Bringing it to the table...

There are certain things that we love to do and some things that become chores.  Even the things we love can seem like a chore sometimes!! I love laundry and have a very "special" way of doing laundry.  I have also always loved cooking and now it is new in so many different ways.  Before, I loved to occasionally cook for friends.  I would make big pots of spaghetti (homemade sauce of course), pot roast with veggies,  homemade beef & veggie soup, or taco night.  This was about it!! I can make these dishes blindfolded.  When I became CEO of my house i had to cut my portion sizes, cook three meals a day and add variety... it is the spice of life :) Luckily I got a head start... before I became CEO of my house I went to the gym every morning and watched Rachael Ray. I love the Rachael Ray show that is on in the morning and although I did not do a lot of cooking at home for myself I loved the show.  She taught me lots of tricks and that you don't have to be a "chef" to be inspired by food and make really great dishes.  My fiance likes to eat really good food and so I am challenged everyday to bring something good to the table... literally.  After trying fancy cookbooks, cooking shows and wasting to much food... I feel that I have a great system... I buy what I need for what I am making.  I start by going through and marking the recipes that I would like to cook (which is almost everything).  Then I start to create my menu for the next 3 days.  You can create yours for as long as you want.  Buy frozen shrimp, have veggie dishes for the later days.  I like to go to the grocery store every 3 days so that the veggies I pick up are fresh.  I write the day and B, L , D below each day.  I fill in the blanks... this also makes my shopping list (please see picture).  The magazines that work best for me are Cooking Light and Every Day with Racheal Ray. I can easily follow the instructions and have a tasty meal in about 30-45 minutes.  We have enjoyed every meal from these magazines and with monthly issues... I get variety.   If I write my list and prepare then I feel that cooking is enjoyable and not a chore.  If I am not prepared dinner is not very inspiring.

Have a beautiful day