plain chicken (spatchcock, olive oil, salt and pepper) in the Egg can be wonderful!  But if you use a very different rub, for example, on a plain chicken breast, it's practically different dish altogether!  A Jerk rub (like Dizzy Pig Jamaican Firewalk) or Walkers Wood Jerk Rub, a cajun rub (like DP's Swamp Venom), a Mexican rub (like their Fajita-ish) make a plain chicken breast, cooked properly so it's still juicy, REALLY tasty and as different from each other as night and day.

    Steaks are really quick cooks, and you can vary them a lot, too.  A steak that's plain, or with a classic sauce like Worcestershire or A1 seems like a completely different dish to me than the same steak with an herb sauce on the side.  Here's a recipe (cut it down, depending):

    1 cup packed basil leaves 
    1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves 
    2 tablespoons packed fresh oregano leaves 
    1 tablespoon packed fresh rosemary leaves 
    1 tablespoon packed fresh thyme leaves 
    1 tablespoon packed fresh tarragon leaves 
    2 cloves garlic minced 
    3⁄ 4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus 2 tbsp.  
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 

    Chop all that up (knife or food processor), WOW.  Whole lotta flavor and again it makes beef taste really different than very similar beef maybe a few nights before.

    Theo
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    I think most things you can grill are pretty quick cooks.  Steak, pork tenderloin, pork chops, salmon, etc.  We are also into salads but we take shortcuts and just buy the various bagged salads most of the time.  

    Leftover pulled pork is often in the rotation.   We usually try to eat fairly healthy as well during the week so usually just eat pulled pork with some veggies like turnip greens or fresh green beans.  Had a little slip up last Thursday and accidentally made pulled pork pizza:


    ...but there was salad too


    This salad for example is just a bag of kale mix with strawberries, blueberries, and feta addded with a balsamic vinaigrette.  Easy peazy. 


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • blasting
    blasting Posts: 6,262
    edited May 2015
    @SmokeyPitt  -- That crust is absolutely perfect, and the overall pie looks amazing!
    Phoenix 
  • robnybbq
    robnybbq Posts: 1,911
    Great ideas.  Soups and chili are good reheats so I guess some leftovers are OK as they dont get dried out.

    We had pork chops the other night with swamp venom it they were good.  The hour to cook the baked potato killed the time though.  That simple cook took almost 2 hours.  1/2 hour to get clean smoke -~an hour for the baked potatos and then ~15 minutes for the chops.  Good meal but I had to make sure I had time to do it.   Typically I get home after 7-7:30 and want to eat shportly after and not after 9.  If I was in a rush like almost every night we would have eaten out again.

    My daughter will eat almost anything off the egg.  She loves spatch chicken but I usually dont have the time to make it - ~1.5 hours for the total cook including lighting the egg.

    I have thought about the mini max but I dont know if that would speed things up or not.  Still need to burn off the VOC's.

    Cooking a steak or basically any meat in a frying pan is horrendous now compared to the Egg.  Reheating a steak is usually leather - unless buried in a sauce the next time I guess - the main reason I hate leftovers.  Always dried out.  Even a great cooked brisket I dont like the next day.

    Those frozen stir fry things may help. I'll look into them.

    I got to eat more veggies - these are on the list to figure out how to make them taste like something other than grass.

    Thanks for the info. 


    _______________________________________________________________
    LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


    Garnerville, NY
  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,654
    edited May 2015
    ... Had a little slip up last Thursday and accidentally made pulled pork pizza...
    Holy MOLY -- I think that's the most gorgeous pizza photo I've ever seen!  WOW that looks good!  I've had 2 BGEs for years, and somehow have been nervous about going to what seems like a lot of trouble and winding up with a not very good pizza.  (I tried decades ago to make a pizza or two in a regular oven, and they were terrible, which probably is the reason.)

    Can you offer a few more details about exactly how you made that?  Looks AMAZING!

    Theo
  • buzd504
    buzd504 Posts: 3,824
    We almost always do whole chickens instead of chicken parts, because you can make other stuff with the leftover chicken (chicken salad, tacoes, soup/stock).  Risotto is a pretty easy cook that you change up quite a bit.  We do salads once or twice a week.  Pot meals (beans, gumbo, chili, curry) are good for a few days.

