What's on your menu today (Thursday) RNYers?

Hoping you have a speedy recovery. Have you tried to practice with essential tasks using your not dominant arm?? Try to start now, with pain meds on board you will not be at top functioning. It's easy to get really frustrated

I have practiced making my coffee with just my left hand and getting dressed...all the important things :)

I hate Quest chips, so no problem having them around for me. I threw out a couple a bags because they were sitting in my pantry, taking up room. I need to stock up on easy protein stuff too. Jerky, Light and Fit, and I am thinking about getting some Premier Protein clear to see if I can stomach it. I have a ton of chicken in the freezer, so will cook some off when I get back from Seattle. Easy meals = better choices for me.

I know what you mean about summer clothes fitting from last year. Something that has never happened for me in the past. It is crazy/wonderful!

I hated the original Quest chips..they reformulated them and they are bareable not great... I just know me and I always lose weight after surgery because of the whole- I don't feel like eating or cooking myself anything and with lack of hand usage I am concerned, I don't have the extra padding I used to. Chinese delivery is always an option :)

I need to get out of my normal food thinking....and stock up on some stuff...

I went to Costco today and bought jerky, cups of chicken salad, Quest bars, and protein water. I also got some steaks to cook, slice and freeze. I will do the same with chicken. I should be protein ready.

I went to Costco today too...I forgot about their chicken salad cups...that is a good one. Never had protein water, good? Brand?

The only jerky I can seem to tolerate- because it is not too tough is Krave and Perky Turkey.... and of course bacon Jerky from TJs but that doesn't have a lot pf protein...

They have Quest bars at your Costco? Not mine!

Wow, this surgery is going to be tough, but hopefully you'll be feeling so much better! I didn't realize it's your dominant hand/arm/shoulder that's getting the surgery... having to learn how to do things with your other hand is probably pretty tough! Smart thinking to start practicing now.

A meaty baked ricotta, chili, pulled pork, taco meat, chicken crack, steak meat if you cut it up into bite size pieces before you reheat (helps to keep it from overcooking in the microwave) ... all these things freeze great, and reheat really easy, and are easy to make big amounts of. I'm the freezer queen!

I have found that I can, and have a propensity to, 'abuse' even 'healthy' snacks... I do best buying them in individual packages (and only 1 package at a time, not a case of them). I have no restraint at times! It's so frustrating, so I understand what you're talking about! Damn brain!

Can you ship me some freezer queen? I bow to your talents...

Actually mentioning the pulled pork reminds me of my pulled pork carnitas I love- that freezes well..

I know the meaty ricotta bake is an Eggface recipe, but please tell me your tried and true way of making it...and how you wrap the individual portions for storage... like I said my freezer is full of raw meat and veggies and stuff, but rarely freeze cooked food. I want to pre-portion too because that will make it easier to just heat and eat....

I need a collection of freezer surprises like you and Elizabeth...

So the way I do the meaty bake is I cook up a pound of beef, seasoned Italian style, and a pound of Italian sausage, and I cut that up into small pieces (I vary between sweet and spicy)... then I make a double version of the ricotta bake and I buy the lowest sugar spaghetti sauce I can find (because I don't have time to make real sauce)...

I layer it kind of like a lasagna, and really, it is a lasagna, just with no noodles (I've considered using zucchini as a noodle, but the general consensus at my house is "Don't Fix it. It's not broken"... they ALL love this stuff LOL).

I always throw extra cheese on top.

I store most ALL of my freezer surprises in these little 4 ounce Glad Containers. I toss them in the freezer and then I just bring a bunch to work at a time... they will defrost at 1min 50% power, then I stir, and usually another 25 seconds at high to heat them up. And I actually measure by weight, so that container isn't stock full when I am done. I do 4 ounces of this particular thing because the cheese isn't as filling as 100% meat. My freezer lunches sometimes make it up to a month in the freezer and those little containers do well.

Now keep in mind, those stats are for a family of 4, PLUS enough for me to make 6-8 freezer lunches out of it... so probably no need to double the recipe, and you'd probably want to only use .5lb of ground beef and maybe 2 links of sausage.