I couldn’t really cook when Brianne and I got together. I ate a pretty lousy diet that revolved around simple stuff I’d taught myself while at University. The longer we’ve been together the more I’ve learned, and also felt comfortable trying to learn to cook. I’ve picked up a few ‘specialties’ and I did most of the grilling over the years. There are weeks where I cooked 2-3 times and during the summer or Prime Grilling season I probably made a few more. Working from home I would sometimes get things started or prepped for her. I picked up a bit more of a role when we had Zuzu, and when Brie was back on Maternity leave with Tom I was mostly back to a 2-3 times per week.
So when Brianne went back to work I assumed the mantle of “Primary Caregiver”. I also assumed the role of primary cook.
- It had to be something that could be prepped, cooked, and finished before the kids were home; AKA Chilli, Soup, Stews, most slow cooker meals.
- It had to be something I could cook and leave to simmer or finish over the 30 minutes that I left the house to pick up the kids; AKA Curries with Rice, One Pot dinners, braised stuff.
- It had to be something I could prep in advance and very quickly cook in 22ish minutes after arriving home; AKA Grilled Meat, Simple Sautéed vegetables, and stir fry.
Final set of factors: it had to be tasty, and something that our kids will eat and ideally provide leftovers for lunch for Brie and I.
It’s been an interesting few months. Kid pick up and drop off has been mostly fine, though this frigging winter has meant it’s been a pain more than it will be in the spring and summer. The cooking has been actually pretty ‘fine’. We’ve not succumbed to take out TOO often. We’ve had a few Friday pizza nights, and weekend lunches from take always due to Saturday being when our groceries are mostly exhausted. The thing that has been the most illuminating for me is the constancy of it. Everyone has GOT to eat, and those dishes need to be done, and the fridge needs to be filled again and the meals need to be planned. Always, forever.
Have you always wondered why the “30 minute simple meals” or “One Pot Wonders” type books fill the shelves of most book stores? Or why devices like Slow Cookers and (lately) the Instant Pot are huge sellers, the answer is because you have no time to cook. None. You have little margin for error, if dinner sucks you don’t have time to order new food, or even to make something new unless it’s cold cereal. This means you want to outsource the worry about whether something will be good. You need something that offers short cuts or at least enables you to take your eyes off the stove long enough to catch a 15 month old moving at high speed towards the toaster oven and to help the 3 year old finish a puzzle she’s plaintively demanding your attention on. Recipes with margin for error, or at least ones that don’t demand your attention so much are the golden ticket for parents.
Going forward I’ll try to blog a bit more about eating and food and recipes and all that good stuff and post a few that I think are worth it plus any tips and tricks I can recommend.