"I forgot to plan dinner, might as well order a pizza..."

I know I'm not the only person who's forgotten to plan dinner & automatically said "Oh well, we'll have pizza tonight". You either forget to run by the grocery store, you forget to thaw the mean, or you simply feel like you're too tired to cook a big meal.

Well I've got news for you... those excuses are lame! Tonight was a night when I forgot to thaw anything to cook. I didn't even think about it until I was getting a rumbling in my tummy... I wandered through the kitchen & couldn't find anything in the fridge that would be quick and easy to warm up. I looked in the freezer & I saw this:

Yes, I had quite a supply of Smart Ones, but I prefer to save those for a quick lunch. When Eddie comes over after work, I like to have a hot meal for him... you know, show him I'm gonna be a good little wife;) If I have something prepared, he's also less likely to suggest getting fast food or ordering in. So.... on top of those smart ones were some frozen chicken breasts (you know, the ones I'd forgotten to lay out this morning!). I like to snag them up when they're on sale. Usually buying in bulk is best... $1.49/pound for boneless/skinless chicken breasts? I'll take 5 pounds, please! I just wrap them up in some foil in 2-breast packs, and I'm good to go! Anyway....

Well shoot, I don't want to wait to the rock hard chicken to thaw, what am I gonna have? Then I remembered that I had received some Ziplock Zip n Steam bags free from some online promotion (seriously, look into giveaways & free samples... you get some great stuff & they usually also include a high-dollar coupon for future purchases of those items!). So I looked on the bags, and sure enough, I can cook frozen chicken breasts in them, in only 7 minutes!

On the front of the Zip n Steam bags is a handy little cooking guide for meats & veggies! These things are such a time-saver! You just put your meat or veggies in the bag, including any seasoning/spices, zip it up, and cook! I really love Cavendar's Greek Seasoning. So, I sprinkled that all over my chicken breasts!

Zip it up & cook!

(Just a sidenote, the guide on the front said that 2 frozen chicken breasts would cook in 7 minutes... if I had been cooking 2 4oz servings, they would have been done in that amount of time... Mine actually took a little longer b/c they were more like 8 oz breasts. I cut them in half & cooked them separately for a few more minutes.

While the chicken is cooking, I made this:

I had picked it up awhile back when it was on sale, and it only takes 5 or 6 minutes to make.

While that was cooking, I also prepared a Zip n Steam bag with some veggies:

Again, you add your seasonings before steaming. I like the greek seasoning on my broccoli/onions too, along with my favorite seasoning of all:

Once the chicken was done, I tossed my veggie bag in the microwave for 3 minutes.

In less than 15 minutes time, I went from having no plan for dinner to having a home-cooked, healthy meal:

I like to eat off the smaller salad plates, because then you get a nice full plate. I'm also more likely to eat appropriate portions on a small plate than a bit one.

Another excuse I'll be addressing is when people say they "can't afford" to eat healthy... well I have news for you... I made FOUR portions out of this meal, and this was the cost breakdown:

2 chicken breasts (halved): $2.10

1 bag broccoli: $1

2 small yellow onions: $.20 (bought a bag of about 10 for $1)

Stove Top: $1

Total: $4.30

That comes to about $1 per serving for a 15 minute meal. And way healthier than the McDonald's dollar menu.