DIY Friday: It's Grillin' Time

For almost 10 years now, Matt and I have "batch cooked" our food in order to save time and money during the week.  We go through different phases, enjoying soups, stews, braises, and one-pot meals.  But we never get tired of grilling!  We love to spend a little time outdoors when the weather gets nice and cook up our food for the week.  Here's what our plan typically looks like:

Chicken - Usually we cook chicken breast that we marinate for 1-2 hours.  During the week we slice chicken on salads, make chicken wraps with low-carb tortillas, or just eat the chicken straight with a steamed veggies.

Fish - We love salmon on the grill or any kind of firm white fish.  The easiest method is to rub the fish with a little olive oil, season with your favorite seasoning mix (I like Galena from Penzey's), wrap in a foil pouch and throw it on the least hot part of the grill.  Matt always suggest grilling low & slow.  Makes a delicious meal - just add a salad or veggie.

Lean Beef - We eat red meat two or three times a month.  Typically the portions are small - about 4 ounces.  Matt's favorite cooking method is to use a rub (again we use a Penzey's product - Chicago seasoning) and cook slowly to medium rare.  If you overcook beef (or chicken for that matter) it will taste dry when you reheat it.  Choose a good cut of meat that has been grass fed with no hormones.

Veggies - Our favorites to cook on the grill are squash (sliced longs ways), asparagus, and okra.  For the squash and asparagus, we toss them in a couple of teaspoons of olive oil, then add a little lite salt and pepper.  We will toss the okra in a little olive oil and season it with salt free cajun seasoning, then skewer it.

Skewers - If we're cooking for a party, we'll make up protein and veggie skewers.  You can use steak cubes, chicken chunks, shrimp, mushrooms, squash chunks, peppers, and onions.  Use your imagination.  Guests love these meals on a stick!

Eating healthy can be fun and efficient, too.  Take some time this weekend and put a new spin on grilling.

Here's to the efficient and the delicious!

Question of the day:  Do you batch cook your food, and what are your favorite methods for doing this?