I swear, I have the best intentions. I wanted to eat at home more often at the beginning of the year, and I did really well for a while. Then we slowly got back into the habit of eating out, and before you know it, we are eating out almost every day of the week!
There is good news, though. Scott has started cooking some really healthy, organic, mostly tasty meals at home. We had some chicken off the grill one night, and some experimental bacon soup that was really mostly veggies. When we went camping, we had steak and fruit and salads. It was nice.
I like eating at home with my family. I like gathering around the table and sharing a meal. I love spending time with my kids and fiance, talking about our day. I do not like cooking, not one little bit. And I don't like cleaning up.
I envy those folks who love to cook, who view it as therapy. But I'll be honest here, after I have been working all day, the absolute last thing I want to do is cook. It's more work. And the kids complain because it's not McDonald's or Taco Bell, then I have to clean it all up. Ugh.
So how on earth do I make cooking and cleaning at least tolerable, if not pleasurable? Anybody out there have any idea what so ever?
I totally just wrote a super long answer here only for it not to post. Blah here I'll try again.
ReplyDeleteFear not! I feel your pain, I too have at times struggled with the convenience of eating out over cooking a good meal. My excuse was always it is so hard just to cook for 1 person it was a waste to cook at home.
Luckily, despite the times that I have descended into the bad habits I had a good example to learn from in my parents. Growing up my parents always required that we help with dinner. That meant everything from setting the table, making a salad, helping with cooking prep, to taking a turn at doing the dishes after eating. As we got older it sometimes also became the actual act of cooking itself.
Basically what I am suggesting is getting the kids involved. You may not find it enjoyable, but your kids may end up loving it.
I've only recently discovered that I like baking, before this year I had two or three standby ways of cooking.
Way 1: The stir-fry - this involves a big fry pan or wok (if you got one) and a lid for said pan. I throw some oil, chopped garlic (which I buy pre-chopped in the large jar)and which ever meat I'm using as my protein. I let the meat brown and pick out how I'm gonna spice it, I've used cans of soup, mustard, OJ, vinegar, wine, even salad dressings. Some times I'll just use what is in my spice cabinet and then just add some water as a liquid; if you want a thicker sauce mix some corn starch into whatever liquid or a little H2O and add. Once the meat is starting to cook add any veggies you like or have. I'm a big fan of using frozen veggies for this dish simply because you just open the bag and dump them in, cover the pot (stir occasionally) and let the whole dish get hot. Viola! While you were working on this dish you throw some rice or pasta in to cook and now you have a complete meal.
Way 2: Grill. It sounds like you've got a handle on how to do this already. I use a small Foreman Grill. This one helps to know what you are going to make for the evening in the morning. Just so you can throw the meat in a marinade (which uses the same seasoning/spicing ideas from the Stir-fry.)
Way 3: For some reason I knew how to make Quiche. (It is actually not too hard, but looks like you did a lot of work)
Way 4: Breakfast for dinner. Eggs are easy and pancakes can come from a box (though from scratch is also extremely easy if you already have the ingredients)
There is also using short cuts. They are typically not as healthy as making from scratch, but sometimes it is just easier to have a complete meal that just has to be thrown into a pan and heated. Plus it is healthier then fast food, and gets you into the habit of eating at home.
There are 2 tools depending on how you cook to chose from that can be helpful for making cooking less of a chore. If you are good a planning ahead and knowing what you want for dinner ahead of time, you may want to look into getting a Crockpot. In the morning before heading out for the day throw everything in and set it cooking. Dinner will be ready when you get home in the evening. If you are like me and don't decided until you start getting hungry in the evening you may want to invest in a pressure cooker. Everything from pot roasts to hearty stews can be cooked in it in less then 30 minutes.
Finally there is the option to use some of your weekend time to make Several dinners ahead of time and freeze them to that they just have to be heating during the week (lasagna is a good one for this).
Also Leftover Night is a great Family tradition to start up.