I realized while at myy folks that I almost never close a drawer or door. Do for about 6 months I've been making a conscious effort to do so...they say it takes 21 days to make a habit. um... i think it takes longer. See- I would have left the pea soup in the drawer and found it at a later date. well- not quite- but close. It might be easier to clean after it is dried.lol
Originally posted by GoingSkiing: I spilled something really awful in the drawer... can't remember what, maybe like 2 cups of split pea soup or something... but it was a terrible mess to clean up.
LOL!!!!! That made me snort...and you know me well enough to know that I am not laughing AT you but laughing in sisterhood because I have done similar things...though not that one yet, thankfully!
I did step off a 2-step stepladder with a big cup of flour a couple Thanksgivings ago and ended up on the floor on my back wearing the flour. NOT pleasant. But thankfully not as bad as cleaning pea soup out of a drawer.
(still giggling)
Personal Healthy Habits Challenge - 10/1 to 12/31/08: 1. Exercise: Get back to consistently working out 3-5 X week. 2. Food: Get back to consistently preparing healthy lunches for the week with increased veg servings. 3. Behavior: Reduce intake of sweets.
Posts: 7298 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
Originally posted by sahm: clean up as you go huh?? what's that?? hahaha. i'm a SHE and a flybaby as well.
I was cooking one day with a drawer open. I spilled something really awful in the drawer... can't remember what, maybe like 2 cups of split pea soup or something... but it was a terrible mess to clean up.
Lori has done the same thing.
Some of us learn really simple things like "close the kitchen drawer!" the hard way.
I love to cook, as long as I know what I want to make and all the ingredients for it in my kitchen. That requires planning ahead, which is my weakest link. I am, luckily, good at saying, "OK, I have X, Y, and Z. I'll make XYZ from that.
Having my pantry stocked with stuff for easy side dishes like couscous, and my fridge stocked with veggies, makes a huge difference. When I go to the meat market, I also try to buy extra so that I can have my freezer stocked with possibilities.
Leftovers aren't a problem because my husband loves to take them for lunches. He also -- this is one of his very best features -- will clean up after me (the human tornado) if I cook. He doesn't like to cook much but will cook in a pinch if I tell him what to make and make sure all the stuff he needs is there.
The days that I get weak and want to go out are when I arrive home STARVING, there is nothing quick to make in the house, and I'm cranky. I have found a few healthier options because we were falling back on pizza too often.
There are a couple of places in town where I can have takeout in 15-20 minutes. Cooking at home usually turns out to be faster and easier than actually going out to eat, and is also cheaper.
The thing I hate most is deciding going out when I'm tired and cranky and getting seated next to a family with a screaming child -- or even worse, the guy who talks on his cell phone at the top of his voice the entire time. Then I feel like not only did I make a bad food choice and spend $30-$50 on a dinner, I also didn't get to relax and enjoy myself. The last time that happened, I made my husband promise me to remind me of the experience the next time I wanted to "treat myself" to dinner out.
----------- Jen
Posts: 2868 | Location: Ohio | Registered: March 11, 2004
clean up as you go huh?? what's that?? hahaha. i'm a SHE and a flybaby as well. I'm pleased at the moment that the countertops are clean and I'm planning on making burittos w/ canned beans and leftover pot roast... clean up shouldn't be toooooo bad. Congrats on the TJs. every time I go I find another 'treat.' um..those of you that clean up as you go are not SHEs...LOL...and if you don't know what it is you are not one either..hahaha... amy
clean up is the biggest gripe. and all the shopping i have to do. i wish i could wave a magic wand and have those groceries delivered for free. actually, after travelling this weekend, i was just thrilled to return to my own stove. it is no fun living in a hotel, at the mercy of convenience stores, restaurants, etc. i like the luxury of stocking up on the things i need and knowing they are available. i also like a hot meal that came directly from my stove. another difficulty is cooking for my family. they have different tastes. sometimes, i feel like i am cooking 3 different meals. it is hard enough to cook one meal. i do a lot of asian. i also love mexican. dd does not care for mexican. dh does not care of japanese. i could eat sushi until the cows come home. so that gets frustrating. but all in all, i love cooking. it is an outlet for creativity and fun. and i know that what i am cooking is fresh and wholesome. sometimes, when i eat at a restaurant, i think to myself "icky. i cannot believe i paid good money for THIS." because you can see that the restaurant did not use the freshes ingredients. Good news: the earthfare store here is closing, and a trader joe's is coming!! Yahoo!
