I cook a lot at home, but not long involved stuff. If I think about getting take out, I usually talk myself out of it because I can’t make up my mind and then it’s just easier to cook.
This week’s dinners included:
Chicken alfredo (lighter sauce) with whole grain fettuccine
Chopped salad w/leftover grilled chicken
Grilled brats w/sauteed kale/sweet potatoes
Chicken enchiladas w/fresh tortillas and guac - no chips!
It’s worth it to me to cook to have the leftovers for lunches as well. A bowl of canned soup would make a sad Abasket!!! But I think about and enjoy food A LOT!!!
I have never in my life made soup. That to me would be like making mayonnaise or ketchup - that’s what food manufacturers are for! But I also don’t get all the hype about homemade food. Most people’s homemade food doesn’t really taste all that wow to me compared to prepackaged or prepared foods. But I am decidedly NOT a foodie, at all!
I have just discovered Rancho Gordo beans - sort of gourmet heirloom dried beans. I make a soup with a few pieces of bacon, celery, carrot, onion & garlic & a bag of white or black beans. Throw some seasonings in at the end. SOOO easy, yummy & good for you!!
I admit, I don’t really cook. If I did, I’d generally only be cooking for one as Mr R and I have VERY, VERY different eating styles. Mainly, I’m a vegetarian and I’m pretty sure his diet is 95% meat. He does cook simple things for me when I ask but lately he’s been putting in 12+ hour days and we’re both just exhausted at the end of the day.
Plus, cooking for one just kind of sucks which is why I tend to get carryout. I eat healthier that way too as fruits and veggies will often go bad in my house because I just don’t eat at home all that often.
I know I’d save a bit of money by cooking but considering I don’t splurge on anything else, I allow myself to be lazy and get take out
If it gets bbq’d or just shoved in the oven as is, I cook. Except on those special occasions that I make lasagna from scratch including home made gravy (South Philadelphian Italian for sauce, courtesy of my B-I-L). But I haven’t done that in quite a while :(.
I don’t cook. My husband cooks or fetches our meals. We are doing a LOT better eating at home in the last 6 years or so. In Dallas there were so many options for good carryout (Mexican, Chinese, Indian) within a mile that we got very lazy about preparing our own food. We have plenty of options here, but not quite as many as in Dallas and we have learned the benefits of healthier eating. I do generally eat out at lunch. It’s part of my socialization!
My husband works for a major food service supplier - around food all day long. People often think he’s a chef but he’s actually in management, which is a good thing - he can grill but that’s about it! His night to cook means we’re going out.
I cook almost every night & have for at least 20 years now. I used to really enjoy it but I’m getting pretty burned out & when DD2 is launched I think I will hang up my apron for at least a few months. Meanwhile, I feel like DD2 deserves a family dinner every night just like her sister had, though it’s fine if that occasionally means CostCo pizza or take-out burritos.
Ditto the approval on your brussels sprouts recipe, Sabaray. Please report back on how they taste!
Call me an oddball (and I’ll agree :)) but I love to cook! I just don’t like to have all of the clean-up. I am really fortunate that my husband does the dishes almost every night. The biggest difference I notice in restaurant food vs. home cooking is how salty and/or sweet restaurant food usually is. Don’t get me wrong, I like to eat out. But I can’t recount the times I’ve been disappointed with pricey food that doesn’t meet expectations. Also, with DH’s health concerns, it has been so much easier to control what he’s consuming with home cooked food. Soup is super easy to make, especially since there are so many broths on grocery store shelves. This has been a crazy eating week for me after the dental surgery and soft food business, but here are some menus of some of the things husband and/or I have eaten. Chicken tenders greek style with cucumber yogurt sauce; Spicy black beans on brown rice with grated cheddar (beans from dried); the cheese souffle; stir-fried veggie meal on brown rice; butternut carrot parsnip soup. We almost always add a green salad with a balsamic vinegar dressing I make in about 30 seconds. I’m also a big fan of recycling food from one meal into another. And leftovers are the best.
Anyway, for those of you who haven’t made homemade soup and want to try, take a chicken carcass left with little bits of meat on it (even from a leftover store bought rotisserie chicken). Put it in a pot. Chop up a small onion, maybe three carrots, three stalks of celery, a couple cloves of garlic and add to chicken. Cover with water and bring to a simmer. Add a bay leaf, a tsp or so of dried thyme or sage, maybe two tsp salt to start. After an hour or two of simmering, strain your broth off from the bones and vegetables. Then, into your broth, add some fresh chopped vegetables (even a bag of frozen vegetables works) and cook at the simmer for about 15 minutes until they’re tender. Add a cup of dried noodles, and some of the leftover meat, and cook for about 10 more minutes. Adjust the salt to your liking. Voila! Chicken noodle soup. Top with a little grated parmesan cheese.
Went XC skiing today. It was a rough week here, the weather wasn’t good for skiing or much of anything else. But today it was colder and we got snow. I was so happy to be outside.
You know when people say they hate to exercise. I always felt like that, I was only exercising because I like to eat and I didn’t want to gain a bunch of weight. This week and today I finally felt that I like to exercise. When I don’t, I felt something missing. Not sure when and how this happened but it’s a good thing.
My H does not like to go out to eat and is lukewarm about takeout. I cook most nights but nothing fancy at all. I will cook the same things over and over again, that’s how I cope and H doesn’t dare to complain. Baked chicken, rice, vegetables. Eating out options here are great so that helps and it helps to keep the weight down.
Mr. B claims he does not know how to cook… oh yes he does! When I went to a conference and did not have the time to make some easily reheatable food, he made a large pot of oxtail borscht - completely from scratch!!! It was excellent. But the kitchen was such a mess!!!
But I think about and enjoy food A LOT!!!