    Dedicating a full 30 minutes on getting the egg to temp seems excessive, IMO.  For one thing, if you are doing quick cooks, you should just be able to relight without any VOCs.  Maybe you need better lump?  Also, I usually use that time for prep, so if you light the egg first thing when you get home, it's generally ready to cook when you need it.  I can do a whole chicken in about an hour from lighting the egg.

    As for the potatoes, you can precook them in the microwave for a few minutes to speed the process along.  If I'm doing a pork chop or something else, I put them in with the potatoes (at the appropriate time) and then do a reverse sear.

    Sounds like to me with a little time management, you should be good to go.
    NOLA
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    I make extra protein(beef, pork, chicken) on Sunday to re-purpose throughout the week. On late nights, I'll slice the meat up and put it on salad or mix it with veggies and saute until warm. No issues drying out. For the salad, I'll eat meat warm or cold, depending on what it is. If I want it warm, I put the meat on a plate with a moist paper towel over it and heat it at 30 second intervals until warm(usually 2-3 total), flipping after each interval. I've never had an issue drying it out. In terms of beef, I'll grill it to medium rare and then heat as descrived above. The meat is still mostly MR with some slight increase in the banding around the edges. Taste and juiciness are unchanged. Dressings are typically a balsamic and Harrisa olive oil mix and the salad is typically a field green/spinach mix.   I add bleu cheese crumbles or feta with cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet peppers and carrots if on hand.

    The nice part is the salad is very filling and quite refreshing, which is nice when I am eating late.
  • DMW
    DMW Posts: 13,832
    Sous Vide
    They/Them
    Morgantown, PA

    XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,654
    edited May 2015

    robnybbq said:
    ... I have thought about the mini max but I dont know if that would speed things up or not.  Still need to burn off the VOC's.

    Cooking a steak or basically any meat in a frying pan is horrendous now compared to the Egg.  Reheating a steak is usually leather - unless buried in a sauce the next time I guess - the main reason I hate leftovers.  Always dried out.  Even a great cooked brisket I dont like the next day...
    That mini max thing looks cool, but I agree with you that I doubt it would make cooks an awful lot shorter.  When I think, also, about the fact that so many people raise their grids higher, to get them farther away from the coals, and how the mini-max seems to be essentially a Small with much less distance between the coals and the grid than a Small has, I wonder whether there would be more problems with "hot spots" with it?

    And I'm with you on reheating steak -- what I meant before was a way to make cooking steak twice in one week seem less monotonous.  If I have leftover steak I usually eat it cold, either as is, or maybe in a salad or something, but I don't love it the way I did when it was first cooked.  Once in a while I'll try to nuke it just enough to make it slightly warm instead of refrigerator-cold, but often when I try that it still winds up cooking it a bit more and it's just not very good.  I also agree that brisket never seems as good the next day, though I love it anyway.  I'm more likely to use a sauce when it's leftover.

    I'd suggest doing things like the spatchcock on weekends when you have more time, and think more about ways to use the leftovers that make it a different meal that doesn't seem so much like "just leftovers."  It seems to me that I've also seen Asian-style things on the shelves not refrigerated that lend themselves to just adding leftover meat.  I think I've seen Thai dishes that you'd add meat to, for example, and many different Indian sauces that you could just mix in to a stir-fry of veggies, when they're about done pour in the Indian sauce and some leftover meat, have some rice with it, and you've got a quick curry dish that would be wholly different than the original dish, but only took few minutes to prepare.

    Theo
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,657
    alfredo sauce
     stick of butter
    cup heavey cream
    2 cups finely grated fresh parmesan
    garlic powder
    lots of finely grated black pepper

    heat it up in 5 minutes and toss on steam or grilled veggies, broccolli, peas, red pepper strips, yellow squash, leftover nuked chicken, fettuccine, etc. might not be the lowest calorie food but portion control is easier at home compared to the italian restaurant mega plates. first time making it last week, the trick is to add way more pepper than you think you would need, probably lower cal recipes out there but im sticking to what i like =)
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    I eat leftovers often. Some suck, but many can be quite tasty. Cooking isn't my favorite thing and if I can eat for several days after cooking only once, I'm all for it. I will often spatch a whole chicken and spend the week eating it (cold or reheated, chicken salad, sliced chicken sandwiches, chicken pizza, salad with sliced chicken, for example).