Goals: 1. Stop thinking like a chronic dieter and start living to inspire. 2. HALT (hungry, anxious, lonely, tired) I will stop and tune in with myself should I experience these things, and respond with something healthy. 3. One word 2008: courage 4. Eat slow and mindfully.
What are your biggest "I hate to cook" gripes? I like to cook but I don't really love to cook for me by myself and that's the way it is about 99% of the time. I've gotten a lot better over the past couple of years but I fall back to eating out very easily and it is often the first toe off the wagon for me. When I've been in a relationship that was serious enough for us to regularly eat together, I was much better about it and enjoy it a lot. I *think* I would be better if I had a family to feed but maybe I'd just be more exhausted.
When you choose carryout over home cooking what's the turning point? Usually a combination of I didn't plan something which correlates with I don't have or at least know that I have what I need and/or I'm tired and over hungry after work and looking for the path of least resistance. I need to perfect the art of maintaining pantry meals fixins. I'm pretty good when the grocery store runs are regular but I'm not always terribly consistent with that.
Is cooking at home ever as bad or as time consuming as you "think" it is? I think if I make an effort to make one of the things I think will be 'fast', it works out ok and it's not so bad. Being a SHE, almost nothing in life is as big a deal as I think it is going to be, cooking included.
For your family, is cooking at home faster and easier than ordering take out? I have a few dishes I really can crank out in 10 min or less if I have the stuff but really, no, it's faster for me to go through a drive-through on the way home.
I did have a bit of good/better/best moment the other night in this arena. I really wanted chicken strips of some sort for dinner. Wendy's just took them off their menu and they were my favorites (won't look that gift horse in the mouth...totally ruined Wendy's for me I think for a while). I knew I would get fries if I went through any of the ff drivethroughs and I didn't really want them but knew I wouldn't drive away without them. I remembered I had sweet potato fries in the freezer so I decided to stop at the store. I looked at their frozen options but they were really high in fat so I went to the deli and got one piece of fried chicken instead. Figured one piece was better than getting a big bag/box for future meals. Anyway, I probably saved myself some calories, some transfat and I ate something out of my freezer. It wasn't a best meal but it wasn't the worst it could've been. I also put peas with it so I at least got a veggie which is really the problem for me with ff...no veggies.
What are your biggest "I hate to cook" gripes? The cleaning up with no help. I know I have said I like to do dishes, but not all the time. I'd like to walk away from the kitchen and just relax once in a while.
When you choose carryout over home cooking what's the turning point? We don't do carry out, we do "going out", the turning pt, is when nothing has been planned, we are all busy, and no one knows what they want. I give up. Out is better than waiting till 8:00.
Is cooking at home ever as bad or as time consuming as you "think" it is? Definitely.
For your family, is cooking at home faster and easier than ordering take out
There are only two of us most nights now, and eating out is cheaper for us, less hassle and more relaxing. We share time together and talk more than we would at home.
It's never too late to get it right.
Posts: 3473 | Location: Central USA | Registered: March 11, 2004
What are your biggest "I hate to cook" gripes? - Clean up...and especially cleaning out the dish washer!
When you choose carryout over home cooking what's the turning point?
Actually, we eat out for lunch daily and usually do take out/dine in for dinner once or twice a week. On the one day a week is usually a Thursday, our busiest day of the weekand I am to tired to cook..If we do order in on other nights , it's because we haven't gone shopping yet and we don't know what we want to eat..
Is cooking at home ever as bad or as time consuming as you "think" it is?
Cooking at home is not time consuming...I just don't know what to make half of the time..I feel like I am out of ideals.
For your family, is cooking at home faster and easier than ordering take out? No...It's about the same..
Heather Goodbye excuses!! Lets achieve those weight-loss goals!!
