1. I am going to cook at least 2 (but shooting for 3) dinners a week. I know to many people it sounds insane that that low number would be my goal, but we have gotten into a terrible habit of eating out all the time. I have tried to dissect what my issue(s) with cooking are and have decided it is 85% a lack of planning. The thought of dinner does not come on my radar screen until 5:30 or so--and due to the unpredictable nature of his career, I often do not know if my husband will be joining us or not until 6ish. By then, children are crabby, I am tired and it is easier to throw up my hands and head for a restaurant.
The other 15% is the dreaded clean-up after cooking. I know it is incredibly shallow. It is just true. I like a clean kitchen, but am tired at the end of the day. Going out makes it someone else's problem.
So, I am working on it. My friend Georgia Mom has been telling me about her success with e-mealz so I am going to try that. I also enjoy crockpot cooking this time of year and have learned there are several sites devoted to crockpot recipes. I cooked Saturday night and again tonight with success. This has helped motivate me to keep it up.
2. I am going to suck it up and block off a half day to go to an Apple store and get a tutorial so I will actually start using the Mac my hubby bought me 8 months ago. I am still clinging to my battered old (PC) laptop like it is a security blanket. I get the 'blue screen of death' weekly and know that it is a ticking time bomb.
Not to mention the fact that there are a few keys I can no longer read (a, n, down arrow) and my wireless card is being help together by duct tape. 
I also decided yesterday that, overall, I really am enjoying getting older. I wish it did not involve random dark hair on my chin or the plethora of laugh lines taking up residence on my face, but the life experience and the way God is pulling things He has taught me so far together in my heart and mind to make sense of this world--that peace that comes with feeling like roots are being firmly established--I like that part of growing older.So here's to more spiritual maturity and less physical aging, solid relationships with God and others who point us in His direction and another year of striving to love well!
20 comments:
I just wanted to pass on this menu planning website to you. It has really helped me get back on track with dinner as well as finding new meals my super-picky eaters love.
Menus 4 Moms
This may be one of the crock pot websites you've seen already, but I've found this one to be really fun!
www.crockpot365.blogspot.com
Happy Birthday!! My birthday is Saturday, so I may have to steal your resolution idea!! I love a new beginning!!!!
Happy Birthday!
I highly recommend using the crock pot. I try to go through my favorite cookbooks or recipe sites and plan my grocery shopping and menus for the week that way. This does not happen every week-and my girls are now 12 and 10, so they help with the cooking and clean up too. But I know you know there are a few things that 4 year olds can help with. I remember when my girls were younger, if I had them do something as simple as tear the lettuce for the salad, they would eat a better dinner because they had been a part of it!
Love your blog and your transparency and wisdom. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself with us.
happy b'day!
what is it w/those blue screens!?! i know mine is crashing too.
just a little encouragement on the cooking front...we too had gotten in the habit of eating out way too often. we reined it back in mainly for financial reasons, and have been so blessed by it. i've found that our little family of four really enjoys one another's company much more around our dinner table at home. we all eat healthier and often find ourselves opening the children's bible and spending time reading a story or two in there.
i plan a week in advance and make one big shopping run on sunday night and one more small one midweek to pick up more fresh produce. it works great.
my hubby's schedule is more predictable though, so i'm not in your boat.
blessings to you!
I know exactly what you mean about the cooking thing. I do cook most nights, but I generally don't even think about what we're having until I'm on my way home from work. When I'm doing well and more organized, I try and get stuff started for supper the night before. Like, last night I browned the meat for tacos and put the mix into the meat so all we had to do was heat up the meat and cut tomatoes tonight (leftover salad for the lettuce :D). Now that my kids are in bed, I'm going to fix up a casserole for Jeff to put in the oven when he gets home from work tomorrow.
I don't always manage to think ahead like this, but life is SO much more relaxed when I do! Then my evening isn't completely dedicated to fixing and cleaning up supper.
As for the getting older, welcome to 35. :D As my dad always said, it beats the alternative!
You've had a Mac for 8 months AND HAVEN'T USED IT?? Oh, girl, once you get going on that thing, there will be NO turning back! There is NO comparison and you'll find, with your photos and all, you really, dearly LOVE it once you get going on it.
8 months. I'm flabbergasted. Gobsmacked. Get Mozilla Firefox for your browser (better than Safari). You'll love iPhotos. Oh my, you're in for a treat...
America's Test Kitchen has a fabulous cook book specifically for cooking ahead of time, and lots of awesome recipes for crock pots too, to avoid the really dry, yet soggy meat.
Also Macs are AWESOME. You will LOVE it, so much better (more intuitive, once you get used to it) than PCs.
Good luck and Happy Birthday!
First, I love your blog. I'm not sure if I have commented before but though my children are older, I nevertheless love your insights and find you to be incredibly wise!
