We have major food issues at our house. While I loooove a gourmet meal (and don't mind cooking them occasionally) I am in no way interested in cooking one for myself. I'm not interested in cooking one for myself and my three kids who will most likely complain about it. However, I will cook (almost) anything for my husband. The problem is... he never tells me what he wants to eat and seeing as how we grew up in two completely different cultures (literally), our opinions about what tastes "good" are completely different. I am not even joking. If I think some meal is fabuloso he will probably think it's mediocre. The stuff I think is fine but not necessarily interested in cooking again, he'd eat for every meal.
His favorite food group is meat. While I enjoy meat, I'm totally happy going meat-free on occasion. To my husband, it ain't a meal if there ain't meat. Not easy on the budget and kind of a challenge to keep cooking up meat in every different way imaginable.
Since we can't agree on what tastes good, I'm already behind. Now, with his weird police-life schedule, I can never predict *when* he will want to eat. There are two ways I mean this. The first is that although I can usually count on him to want to eat just before he goes to work in the afternoon, sometimes he randomly wakes up in the middle of the morning and his first words are "What can I eat RIGHT NOW?" The second is -- and all officers can agree on this -- it's almost Murphy's Law that he'll be on shift in the middle of his meal and get sent on a call, leaving his food abandoned for the sake of public safety. lol.
What's my point? I've realized I have to prepare plenty of meaty dishes which can easily be transported and reheated. The crockpot has become my best friend. I prep all the stuff the night before, and while the kids are eating breakfast I throw it together. It's usually ready around the time husband gets up and gets ready for work. Voila!!
One thing about the crockpot (or "slow cooker") is that so many of the dishes are really bland. That's one thing the husband and I can agree on -- we need us some FLAVOR! :) I found an awesome blog, A Year of Slow cooking, and this lady sure does bring on the flavor! I liked her recipes so much, I bought her cookbook, Make It Fast Cook It Slow. So far, some of the winners have been:
- Slow Cooker Enchilada Casserole (I added a can of corn)
- Indian Curry (needed more salt)
- Breakfast Risotto (I used coconut milk since we are dairy free)
I just made the crockpot chicken stock today and I think it will be a great addition to my freezer.
So, all this to say...... Give me some ideas, folks!! What do you like to take to work, make for your police officer, and serve to your family?
Update: MrsOfficer2U posted about some of the foods she & her family are loving right now. Read it here. :)
7 comments:
I am TOTALLY in a rut lately, but thanks for the kind words! I've never looked at Rachel Ray's books or magazines before, but I stumbled across her recipe section online the other day and found a few recipes I'm dying to try. It's under Family Matters in the recipe section.
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/kid-friendly-family-recipes/Fish--n--Chips-Sandwiches-with-Broccoli-Slaw
And I'm not a fish person either. I think I'm going to make it on Monday. I would love to know what you find online. I hope other people give some good ideas too. . .
Ok, the mayo and the yogurt plus the fish kind of spook me out. Then again, what do I always tell my son? "You can't say you don't like it until you try it." (and in my head I add "at least three times.") I'm so mean. I decided today I am going to get back to menu planning, BTW, and I'm excited that you are too!
I do alot of box mixes and add ingrediants to them, Frozen pizza, My wifey dont cook except once in a blue moon so If you need a meal tester you can send it my way!
haha sorry KD I got your comment on my blog and couldnt click back to yours.Don't know if you have this on purpose. Anyways I have a book called set it and forget it for crockpots i love it. also you can put basically any meat no matter how tough and it will be just the moistest ever. I love my slowcooker
Thanks for the shotout totally sweet of you!!!!
I think we have this mastered in our household..
1ST, book I love-Sandra-Semi-Homemade-Slow-Cooker-Recipes. Amazon has it! I love just about everything we made in it.
2ND-I used to subscribe to Rachel Rays Mag & own most her books. Love the books. Everything I made out of the mags were wrong & some inedible! I have a great recipe I got off the internet show for meatloaf burgers & smashed pot's of hers.. If anyone wants it-Easy & good.
Our saving grace is www.dreamdinners.com & www.dinnermyway.com. We have both here & they are awesome! You spend 1 hour making about 36 servings of different meals you choose & put them in your freezer! Dinner is always ready. We saved over 1/3 off our food budget (almost 1/2) saved time in grocery store trips,time planning what to eat,looking for recipes & cooking them. I print the menu choices off for my Officer and leave it on the counter, during his breakfast he x's what he likes and when I come home I log in-place my order, show up to make em & my veggies are chopped!! Texas ---- There's a great option for you!! The directions for cooking are right on the bag. so who ever is off work gets to make dinner its really easy!
3 out of 7 days we eat separately. I come home and cook dinner and put his in the fridge for him on days I work. He just reheats and eats! I usually take the leftovers with me since I am at a desk and he isn't.
Officer's lunch is usually sandwich and fruit and stuff like that. He can take the leftovers. but really likes the bread I make him. I found a book called 'My Bread' which literally has the easiest recipe for good hard crust soft airy inside bread you could ever make. 5 mins to mix.. let sit and bake the next day.. Its awesome! He just tells me when he wants it.. and I make it! He thinks he is spoiled! He's just well loved and I'm yes, very OCD in organization and planning.
We do a lot of slow cooker meals.. but usually on my off days so I can put it together and work around the house and run errands while it cooks. Something about being gone for 11-14 hours from the house with dinner cooking that doesn't sit well with us. Since most dinners cook in 8 hrs in them. dream dinners and dinner my way have a lot of crock pot meals also.
Hope that helps! I could keep going.. but I can get boring! It's nice to know that dinner is in the freezer and 30 mins away from the table!
-Dispatcher
I'm with you and have issues about cooking.Thanks for the tips about the crockpot and will have to try a couple.
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