As a kid growing up we hardly ever had take out food. On Thursday nights we'd go late night shopping and sometimes we'd get a doughnut. Occasionally...very, very occasionally, like once or twice a year we'd get Henny Penny. When I was eight we moved to the country. The town had a population of 8400 and no McDonalds, no KFC, no Pizza Hut, no nuthin'. Two Chinese restaurants and a couple or so fish and chip shops but that was it. (I was 12 before I had my first McDonalds meal It was in 1982 ad it was magic! My mum cooked every night and we dined like kings.)
Then I moved out of home and met Mister Bear within the space of 6 months Mister Bear loves take out and so I discovered, did I. I fell in love with take out in a big way and gained huge amounts of weight to prove it. As a young married couple we had take out quite a bit. Then the chickabids came along and take out was even better. After a long day dealing with fractious babies and horrible three year olds I got quite accustomed to picking Mister Bear up from the station with a "I don't care what we have for dinner tonight so long as I don't have to think about it".
I went back to work full time when Chickabid was four and the Ladybaby not quite two. We ate almost every night from the five food groups; McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC, Red Rooster and Subway. I was too tired, too stressed and beyond caring. I'd feel guilty and draw up healthy eating plans and I'd know three weeks in advance what we were going to eat every night. But I'd forget to defrost the meat. I'd be missing a vital ingredient. I'd be too tired and too stressed to care. I think Ladybaby was possibly three or older before she found out that potato could come in a form other than chips.
But last week a couple of little lightbulbs went off and it has revolutionised my life and our eating habits. I made a list for a month and I made it simple. No difficult 1000 ingredient recipes. Mostly open a jar/open a packet/open a tin foods, but all healthy and a great variety. All using what I have in the freezer already or what I could obtain from Aldi at bargain basement prices. Then, each day got a focus, to wit:
Sunday = fish (tuna or salmon most likely)
Monday = sausages
Tuesday = lamb or pork
Wednesday = beef
Thursday = chicken (thigh fillets)
Friday = mince (ground beef)
Saturday = chicken (again, but wings or drumsticks this time)
No, we're not vegetarians.
Now for the magnum opus, the kicker, the bit that has really revolutionised our meal times...
I get tomorrow's meat out today and begin defrosting it in the fridge.
It's that simple. As we speak a tray of chicken tight fillets is peacefully defrosting in the fridge ready for Honey Mustard Chicken tonorrow night. Today's rump steak is ready to be turned into a fantastic Beef Stroganoff. I *know* what we are having tomorrow and it will be ready tomorrow and reduces the excuses that can be made for getting take out.
It's not exactly rocket science and it sure Works for Me.
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