I Lied.

I lied. I implied in an earlier post that I threw away ALL canned/bottled/prepackaged food in my house.

I didn't.

Well, not ALL of it, anyway.

I do make my own spaghetti sauce and enchilada sauce. (Recipes to come as soon as I make them again and pay attention to how much of what stuff I put in there.) I have definitely eliminated boxed potatoes, canned soup, box dessert mixes, Hamburger Helper/Rice-a-Roni things, frozen pizzas, individually wrapped American cheese slices, cinnamon rolls in a tube ... you get the idea.

But there are a few things I keep on hand.

Cereal: Instead of Fruity Pebbles (our favorite), now it's Raisin Bran and Honey Bunches of Oats. Not significantly different if you read the labels, but the intent is there. And I literally measure out a cup of it when I want some, so I know how much I'm ingesting.

Salad Dressing: I know Rachel Ray says it's easy to make your own, but I have never done it successfully. So I buy the light version, selecting those with as little sugar and salt and chemical-sounding ingredients as possible.

Honey Mustard: For dipping those big, hard pretzels. Satisfies the crunch craving.

Packets of Taco/Fajita/Ranch Dressing Seasoning: The salt is too high, but again, I haven't figured out how to make it myself.

Stir Fry Sauce: Bottle or dry seasoning packet. Again, watch salt and sugar and chemicals. Someday I will figure this one out.

And, with that being said, here's what was for supper tonight:


Stir Fry
Pull some of that Rotisserie chicken out of the freezer and thaw in microwave. The idea is to have WAY more veg than chicken.

In a small pan, boil some water and get a little whole wheat spaghetti going. Again, the idea is to have mostly veg. But even just a little pasta makes it seem like a more filling meal.

In canola oil, on med-high heat, stir fry your favorite veg, putting the ones that take the longest to cook in the pan first. Cut all into similar sized/shaped pieces so they cook at the same speed. This was in my fridge tonight:

Red onion
Sliced mushrooms
Carrots
Water chestnuts
Zuchinni
Yellow squash
Kale (Yes, KALE! It was the first time I've ever tried it. More on that later.)

When the veg mixture is halfway done, toss in the chicken and spaghetti. Sprinkle with lemon pepper to taste. Add a glub or two of Stir Fry Sauce. Don't drown it. Use a little at first and then use the pasta water to "stretch" it. You can always add more, but can't take it out.