Happy New Year!
One of my food goals for the new year is to take my cooking and meal prep to another level. I'm a decent cook, sometimes a really good one, but of late my efforts have been less than perfect.
Too many times we've gathered round the supper table to find the veggies either too soggy or too crisp, the entree from the oven a tad overdone, and the salad that could hardly be called a salad because its only ingredient was lettuce. (To me a real salad has all sorts of veggies, nuts, grains and fruits included.)
Why this slide into what has become second-rate dinner fare? In a word -- multi-tasking!
Too often I've been trying to fit too many things into my afternoons, which means I've had to squeeze what should be considered a non-negotiable into my work day as if supper was a temporary, one time, surprise. Duh!
Meals -- and meal prep -- are not negotiable! We eat every day. So we need to make room and plan time for all the tasks required to get a delicious meal on the table.
Everything from menu-planning, shopping, putting away the food in pantries and freezers, to actually chopping the onions, etc.
For me, meal prep has to become a more important part of my day's plan. Squeezing it in like an unwanted visitor is no longer an option.
I want to be more 'present' to the task of taking care of my family's bodies, in this case, cooking meals that are nutritious, as well as a joy to eat.
It's all part of making our lives in the kitchen happier and more beautiful!
Brenda
This is a great goal, Brenda. I find that I need to pull myself up by the bootstrings every so often when it comes to meal planning. I think your sister hit it bang on when she said, "meals are not negotiable." I might write that out and post it someplace conspicuous.
ReplyDeleteThe Mireille Guiliano book is a great find! I'll definitely keep my eyes open.
Lorrie
Oh I think I would like this book a lot. You always find the best books for the best prices, want to share your secret where you shop........:-) Hugs
ReplyDeleteLike they say, you get out of it what you put into it. Putting the effort into prep work will pay off in tastier, more healthy meals!
ReplyDeleteGood point! I hear my girlfriends say that they hate cooking or that it is has lot its joy and I know why. It is hard to cook when no one says anything nice about it. But, shouldn't we do it just for our selves?? I love Mireille's writing. She has such a nice writing voice, doesn't she?
ReplyDeleteStay warm!
M
What fun that you purchased this book. It looks like it would be a good one. Hope you share some of the new recipes that you share. I enjoy cooking although I have to use shortcuts and not cook the time consuming ways of my grandma and mother. I think there is nothing quite as special as a good homecooked dinner. Wish you the very best in this endeavor!
ReplyDeleteHi. You have some fabulous points! I tend to cook well in spurts, then times of no ideas or desire to cook... which is why my husband should have been more enthusiastic about my pie!!! LOL!
ReplyDelete~ Violet