These days, my approach to cooking is simple and easy. Gone are the days of experimenting with complex cooking techniques and hard-to-find ingredients. Enter a few tried-and-true recipes that I enjoy making (and eating) over and over. I mainly stick to soups and stews during cold months and salads with grilled chicken or fish during warmer months.
The main reason I began opting for easier recipes was I was spending longer and longer hours at work and didn't have the time nor energy to go grocery shopping and prepare a three-course meal after a long day. Also, in general, I prefer dishes with a few good quality ingredients.
I share the responsibility of grocery shopping and cooking with my husband. He's much more adventurous with his meals, though I think we both prefer a bowl of simple pasta. He makes the most incredible pasta dishes to the point where we never go out to eat at Italian restaurants. What's the point when we eat better pasta at home?
I started to develop a routine on my weeks when I was on kitchen "duty." It usually goes something like this. Wake up Saturday morning and look online for some recipe inspiration while drinking good, hot coffee. Identify a couple recipes, create a shopping list and head out to the store. I'm out the door no later than 10:00 a.m. (when you wake up at 6:00 a.m., that's already pretty late).
Where I live today, I'm surrounded by several grocery stores but I always opt to go one a little further away. It's never crowded, they are well stocked and the staff is incredibly kind and helpful. Plus, I never have to fight for parking.
I'm pretty good at sticking to my list. We eat relatively healthily. Though we don't follow any particular diet, my shopping cart is filled with whole foods. There is rarely any processed/packaged food. My vice is sugar and I go through periods of cutting refined sugar out but I do indulge occasionally. Sometimes I can go crazy but I do my best to balance things out the next day. I'm getting off track here.
Once I'm done buying ingredients, I'm back home and begin my prep work. I usually make two dishes and make enough to last the week. I simply cannot be bothered to cook during the week. I always listen to music while I cook.
The key thing for me is one-pot cooking. Throwing ingredients into one pot and simmering on the stove-top or in the oven was a game-changer for me. Not only are there endless one-pot cooking recipes so your taste buds never get bored, but clean up is a breeze.
Here are some of my favorite, go-to recipes:
- Chickpea stew with spinach and sausage - This may not look like much but it's incredibly flavorful. I usually substitute the chorizo with hot, Italian sausage.
- Turkey and bean chili - A lighter take on a classic.
- Braised chicken thighs with carrots and potatoes - I swap out the red-skinned potatoes for slightly healthier sweet potatoes.
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