Monday, May 20, 2013

Does dinner time stress you out?


Cooking is not something that comes natural to me.  Actually, at times it can be very painful!  I lose the little bit of common sense I have the minute a spatula is put in my hand!  However, through the years some amazing people have (and continue to do so) encouraged and taught me some lessons to help me in this area.   Even though the Kitchen and I don’t have this amazing bond together, I have learned that in order to home school and run a successful household, I needed to face this obstacle head on.   If I can have any success in this area, there is hope for anyone!

Here are a few tips:
1. Plan ahead- This is coming from someone who can fly by the seat of her pants! The majority of the time, this works in my favor.  However, in order to succeed in any area in life whether it’s at home or in business you need a plan.  If you don’t, you know the saying you will plan to fail.   Make sure the plan fits you and your family not your neighbor, family member, friend or co-worker.  Yes, we can learn from others but you don’t want to be them.  If you make a plan that doesn’t fit your lifestyle you are just setting yourself up for failure.  I promise you this if you don'’t have one, you will find yourself stress out and eating garbage.

2.  Surround yourself with people who love to cook.   There is so much you can learn from them and when you get stuck and need a new idea they are filled with fantastic recipes!

3.  Celebrate your success!  Yes, you may burn a few meals like me or forget to add an ingredient or the dinner just didn’t look or taste the way you were hoping.  However, at least you cooked something!  If you don’t give up, there will be meals that the kids love.  They will look at you and say it’s the best dinner ever!  Trust me on this!!

4. Make it simple!  Americans eat way too much!  Your meals don’t have to be extravagant.  If you have children, let them help!  It's a great teaching tool!

5.  Give yourself grace!  There are days I don’t stick to the plan or just need a break!  When this happens, don’t think you have failed!  Tomorrow is always a new day!

1 comment:

Rachel Thorp said...

A couple more tips that go hand in hand with "planning"...

* If you are able, block out a chunk of time sometime during the week and knock out all of your meal prep. Chop veggies, season & marinade your meats, portion out ingredients... then store everything together by meal. This will allow you to have hardy, healthy meals on the fly because all that's left is cook and serve!

* Make leftovers a part of your meal plan! Making grilled chicken? Use up what's left in a pasta or sandwiches later in the week. Portion leftovers into completed lunches for easy grab-and-go in the morning. Plan a weekly "leftovers night" to use up everything that got missed the first time round. Any of these will help save time and reduce waste.

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