MommyTLC

For far too long now I've depended heavily on take-out, delivery, and frozen meals. Well, no more! At least not on a regular basis as we were doing before. It had gotten to the point where the delivery guys knew us by name, that's bad - real bad! All that junk food has played a big factor in why I am the way I am right now. I was doing so good last year too, eating healthy, making 3 good meals a day (with a few healthy snacks here and there), exercising regularly, taking walks with my daughter... then I got into a funk!


It all started with finding a convenient delivery service that picked up from numerous restaurants who didn't have a delivery service. We started ordering once or twice a week. Then I stopped going food shopping since I didn't really feel like taking the train to my hubby's work to pick up the car and then pick him up at the end of the night again. So our orders when from once or twice a week to almost every night! Not only was that so unhealthy for us in a nutritional way, but it was also depleting our bank account and putting us in the whole, all because I was just too lazy. I never liked to cook, it's always been more of a chore for me than something I actually looked forward to. When it was just me and Dan, it was simple, I'd run over to the market, which was literally across the parking lot from us, and pick up something quick to make. Now, I have to consider my daughter's appetite and my husband's pickiness in terms of food. When I say "pickiness" I don't mean that my hubby is a picky eater. On the contrary, he loves food even more than I do. My problem with him is that he's so accustom to good food that my food always seems to fall short.

This year, no more excuses! I'm going to learn how to cook and I'm going to cut out fast food and delivery as much as possible! I'll still save the occasional boxed/frozen meal for nights where there just isn't time for cooking, but my goal is to make a homemade meal at least 5 times a week. Monday nights are up in the air since Dan has off and we either go out to dinner or he cooks, so I'm pretty much off the hook unless he asks me to come help him make something. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday I want home cooked food on my table. Wednesday nights are a bit of a problem. I usually don't get home from work until about 7 Wednesday nights, but I would love to get a nice crock pot, that would be a great solution to that problem!

I wouldn't mind doing crock pot meals a few nights a week. Get everything ready the night before, put it all together in the morning before leaving for work and then not worry about it until I get home. That sounds easy enough! I even have a crock pot recipe book at home that my mother-in-law gave me our first Christmas together. It was part of a whole slew of presents that were cooking related, including my very own crock pot. Since we lived at her house then and didn't move out on our own for another year, that crock pot was borrowed by my mother who has never given it back, so I am now crock pot-less. Great, just add on to the things I need to buy! Or I could just try and take my old crock pot back... :)

I've been looking through my collection recipes and one that keeps standing out to me is a creamy white chili that I've tried with success before. I think I might just make that tonight!