by Amy Neurohr
I’m sure you’ve seen that meme going around that says, “Who knew that the hardest part of being an adult is figuring out what to cook for dinner every single night for the rest of your life until you die.” I hadn’t realized how accurately this meme portrayed my life until recently when I was cleaning out my purse. I was startled by how many crumpled post-it notes with grocery lists were at the bottom of my purse. And how many of those grocery lists were also in my coat pockets, in the center console of my car, and occasionally even a crumpled ball in my dryer.
It’s a tricky balance to figure out what to have for a meal and what day to have that meal and working a full-time job. Even when I decide what to make, I have to figure out what I need to take out of the freezer, whether I have all the ingredients, and whether I can save time by chopping some of the vegetables the night before. Saving time is the name of this meal prep game. Heck, even when I make grocery lists, I put the items in order of where they are located from the entrance of the store. When running grocery errands at lunchtime, the quicker it gets done, the better!
I have to say, despite all the time and energy it takes to plan meals, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I do enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. I like controlling what is in our meals and where the ingredients come from. We buy beef and ham locally. We grow multiple gardens every summer and prepare the surplus vegetables for the freezer or dehydrator for future use. I’m grateful we have the space and discipline to prepare food like this on a routine basis. And that eating out at a restaurant is a special occasion.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not cooking gourmet meals over here. Goulash and tacos are probably our most frequent meals on the rotation! But I sure do enjoy finding new recipes to try. It makes the task of meal planning seem less monotonous. I’m a regular visitor to recipe websites and Facebook recipe groups. Shameless plug: I’ve been enjoying the addition of Justin’s recipes for On Your Table. Did you see the recent Thai Omelet recipe? If not, check it out here: Thai Omelette recipe Just the photo alone inspired me to print it off for a future meal!
We always have to eat, so why not embrace it? Try some new recipes. Work on a meal plan for the week. Get that post-it notepad out and make a list!
This post first appeared on My NDFB Life, NDFB's staff-written blog. Amy is the NDFB Administrative Specialist in the Bismarck office.