by Jill Pearson
This month, instead of featuring a fabulous Calvary cook and her mouth-watering recipe, “lettuce” contemplate how to find our rhythm in the kitchen. If internet memes are any sign, it’s not an easy task to feed ourselves and our families EVERY LOVIN’ DAY!
I’m not here to say each meal should be from scratch, full of the vegetables you grew in your organic garden and lovingly canned in the fall, unless you’re Jana Pecinovsky. Nor am I suggesting you are going to find your source of passion and fulfillment among the pots and pans of life. We just need to find our kitchen rhythm, which can take awhile and will be tweaked as we transition between different seasons of life.
When I was first married and a spring chicken in the kitchen, I did not know the difference between a garlic clove and a garlic bulb…hence the infamous “Mediterranean Meatball” story that we love to tell at our house, in which my husband kindly choked down the most garlicky ball of meat this side of the Mediterranean, and coughed out a considerate “yum” with watery eyes and burning sinuses. Dave is happy to report that now I am a seasoned hen in the kitchen.
If you find yourself struggling with the daunting task of feeding your tribe or feeling guilty because you served Honey Bunches of Oats for the third dinner this week, maybe these tips can help. By the way, if your hubs is the main cook, share these tips with him!
1. Choose a meal planning day, sit down with a calendar, and just do it. I typically plan on Sundays and shop on Mondays. That’s my rhythm. To reduce decision fatigue, you could build in a structure, like Italian on Mondays, Mexican on Tuesdays, leftovers on Wednesday, hubby makes chili on Thursdays, pizza on Fridays (no-brainer.) One of my friends picked her top 20 meals and just made a rotation. Another friend serves only popcorn on Sunday evenings.
At this stage of empty-nesting, I am motivated by buying cookbooks and working my way through all those yummy new recipes with interesting ingredients and techniques, but that’s because I no longer have little picky creatures squinching their noses at my creative cuisine and begging for chicken nuggets. Find what most motivates you (short of sending your kids to the neighbor’s house for dinner) and develop your rhythm around it.
2. Batch cook. Your future self will bow down and kiss your feet. If you’re frying up hamburger for sloppy joes, fry up an extra pound or two and put them in the freezer for next week’s tater tot casserole. If it’s a meal or part of a meal that freezes well, double or triple it. For a hot minute, I got on the once-a-month cooking bandwagon. But then I fell off because I had to make too many decisions and do too much work all at once. I’m better working a week at a time. That’s my rhythm. Find yours.
3. Set the mood. You can create a little cooking ambience, even if you have a toddler underfoot and a baby slung on your hip. Turn on some music. Light a candle. Pour a beverage in a fancy glass, even if it’s water. Don a cute apron. Make a little plate of nibblers. I once complained to a friend that I was so hungry while cooking meals that I would practically eat a meal before the meal. She said, “If it makes cooking more enjoyable, make yourself a little plate of appetizers and consider it part of your meal.” Genius! Also, get the best chef’s knife you can afford. It’s a game changer!
You get the idea. Start with an attitude shift, which may require copious amounts of prayer and petition. Pray in the spirit of my favorite Stormie O’Martian prayer: “Lord, give my husband a new wife, and let her be me!” Once you’ve adjusted that attitude to embrace the privilege of nourishing your family, commit to planning. Find your rhythm. Make it fun. Soon you’ll be sashaying around the kitchen like you’re Rachel Ray!
Jill Pearson is co-editor of The Stir, wife to Dave, and mom to three young adults who have flown the nest but are easily lured back with an offer of dinner. She owns and operates Riverwood Studio, an art education business, and finds creative ways to serve at Calvary.