Today I descend into that time of the month; I start counting everything that is in the kitchen. It will require my full attention. (Almost – I do still carry my Moleskin so I can write in it whenever I get the inspiration!)
I am going to ask a something that has been on my mind as of late:
What is stopping you from making your food yourself?
I wrote a piece a while back on reasons why you should make it yourself. I try to practice what I preach, but I even find myself reaching through the take-out window.
There is nothing to be ashamed about that, but there is an opportunity to figure out why.
For me, it has to do with the level of energy I have when I drag my sorry ass home. Perhaps I did not sleep very well the night before, the day was a pretty long day filled with stress, and I neglected to have a plan from the night before. That makes it very easy to give into my son’s demand for the Golden Arches.
So, dear readers, pick your brains, and I would love to hear about it in the comments. Your responses will push to my Blackberry, so I will even get to see your responses live! (It will break through the drudgery of counting.)
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Kids activities can really cause problems with meal schedules, too. Having them in sports a few days per week, often after school is out, and sometimes with each kid being at practice on different nights at different times. This is where weekend cooking and planned leftovers come in handy.
And sometimes it’s just fear. Take my recent crepes adventure, for example. They were tasty, but ugly. And now that I’ve had a spectacular failure, they can only get better, right?
@Mike – I hear that. My son is not old enough yet for a lot of activiies, but those days are coming. I can see that tight planning would be needed for those nights where you just have to get on the go quickly.
As for fear, well Mike, that is what I am here for. I would love to hear about your crepe adventure… and what happened there.
The crepe adventure is a simple problem, with a simple fix. I used a pan with sides that were too high, so I couldn’t get under the crepe to flip it properly. I used the recipe out of The Ratio, and it worked great.
If I decide that I need crepes in the future I’ll probably get something better to cook them in. It was something I did on a whim, just to see if I could do it. Still, even though they weren’t picturesque, they tasted pretty good, were tender, and went well with some berries. All in all, I call it a win.
I eat out about once a week. I’m allergic to wheat and eat Paleolithic most of the time, so why should I pay 8.00 for a salad when it costs me a dollar to make a better salad at home. I make my breakfast (3 eggs, sausage patty, a chopped tomato and half an avocado) and lunch (a large salad with 1 can of tuna fish, the other avocado half and I put balsamic vinegar and olive oil as my dressing) each evening. I microwave my cooked eggs in the morning to warm it up. The salad is ready to eat once I add the tuna fish and the dressing. The only item I have that is not truly paleo are the Costco brand organic tortilla chips i have at lunch and dinner.
I love my electric pressure cooker and use it every night. Dinner for me is a protein and a serving of vegetables. I can put a a block of 4 frozen chicken thighs or two 6 ounce pieces of pork/beef in the pressure cooker, pour a can of tomatoes or plain water, add spices and in 25 minutes I have a dinner I didn’t have to watch or stand over. It has been a great buy for me!
@Mike – I love Ratio, if I could just find where I put the book now (renovations have eaten the book it seems.)
I had a crepe pan that was awesome, but somehow it also got lost in the shuffle. I don’t eat much crepes anymore, but perhaps I need to make up a batch for the holidays tomorrow.
@Christy – Thank you for your response. I commend you on your diet, it sounds like you have everything on track. I must say, your pressure cooker dinner sounds interesting. I eat a salad every lunch that most places would be hard-pressed to match. Each morning brings me an omelette that I change up all the time. You just cannot beat being a chef sometimes.
I’m acquiring cooking skills pretty gradually, and I’m eating in more as I slowly learn to make stuff that’s better than the alternatives. Planning is also a problem, and I’m not always good at maintaining a pantry that matches my repertoire.
@Bob P – I hear about the planning, and the pantry. It seems that both go hand in hand. I sometimes get caught up in that, thinking I want to make something, only to not have a crucial item on hand.