    If you like spicy, grab a jar of Walkerswood or Grace jerk seasoning. I love chicken parts, especially breasts, and they are even better with jerk! Smear some on, add a tablespoon of oil in a zip bag, massage well and let it marinate for 2-24 hours, then grill. Great on pork chops or roasts/tenderloins too.

    Love this side (but peas=carbs)... sauté a sliced shallot, add a package of frozen (thawed) peas and a little water. Cook until heated. Serve with a squirt of fresh lemon. Quick, easy and because it's so quick, timing is never an issue.

    Some other ideas...

    fish 
    chicken or turkey burgers (better if you grind it yourself)
    chicken salad (easy on the mayo-I want to try w/ Greek yogurt, but haven't yet
    homemade soup (I have to watch sodium so I never buy canned soup)
    vegetable stew (not very quick, but reheats well)
    chili (can be quick, but mine isn't, reheats very well)
    homemade chicken sausage with eggs
    assorted vegetables only (no meat) steamed, sautéed or grilled
    homemade soup and salad

    As for burning off VOCs, load up whatever egg you have, burn VOCs, cook, shut down the egg. Depending on how much lump you started with and how long/hot you cooked, you may have plenty of lump left for one or two more cooks with no VOCs to deal with.
     

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    I know for awhile you were avoiding carbs, so this may not help much, but re-fried rice and lo-mein (fried noodles instead) are great ways of using extra left over meats. Cook a batch of rice when you have time. It will keep a few days in the fridge. Noodles need to be sauced after cooking, but will keep a couple of days chilled. A oriental mart where I live has several varieties fresh, but chilled. Just minutes to get those ready for the pan. Buy some really fine soy sauce, and add a dollop of tahini.

    When both I and my wife were working, with 4 youngsters, refried rice/lo-mein was a weekly event, and used whatever leftover meat we had.

    Eggs! Frittatas are sort of baked omelettes. Pre-heat oven to 350. Toss in a bunch of leftover stuff into well beaten eggs, and cook in a pan on low heat till the bottom sets. Then into the oven till the top sets up and browns.

    Which leads to quiches. Not the easiest thing at first, but they store well sliced and frozen. Not quite as good as when fresh, but it comes out pretty good when re-heated.

    Oh, and "Eggs in Purgatory." Arrabbiata sauce heated to a simmer. Break Eggs onto top. Grind in fresh Parmesan. Let eggs set up some. Serve w. crusty bread to dip up all the good stuff.

    Really good vinaigrette slaw. They can be made ahead, and stay in the fridge for days, and add a nice sweet sour side to anything else. Try shredded brussel sprouts instead of standard cabbage.

    If the veggies you are getting just "taste like grass" you need to find a better source.

    Fastest best Egg'd stuff for me was marinaded thin cut pork steaks, cooked low, direct, dome 450F for maybe 10 minutes. Most of the fat rendered out, and the marinade helped insure both flavor and tenderness.


  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    @Theophan and @Blasting - thank you very much!  The pizza thread is here:

    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1180113/my-best-pulled-pork-pizza-yet#latest

    It was super easy- I think it is the "bread in 5 minutes recipe".  One other tip is I used 2 pieces of parchment paper (top and bottom) sprayed with pam to roll out the dough.  Peeled off the top layer of parchment and used the bottom piece to place it on the preheated stone.  After a few minutes slid the bottom parchment out from under the crust. 


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • tarheelmatt
    tarheelmatt Posts: 9,867
    I will cook some protein up on Sunday's usually for M-W.  Most times it is grilled chicken, but also do stuffed peppers, roasts, pulled beef, taco meat, etc.. 

    Thursday we will generally do a steak, chop, or some other type of quick protein that's great.  

    Friday we generally go to our favorite Mexican restaurant to eat.  
    ------------------------------
    Thomasville, NC
    My YouTube Channel - The Hungry Hussey
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  • Acn
    Acn Posts: 4,424
    How are you cooking your veggies?  Roasting really brings out a deeper flavor than just steaming, boiling, or microwaving.  Do you add anything when serving?  Some good salt (the Costco Himalayan pink salt grinder works for us) and a spash of vinegar or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice can do wonders for the taste.