1. Exercise2-3 times a week
Posts: 871 | Location: Atlanta | Registered: April 13, 2004
Biggest Gripe: Cooking for two. Like the people who cook for one, things just aren't often packaged in "2" serving sizes. I realize that I'm lucky. We currently have the income and I have the schedule to make it work (like pot roast on Mondays, and then he'll take it for lunch on Tues and Wed). I also honestly enjoy cooking, so I don't find the act itself a "chore", just the planning at times.
Carryout vs home-cooking: If I'm in charge of dinner, it's cooked. When I turn over responsibility to him, it's take out. Healthy take out (we have a "take n bake" pizza place and a wonderful Greek place that he orders from). Even in take-out, it's thin crust pizza with half the toppings (that's their "lite" pizza) or lean meat/rice/vegetables with a salad (the Greek restaurant). Part of me being okay with him ordering food was getting him to "get" what healthy meant, and then ACTUALLY ORDERING THAT.
As bad or time consuming as I think it will be: Yes. On purpose. Stress relief, for me, is chopping onions and peppers, and spending time over the stove. I like it. I wish everyone did!
Cooking at home is USUALLY faster & easier. The exception is the take-n-bake pizza. He can call on the way home, pick it up, and have thin crust, light-topping pizza on the table in under half an hour. I'm still rolling out dough after rising at that point.
Challenge Goals: *10 minutes of unplanned exercise five times a week *Gym time twice a week *Socialize at least once every two weeks.
Cleaning up after. Making the deciion day in and day out of what dinner is going to be. Once in awhile DH and DS will give input, but I frequently get "I don't care" from DH, and "But I don't want that (whiney voice)" from DS. (DS always wants what we don't have.
I also frequently don't relish the idea of cooking after working all day. I typically do enjoy cooking on the weekends. I think part of that is if I have time, I make cool and interesting things. When I don't (like after work) I stick to tried and true (boring) or quick things (which can also be boring.)
When you choose carryout over home cooking what's the turning point?
Frequently, at the request of DH or DS. OR we're not really going to be home. (Eating before or after a sport practice or game.) OR the commute was an hour and a half or two hours instead of 45 mins. to an hour and I can't wait any longer.
Also, sometimes like both Denise and Sheri sent, sometimes I just want real buffalo wings or _______. Some restaurant food I can make better at home, but some I cannot.
Is cooking at home ever as bad or as time consuming as you "think" it is?
Sometimes no, sometimes it is worse. I made "homemade" pizza the other day. I didn't make the dough, I bought the dough, but I made everything else. BBQ chicken pizza with carmelized onions. It was delicious, but by the time I had gotten it in the oven, I had been working on it for an hour. It wasn't difficult, but I said to DH after "This pizza really isn't quick and easy. I have been working on this for an hour and now it has to bake."
For your family, is cooking at home faster and easier than ordering take out? It may not be faster if I am getting in the car, driving somewhere and then coming home. Picking it up if I'm already out is faster. Ordering (like to be delivered) isn't necessarily faster,HOWEVER, in the 30-45 minutes I am waiting for the food to be delivered, I can be cleaning, doing laundry, hepling DS with homework...while I'm waiting, so it can be time saving in that sense.
Dawn
"Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You have to set yourself on fire." anonymous
Posts: 4303 | Location: Indianapolis, IN | Registered: March 15, 2004
Cooking for one when most foods (not to mention most recipes) are packaged to be cooked for 4 or more. I really don't have the problem with cooking for one that most people have (that they just don't know how to cook for 1 person or feel they aren't worth the effort). My gripe is that so many foods are packaged in a way that I either have to waste food or eat the same food over and over in order to buy it.
Coming home from an 11-hour work day, tired and mentally fatigued and knowing that, because I live alone, there isn't going to be food in my mouth unless I either order it or make it.
Cleaning up after cooking. The concept of cleaning up as you go is foreign to me (I'm learning). I have no dishwasher. If I'm already exhausted/sick, then chances are that if I do talk myself into cooking, I'm not going to clean up after I cook...and then it's going to become a problem for another day. When things get too bad or stay bad too long in my kitchen, it negatively affects my mental well-being.
When you choose carryout over home cooking what's the turning point?
