Monday, August 6, 2012

Juggling Life; Part 1: Cooking


8.06.12

Being a mom is a 24/7 responsibility. How our child is raised, what they learn, what they do, and how they act becomes our main priority. And in the meantime, often times, the other aspects of our lives are slacking. Cooking, cleaning, blogging, and hobbies. How do we make time? What works? This week I will talk about these 4 subjects, and talk about how each one is incorporated into my day to day life.
          
This is the biggest change in my life. Huge. And it's a process that I continue to grow, improve, and explore in. This time last year I was not cooking. I rarely cooked. I knew maybe 5 recipes, which all included pasta and sauce, and the only meat I had ever tried to prepare was chicken. And? I never even had the slightest desire.

Once Elliana was old enough to start eating baby food, I challenged myself to make all of her baby food. And that I did. And then I started exploring in making dinners for my husband, knowing, that she was nearing the age of eating table food. And in no time, I was a cooking machine.

I'm still learning. Sure. I have a ways to go. But boy am I flying through. I cook M-F, and husband has cooking duty on the weekends. Dinner is on the table by the time the husband comes home. And we do not repeat a recipe for at least 2 weeks.  Each dinner comes with a meat, side, and a vegetable. And I try to use all natural or organic ingredients. I'm constantly trying out new things, and I'm loving every time I stumble upon a great recipe.

Cooking starts by 4-4:30 every day so that I can be done by the time the husband comes home around 6-6:15. I try to scout out the recipe I plan on making that morning.  And sometimes this means that I need to squeeze in a grocery run. But for the most part, I have learned to plan ahead and get all the groceries I need in one trip {about twice a week}.

Websites that have saved me have been pinterest.com and allrecipes.com. If you haven't signed up for pinterest {it's free}, do so right now. If for nothing else, then for recipes. It's a great place for you to keep track of your recipes. You can pin stuff from other sites like allrecipes.com. And therefore it will serve as a personal folder, bookmarked place of all your favorite treats.

And obviously google. Because when does google not save people from domestic failure?
Pinterest Screen.
Moving right along.

The recipes that stick out to me the most are those that are quick, easy, and not too many ingredients. Although, I have to admit I have ventured out and tried more of the "difficult" ones. Doesn't mean that they have been better. In fact... our favorite recipes have all been ones that are easy to follow instructions and not require too many things to have in stock.

And we can't forget the pretty picture. It has to have a pretty picture.

Another thing I try to do is rotate the meats. Obviously you don't want to have two chicken dishes in a row, so it's important to rotate the chicken, ground turkey, and fish.

As far as chicken goes, we get the all natural chicken. However, we plan on shopping at whole foods more and stocking up on the organic chicken that they carry.

We also only eat turkey [never beef, unless his mom brings us some], and it's always 93% fat free or better. Usually 99% though.

For fish, we mainly stick with salmon. Because it is the best.

For the most part I stay on schedule, I try to save the recipes that our family enjoys and write down any modifications we made, and I try to have fun with it. Turn on the music. Put on some sexy heels {not} and have a dance party. Me and my BLL.

And thus, cooking brings a sort of happiness to me that I had never anticipated.

But I'm so glad I started.

23 comments:

  1. Im still trying to figure out how to be a SAHM and get all of the cooking done with the baby screaming, I also love allrecipes.com

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  2. It's such a good thing that you find the time and inspiration to cook healthy meals to your family. You should share some of your recipes more often :)

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  3. Never thought of using pinterest for recipes. I started reading vegan blogs for recipe inspiration and have been really pleased. It's healthy and not serving meat at every meal cuts down on cost.

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  4. That is such a nice thing for your family. I love to cook and it is such a release from all the stresses of the day.

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  5. Love pinterest for recipes! And I've found that once a month stocking our deep freezer with all kinds of meats, fish and frozen veggies and our pantry with noodles, rice and canned foods keeps our grocery runs down to a minimum. (3 kids in a grocery store= nightmare 95% of the time).

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  6. We are trying to do the same-by we I mean me. Hubby doesn't really care where his food comes from. I don't know if you shop at Costco, but they have organic chicken breasts for ALOT cheaper and come in individual pouches so you can easily freeze some for later. I get my organic veggies from Sprouts - a lot cheaper than whole foods!

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  7. Now you need to share some of your faves! That spaghetti looked so yummy that you instagramed yesterday!

