Chicken Two: Two Different Meals With One Cooking Night

Chicken Parmesan

   In an effort to clear out any space in the freezer, I defrosted a three pound bag of chicken breasts.  Usually  I buy chicken on the bone since I can find a decent sale price, but I bought the big back to be convenient for camping season. With summer over it is time to cook up these birds.

   I planned to make Chicken Parm.  I made breadcrumbs out of oatmeal mixed with some Italian seasoning and garlic powder.  I sliced the chicken thin, dipped it in the egg and breadcrumbs and into the olive oil it went.     I made a few pans full, so I stored the extra in the oven to keep warm.

There's a whole lotta chicken cooking.

   As the chicken sizzled, I put the spaghetti water on to boil and made a salad.  I topped one skillet of chicken with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.  The rest of the chicken was for another meal.  Before cooking, I cut some of the chicken in smaller chicken strips.  Just don't tell the kids their chicken nuggets are really naked Chicken Parm leftovers.

We'll set these aside for nugget night.

   

Hamburger Helper

Sloppy Joes with a side of green bean fries

    I spotted ground beef on sale at the market.  I made two meals and had a pound leftover.  I was about to freeze it since I couldn't think of what to do with it, burgers again, taco salad?  I was stumped for an idea. Then I opened up my cookbook and found sloppy joes.  I had never made them without the prepared stuff in a can.  So it was time to try a new recipe.

    I substituted a 29 ounce can of store brand tomato sauce for the ketchup. I omitted the Worcestershire sauce. I stirred in a packet of stevia for slight sweetness.  I diced a green bell pepper and threw that in the sauce. Hamburger buns were 40 cents at Aldi making this an inexpensive meal. Luckily we could eat outside, just in case they lived up to their messy name!

simmering sloppy joes from scratch

Sloppy Joes from Betty Crocker Cookbook

1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/8 teaspoon pepper
6 hamburger buns

Cook beef, onion, and celery over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is brown; drain. Stir in remaining ingredients except buns. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender. Fill buns with beef mixture.