I haven't always cooked. I had many reasons for not cooking: There were only two of us, and my husband was never home for dinner anyway. I didn't know how to make anything. I was very busy. My feet hurt. Produce goes bad too fast. Pinterest wasn't invented yet. It took too long. I was afraid I'd mess it up. You see? Many reasons!
After my second child was born (she's now 2 1/2 ), I decided I was going to start cooking. I spent hours and hours wearing her in my Moby wrap reading recipes, dicing vegetables, measuring spices, and cleaning up enormous messes.
(Baby wearing while cooking or using a knife is not advised--by anyone-- anywhere--ever.)
This week I feel like I'm approaching mastery of family cooking!
The menu (planned in advance!)
Mexican Lasagna
enchiladas
honey garlic chicken (crock pot)
chili
cheese burger casserole
On Sunday I made all the filling for the Mexican Lasagna, enchiladas and the meat base for the chili. While I was doing that, I also steamed rice to go with the chicken. Another onion is already chopped and in the freezer for the cheese burger casserole. I froze the chili base because I won't need that until the end of the week. I also froze the rice for the same reason. I put the other fillings in the refrigerator.
This evening I rolled up the enchiladas, poured on some sauce and put them in the oven, it only took about 10 minutes. Clean up took about 4 minutes, and now I'm sitting on the couch holding a baby and writing on my blog.
It's lovely.
The unexpected surprise is that I actually have more than I need, so I can freeze some extra enchiladas for another meal, and I can have a leftovers day and save one meal for next week.
What meals do you make that are easy to prep in advance, healthy, and delicious?
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I find cooking so much more enjoyable when I menu plan and don't have to figure out what to cook. Pinterest is definitely a huge help with that. Keep up the yummy cooking!
ReplyDeleteI find cooking so much more enjoyable when I menu plan and don't have to figure out what to cook. Pinterest is definitely a huge help with that. Keep up the yummy cooking!
ReplyDeleteThis has always been on my to-do list (meal planning), however, I can't seem to carve out enough time to do it. I have even thought about trying to cook most of it over the weekend, but even that is difficult for us. How much prep time did it take you on Sunday?
ReplyDeleteDeb,
ReplyDeleteYou are my hero. I wish I was better at prepping multiple meals for the week at one time. I guess it's the planning part I just can't wrap my head around.
This was a fun piece to read. Your detailed list of reasons why you didn't used to cook made me laugh. Oh, the gift of Pinterest.
Thanks for sharing,
Cathy
Truly impressive! Beyond efficient - a role model! I have always needed help in this department - cooking is not my favorite activity, but a chore. You have helped me change my outlook! Know your family is loving the meals.
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome! I prep a week of salads every sunday for my lunches but it's just me, so I usually make one meal a week and have leftovers. Here's one of my new faves:
ReplyDeleteOne Pot Chicken Alfredo: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/19408_one_pot_chicken_alfredo/