Aaaaahh, this question plaques my thoughts daily. It begins to creep into my brain around 2 o’clock, when the afternoon hunger pains begin to rumble, and then around 4:30 it’s swirling around in my head with vigor. This question, quite frankly, drives me crazy!
I’ve never been much of a cook, I’m quite skilled at ‘preparing things’, i.e. putting together quick-fix meals made up of frozen and/or processed food, but actually cooking fresh, made from scratch meals is still new to me. But it’s something I’m desperately wanting to transition to. Jameson and I both need to eat healthier; we LOVE cokes, especially Sun Drop, candy, potato chips, rotel dip, and a variety of other delicious yet unhealthy goodies. Thus tasty, fresh, nutrient-filled dinners is exactly what we need. However, accomplishing this goal is always easier said than done (at least for me anyways). Since we’ve been married I have prepared a few of these meals, and man were they delicious. I researched a recipe beforehand, bought the needed ingredients, and with excitement and motivation delved into the exciting world of cooking…only to realize how overwhelmingly time consuming this can be. One meal, delicious mushroom and Swiss sliders with baked French fries, took me over two hours to prepare, TWO hours! Not to mention the clean-up time (we don’t have a dishwasher, oh woe is me!) So often I resort to a frozen pizza, or boxed macaroni, or something else equally unhealthy.
I’ve never been much of a cook, I’m quite skilled at ‘preparing things’, i.e. putting together quick-fix meals made up of frozen and/or processed food, but actually cooking fresh, made from scratch meals is still new to me. But it’s something I’m desperately wanting to transition to. Jameson and I both need to eat healthier; we LOVE cokes, especially Sun Drop, candy, potato chips, rotel dip, and a variety of other delicious yet unhealthy goodies. Thus tasty, fresh, nutrient-filled dinners is exactly what we need. However, accomplishing this goal is always easier said than done (at least for me anyways). Since we’ve been married I have prepared a few of these meals, and man were they delicious. I researched a recipe beforehand, bought the needed ingredients, and with excitement and motivation delved into the exciting world of cooking…only to realize how overwhelmingly time consuming this can be. One meal, delicious mushroom and Swiss sliders with baked French fries, took me over two hours to prepare, TWO hours! Not to mention the clean-up time (we don’t have a dishwasher, oh woe is me!) So often I resort to a frozen pizza, or boxed macaroni, or something else equally unhealthy.
Am I missing something here? There must be a way to fix healthy and fresh meals during the week and still have time to do other things, like laundry, cleaning, watching an occasional TV show, or maybe even breathe!! There must be a balance between having time to relax and upwind from a busy workday, and spending an entire evening slaving over a hot stove. This is my dilemma and quest; I must divide and conquer and be crowned the perfect working wife who keeps her family fed and her sanity…does this even exist??
Until then, I’ll continue to ponder over the nagging, ever-present question… “What’s for dinner??”
Maybe you can learn some tricks from the Pampered Chef lady Jill next week. It is frustrating sometimes to know the time required to prepare a meal.
ReplyDeleteI am proud of your desire to cook nutritious meals! Your body will thank you!
Love you,
Mom
Do you have a crock pot?
ReplyDeleteI DO have a crock pot!! Send me some recipes for it!! :)
ReplyDelete