(mostly for personal reasons), but once again The Sticky Menu Plan has saved us from the scourge of the fast food lanes. I always try to mix up my weekly menu plan with one or two complex meals, a couple that are less time consuming, and a back up meal or two that take no time at all, often planned leftovers. Using my Sticky Menu system these meals can be interchanged pretty much at will, and that’s happened a whole lot lately. Having my own fast food in the freezer didn’t hurt, either.

Amidst all the craziness I did manage to do a little cooking. You remember that ham I baked? Some of it went into a Broccoli, Ham, and Rice Casserole. That recipe yields a good bit, so half of it went into the freezer. While I was at it I cooked up and extra batch of rice.

Following my commitment to never waste a smidgen of that ham, the bone was stewed with some saved up vegetable trimmings to make broth. Some of the broth and the last smidgens of ham were turned into a lovely pot of Slow Cooker Creamy Lentil Soup. Full of fiber and flavor, my lentil soup is definitely on our short list of cold weather comfort foods. As a bonus, it costs very little to make, as most of the extra ingredients came out of the pantry.

Probably the quickest and healthiest meal we ate this month was a big batch of Shrimp Fried Rice, using the extra rice I cooked up earlier in the week. You won’t find a recipe for the shrimp on this blog because I used the Pork Fried Rice as a road map, subbing in the shrimp and adding some extra veggies. Please feel free to do the same yourself, using any protein you like along with any bits of vegetables that might be hanging out in your produce drawer.

Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Bake was my latest “Try Me Tuesday” entree. As originally written, this casserole seemed a little dry. I added a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles (Ro-Tel). I also threw in some extra peppers that I had frozen from last summer’s garden. We were out of the fresh spinach that the recipe called for, and the roads were too icy to drive to the store. In went a can of black beans instead. Our dinner that night barely resembled the original recipe, but it sure was good. That just goes to prove the point that, with the exception of baked goods, recipes are only a guide line. Doctor them up to suit your own taste.

Take care to avoid this season’s flu, and,
Be thankful for what life gives you.