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  8. I'm not even a mom yet and I find this to be a struggle. But I'm making a conscious effort to cook more (Hubby generally handles the cooking because he likes it + he's good at it and we know the food will be edible :P ). But I've got my mind set that I will have food made ahead of time when Baby L is born. I HAVE to have this done. I know it's a priority and I'm so glad to hear you were the same way! :)

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  9. I try SO hard to have a routine down, but I find it nearly impossible =\ It's just my husband and I, we both work all day and get home within a 1/2 hour of each other usually. I'm getting better at planning ahead, but when we get home we're HUNGRY and it's hard to find motivation to whip up dinner that might take 45-60 minutes. The crockpot has definitely helped, but I start to tired of that too!!

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  10. Good for you! You should share some of your favorite recipes and/or ones that have worked from Pinterest. Planning out your meals helps a TON. It certainly does make the grocery store a lot less stressful!

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  11. Ha. I usually start dinners around 4-4:30 too because my husband gets home around the same time..and the baby is usually still sleeping. I usually have to cook 6 days a week. Sometimes I'm not in the mood but I do it anyways because it's best for our budget.

    Can't wait to hear about your work subject because I'm curious of when you actually sleep if you work nights lol.

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  12. Pinterest is ah-mazing for finding tasty recipes. We signed up for emeals recently though and have been using most of their recipes. It's made meal planning way easier for me. I really struggled with that before.

    I'm trying to get a pile of go-to recipes, because there's nothing I dislike more than eating the same meals over and over!

    Turning on some music and having a little dance party with a BLL or another 'friend' definitely helps making cooking more fun too! (:

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  13. It's so funny, we have a ton of recipe books but we never use them, I mainly get recipes from Pinterest now!

    My husband actually does most of the cooking just because he gets home from work earlier than I do and has the baby by himself for a few hours so when I get home it's my time with the baby while he cooks. Plus he's a better cook than I am :)

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  14. Great post, looking forward to reading the rest of this little series :)

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  15. you should check out my new cooking show! i love to cook healthy, quick, easy, and super flavorful meals. And like you, I DO NOT like to repeat recipes often. I love to try new stuff.

    www.youtube.com/dreamofhometonight

    seriously you're gonna love it!

    xo Nikki

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  16. I like cooking dinner most nights! I've really gotten into it lately, especially since we've changed our eating habits and I'm coming up with new recipes.

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  17. I have been trying to do the same thing. My husband and I plan out a week of meals at a time, usually five to six meals {leaving room to have a night out if we want} and of course stocking up on essentials if we don't. It's been an adjustment to come home from work & then cook but it's been rewarding as well :)

    <3 Melissa

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  18. We are HORRIBLE at planning ahead or cooking at home! Now that Olivia eats what we eat we are trying to make healthier choices & cook at home. It is a challenge but not only is it healthier but saves us a ton if $$! Win-win! :)

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  19. Pinterest is definitely a lifesaver for finding good recipes. I plan our meals for the week every Sunday and then go shopping around those. I definitely intend to make our baby's food too.
    http://thegrassskirtblog.com

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  20. I have about 5 different food related boards on Pintrest! It's been a great way to compile stuff I want to try out and get inspiration.

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  21. Loving pinterest to bookmark recipes to try! I find a lot of mine come from all recipes, too! I also like skinnytaste for healthy eats! My daughter is almost 15 months and, like you, I made all her baby food purees and really enjoyed it. Now that she is eating table food, I am super conscious of what goes in her little belly. We do mostly organic (always dairy, dirty dozen veggies/fruits, and meat)and eat a lot healthier now that she eats what we eat! My husband travels a lot so usually I am just cooking for her and I...lucky Andrew that he has your yummy meals! You should whip up some things to freeze so you've got some go to meals once the bambino comes! xoxo

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  22. Great post! I definitely love both Pinterest and All Recipes when it comes to finding new recipes. I've also been trying to get more organized by planning our meals, and so far it has been a success and has made breakfast, lunch, and dinner so much easier! We don't waste all that time trying to figure out what to eat.
    Thanks for sharing :D

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  23. Great post Becky! I cooked before baby and loved it, but I really got into what was best for the family after making all of my son's baby food too. It really makes you think about what we're all putting in our mouths and our bodies!

    The more you cook, the better you'll get. My hubby every now and then will say, "This is the BEST chicken. I mean, you've come a long way." We all had to start somewhere! Keep it up mama!

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