For me, personally, it is usually less a time issue than a craving/emotional issue. For example, last Thursday, when I stayed home sick from work because I was in such intense pain after physical therapy, I didn't drag myself out of the house and drive to Rockland's BBQ and bring home a fatty pork BBQ sandwich and french fries because I didn't want to cook. I did it because I was in pain and I wanted to be comforted by fatty food.
Sure, there are times when it is about time, esp. when I have something scheduled after work and I need to eat in a very short period of time, but this is less an issue in my life these days.
Is cooking at home ever as bad or as time consuming as you "think" it is?
Absolutely. For those of us who were not taught to cook, who do not have self-confidence in our cooking and for whom cleaning does not come naturally, cooking can be a chore.
That's not to say I don't ever enjoy it. Sometimes I enjoy it quite a lot. Like this week, I was immensely proud of the meals I made for my lunches. Yesterday, I took an extra lunch to a coworker who is going through a really tough time right now. She raved about the meal and said that she could easily serve a meal like that to dinner guests. She couldn't believe I put that kind of time and attention into lunch--she usually eats plain yogurt or a salad.
For your family, is cooking at home faster and easier than ordering take out?
You're kidding, right? No way on God's green Earth. Oh wait, you said ordering take out. I rarely do that. So okay, ordering takeout can take 45 minutes to an hour sometimes and sure I could cook faster than that. But I can drive to Wendy's and get fast food and be back in less time than I could cook mostly anything.
What I mostly do when I eat fast food or any fatty store-bought food is that I get it on the way home. So the most pivotal time for me is when I am in the car. If I can talk myself out of turning left (Wendy's, Rockland's, ZPizza, Baja Fresh, etc.) instead of right (home), I have won half the battle. The other half is figuring out what to make once I get home that is going to satisfy that craving/need I have. That's sometimes as hard as the first part.
Personal Healthy Habits Challenge - 10/1 to 12/31/08: 1. Exercise: Get back to consistently working out 3-5 X week. 2. Food: Get back to consistently preparing healthy lunches for the week with increased veg servings. 3. Behavior: Reduce intake of sweets.
Posts: 7298 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
For me, it's usually the end of the week, "I'm exhausted & the only one who cooks around here" irritation and/or frustration.
Because I want a break and my DH is a non-cook. He only knows how to make 2 or 3 things, and I don't always have that stuff on hand. Besides, if he does cook, I end up doing half the work anyway, because he "forgets" how to do stuff. ("forgets" because I'm not sure if he's sincere or just lazy, which is also very possible.)
When I've had a chance to breathe, I love to cook. I clean up as I go, and try to get the dishes right away, since I portion control everything (I usually cook double batches to freeze individual portions) and let them soak through the meal. The only time I feel like cooking at home is bad is the above mentioned situation.
I prefer to eat at home because no matter how good I am at whatever restaurant, I always find myself caught by the sodium levels. And I usually think the quality is better at home. period.
Life is like a roller coaster, with lots of ups and downs, but the curves, spirals, loops and corkscrews are what make life interesting.
When you choose carryout over home cooking what's the turning point?
It is usually my Toddler Within saying, "ME WANT TACO BELL TONIGHT!!!!!!"
Sad but true… I really LIKE Taco Bell. I like fast food.
Is cooking at home ever as bad or as time consuming as you "think" it is?
Truthfully, yes. Sometimes, it is much, much worse.
I've worked in food service... I KNOW about "clean as you go". But in food service... I usually did ONE job... like standing at the stove flipping eggs... or veg prep. I didn't do prep AND cook AND wash dishes...
My "before" dirty kitchen photo was taken after making tamales and DESTROYING the kitchen... A person does not want to spend two hours making tamales (and the worst part was… the weren’t even that good! ) then spend two hours cleaning the kitchen. That is the kind of thing that makes you not want to cook again for about 8 days.
I have to be consciously thinking the whole entire time I‘m cooking, “Don’t put the dirty spoon on the counter (since then I‘ll have a dirty spoon AND a dirty counter), put it in the dishwasher. Now that the broccoli is chopped, put the stalks in the compost and wipe the counter NOW... don't wait!” (DH thinks maybe I have ADD or something… and it literally takes a lot of mental energy for me to always be thinking about how to not destroy the kitchen… but if I can do it… anybody can.)