    When you do leftovers, do you reheat for long periods of time?  A lot of times I'll just warm something through, and I hate using the microwave.  Also, if you can reheat in something with some moisture, that will help a lot, for example, if you're using leftovers for tacos, reheat in salsa.  Reheat the brisket in sauce and it won't be as dried out, sure the sauce will add some calories, but you'll probably still be better off than getting a whole new restaurant meal.  Not to mention, you won't need to toss 1/4-1/2 of a $60 piece of meat.

    LBGE

    Pikesville, MD

  • robnybbq
    robnybbq Posts: 1,911
    edited May 2015
    For example spatchcock chicken - very moist and tender the day its cooked.  Put it in the fridge in a zip lock bag and the next day its cardboard.  Hard and dry.  I can put in a ton of mayo for chicken salad its edible to me but then why eat chicken to begin with - just scoop mayo and eat it.

    Same for pork tenderloin.  I cooked a bunch for the party a few weeks ago.  I had leftovers.  The next day they were very dry and not moist and tender like the day I cooked them. 

    Am I storing the meat wrong?  Do you store the meat in some sort of liquid in a bag?

    Veggies - we have a steamer pan that works good for carrots and brocolli.  Sometimes we just add butter.  Corn grilled in the husks with butter is good as well.  As for other veggies its a mess.  I have tried numerous time to cook veggies on the egg and they dont come out good (no one eats them).  I have tried balsamic vinegar, slow roasting and similar results.  We can cook them in the steamer pot in the house but want to change them up to make them taste good.  We just bought a peeler that you can use on veggies to make them into small stings.  Just need to find out how to make them besides boiling them.

    Most of the nights I will not be egging and it will be a quick nuked meal unless the wife is home to cook ahead of time then I just eat when I get home.

    Tonight for example we will not get home until after 8:00 - Pizza/italian restaurant here we come as usual as if we had to cook starting at 8:00 we would not eat until after 9 and the kids are in bed.

    But some simple meals are on here that could work for other nights.  leftovers on salad I guess is a way I should start eating (force it in).  Just seeing what other people eat is helpful. 

    BTW Smokey - that pizza does look awesome.

    _______________________________________________________________
    LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


    Garnerville, NY
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    robnybbq said:
    For example spatchcock chicken - very moist and tender the day its cooked.  Put it in the fridge in a zip lock bag and the next day its cardboard.  Hard and dry.  I can put in a ton of mayo for chicken salad its edible to me but then why eat chicken to begin with - just scoop mayo and eat it.

    Same for pork tenderloin.  I cooked a bunch for the party a few weeks ago.  I had leftovers.  The next day they were very dry and not moist and tender like the day I cooked them. 

    Am I storing the meat wrong?  Do you store the meat in some sort of liquid in a bag?

    Veggies - we have a steamer pan that works good for carrots and brocolli.  Sometimes we just add butter.  Corn grilled in the husks with butter is good as well.  As for other veggies its a mess.  I have tried numerous time to cook veggies on the egg and they dont come out good (no one eats them).  I have tried balsamic vinegar, slow roasting and similar results.  We can cook them in the steamer pot in the house but want to change them up to make them taste good.  We just bought a peeler that you can use on veggies to make them into small stings.  Just need to find out how to make them besides boiling them.

    Most of the nights I will not be egging and it will be a quick nuked meal unless the wife is home to cook ahead of time then I just eat when I get home.

    Tonight for example we will not get home until after 8:00 - Pizza/italian restaurant here we come as usual as if we had to cook starting at 8:00 we would not eat until after 9 and the kids are in bed.

    But some simple meals are on here that could work for other nights.  leftovers on salad I guess is a way I should start eating (force it in).  Just seeing what other people eat is helpful. 

    BTW Smokey - that pizza does look awesome.
    How are you reheating food? I experience none of the issues you complain about and I am reheating food in one of the worst ways possible(microwave). The meat isn't as juicy as day one but it's plenty juicy nevertheless. 

