Def Jam. A mere 15 years ago, back in the day when R & B videos were relatively tasteful.
A couple of times this week, I've gotten asked, "How do you do it all?" "It" being, cook 3 meals a day for 2 adults, 7 days a week.
To me, it doesn't seem like it's a burden or a giant chore. But we all decide what our priorities are, and that's what we make time for. You might make time for exercise, or knitting, or watching football, or playing music. Eating well is important to me, so that's what I make time for. And I enjoy spending time in the kitchen.
Even doing all this food prep, I don't spend more than an hour in the kitchen a day, and most of the time, less. The biggest time saver is planning. I plan for a week at a time, figure out how I can use leftovers, what I can cook a lot of at once, etc. We try do a single shopping trip a week, first stopping at Cub, then at the co-op (we buy all meat, dairy, and a few other things at the co-op exclusively). We spend about $100/week for the 2 of us; I'd like it to be less, but fresh produce in the middle of winter and responsibly raised meat aren't cheap. In the summer, we'll spend far less thanks to the St. Paul Farmers Market.
From now on, each week, I'll post our weekly menu. It's not set in stone; once in a while I go out for lunch at the last minute, or we decide to go out for dinner. Often, I miscalculate exactly how many servings something will be, or how much of it John will eat. I think you'll see a lot of repetition here; it helps that we don't mind eating the same thing for breakfast every. single. day...I hope this dispels any myth that I'm some kind of super-homemaker.
My calorie intake is typically between 1000-1300/day; John's is more like 1700-2000.
January 25–31, 2010
Monday
Breakfast
John: Yogurt, banana, granola
May: Breakfast sandwich (English muffin, egg whites with vegetables; I cook a big egg white omelette on Sunday & cut it up into 5 pieces for the week)
Lunch
Cabbage rolls with tomato sauce (left over from last week); green beans (left over)
Snack
Carrot sticks; celery; wasabi peas
Dinner
Ginger scallion noodles; steamed bok choy; flank steak
Tuesday
Breakfast
John: Yogurt, banana, granola
May: Breakfast sandwich
Lunch
Pita sandwich (turkey, sprouts, tomato, cucumber, mustard)
Snack
Carrot sticks; celery; wasabi peas
Dinner
Mushroom soup; steamed bok choy; green beans
Wednesday
Breakfast
John: Yogurt, banana, granola
May: Breakfast sandwich
Lunch
Pulled pork sandwich (left over from last week); green beans
Snack
Carrot sticks; celery; wasabi peas
Dinner
Flank steak; sauteed kale with garlic; roasted cauliflower
Thursday
Breakfast
John: Yogurt, banana, granola
May: Breakfast sandwich
Lunch
Fattoush
Snack
Carrot sticks; celery; wasabi peas
Dinner
Chicken breast; spinach & sauteed mushrooms; Brussels sprouts
Friday
Breakfast
John: Yogurt, banana, granola
May: Breakfast sandwich
Lunch
John: lunch out (Wienery, if I had to guess)
May: Chicken breast; sauteed spinach & mushrooms
Snack
Carrot sticks; celery; wasabi peas
Dinner
Lemon chicken; pea pods; roasted cabbage
Saturday
Breakfast
Toast; poached eggs; bacon or Polish
Lunch
Lemon chicken; pea pods
Dinner
Short ribs; grits; collards
Sunday
Breakfast
Poached egg & lardon salad
Lunch
Whatever leftovers are in the fridge
Dinner
John: Probably more leftovers
May: Dinner date with a friend
I just had to comment on this. You are like wonder woman to me for doing this. I have such a problem planning meals and prepping. I have a 2 year old too so this is an inspiration as I wish I can do this. I am going to write some of these recipes down. Thank you!
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