Fortunately, dinner co-op helps a LOT, too. I’m making enchiladas and fruit salad next Monday and that will be a sort of labor intensive dinner and will take about 5 hours to shop and prepare the dinner and clean up and deliver dinner to 3 families… but on Tues, Wed, Thurs (and Friday, with leftovers)… I won’t have to cook dinner. So, I’m very fortunate. It isn’t a REAL savings of time… but I only have to shop, cook, and clean one night… for 5 nights of (healthy) dinners.
For your family, is cooking at home faster and easier than ordering take out?
I had to change my definition of “cooking” and “healthy”.
For a while, I thought that “eating healthy” meant eating only organic food… which required a 45 min drive EACH way to Whole Foods. And only buying fresh vegs, which required prep (and mess making) and always cooking from scratch… never using frozen or jars or pre cut vegs. And only using whole grains…
We lived sort of schizophrenic life for a few months. We either ate made from scratch organic food… or fast food. (Some serious all or nothing thinking...)
Now, we eat Kraft Mac and cheese out of the box sometimes. Making a box of mac and cheese with skim milk and leaving out the butter and “cooking” a side of frozen vegs is healthier (and faster) than most take out. There are a lot of times where “cooking” at our house is making WW pasta and opening a jar of store bought marinara sauce and opening a bag of salad.
Actually, watching CT was a huge eye opener for me. I’ll never forget the episode where you made a fish dinner faster than the MD went to buy it.
Making an egg McMuffin at home (even with the minimal clean up of one pan and one plate) is healthier, less calories and truly is faster than driving to McDonald’s and sitting in the drive thru.
Also, your whole chapter in the second book about you moving into a house and not being able to afford a stove or fridge and eating canned and salad bar food for ____ months… REALLY helped me! There have been MANY times where we had to be some place and don’t have time and we have eaten canned chili with tortillas from the freezer and some baby carrots and called it “Dinner”. In the past, we would have driven thru and bought dinner on the way to our destination.
THE DIRTY DISHES AFTER. they take more time than the cooking. cooking doesn't really take much time. i made a home made apple pie yesterday (to take to a friend) in 30 min (not including oven time) and that included the homemade crust and peeling and cutting the apples but my kitchen looked like a tornado had been thru it and it took me over 30 min to clean it!
I really do love to cook but what often pushes me to choose carry-out vs. cooking at home would be:
1)Too small of a kitchen and a stove that I hate. It is hard to prepare things when your counter space is so limited. If I chop veggies or something on a cutting board my counter space(because there is also a toaster and coffee maker there) is pretty much used up.
2)If there are dishes that need to be done, again the limited counter space thing.
3)This is only temporary, but being on crutches limits my abilities in the kitchen.
I chose home cooking last night over take-out. I really did not want to cook. But once it was all said and done, I'm glad I did. It did not take me any longer to prepare and cook dinner than it would have to call and order, sit and wait, and then eat whatever high-calorie/fat dinner I chose. And the dinner I made was really good. Some nights time becomes and issue but that all comes down to planning, which I try to do but sometimes it just doesn't work out.
Jill
Summer Challenge Goals: 1) Walk 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week 2) Plan weekly menus
What are your biggest "I hate to cook" gripes? I hate cooking for 1.... hate it, hate it, hate it!
When you choose carryout over home cooking what's the turning point? Usually its a time factor for me. I've gotten off the commuter bus and I have to be at Yoga Class in 30 minutes so I don't really have time to go home and cook. I'm working on carrying snacks with me so I can forego the run to the fast food joint for a quick burger and a diet coke to get me through.
Is cooking at home ever as bad or as time consuming as you "think" it is? I'm learning to batch cook, especially now that I am really working on clean eating. It cuts down the annoyance of cooking for 1 and it saves my hiney if I get up late (like this morning for example). I was able to grab a container for lunch, a couple apples and a couple things of string cheese and I am good to go for today.
For your family, is cooking at home faster and easier than ordering take out? If I've got together, cooking at home is much easier - not to mention healthier.
) then spend two hours cleaning the kitchen. That is the kind of thing that makes you not want to cook again for about 8 days.