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When I was invited to write an article for CarbSmart Magazine about meal planning, my first reaction was, “Boy, did you get the wrong person!” The dictionary should show a picture of me next to the word disorganized. My family used to tease me that I could never share my recipes because I never made anything the same way twice. What I made for dinner usually depended on what I had on hand. My spaghetti sauce, for example, might be made with canned tomatoes, tomato paste, or tomato sauce if that was what I had. If I had fresh tomatoes or even red peppers, I used those. It usually seemed to work out for this low-carb cook.
Maybe you are one of those people who folds your fitted sheets, alphabetizes your spices, and plans a week’s worth of menus WITH a shopping list that you actually remember to take to the store. If so, congratulations. I admire you and I envy you. But I’ve given up hope of ever being like you. Oh, I can do it if I have to, but not three times a day, every day.
After mulling it over for a while, I decided that perhaps I did have some useful tips about meal planning to contribute. As long as I keep a supply of basic ingredients and have a few stock recipes to use as a starting point, I can usually turn out a good meal without much forethought. Here are a few of the things I’ve learned over the years that help me cope with being a scatterbrain, while still putting some pretty darn good food on the table day in and day out. In no particular order:
Spaghetti Sauce
Spaghetti sauce in a jar is the ultimate convenience food. Brown a pound of grass-fed ground beef, stir in the sauce, and serve over low carb pasta, strands of cooked spaghetti squash, Nasoya Pasta Zero, or sautéed eggplant – top with Parmesan and you have heaven on a plate. Always check the label for a low carb count. Usually the Italian imports are the best choices because they don’t have added sugar.
Small Veggies
Olives, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, and pickled asparagus can add variety and interest to a meal when you are short of side dishes, and they are good to dress up a plain green salad.
Nasoya’s Pasta Zero Plus
Nasoya’s Pasta Zero Plus noodles taste a lot like egg noodles. They have one net carb per serving and last a long time in the refrigerator. To use, drain in a sieve and rinse well under cold water. Use kitchen shears to cut them into manageable lengths. Place them in a dry skillet, and stir over medium heat until dry. (Pasta Zero noodles are very long – long noodles are considered lucky in Japan. During World War II, farm workers were given rations of a cup of broth with three noodles per day – that may be the origin of the superstition – longer was better!)
Dried Mushrooms
Dried mushrooms are more convenient than fresh and much cheaper, especially considering how perishable fresh ones are. Stores like Trader Joe’s carry wild, dried mushrooms that are as indulgent as the pricy, fresh ones that are only available in season. Their dried counterparts last practically forever and you can use only as much as you need. They weigh almost nothing, so the per-pound price seems high until you compare the reconstituted weight of dried versus fresh.
Rutabagas and Turnips
Rutabagas and turnips are sweet and tender when they’re young, but become bitter and woody with age. You can roast, mash, purée, and sauté them like potatoes and they are available year round. They will keep, wrapped, in the refrigerator for two weeks. If you find them with the tops attached, the greens can be sautéed, steamed, or stir-fried and served as a vegetable.
Butterhead Lettuce
Living butterhead lettuce with the roots intact comes in a clear clamshell package. Keep the roots watered and you have fresh lettuce in the fridge rather than browning in the crisper. It stays fresh until you use it up.
Herbs
Keep parsley, thyme, basil, sage, and chive plants in pots or in the garden to harvest as needed. Grow as many as your gardening talent, space, and climate will allow. See Dorot, below for more options.
Applegate Farms
Applegate Farms sells organic hot dogs that are made from grass-fed beef with no fillers. They are GMO-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, and supposedly nitrite-free (but not really, as they use celery seed as a source for nitrites – read more about nitrites at my web site – They can be served on low carb bread or tortillas with the usual condiments or on a plate with sauerkraut.
Sauerkraut
Fresh sauerkraut can be found in the refrigerated case at the grocery store. Bubbie’s is my favorite brand because it comes packed in glass and is naturally fermented. It lists only cabbage and salt as ingredients. Sauerkraut juice is a folk remedy for many ills, but most modern brands are made with vinegar and don’t have any probiotic benefits. Bubbie’s also sells naturally fermented dill pickles and relish.
Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, and Nut Oils
Natural fats are essential for good nutrition. Coconut oil can be used for cooking up to 350º F. It does not need to be refrigerated. Natural lard is excellent for baked goods and can also be used for frying up to 350º F. No-trans-fat shortening, made from palm oil, is another fat that can be used for baking and frying. Light olive oil, avocado oil, and nut oils can be heated to higher temperatures without breaking down. Ghee, clarified butter, and tallow are stable fats that can be stored at room temperature and used for high-heat cooking. (You can order grass-fed beef tallow and premium lard in one-pound jars from Fatworks.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Keep extra-virgin olive oil in a dark bottle in the refrigerator to preserve its healthful qualities, which are lost with time, heat, and exposure to light and air. Don’t buy big bottles that take a long time to use up, and don’t use the good stuff for cooking. Premium extra-virgin olive oil solidifies when cold, so I pour some into a small bottle that will liquefy quickly after sitting out for a few minutes. Run tepid water over the closed bottle if necessary. Light olive oil is more refined and does not need to be kept cold.
Bacon and Other Meats
Pre-cooked, thick-sliced bacon can be stored in the freezer. It is packaged in separate layers so you can take out as many slices as you need, crisp them in a skillet or in the microwave, and keep the rest frozen. (I had to laugh recently when I saw an article that listed the different kinds of vegetarian lifestyles. There were lacto-ovo-vegetarians who eat plants, dairy foods, and eggs; pesce-vegetarians who eat plants and fish; vegans who eat only plants; and American vegans who eat only plants plus bacon. I totally understand!)
Chicken thighs, wings, tenders, and pre-cooked chicken, organic and free-range when possible, can be conveniently stored in the freezer. The bulk bags are usually ice glazed or individually packaged so you can remove the amount you need and thaw it quickly.
Quick thaw method: If you have a stone countertop, you have an ideal thawing surface for steaks, cutlets, and fillets. Unwrap the frozen item and lay it directly on the stone (clean, of course). Turn it over occasionally until thawed. My kitchen stove has an iron griddle on top, which also makes a great platform for thawing frozen foods. Turn on the hood light and it is even faster. Be sure to check it regularly. It should still feel cold when it is thawed. (Don’t try this for large or thick meats, like whole poultry or roasts. They may spoil before they thaw all the way through.)
Have the butcher package grass-fed ground beef for you in ½ or even ¼ pound portions and put them in the freezer; they will thaw quickly. I also like to buy boxes of grass-fed hamburger patties that are separated with paper so they can be removed one at a time. They thaw in a flash or can be cooked while frozen.
Wild Salmon Fillets and Other Seafood
Frozen wild salmon fillets by the bag are a bargain compared to the prices at the fish counter. Salmon patties with no added ingredients are great for lunches.
Frozen shrimp, mussels, calamari, scallops, and various combinations are available from the big-box stores. To thaw quickly, put the unopened package under running water. Frozen clams in their juices make lickity-split, tasty chowder.
A bag of mixed seafood plus a jar of cioppino base makes a gourmet dinner. Add a fish fillet or whatever bits of seafood you have on hand and some fresh or frozen herbs if you like. Serve with a lemon wedge and a green salad. One market near me sells their house-made cioppino base frozen in two-pound bags. That makes four hearty batches for the two of us, but the nice folks at the fish counter are happy to cut it into four portions; they just saw it right through the bag and re-wrap it into four packages, put them in a larger bag, and slap the original label on it. You could also use spaghetti sauce or buy tomato soup from the self-serve bar to use as a cioppino base.
Garlic and Herbs
Dorot Garlic and Herbs produces frozen, chopped basil, cilantro, dill, parsley, and crushed garlic, chilies, and ginger in trays of 20 cubes each. Each cube is equivalent to one teaspoon of the fresh item. They can be added directly to recipes, with the exception of garlic, which, in my opinion, is better if it is thawed and sautéed briefly first, but it is still a huge convenience. It can be used like fresh garlic, but without the peeling, measuring, or chopping. It doesn’t make your hands smelly and, unlike fresh, it keeps without sprouting or turning bitter. Dorot is widely available in the U.S.
Onions & Peppers
Having chopped onions and chopped or sliced red and green peppers in the freezer is doubly convenient. Not only do they save your having to prepare them, but they don’t have to be sautéed before using in recipes. Freezing softens them so you can skip that step and just toss them in.
Bone Broth and Bouillon Cubes
Home-made bone broth and bouillon cubes made from the bones, cartilage, and skin of ruminant animals or poultry is best. I have a bone broth recipe on my blog or Dana Carpender’s Liquid Gold bone broth recipe. The Weston A. Price Foundation website also has instructions for making traditional bone broth, but if you have to purchase it, look for one with zero carbs and no MSG. Many brands are just colored, flavored water. Commercial bouillon cubes and granules are the worst, with salt as the first ingredient and weasel words for MSG listed several times. A little bit of animal by-product may be listed near the end. My local Costco sells zero-carb chicken stock in quart cartons – add gelatin or collagen from grass-fed beef, such as Great Lakes brand to make it more like real stock.
Here are a few forgiving recipes to start your collection:
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