Confession: I don't cook

saverne · July 2010

I rarely cook at home, but I really want this to change since DD is getting older and I don't want to raise her on eating out all the time. When I grew up we ate dinner as a family at home most of the time and eating out was something special.

But with DH's schedule for work, he never gets home at the same time . So for our 4 years of married life we have mostly eaten out, since when he gets home we are both starving and too anxious to wait to cook something. Last night DH and I decided that 7 PM will be dinner time, whether or not he is home.

So ladies, especially those who work, how do you get dinner on the table every night? Do you have a week of meals planned? Some go-to quick meals you know you can always do?

Help me become more "domestic"!

futureevans · July 2010

Crockpots really help. You can throw meat in before you leave and it will be nice and tender and juicy when you get home. Easy meals like spaghetti, tacos, and stir frys. I buy my meat and package it in freezer bags for portion sizes (2 chicken breast, a certain amount of ground beef). The hard part is remembering to take something out of the freezer the day before!

roundtheworldgirl · July 2010

First thing: If you don't have one, get a crockpot. If you do have one - use it!

I don't really plan meals so much in advance. When I grocery shop, I'll pick up whatever protein is on sale and make meals around that. Here, nothing is ever on sale, so I usually just buy some beef (usually ground), chicken and pork each week. In the States we ate fish a few times a week, but I haven't found a good source here yet, so it's a lot of meat.

I do have some go-to quick meals that I always have supplies on hand for:

Bean burritos (we always have rice, tortillas, refried beans, onions, salsa and cheese around).

Pasta with red sauce (pasta, canned tomatoes to make sauce with, or just jarred marinara).

Tuna-melts (these come out on really desperate days only, but it probably happens every 5-6 weeks or so)

etc.

I have always loved to cook, though, so it's pretty easy for me to improvise based on what is in the fridge and the cupboards. If I were starting "from scratch," I probably would plan out meals for the week. I'd make most of them pretty easy, and maybe try one new recipe every week or two. Then, if you like it and it's not too hard, you can add the new one to the rotation. That's how I've built up my "rotation."

saverne · July 2010

roundtheworldgirl:

I have always loved to cook, though, so it's pretty easy for me to improvise based on what is in the fridge and the cupboards. If I were starting "from scratch," I probably would plan out meals for the week. I'd make most of them pretty easy, and maybe try one new recipe every week or two. Then, if you like it and it's not too hard, you can add the new one to the rotation. That's how I've built up my "rotation."

See, I love to cook too. But I do it more as a hobby- like when I have the time I will find some complicated recipe and do it. Not too great for every day though.

I do have a crockpot so maybe I should dust it off! and my problem is that I don't keep things stocked, or all my protein is frozen when I want to use it. Or. . . I get the protein down from the freezer the night before to use, then I don't use it for a week and have to throw it out. I am the queen of throwing out bad food- a bad bad title to have.

saverne · July 2010

roundtheworldgirl:

I have always loved to cook, though, so it's pretty easy for me to improvise based on what is in the fridge and the cupboards. If I were starting "from scratch," I probably would plan out meals for the week. I'd make most of them pretty easy, and maybe try one new recipe every week or two. Then, if you like it and it's not too hard, you can add the new one to the rotation. That's how I've built up my "rotation."

See, I love to cook too. But I do it more as a hobby- like when I have the time I will find some complicated recipe and do it. Not too great for every day though.

I do have a crockpot so maybe I should dust it off! and my problem is that I don't keep things stocked, or all my protein is frozen when I want to use it. Or. . . I get the protein down from the freezer the night before to use, then I don't use it for a week and have to throw it out. I am the queen of throwing out bad food- a bad bad title to have.

ibis · July 2010

We don't eat meat so cooking is almost always really quick and easy for me. I typically make a starch - pasta, rice, potatoes, Asian noodles, etc. - and then just stir fry up some veggies and some sort of protein.

One easy & cheap meal is homemade pizza if you buy pre-made pizza dough.

I also make enchiladas pretty often, that is super simple. You just layer corn tortillas with sauteed beans and whatever veg plus some enchilada sauce and cheese - bake for 30-40 min.

adkhiker · July 2010

We plan out our meals for the week, but then have a few easy back-ups on hand to fill in if needed. We also try to cook bigger meals with leftovers on the weekend and then not have to cook one work night. I love cooking light recipes. They are all on line and you can search by rating and quick and easy. Some of our classic easy back-ups are burritos, sandwiches or breakfast for dinner.

futureevans · July 2010

ibis:

One easy & cheap meal is homemade pizza if you buy pre-made pizza dough.

Where do you buy pre-made pizza dough? Is it frozen?

ibis · July 2010

futureevans:
ibis:

One easy & cheap meal is homemade pizza if you buy pre-made pizza dough.
Where do you buy pre-made pizza dough? Is it frozen?

I buy it fresh at Whole Foods. It's refrigerated in a little baggie, very convenient! It's $2.50 and makes a large pizza.

saverne · July 2010

ibis:
futureevans:
ibis:

One easy & cheap meal is homemade pizza if you buy pre-made pizza dough.

Where do you buy pre-made pizza dough? Is it frozen?

I buy it fresh at Whole Foods. It's refrigerated in a little baggie, very convenient! It's $2.50 and makes a large pizza.

That is a great idea! DH has also gotten dough from small bakeries in the area- he just asked for some dough. Granted, these are little bakeries owned by immigrants- Bosnians and Arabs, not fancy shmancy bakeries.

saverne · July 2010

ibis:
futureevans:
ibis:

One easy & cheap meal is homemade pizza if you buy pre-made pizza dough.

Where do you buy pre-made pizza dough? Is it frozen?

I buy it fresh at Whole Foods. It's refrigerated in a little baggie, very convenient! It's $2.50 and makes a large pizza.

That is a great idea! DH has also gotten dough from small bakeries in the area- he just asked for some dough. Granted, these are little bakeries owned by immigrants- Bosnians and Arabs, not fancy shmancy bakeries.

ladylaurali25 · July 2010

saverne:
roundtheworldgirl:

I have always loved to cook, though, so it's pretty easy for me to improvise based on what is in the fridge and the cupboards. If I were starting "from scratch," I probably would plan out meals for the week. I'd make most of them pretty easy, and maybe try one new recipe every week or two. Then, if you like it and it's not too hard, you can add the new one to the rotation. That's how I've built up my "rotation."

See, I love to cook too. But I do it more as a hobby- like when I have the time I will find some complicated recipe and do it. Not too great for every day though.

I do have a crockpot so maybe I should dust it off! and my problem is that I don't keep things stocked, or all my protein is frozen when I want to use it. Or. . . I get the protein down from the freezer the night before to use, then I don't use it for a week and have to throw it out. I am the queen of throwing out bad food- a bad bad title to have.

This is totally ME

JennLuvsMatt · July 2010

I hate cooking. I can follow a recipe but I can't just throw stuff together. I get frustrated when I cook and feel it's too time consuming. My cabinets are empty 90% of the time except for some cereal, sweets, and snacks. My fridge is mostly bare. So when I do feel the urge to cook I have to go to the store and buy everything I need which makes it a hassle.

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