    For veggies, I typically steam them and then mix them with butter or olive oil and Costco no-salt seasoning. It's really good and they complement most other things I'm eating. Steaming is quick and it help retain more of the plant's nutrients.

    If you have to eat out, find healthier places to go than Italian. Considering the portion sizes typically served, you are getting a massive carb bomb late at night. Unless you go home and walk 5+ miles, you aren't going to come close to burning that off so all those carbs get converted to glycogen and then fat.


  • Phatchris
    Phatchris Posts: 1,726
    Grilled protein (chicken, fish, steak, pork chop), fresh sautteed greens with garlic( kale, broccoli, broccoli rabe).....

    Tacos(whatever protein) with asian slaw


  • robnybbq
    robnybbq Posts: 1,911
    agree 100%

    For reheating - I take the food on a plate and nuke it for 2-3 minutes.  If the food is in a sauce its ok - a piece of grilled chicken not so much.

    _______________________________________________________________
    LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


    Garnerville, NY
  • robnybbq
    robnybbq Posts: 1,911
    edited May 2015
    Going to make some spatch tomorrow or Sunday though.

    I wanted to cook a whole turkey breast but the supermarkets dont have them and only have cutlets and not the whole thing.

    Got come chorizo in the freezer with some skirt steaks and pork tenderloins.  MAybe on Sunday Ill cook some of them too and see how the week goes.  if it sucks I am no worse off.  Take out.

    _______________________________________________________________
    LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


    Garnerville, NY
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    robnybbq said:
    agree 100%

    For reheating - I take the food on a plate and nuke it for 2-3 minutes.  If the food is in a sauce its ok - a piece of grilled chicken not so much.
    This is your problem. Microwave it in 30 second bursts and wait 15 seconds between zaps. 
  • THEBuckeye
    THEBuckeye Posts: 4,230
    robnybbq said:
    For example spatchcock chicken - very moist and tender the day its cooked.  Put it in the fridge in a zip lock bag and the next day its cardboard.  Hard and dry.  I can put in a ton of mayo for chicken salad its edible to me but then why eat chicken to begin with - just scoop mayo and eat it.

    Same for pork tenderloin.  I cooked a bunch for the party a few weeks ago.  I had leftovers.  The next day they were very dry and not moist and tender like the day I cooked them. 

    Am I storing the meat wrong?  Do you store the meat in some sort of liquid in a bag?

    Veggies - we have a steamer pan that works good for carrots and brocolli.  Sometimes we just add butter.  Corn grilled in the husks with butter is good as well.  As for other veggies its a mess.  I have tried numerous time to cook veggies on the egg and they dont come out good (no one eats them).  I have tried balsamic vinegar, slow roasting and similar results.  We can cook them in the steamer pot in the house but want to change them up to make them taste good.  We just bought a peeler that you can use on veggies to make them into small stings.  Just need to find out how to make them besides boiling them.

    Most of the nights I will not be egging and it will be a quick nuked meal unless the wife is home to cook ahead of time then I just eat when I get home.

    Tonight for example we will not get home until after 8:00 - Pizza/italian restaurant here we come as usual as if we had to cook starting at 8:00 we would not eat until after 9 and the kids are in bed.

    But some simple meals are on here that could work for other nights.  leftovers on salad I guess is a way I should start eating (force it in).  Just seeing what other people eat is helpful. 

    BTW Smokey - that pizza does look awesome.
    How are you reheating food? I experience none of the issues you complain about and I am reheating food in one of the worst ways possible(microwave). The meat isn't as juicy as day one but it's plenty juicy nevertheless. 

    For veggies, I typically steam them and then mix them with butter or olive oil and Costco no-salt seasoning. It's really good and they complement most other things I'm eating. Steaming is quick and it help retain more of the plant's nutrients.

    If you have to eat out, find healthier places to go than Italian. Considering the portion sizes typically served, you are getting a massive carb bomb late at night. Unless you go home and walk 5+ miles, you aren't going to come close to burning that off so all those carbs get converted to glycogen and then fat.


    AGREE! 

