I have a weird schedule. I’m in and out all day, depending on my client’s schedule. One day I could have 6 or 7 clients, so I’m out the door at 6:30am and don’t get home until 9pm. Other days I have 2 clients and have buckets of time on my hands. That’s just the nature of the job. It makes eating well a bit of a challenge, especially since I want to be able to cook myself meals.
So, I make food ahead, whenever I can. For instance, yesterday I had a 7:30 am client and then was free until 4 pm. I wasn’t done until 7 pm. So, I did a little time management and cooked this:

Ingredients
- Olive Oil Spray
- 1 heaping tbsp minced garlic
- 3 medium onions, chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 pint Crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- a few shakes of onion powder (NO salt!)
- a few shakes of garlic powder (Hey, I like garlic!)
- Lots of chili powder
- Lots of cumin
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet, spray olive oil and heat over medium heat.
- Put garlic in and stir for about 30 seconds.
- Add onions and red pepper. Stir and cover.
- Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add mushrooms. Cook another 10 minutes or until mushrooms have cooked down and there’s a bit of liquid on the bottom.
- Add cilantro and all spices.
- Lower heat to small flame and continue to cook, covered for another 10 minutes.
- The veggies should all look very soft.
- Let cook and put in separate freezer bags, a few tablespoons in each.
- Use this to flavor ground turkey or beef for hamburgers or meatloaf or use as a sauce over grilled chicken.
If you’ve read my cookbook, you’ve seen the “some and lots” column on my measurements page. I often go by the look of the spice on the food. Use your best judgment. Anyway…
I used it mixed with ground turkey last night and made burgers. Since I had already made the vegetables in the afternoon, it took almost no time to mix a few tablespoons into 2 1/2 pounds of meat, shape them into burgers and stick ’em in the broiler. Even with making fresh green beans in the microwave, I was eating by 7:45.
Try the combo with basil and Italian spices for another staple. Many people hate mushrooms, so just cook the onions and red pepper…or even just onions! Play with your food and you’ll be surprised what cool combinations you come up with!
Talk to you later,
Rona
Sounds delicious .. Laila .. http://lailablogs.com/