Tantrum Central

2/3 of our house have spent the day in a state of irritability. I won't mention names, but Thomas sure does deserve a good night's sleep. My fridge is currently stocked with leftovers from yesterday's chili and today's chicken peanut chow mein (it was yummy, see recipe below!), and there is still one uncooked meal from last week's menu. This basically means no Monday grocery shopping is needed this week. I'm a little worried for my social life because this is depressing news. Surely I'll find some way to survive (it's spelled J-A-V-A-J-A-C-K-S).

Grocery shopping is exciting (again- I know how sad this sounds), but this week it's extra exciting. I heard about an online meal planning service at MOPS. Dave Ramsey's name is all over it and although that was a bit of a turn off (sorry, self-help gurus are always a turn off to me, even if I agree they're helpful) I decided to give it a try anyway. The website is www.e-mealz.com. Basically you choose a plan (options include family of 4-6 or family of 2, low-fat, walmart, any store, etc) and then pay them $15 to receive a weekly menu and grocery list every week for three months. Their goal is to provide an interesting plan that costs no more that $75/week for a family of 4. The family of 2 plan should be roughly half the cost, but it fluctuates more. I chose the Low Fat Meal Plan for Two for any store. My goal is to save money, but it should also save me time. I don't mind the time I spend cooking and planning, but I have tried for 6 months and am not good at planning cheaper meals. What can I say, I love to cook exotic food.

So far here's what I think- They use some typical "low fat" corners which means the meals aren't necessarily "healthy". I should've expected this, but it's still a bit dissapointing. The meals don't sound gross, but they're not exactly what I would have picked out. They have a list of "staples" which they don't include in the price. These staples include eggs, milk, butter, salsa, etc. Not sure how much this will effect the overall cost. They do not list how much they are expecting the items to cost, so it's hard to price match while shopping to see where their planning and my reality don't match.

It'll probably be next week before I'm able to try out this experiment, but I'll let you all know how it goes! Leave a comment if you've ever used a similar service.


Chicken Peanut Chow Mein (from Cooking Light)

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups noodle mixture, 1/4 cup onions, and 1 1/2 teaspoons peanuts)

Ingredients

• 1 cup precut matchstick-cut carrot (I used 1 1/2 cups)
  
• 1 cup snow peas, trimmed (I used 1 1/2 cups)
  
• 2 (6-ounce) packages chow mein noodles (I halved this and it was plenty)
  
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil, divided
• 1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast (I used 1 lb, 1/2 lb is only enough for 2 servings)
  
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, divided
• 3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 cup presliced mushrooms
• 2 teaspoons bottled fresh ground ginger (such as Spice World) (I used 1 tsp ground ginger, it was a little too much)
  
• 1 cup (1-inch) sliced green onions (probably only need 1/2 cup, I only had 1/4 and it wasn't bad)
  
• 2 tablespoons dry-roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Preparation

Cook carrots, snow peas, and noodles in boiling water 3 minutes; drain.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cut chicken crosswise into thin strips. Add chicken and 1 tablespoon soy sauce to pan; stir-fry 3 minutes. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Combine remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, broth, oyster sauce, sugar, and pepper, stirring well. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and ginger to pan; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add broth mixture, and cook for 1 minute. Add noodle mixture and chicken to pan; cook 1 minute, tossing to combine. Sprinkle with onions and peanuts.