    Leftovers ANYTHING off the Egg can be nuked and great:

    Spatch
    Burgers
    Steak
    Wings
    Butt
    Pork Chops
    Short Ribs
    Spare Ribs

    I could go on............
    New Albany, Ohio 

  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,654
    ... The pizza thread is here:

    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1180113/my-best-pulled-pork-pizza-yet#latest

    It was super easy- I think it is the "bread in 5 minutes recipe".  One other tip is I used 2 pieces of parchment paper (top and bottom) sprayed with pam to roll out the dough.  Peeled off the top layer of parchment and used the bottom piece to place it on the preheated stone.  After a few minutes slid the bottom parchment out from under the crust. 
    Thanks!  I may break down and try it this Summer some time.  It just seems so obvious to me that the BGE seems like it'd be very similar to a wood-fired brick oven that it sounds like it'd be great.  I've found some discussions of temperature regulation, putting foil balls or copper pipe elbows between the plate setter and the pizza stone helpful but also a bit intimidating.  And some people swear by 600-700 temps or even higher, whereas others like you say 500 works great.  I just wind up never trying it.  I'll try to do it sometime this Summer.

    Thanks again!
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    I had 4 kids. After the youngest reached grade school, Mom started working part time along w. my full time. Eventually, the wife was working full time too.

    We required each kid to learn to fry eggs for themselves by the age of 6, just as I had. At about age 12, they had to be able to cook one family sized meal. Maybe you should start cooking w. your kid(s) if they are old enough. For awhile, the kids had dinner ready for weary Mom and Dad 4 days of the week. The older son wasn't good for much besides bacon, but now his ribs are almost as good as mine, his spaghetti is outstanding, and his oven crisped potatoes are way better than anything I can do.

    Most "healthy" tender meats tend to be dry. Little fat, little connective tissue to turn to gel. Spend some time making stock. A slow cooker works, likewise a pressure cooker in a fraction of time. Good stock is loaded with flavor, and the gel replaces the smooth mouth feel of moist meat.  I usually have a couple of quarts either in the fridge, or frozen. Toss your meat leftovers into a container w. some stock. When you re-heat, even chicken breast meat will be nice and slurpy, and the stock will be almost as thick and rich as good gravy.

    Learn to make roux, which freezes just fine. Toss that in w. the stock, and you will have great gravy.

    Frozen king or snow crab can be kind of expensive, but often not any more than eating out, Most, maybe all, is precooked. Boil water, heat crab, zap some butter, crack and eat. Recently has become my wife and I's favorite for a quick, sumptuous meal instead of steak.
  • Legume
    Legume Posts: 14,602
    This ^^^ teach your kids to cook and they will learn how to eat and appreciate good food.  Necessary skillset in my opinion.
  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
    Theophan said:
    ... The pizza thread is here:

    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1180113/my-best-pulled-pork-pizza-yet#latest

    It was super easy- I think it is the "bread in 5 minutes recipe".  One other tip is I used 2 pieces of parchment paper (top and bottom) sprayed with pam to roll out the dough.  Peeled off the top layer of parchment and used the bottom piece to place it on the preheated stone.  After a few minutes slid the bottom parchment out from under the crust. 
    Thanks!  I may break down and try it this Summer some time.  It just seems so obvious to me that the BGE seems like it'd be very similar to a wood-fired brick oven that it sounds like it'd be great.  I've found some discussions of temperature regulation, putting foil balls or copper pipe elbows between the plate setter and the pizza stone helpful but also a bit intimidating.  And some people swear by 600-700 temps or even higher, whereas others like you say 500 works great.  I just wind up never trying it.  I'll try to do it sometime this Summer.

    Thanks again!
    There are various styles of pizzas and different dough recipes. Some are best cooked in the 475-550º range. Some are better cooked at 600º and above.  Most of the pizzas I see posted on this forum are medium thick crust with a heavy load of toppings. The 475-550º range is fine for this style. A lot of the dough recipes circulating are designed for this temperature range (as are most store bought doughs).  The key is to find the right combination of cooking time, temperature, dough recipe, and egg setup for the style you like. 
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
  • DMW
    DMW Posts: 13,832
    Just wanted to comment now that I'm back home with my PC instead of phone.

    Seriously, you should get a sous vide setup. You can have stuff fully cooked and ready to do a quick sear on the egg, or just sear it in a hot pan on the stove, or hit it with a torch. It's easy and really foolproof.

    They/Them
    Morgantown, PA

    XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker