Friday Night Eats: Individual Chicken Pot Pies

Friday night was a different one for me.

First off, I fell asleep for about an hour at 4pm. Clearly I was in for an exciting night. I woke up and went to Whole Foods for some dinner goodies because I knew AR's flight wouldn't get in until 10pm.

I struggled when I walked in to Whole Foods, because 5pm is a sad time to grocery shop. It is a little pathetic to walk around with wine at 5 on a Friday, but too late for coffee. I caved and went with coffee (better to be caffeinated than be the sad person drinking as they shop for kale on Friday night).

I got all of the goodies to make a favorite meal of AR's: Chicken Pot Pie. I went with the simple version and grabbed a rotisserie chicken seasoned with salt & pepper.

Normally, I cook my own chicken breasts in the oven or poach them on the stove top, but this made it so much faster and the chicken was so flavorful.

I also cheated majorly and bought a pre-made pie crust. I have never done this before, but I thought it tasted AMAZING and it was so fast. Pre-made crust for the win. You could make your own crust, make a biscuit topping, buy a biscuit dough/mix, or even use pre-made pizza dough. All of these options work great.

I enjoyed my pot pie on the couch with a glass of red wine and the movie Bride Wars. A perfect Friday in, if I do say so myself!


Individual Chicken Pot Pies

Ingredients 
filling
4 T. butter OR oil (I use a mix of both)
1 med. yellow onion, chopped
3/4 c. carrots, pealed and chopped
3/4 c. celery, pealed and chopped
1/2 c. mushrooms, chopped
3-4 c. shredded chicken
1/2 t. dried sage
1/2 t. dried thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
3 1/2 c. chicken broth
1/3 c. flour
1/2 c. frozen peas
1/3 c. heavy cream or half & half

crust
1 package of refrigerated pie crust dough (enough for 2 layers)
OR this recipe for pie crust.
extra flour for rolling
1 egg
1 T. water

Preheat over to 375*. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until slightly soften, for about 3 minutes. Add remaining vegetables and cook until slightly soft, about another 5-6 minutes. Add shredded chicken and seasonings.
Sprinkle flour on top of the mixture and stir in. Let the flour cook for 2 minutes, then pour in broth. Add peas. Continue to cook over medium heat until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add cream, stir to combine, and remove from heat.
Place individual ramekins** (five 2 c. or 8 1.5 c.) on a large baking sheet. Roll or fold out dough onto a floured surface. Using ramekins as a guide, cut dough into circles slightly larger than the top of each dish. Set dough aside.
Scoop filling into each ramekin, but do not fill completely. Once evenly divided, place dough circles on top of each dish and press down on edges. Beat egg with water to make an egg wash. Generously brush tops of each pie with egg wash.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until dark golden brown, rotating pan half way though. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
To freeze: Let cool completely. Wrap each pie dish in plastic wrap, and then tightly with foil. Free for up to 1 moth.

**I like to make my pies in several sizes - some for AR and some for me. Last week, I did two larger pies, four medium pies, and two itty bitty pies to take in my lunch!

You could make this beautiful by crimping the edges, but I call it rustic and just leave the edges ragged.

Enjoy! These are an excellent way to stock your freezer with some pre-made dinners. Just pop them out in the morning and let them thaw in the refrigerator. By dinner time, they will be ready to heat in the oven!

x0x0, 

Hannah 

6/1 Meals & Fitness

I'm checking in over the weekend to share my meals and fitness for the week. This week marks the start of Marathon training and I am both excited and anxious. AR and I did our last non-training run this morning - a cloudy 7 miles on the Atlanta Beltline. I felt awesome until I realized I'll be doing 3x that in a few weeks :(

Fitness this week
M- Cross Training: probably just a walk
T- 3 miles & strength training
W- 4 miles
Th - 3 miles & strength training
F - rest
S- 5 mile pace
S- 8 miles
Total: 23 miles

Meals this week
Lunches: kale salads with deli turkey, leftovers, veggie and hummus + turkey sandwich
M - lentils and quinoa

T - polenta and roasted mushrooms with fava beans
 
W - leftovers
Th - salad and veggie burgers
F - out :)

I'm off to the bookstore to look for some summer reading! Enjoy your the rest of your weekend!

x0x0,

Hannah

Groceries: Eating organic on a budget

I  LOVE grocery shopping.

Not even kidding. 

I love looking at new food items, and coming up with new ideas, and sampling yummy treats. Unfortunately, my wallet doesn't love grocery shopping as a hobby as much as I do. I eat organic, consume tons of fresh produce, and buy very little processed foods. 

And yet, I am a law student with a very limited budget. How does that balance out? 

Here is a snapshot of this week's grocery finds, and the meals I plan to make with them.

General: organic broth, organic ground chicken and chicken breasts, small organic cows milk, 3 cans of black beans, ricotta cheese, wonton wrapers, almond milk, greek yogurt, organic oats, chia seeds, organic eggs, organic turkey bacon, dried navy beans, maple syrup, organic turkey bacon, organic diced tomatoes. 

Produce: (all organic) potato, onion, bananas, apples, oranges, kale, cucumber, bell pepper, broccoli crowns, asparagus, fresh parsley, small head of lettuce, avocado.

Total: $91

For 2 people, that looks like about $45.50 per person - not bad, in my opinion. Here is what I am cooking this week. 

- chicken and cheese stuffed ravioli with homemade white sauce and roasted asparagus. 

- navy beans with tomatoes, collard greens, and turkey bacon, served with brown rice.

- home-made black bean burgers (vegan)

- grilled chicken salads with avocado and veggies. 

- Baked potato topped with broccoli and black beans (vegetarian) 

- Black bean chocolate cookies (vegan)

- whole-wheat english muffins (vegan)

Tips for saving money (and time) when buying organic

1. Shop the perimeter of the store.

Produce, dairy, eggs, meats, and grains are much lower priced than packaged items. Skipping the pre-made granola bars and snack foods will save a bundle - and you can always substitute healthier items (apple and peanut butter> granola bar). 

2. Know your store.

Staying consistent with the same store lets you know when they put new items out and when the sales usually start. Keep this in mind when grocery shopping. 

3. Plan your meals and snacks for the week.

I am not a rigid meal planner, but I pick out the dinners I want to have each week. I also pick any snack items to make for school and plan on 1 leftover night. I do leave things like veggies and fruits open in my meal plan. Then I can buy what ever is on sale and looks good. 

4. Do a leftover night.

Or take them in your lunches. Planning a leftover night insures things get eaten and nothing goes to waste. This is the biggest money saver in my house! To make the meal seem less recycled, I plan a fresh veggie to go with it, and often make drop biscuits to serve along side. 

5. Limit your meat consumption. 

AR is not a vegetarian, but as you can see, many of our meal items are vegetarian. Using meat less frequently will save you a significant amount of money - pick lower cost proteins like eggs and beans for the non-meat days.

Where do you shop? 

x0x0, 

Hannah 

Meals and Fitness for the week 2/23

Hello lovelies!

This week is a little rough - I am trying to finish assignments before heading to Mardi Gras and I have a final paper due right when I come back. Here are my meals and fitness plans for the week:

Weekly Workouts

M - Rest 

T - 3 miles, easy pace, and abs. 

W - 5 miles, 3 miles at pace

Th - 4 miles, abs, and legs 

F - Rest

S - 8 miles

S - Walking through parades in NOLA :)

Weekly Meals

M - Roasted garlic mushrooms with parmesan polenta and green beans 

T - Slow cooked black eyed peas with turkey bacon, brown rice, and salad. 

W - Baked potatoes with broccoli and grilled chicken. 

Th - Leftovers

F - In LA at AR's mom's house

S & S - NOLA

Notice 2 new recipes on my list? I am so excited to try the roasted mushrooms for meatless Monday and I always LOVE black eyed peas, but have never made them in my crock pot. I will let you know how they taste!

x0x0, 

Hannah 

Meal Planning Project

I've been a quasi-meal planner for a while.

I usually pick a few dinners a week to try before I head to the grocery store, and then I try to avoid making mid-week shopping trips for additional ingredients. This helps me in two ways:
1. I save money by avoiding hump-day impulse buys.
2. I avoid wasting food because I clean out my refrigerator each week.

This plan does have some negative effects..... due to half-planning, I've ended up with some major repeat meals and weird combos when there was little in the kitchen.

I want to put a stop to the weird meals, but also continue to save food and money by planning. The new project? Roughly plan out everything for my Monday-Friday meals and snacks, leaving the weekend open for whatever strikes my fancy :)

I will:
- Plan my meals around in-season produce, focusing on what I can purchase locally and at a lower price. 
- Use store ads and coupons to plan my purchases, working around items that are on sale.
-Take an inventory of my pantry before I start planning, prioritizing the items I need to use before they perish. 

My planning sheet looks like this right now, though it may change slightly.

I've been working through this meal plan for a few days and enjoying the results. I saved $12 on my grocery trip by utilizing sale, in season, and store-promoted items (yay!), and I haven't had banana oatmeal for every breakfast ;) Check back to see how my challenge is going!

Do you plan your meals in advance?
How do you cut costs with grocery shopping?

x0x0, 

Hannah 

This Week's Eats & Workouts

Hey all!

This weekend I did some major food prepping on Sunday evening, inspired by the Nut Butter Runner & the Lean Green Bean. I baked bread, cleaned and chopped all my fruits & veggies, boiled eggs, and roasted tofu and cauliflower. This week, I tried something new with my veggies: I washed them with vinegar and water. I was worried this would leave a flavor/smell, but all seems good!

Here is how I plan to use those items:
Bread: This oatmeal honey wheat loaf is my absolute favorite. I made a half recipe today and it turned out gorgeous (recipe coming this week!). I use this to make nut butter sandwiches and toast during the week.
Boiled eggs: snacks & in salad.
Sliced Strawberries: Yogurt bowl toppings!
Kale: Salads at lunch & kale chips.
Spinach: sauteed greens.
Asian roasted tofu: salads at lunch and stir-fry one night.
Black Beans (not pictured): Burrito bowl with brown rice & veggies.
Roasted cauliflower (not pictured): Mashed cauliflower.

In the workout department...
I am starting my MARATHON TRAINING!! (I'm a little excited). I start my training plan this week with lower mileage than usual. Here is what my week will look like:

Mon: yoga class
Tues: Run (3 miles) & cross-train
Wed: Pace run (5 miles)
Thursday: Run (4 miles) & strength training
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Long run (10 miles)
Sunday: Easy Run and strength training

Have an awesome week!
Hannah