Thursday, March 24, 2011

Whats Cooking

Here's what I've been cooking lately. I always have the kids help dump and stir and crack eggs...why? cause its easier to know where they are and not just ignore them. Plus after reading this book it makes you want to whip (figuratively) into shape...or makes you think you are raising slugs (way too cute for slugs really) and totally suck. Its been a while, I probably should read it again.

Really I just want to one day I want to pass off the cooking torch to them, hopefully in their tweens... why have all these kids if they can't be my workers! Sheesh!


Okay, back to our meals. I choose not to meal plan. I usually have it in my head a few days or sometimes I just figure it out on the spot. Especially cause I like to be dictated by what sounds good and the amount of time and effort allotted that day. or how I'm feeling. Works with my personality (which is what exactly? disorganized? lets choose to call it spontaneous)

Homemade pizza (I think this might be the cheapest meal possible people). Tomorrow I'm going to try the wheat/white flour combo...just to use up this wheat flour I have cause heaven knows I'm not really going for health right now, just taste :)

My mom's banana bread, sigh....

Meatloaf - this has been the biggest hit with my kids. I like it cause I don't have to chop anything and its easy. Today I used part sourdough bread (all I had) and random cheese, still good. Also I have the tomato sauce stuff just for less waste.

Sweet and Sour Chicken - This requires a bit of effort, but if you can convince your kid to help dunk then its easier.

Calzones from Pioneer Woman cookbook (minus ricotta cheese, barf, and rotel cause i didn't have it, just added green chilies and 1/4 - 1/2 cup marinara and increased other cheese amounts since I omitted the ricotta)...these were like man food 101, almost too much meat for me. Jason and Luke loved loved loved. These were pretty dang easy really.

Choco - PB rice krispies (I used good semi sweet chocolate chips and doubled the recipe...almost too dark choc for me and too rich, I can't believe I'm even typing that)

Just made my first boxed angel food cake and had strawberries and shortcake (gotta get in all this good stuff before I got on a diet :). My kids thought it was a strange kinda of cake and wondered if angels made it.

My go-to, freaking easy (its 5 p.m. and haven't thought about dinner) meals are QUESADILLAS, QUESADILLAS, QUESADILLAS . and PANINIS PANINIS PANINIS. Sometimes I add stuff like chicken (canned, don't be a snob) or black beans or rotel to the quesadillas if I want to eat them and really paninis are really just hot squished sandwiches at our house, but when you call them paninis they sure sound fancier than sandwiches for dinner.

Anyway, just sitting here thinking about food. thinking how many dishes I do when I cook which is why I had boycotted it too. The kitchen is my work space really. And the laundry. And the couch when I need to sit on my butt. Really my job in life is shop, clean, cook...repeat. Oh and pick up kids, change diapers and keep them safe. Ain't too shabby.

I'm gonna try and figure out to just always have homemade pizza dough stored or frozen to make my life easier.

Now I think I'll go play plants vs zombies and try to forget the BYU game... (the most highly anticipated part of my day which I enjoyed with Luke until the bitter end.) Jason is trying to fix his window that won't roll up (yes its been raining all week).

5 comments:

Unhappy Customer said...

I just started meal planning. I realized that if I don't plan we eat lots of breakfast foods for dinner or just pick things up. I've made the Sweet and Sour chicken two weeks ago and loved it. The chicken parmesan from pioneer woman is amazing and easy. We've started planning meals for Mon-Thurs and it has helped us both have yummy lunches the next day at work!!!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/10/chicken-parmigiana/

christy said...

I'm not a meal planner either. Totally goes against my personality. I also eat what i want, not what's on a paper. However, whatever is in the fridge and needs to be eaten before it goes bad sometimes dictates what we eat. This weekend we had freezer pot luck, meaning look in the freezer and find all those odds and ends that have been in there for a while b/c there was just one or two left. I just pick it up and say who wants this until we all have something. lol
My kids love angel food cake and strawberries. We have that a lot when strawberries are in season.

the happy thomas family said...

i meal plan. doesn't mean i stick to the plan. i do it mainly because it helps with my grocery shopping - keeps the bill down and keeps me out of the place (typically only go once a month). i say, though, to each his own. so long as you all aren't starving - who the heck cares, right?

by the way ... what's your pizza dough recipe? i've been looking for a good one.

Lindsey said...

I really want to read that book. Sounds like you have been doing lots of cooking. Yummy. Maybe you should make double and freeze half for when baby comes. Or remember how Tamara F. cooks all her ground beef and chicken when she gets it from the store. That really helped after layla was born. I know it is a while away still, just still thinking about quick dinners.

Unknown said...

I love to make quesadillas, too. I make them with corn tortillas. And I buy that frozen, pre-grilled chicken (the strips). Then I heat a few of those up with the roasted green salsa from Fresh and easy in a pan, and add that to the quesadilla. Add some quac, and it's like gourmet mexican!

Also, this recipe is a hit in our house:
http://lickablespoon.blogspot.com/2010/07/pasta-florentin.html