I don't know about anyone else, but occasionally I go out of my way, over the top, gourmet. I'll make a really fine multi-course dinner and break out all of the techniques I learned in restaurants for plating and making a meal look and taste absolutely perfect.
That's not what this thread is about. What I'm curious about is what all of you make on a daily basis. Technical perfection, fine ingredients, and perfect presentation are all well and good, but when I get home after work I want to open a beer and make some chow and worry about other things. I'm sure I'm not alone.
The meals I go back to over and over again are really pretty simple. I tend to plan 6 meals per week with a floating 7th where I can either do whatever crazy thing I want or order food. Sometimes "crazy" is lamb chops with a red wine shiitake reduction served with a side of sauteed greens over grilled polenta cakes, but usually it's something more like a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of soup.
My daily meals are really fairly simple. This week's plan is very much representative of how it usually looks:
1) Stir fry (chicken, broccoli, snap peas, bean sprouts, served with yakisoba)
2) Chicken salad (spring or mesclun mix, grilled chicken, homemade dressing)
3) Tacos (corn tortillas, ground beef, black beans, bell peppers, cheese)
4) Grilled chicken and broccoli slaw
5) Oven fried pork chops with side salad
6) Oven fried chicken nuggets, oven chips, and grilled asparagus
I just go through and knock 'em out as I like, I don't force myself to have a given food on a given day. Once a month I'll go to Costco Business for a whole deli turkey breast or ham and I'll slice it and portion it out for sandwiches for lunch or if I don't feel like cooking for my optional day. Since they open really early and I'm generally in and out, I'll treat myself to breakfast and then head to the normal Costco for regular meats, cheese, and any staples I need like rice, noodles, potatoes, etc.
That's my regular meal plan. What's yours?
That's not what this thread is about. What I'm curious about is what all of you make on a daily basis. Technical perfection, fine ingredients, and perfect presentation are all well and good, but when I get home after work I want to open a beer and make some chow and worry about other things. I'm sure I'm not alone.
The meals I go back to over and over again are really pretty simple. I tend to plan 6 meals per week with a floating 7th where I can either do whatever crazy thing I want or order food. Sometimes "crazy" is lamb chops with a red wine shiitake reduction served with a side of sauteed greens over grilled polenta cakes, but usually it's something more like a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of soup.
My daily meals are really fairly simple. This week's plan is very much representative of how it usually looks:
1) Stir fry (chicken, broccoli, snap peas, bean sprouts, served with yakisoba)
2) Chicken salad (spring or mesclun mix, grilled chicken, homemade dressing)
3) Tacos (corn tortillas, ground beef, black beans, bell peppers, cheese)
4) Grilled chicken and broccoli slaw
5) Oven fried pork chops with side salad
6) Oven fried chicken nuggets, oven chips, and grilled asparagus
I just go through and knock 'em out as I like, I don't force myself to have a given food on a given day. Once a month I'll go to Costco Business for a whole deli turkey breast or ham and I'll slice it and portion it out for sandwiches for lunch or if I don't feel like cooking for my optional day. Since they open really early and I'm generally in and out, I'll treat myself to breakfast and then head to the normal Costco for regular meats, cheese, and any staples I need like rice, noodles, potatoes, etc.
That's my regular meal plan. What's yours?