If my husband were to answer that question he would probably say I don’t cook for the family. Haa! I do,,, just not every night!! My poor, deprived family has learned to accept leftovers, that is if they’re hungry enough, they’ll eat anything. Honestly, they would all eat grilled chicken, broccoli and quinoa with me every night. Therefore, a little variety and leftovers is actually a good thing!
Here’s how it works… Sunday afternoon is our cooking time. This is when I prepare my food for the week and also make a big dinner for the family. I also use this time to prepare different parts of different meals for the family so some of the leg work is done. I also sometimes make a meal that I can eat with them, for example, Lasagna… I will post about Lasagna another day!
First, for my meals I grilled 12-16 four oz. pieces of chicken breasts. I steam up about three cups of broccoli and one bunch of asparagus. I also cook up my quinoa and a few big sweet potatoes. What an accomplished feeling when four or five lunches are already in the fridge Sunday afternoon, ready to grab every morning. After I pack my lunches there’s always leftovers of these foods that Cory eats and also the kids will eat too! Oh and I have a bag of lettuce and a bag of spinach on hand for chicken salads (usually for dinners).
Here's two of my four lunches!
Here’s another idea... get your husband to cook a meal! I prepare things on Sunday, for Cory to do while I’m at the gym on Tuesday night. I dice up three chicken breasts, put then in a baggie with a drizzle of olive oil and garlic pepper seasoning. I label the bag of chicken “#1 for Tuesday’s soup.” Then, I cut up veggies for the soup. I mix the veggies and seasoning in another baggie labeled “Soup- Tues #2” These baggies go in the fridge, ready for Tuesday. Then Tuesday morning I set the large pot on the stove and a big can of chicken broth on the counter and draw a big #3 on it. I label a small bag of dry cheese tortellinis #4 and set them on the counter next to the broth before I leave for work. Then before I head to the gym that afternoon I text Cory this:
Hey babe,,, Ur makin ur fav 4 step- soup! Find two baggies in fridge labeled #1 & #2. Every 5 mins put next # in pot! Pasta needs to cook 10+ mins. ENJOY!
This week my boys will also be eating barbeque chicken legs, their favorite. I grilled them up Sunday with my chicken breasts and they are very happy to be eating “their chicken” with broccoli, Bush's baked beans, and rice or sweet potatoes.
So, to recap, the soup and the chicken make four dinners and then they are allowed to “Scrounge” a couple of nights. Cory hates this because I allow the boys to eat TV dinners, or $.89 Chicken Pot Pies, but hey, look how healthy they ate the rest of the week! The best part is I am eating healthy, have time to go to the gym in the evenings and I’m still TOTALLY SANE!!! Well, there again, my husband might argue that point, but oh well, who asked him!?! LOL!
