Cooking Frenzy

In light of the recent economic downturn and the fact that the cost of EVERYTHING is hurting our checkbooks, Whitney and I decided to get together every three weeks or so to make freezable meals that we can share. Whitney is especially busy with her job as well as lots of volunteer activities, so preparing meals at home has been a challenge. I don't have the excuse of being too busy; I just don't enjoy cooking. (Yes, it's true, I am NOT the perfect wife). Eating out just plain costs too much as much as we enjoy it. So yesterday was our Cooking Day.

We start with each of us finding recipes we want to try that are easy, economical and healthy. We keep track of recipes we love so we can reuse them as well as trying new ones. We save ingredients from time to time, too, to keep the costs down. We bring our recipes together on a Sunday after church, make a shopping list, head to the store to get everything we need (we split the cost of groceries), then assembly line the production. Yesterday we made 7 different main dishes and 1 soup. When we divided into portions, we came up with enough food for 11-14 meals per family. It was a lot of work, but when we were done, seeing all those containers packed away in the freezer was SO rewarding. Now on those days we work, we just pull something out, warm it up, add a salad or side dish and we're done. Fantastic!!! And it has the side benefit of spending time together which is at a premium these days.

The reason I am posting this is not to brag about our brilliance, but to suggest that others find a friend, split the costs and work, and reap the rewards. Good times!