In my attempt to better organize and simplify our family life I'm jumping on the "cook-once-a-week" bandwagon.
I like cooking. Some crazy days it even helps my sanity to get a little alone time (and by alone, I mean focused on food but with kids "helping" or nearby). However I would like more time free to just play with my kids and cooking takes away from that. I'm not a super planner so this will not come easy to me. I also get overwhelmed by decision making and I've already needed a third coffee to clarify my thoughts just to narrow down the meals for this week. But I'm committed, and I'll share my process with you, whether it's a success or failure!
If I reference any recipes from other bloggers or Pinterest I will do my best to provide the direct links back to the original sources.
My general food philosophy is "diets" don't work because they aren't sustainable. Unless you have a specific goal and need something more extreme to jump start the process. Instead adopt (and I'm always adapting it according to the nutrition tips I hear) a sustainable long term food plan for yourself. Mine is to try to eat healthy as much as possible paying attention to the four food groups, and everything else in moderation. I've always tried to avoid processed foods when possible, and I'm now trying to incorporate fish at least 1-2 times a week (though I find it hard living in-land because I know it's not really fresh), vegetarian 1-2 times a week, and I'm trying to cut back on the amount of meat overall.
(Why? I fear our society has moved too far away from a positive and balanced relationship with our food, and we overindulge in too many ways, but including meat consumption. Plus, my husband and I don't like how the mass-farmed animals are treated or when hormones are added to our foods. I'm hoping to visit some local farms this spring to find a few with whom we agree with their farming practices and where we can buy direct.)
One of the habits I'm trying to break is over-buying. Instead of purchasing what we need for one or two weeks, I just buy a bunch of stuff to keep on hand "in case", and end up with duplicates or items that sit on my shelves for months before being used. We have a very tiny kitchen making every shelf premium space. So, looking ahead to my meals this week I will use what I have already.
I'm sure my plan will change throughout this process and rather than bore you with each detail along the way, I'll post again after the first week to share what actually happened.
