As the chief cook in the house, how many times do you find yourself wasting time, backtracking and doing the same things over and over again, feeling a bit at a loss and overwhelmed because you don’t have a better system for time management in the kitchen? Before you reach for a mini snickers bar, to calm your nerves, know that I’m here to help.
This topic may seem off the beaten track and unrelated to what I teach, which is non diet weight control, but if you really think about it, it’s not. As The Juicy Woman, I am all about teaching you all the ways I know to help you handle and deal with your stress. As much as I love using Emotional Freedom Technique and the other processes designed to zap your stress in minutes, as a coach, I know that there is no substitute for some good old fashioned organization.
If you don’t have a system in your kitchen, and you’re the one the family depends upon to cook and serve their meals, it can be a frustrating experience to have all the burden resting on your shoulders. To ease your worries, all you have to do is reclaim your space and your time and make it all work for you.
Here are some things that have worked for me:
Recycle and rejuvenate leftovers – Rather than just wrapping up your leftovers after a meal, take those extra few moments to give them a new lease on life. Whenever we enjoy a meal of roasted chicken or some other type of protein and there are plenty of left overs, I’ll have my meat do double duty. Since my daughter, Cara and I love adding fresh meats like chicken or turkey to my, “Andrea’s famous lunch time salad”, I chop up nice sized chunks and put them separately in a plastic storage container so that we can add a few pieces whenever we make a fresh salad. Then in a separate container, I just add some celery, mayo, and seasonings to the chicken chunks and voila! Chicken salad for my hubby, Angel to enjoy the next day.
Here’s my recipe for my favorite lunch time salad. Sorry no measurements here. I’m an italian cook, we just toss things in. I’ll give you more exact measurements in my upcoming cookbook, “The Juicy Woman’s Happy Pot Cookbook.”
Buon Appetito!
Andrea’s Famous Lunch Time Salad
- a handful of fresh chunks of chicken
- some chunks of mozzarella cheese
- pre-cut salad
- a few sliced cherry or grape tomatoes
- a handful of croutons
- garlic wine vinegar
- olive oil
- a sprinkle of my house seasoning
Cut up melon – I love fresh melons, honeydew, watermelon, and cantaloupe and so many more. One of the ways that I enjoy eating melons, especially the honeydew variety is for breakfast with cottage cheese and a few cashews. Whenever I find a good melon or a piece that catches my eye, I’ll bring it home. If it’s a whole melon, like a watermelon, I’ll chop off a large piece of it, remove the seeds, cut it into thick slices, cut away the rind and make large cubes. I usually only cut up enough for about 2-3 days, since pre-cut melon can go mealy quickly. That way I can always enjoy having fresh melon on hand.
Mix up some spice – I can’t take credit for this idea. I wish I could because it’s a stroke of brilliance. I got the inspiration for this time saver from reading Paula Deen’s first cookbook, “Paula Deen: A Memoir: It Ain’t All About the Cookin'” She blends several different spices together and calls it her House Seasoning. This mixture is stored in an airtight container for up to 6 months. It will last you quite a while. This has saved me the hassle of always opening up and closing each individual bottle of spice that I want to use for each recipe. Paula’s ratio is 1 cup salt to 1/4 cup of any other spice you like. Here’s my take on mixing it up. I use the following seasoning base for anything and everything, chicken, fish, pork, veggies, turkey, beef, you name it. It’s my favorite go-to spice mix.
Andrea’s Spanish Style house seasoning
- 1 Cup Adobo (Spanish style seasoning)
- 1/4 cup garlic powder
- 1/4 cup fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/4 cup oregano
- 1/4 cup paprika
Reorganize your space – Make your space work for you or whoever else is doing the cooking. If you always have to bend down and grab a pot, and your back is screaming for relief, then think of ways that you can place those pots overhead. Perhaps install a pot rack or use an overhead space. The more convenient you make it, the easier, more fun and stress free it will be.
Leverage your time efficiently – If you’re going to go to the trouble of pulling out your chopping board and knife or food processor, make that effort really pay off by spending just a little more time getting a larger amount of whatever ingredient you’re chopping. This way you can cook for more than one meal at a time. For example if you’re boiling potatoes for mashing, consider other things that you can make with potatoes that you can store in the fridge. I always make a double batch of mashed potatoes because I enjoy topping a Shepherd’s pie with the leftovers or in the summer months, I love to have fresh potato salad. The rule of thumb is to think of as many uses for your ingredient that you can, that will save you time later.
Please share your thoughts with me and leave a comment letting me know what you think about this post. To leave your feedback, just click on the word, “Comment” beneath this post. Tomorrow I’ll share my tips for how to get your teenagers to help around the house more often.