Simplifying Cooking

I work full time.  My husband, Ben, works full time. Full time for both of us means way more than 40 hours a week.  We have tons of other things we do as well like I attend school full time, we have hobbies, etc. and occasionally we get crazy and do things like laundry and housework.  In the past, we dealt with our seriously busy schedules by going out to eat.  Pricey but convenient. 

                                     

In the last month or so we’ve tried another option and that is crock pot or slow cooker cooking.  Stick with me here, I get it, all those cooking for a month cookbooks requires a day of prep and pre-cooking and who has that kind of time?  Not to mention the recipes are high in fat, sodium, etc.  I wanted to see if I could make this work for us portion wise (since there are only two of us), health wise (since we try to avoid processed and sodium filled foods), convenience wise (since we have limited time) and taste wise since well, we like tasty food.  J

The answer to these concerns is yes, crock pot cooking can help with simplifying your cooking routine. To get started I need recipes and for that I went to Pinterest (yes, I have a Pinterest problem and no, I don’t want help.  Lol.) I found some minimal prep recipes I knew I could adapt to organic and healthy choices. Here are links to the basic recipes:  http://www.ringaroundtherosies.net/2012/02/freezer-cooking.html  and here: http://lovingmynest.com/learning-activities/cooking/freezer-crock-pot-recipes/

The recipes are great already because they take minimal prep time, can be frozen into portions of your choosing and are ready when you get home from work.  Of the recipes given, I have personally made and eaten the following and enjoyed them all. Sausage and Peppers, Teriyaki Chicken, Savory Chicken, Lazy Day Stew (last night’s dinner!), Pork and Veggies, Creamy Farmhouse Chicken and Garden Soup, and my own Lasagna, chicken enchiladas and meatloaf recipes.

How I adapted them is ridiculously easy.  I used organic vegetables, organic whole grain rice or pasta, organic, low sodium broth and/or sauce, and organic or grain fed or free range meat and eggs. I increased the amount of vegetables and decreased the amount of meat.  I trimmed extra fat off of meat as well. I bagged these meals up into portions for two people, got a smaller crockpot and some of the most amazing inventions of ALL time - CROCKPOT LINERS!!! Seriously! No scrubbing the crockpot!  Love this! J When I get home in the evenings all I have to add is a fresh salad or some more veggies. Super, super simple.

I also did not spend a day cooking and prepping.  If the recipe states it has to be pre-cooked, I don’t make it.  What can I say, cooking before you cook seems like a time waster to me!

Here was my plan, I made a grocery list and Ben and I went to the store, he picked up half the list and I grabbed the other half.  Remember, a lack of time is our enemy.  If you can’t trust hubby to stick to the list then it is best to go alone! We had two grocery carts full and spent around $240 including our freezer bags. Yikes.  Remember, none of this food was processed.  We came home and I assembled one meal and froze the portions in gallon size freezer bags (laid down flat with as much air out of it as possible) except for one meal for the next day. The next morning, put in a liner and the meal contents and turn on low. That night after dinner, I assembled another meal or two and repeated every night until I had made all the meals and froze the extra portions.  Within a few days, I had stocked my freezer AND we had prepared meals every night when we came in from work. Except to buy milk, bread and a few fresh veggies, I have not been back to the grocery store since and I have spent less than $100 on food since the initial shopping tour.  That was almost 6 weeks ago and my freezer is still fully stocked.  On the weekends I have been grilling fish, etc. that we already had in the freezer and using that stock up as well. 

$330 for two people for about 6 weeks may seem pricey to some but compared to what we were spending eating out, let’s just say it feels like I’ve gotten a raise.  I’ve also gained more time in the evenings. I’m spending less time prepping food and no time at a restaurant waiting on food.  Our food is healthier, cleaner and tasty. Each night before I go to bed, we discuss what we want and lay it out in the refrigerator to be put in the crockpot the next morning.

Best of all, for our marriage sake, we’ve spent no time asking the most frustrating question of all when you are tired from a long day of work - what do you want to eat? I don’t know.  What do you want to eat?  Maybe that’s just us but at the end of the day we can’t answer this question.  Lol.

With my own recipes, I included a couple of casseroles and some meatloaf made with organic ground turkey.  These get laid out the night before too and then popped into the oven by whoever gets home first – usually Ben due to the traffic I have to fight on the way home.  With our oven there is a wonderful feature – an option for convection cooking so even casseroles are done faster. Yay!

This isn’t for everyone especially if you don’t like soft vegetables, everything mixed together, etc. but it surely has helped us to simplify cooking and eating healthy. Not to mention the benefits to the budget and our time. I'm on the lookout for new recipes for our next batch of meals so if you have any easy crockpot/freezer meals to share, email me at Lavenderatthegate@gmail.com or post a comment below.

I hope this helps your budget and time as well.

Take care of yourself and your families!

~Chelle