Simplifying Cooking

I enjoy cooking, and love eating even more. Breads and pastas are my favorites. It would be easy to get caught up in spending a lot of time cooking and not focusing on my relationships. Once again replacing previous work time for cooking time.

Goal for cooking: Provide at least one nutritional, home cooked meal for my family a day with the focus being on family not the food.

Cooking is fun, especially when shared with friends. 

Tasks to include in reaching this goal include:

"Thank You for limiting meat!"

• Use frugal food tips, you can find them here.
• Bake (at a maximum once a week) snacks, breakfast foods, breads. 
•  Limit convenience foods—they are not a frugal purchase and usually not nutritionally sound
•  Limiting frequency of cooked meals; related to family not always home at the same time, all can cook and fix their own meals and quick alternatives are available i.e. fruit, baked goods.
•  Keep foods simple; eat raw vegetables and fruits, limit condiments and time consuming recipes
• use a Crock Pot.
•  Limit meat purchases, which are expensive and time consuming to cook.  
•  Have my family spend time cooking with me, if they are available. 
•  Prepare mixes for pancakes, cakes, muffins in advance. Just add liquids to mix and cook.
•  Plan out a menu with family on a weekly basis to decide which meals to cook, coordinate schedules and decide when to shop together for foods.
•  Plant a family garden. (Ours will be planted at the end of May beginning of June because of  weather. )
•  When a large fancy meal is desired, make it a family affair and invite guests.
• Try once a month cooking. Cook all meals for the month in one day and freeze. 

Grandma's cooking, the best!

Food is wonderful and needed for life. Being consumed by food to the point it alters your health and relationships doesn't lead to a simple life.