Today I want to address the question I get most often in email:
“How do you have the time to cook all that?”
OK, so now you will get to know me for what I truly am: An Organizational Geek. My mask is off and my true Fly Lady training has been revealed. I am not one of those people who can fly into the kitchen at 5:45pm, look at what is available and throw together an amazing meal. And because I am not willing to call in take-out very often and I do my best to avoid packaged, processed foods, I have got to have a Plan. Stan.
It all starts will a menu of the family favorites. I took some time one day and typed up about 3 pages of vegetarian meals, animal meals, soups, salads, dressings, sides, and desserts which at some point in time someone at the table said “Not Bad, Mom.” It’s in my Kitchen Control Journal along with the relevant recipes.
(Shameless Plug: Clients in my Family Nutrition Program are guided through a process of creating their very own Kitchen Control Journals. This madness can be yours too!)
Sure, things change and I cross things out, or move them forward. But having the basic plan gives me peace of mind. I am a regular mom, wife, chief cook and bottle-washer who happens to be running her own business as well. I don’t think I have any more time or less time than anyone else. I can honestly say that I am rarely in the kitchen for more than an hour or two a day and that’s cooking 3 meals and a fresh snack each day and cleaning up as well. I don’t cook complicated things very often. We eat leftovers quite a lot. I work quickly. I’ve had a lot of practice. The kids are put to work too because I want them to know how to cook when they’re off on their own.
That said, I’m not perfect. Sometimes we still fall back on pizza or falafel. Sometimes I make things that turn out really awful and we have to eat bread and hummus. I’m just doing my best to eat healthy and feed my family healthy things. If my kids come to your house and eat nothing but potato chips,hot dogs, soda and cake, you don’t need to gleefully report that to me. They’re normal children. I know they love junk food as much as the next person. How they eat outside of the house is not for me to control. I do my best to feed them well at home, to teach them about nutrition and cooking and to not make too big a deal about “forbidden foods” or whatever.
Your blank meal planning template HERE!
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I'm impressed Emily. I can barely keep track of my appointments! But I am definitely trying to work my way towards this. I'm loosely following the PCRM 21-day Kickstart (which I'll blog about later today) and I actually wrote a list for the first week's food. Of course, I forgot it when I went shopping.