The Way to a Man's Heart...

There's an old saying that goes something like this...."the way to a man's heart is through his stomach". I happen to agree that the ability to cook a good, hearty meal is an invaluable asset for any woman. Even the Proverbs 31 Woman has four different verses that describe her management of food: she brings it from afar (v.14); she gives meat to her household (v.15); she plants a vineyard (v.16); and finally, she eats not the bread of idleness (v.27).

What has happened to change the heart of the home and remove it from the kitchen? Today's options are definitely more plentiful. We have an abundance of restaurants to choose from, depending on what you are in the mood for - American, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, etc. Or there are all the commercially prepackaged and convenient options available in the store - ready to just heat and serve. And of course there is always the two biggest challenges - time and money. We never seem to have enough of either when it comes to preparing a good meal on a nightly consistent basis.

And I am no exception. I face the same challenges as everyone else. But there are a few things that I have learned over the past 20 years that have made a huge difference in putting the kitchen in its proper place - as the center of our home.

• Have a plan. Know what you are going to cook and when. Avoiding last minute decisions actually saves time and money.
• Always have the ingredients for an "emergency" dinner situation. At our house, the standby meal is Tuna Noodle Casserole. I always have the ingredients and if the schedule does not go as planned or something got left in the freezer by mistake, we can still have a quick and simple meal.
• Every meal is not going to be perfect. Cooking is both a science and a skill. You have to be willing to make mistakes to get any good at it. I still botch a meal now and then. But at least I am learning and trying. And experimenting.
• Be open to trying new recipes. You would be amazed at all the different variations you can make using the same core ingredients. Just look at hamburger as an example: hamburgers, sloppy joes, tacos, chili, spaghetti, lasagna, minestrone soup, enchiladas, meatloaf, meatballs, pizza, tater tot casserole, goulash, stuffed peppers, cabbage rolls, cheeseburger casserole, etc. All of these require hamburger as the base protein.
• Write down what your family likes to eat. After you try something new, gauge how much is left in the pan and on their plates. If it appears that most of it was actually eaten, rotate it into your meal plan.
• Get a crock pot and learn how to use it! They are awesome and a must have in every household.
• Use the right tool for the job. Seriously. Cooking is no fun at all when you don't have the right tools and you make do. But don't go overboard. Only buy tools you will use and get rid of all the extra stuff that you have bought in the past and never use.
• Cooking pots, pans, and utensils are an investment. Don't buy super cheap stuff. Remember, these are things that you will use up to three times a day for the rest of your life. You want it to last. It is better to invest a little extra up front then to have to replace something every other year because the coating is coming off.
• If you are absolutely dependent on "take and bake" convenience foods, set aside a weekend or evening to prepare your own convenience meals that you can freeze and then bake or throw in the crock pot as you need to. It is going to be more budget friendly, healthy, and a great project for the whole family. Just don't forget to take the food out of the freezer ahead of time, if necessary.
• If you invest in a good dehydrator and a good dual purpose food saver vacuum sealer, you can also prepare convenience foods as "meals in jars". Books are written with instructions and recipes on how to make these quick and easy convenience meals.
• Healthier eating does not necessarily mean it's more expensive. I hear a lot of time that eating healthy is too expensive, but I disagree. Learn how to make foods from scratch, such as bread. Use real cheese, eggs, milk, and yogurt. Water is cheaper than soda, even if you buy natural flavoring packets. You will find that most of the time, food cooked entirely from scratch at home is affordable - and generally better for you since there are not a lot of extra, lab created chemicals in the final product. Also look for alternative options. For example, I buy my oatmeal in bulk from the local Amish store. It costs roughly $0.50 per pound for a 50 pound bag, instead of the $2 or more for a canister at the store.
• There are whole websites dedicated to cooking. You can find everything from crock pot meals to freezer planning to "copycat" restaurant meals. And a lot of the websites have really good step-by-step instructions, too.
• Stay tuned to this website as I will be posting how to plan your meals, prepare your pantry, generate a shopping list, and transition to doing the bulk of the shopping once a month. Limiting shopping to one a month really saves a lot of money and time.
• And finally, keep checking out our website...there will always be some new recipes that I actually use and that have super easy instructions too. At least, I think they are easy to do.

I hope that these ideas will get you thinking more about how you are feeding your family. No restaurant, grocery store, or gas station can provide the critical ingredient of "love" that is only found in a good, home cooked meal. Just ask your husband, but only after you have mastered how to cook!

Blessings be upon you.