31 Days to a Better Me day 12

Todays topic for me becoming a better me is simplify my life in some way.  I think that most people would be open to simplifying their life , and I am no exception. 

Side note:  I really need to figure out a better way to start 31 day posts other than "Today...."

So I thought about ways that I could simplify or that I had recently simplified, and it reminded me of the new way that I am cooking. 

Last spring the Borders Books was going out of business and I had a gift card so shopping I went.  Let me set the scene:  3 boys gone wild, bored husband, sister on the phone with personal crisis, and books VERY picked over.  Sounds fun right?  There is one good thing that came out of it I got a new cookbook.

It is called "Quick Fix Meals" by Robin Miller.  You know from Food Network.  Anyhow I got the book and it kinda went in the cabinet and got forgotten about. Then the other day I got it down and was thumbing through it. I thought that maybe I would try her program out. 

So it goes like this: cook a lot of meat on the first night, then for the next 3 nights use the left over meat to create new meals.  I set down with the book and picked 2 different 4 night recipes and wrote a grocery list. Then I tried it out.  It really simplified my evenings. 

We have commitments basically every night and it has been so much easier for me to not have to think about what we are going to have for dinner!  Here is how I used to do it:  spend all day thinking about what protein I have, wonder what ingredients I have to make said protein into something that passes for dinner, make trip to the grocery to get other things that I didn't have, get frustrated, give up and grab something.

Now I know that I have all of the stuff, I don't think about what we are having I just make the recipe of the day.  I have dinner on the table by 5:00 so that we can be to soccer/boy scouts/ church/ whatever else by 5:30. 

Plus, the recipes so far have been great.  Some better than others but that is always the case.  The recipes are easy , healthy, and can take variations depending upon your families likes. 

The only thing is that I don't think her proportions are quite right all of the time.  I have to increase the amounts just a tad to accomodate my family of 5 but that doesn't take too many brain cells.  Thank goodness. 

I know that this is not a new concept, but it is new for me so I am amazed!!

I don't get paid for this, I just think that it is helpful!!

If this is your first time here I want to say thank you for coming.  Feel free to leave me a comment,  I have more time to read them now that I am not thinking about what's for dinner!!

Sunny