Now about the Mac....I switched to a Mac about four months ago If you are reasonably close to an Apple store can I suggest their One to One Personal Training? For about $100. (total - not per week) you get a one hour session once per week with an "Apple Genius." It really helps to acquaint you with all things Mac.
Best of luck and a bleated Happy Birthday!
Ah, that was a belated Happy Birthday! Guess I'm typing a little too early for me this morning!
You sound just like me. I have found that if I plan menus I do better about cooking. I plan two weeks at a time and shop for those ingredients. Then I write down the menu on my calendar on the fridge. Then there is no planning, I know what to take out in the morning. Betty Crocker.com has lots of easy recipes and recipes with only a few ingredients. It has worked for us--just wanted to pass it along!
Our schedule is hectic with two teenagers going every which way most evenings.
Every two weeks (when I do grocery shopping) I usually buy a big pack of chicken breasts and boil them. Then I divide them for separate meals and make a casserole, chicken tacos, and chicken salad - or whatever sounds good. I do the same with a large beef roast and make barbecue and beef enchiladas.
It helps to keep certain staples on hand - spaghetti sauce and pasta, grated cheeses, frozen chicken breasts are things I have on hand all the time. Also, there's nothing wrong with eggs or pancakes for supper sometimes.
The website I go to a lot is Cooks.com. Not only does it have recipes available but you can enter a dish you want to prepare and it shows recipes for that.
Once you go Mac, you'll never (want to) go back!
I'm w/ you on the crockpot - I don't use it enough, but when I do I'm always so excited w/ the results!
My girls' all time recipe is chicken parmesan. Your bread thin chicken breasts dipped in egg with italian bread crumbs and brown in electric skillet. Place in corning ware dish and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. In same skillet put 30 ounce can Hunt's tomato sauce and add tsp. basil, tbl. garlic salt and cook 15 min. Pour over chicken, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake covered 30 min. Then sprinkle mozz. cheese over chicken and bake 10-15 min. Serve with vermicilli pasta. It's easy to make ahead of time and great left over. They would eat it every night if they could. Happy belated birthday!
I was exactly the same way!
I heard about something called Dinner Afare. I started doing that. For 3 months in a row now :) I have cooked at least 12 meals a month. Plus it's fun to go there for 2 hours with no children to bother you while you prep your food. They have an online site were you can read about it & see where there is one near you.
Good Luck!
Okay, here's a "works for me" bit of info that may or may not be useful. Once a month I take a printable calendar and fill in a meal for every night of the week. Each day has a "theme" (Monday is meatless, Tuesday because we have sports practices it is a crock pot day so dinner is ready for us when we get home, Wed poultry and so on). I pull out all my cookbooks, favorite cooking websites, even current issues of magazines and fill in something for every day on the calendar along with a note of where to find the recipe. Next, I make a master grocery list for 2 weeks at a time (not enough room to store more than that without food spoilage). And now, because I am so familiar with the store where I usually shop, I can go one step further and make the list in the order in which I will find things in the store - making shopping much more efficient too. While this process is a bit time consuming - it is only once a month and then I do not have to worry about what's for dinner again. Life is so much simpler when I can check the calendar (posted on refrigerator) before going to bed, pull out anything that must be thawed and know that I have everything I need to make a healthy dinner each night. It may seem a bit obsessive or over the top but, like you, if I do not have a plan - it is not going to happen. I've been doing this for almost 6 months now and the beauty of it is that I can now repeat menus from previous months so the planning time is getting shorter. Another easy option is www.savingdinner.com (or the book "Saving Dinner") - meals and shopping lists for weeks or a month at a time are already made for you! Best wishes on your resolutions - Danielle
Do not feel badly about loving your PC!! :) You may be true blue, like us!
Crockpot365.blogspot.com
And hey, I'm with you with the eating out habit...though I get very tired of it!!!
AMEN! And, I am with ya on every single one of these points. Cooking is just hard these days.
Hope y'all have a great afternoon!
Hugs,
Fran
Hi! I read your blog but I don't ever comment ... but this one is right up my alley! Try savingdinner.com and also flylady.net the menu planning and shopping lists and tips are worth their weight in gold. I found the sites when I was going to college full time while being a nanny to newborn twins full time as well and it really helped me manage everything. I hope it helps! Good luck! Besides eating out is not the healthiest thing ... sorry maybe that sounded judgemental and I wasn't meaning it that way ... just that you are probably a mom that wants the best for your kids and your husband and if you clean as you go you can plan ahead cook at home and still have a clean kitchen - besides teach your little ones to set the table and help load the dishwasher. That is what I did with the twins so that we'd be able to do fun stuff and still fit in studying for school! Good luck! I hope this helps oh and by the way ... ifyou need mac tips ... I'd be happy to help it's really simple.
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