Using Simple Sides to Make a Main Dish go Further
With grocery prices not getting any cheaper, I had an idea for building meal plans around sides. I realize no one really likes eating the same thing multiple times a week, but even if you could eat it on a leftover day or a day or 2 later, but have a different sides that could help keep things somewhat interesting. Plus a dipping sauce help keep mix things up. Several of the ingredients also overlap so the shopping list is tighter.
Example: Marinated Mediterranean Chicken as the protein base (yogurt, lemon, oregano, garlic marinade). Make it once, use it twice with different sides.
Meal 1 — Chicken + Crispy Parmesan Potatoes + Toum
The potatoes are just mini potatoes, olive oil, and parmesan. The toum is a Lebanese garlic sauce that takes 10 minutes and makes everything taste restaurant-quality.
Meal 2 — Chicken + Pull-Apart Cheesy Garlic Bread
The bread is a round rustic loaf with butter, asiago, parmesan, and garlic. May not fit the Mediterranean vibe, but a cheap, and easy side for the second round of the main chicken recipe.
Recipes:
Marinated Mediterranean Chicken via Food Dolls https://www.fooddolls.com/mediterranean-chicken-3-ways/#wprm-recipe-container-72612
Crispy Potatoes via Simply Recipes https://www.simplyrecipes.com/crispy-caesar-smashed-potatoes-recipe-11918709
Pull-Apart Garlic Bread via Simply Recipes https://www.simplyrecipes.com/easy-cheesy-pull-apart-garlic-bread-recipe-11919295
Toum via The Perfect Tide https://theperfecttide.com/super-creamy-lebanese-garlic-sauce-foolproof-toum-recipe/