How do you cook? Do you use a lot of different indredients? Do you take time to cook?

Question

Or are you in a hurry?
Imagine this scenario. You come home from an 10 hr day at the office. Now its time to put dinner on the table. Do you take the time to cook a nice meal for the family? or just do hamburger helper?

Answer 1

It depends on how the rest of my week has been and if I've been able to do shopping like I want to.

I usually work 10-12 hr. days or sometimes longer - depending on my work load.

I always keep staples on hand in the freezer like chicken breasts, fish, steak, pork chops, frozen pre-cooked shrimp.

And my pantry always has onions, garlic, canned tomatoes, pasta, rice, etc. and I have SOME sort of produce in the fridge that is still fresh. But even when I don't, I do make sure to keep frozen peas, corn, and mixed veggies on hand.

I can always do a quickie chicken or shrimp stirfry or pasta or rice dish.

Most of the meals I make are under 30 minutes (thank you, Rachael Ray of Food Network).

And so it's fairly easy to throw things together.

When I cook large quantity items like Chili, Stew, Lasagna, etc. and have leftovers, I freeze them in storage containers and then on nights when I am dog-tired, I have an instant meal that I have indeed cooked (that wasn't order in, or some processed thing) that is healthy to my specifications.

Using basics/staples that you always have on hand make meal preparation easy. Pre-cut/washed veggies, bags of salad and such, also make meal prep a snap.

Sometimes when I am too lazy to make a fancy sauce, I just puree veggies (fresh, canned or frozen or a combo of them) in the food processor, heat it up in a sauce pan, toss in some herbs, salt, pepper and wine and I have a gourmet-fresh sauce for chicken or fish in less than 7 minutes. It's quick, easy, healthy and really a no-brainer.

Answer 2

well it definatly would not be hamburger helper. if i put in a 10 hour day and knew i was going to the night before i would prepare a casserole of sorts so i could just throw it in the oven or i would take the time to cook a fast meal but it would still be healthy. the last option would be free for all. bowl of cereal something simple like a breakfast. But i dont have kids.

Answer 3

My wife and I take turns cooking the dinners but it usually a case of heating up premade dinners. The 2 of us get together on the weekends and thaw out all the food we are going to use for the evening meal for the week and cook it all on Sat afternoon or Sun evening and freeze it in containers then we thaw out what we need in the morning and it is ready to be reheated at dinner time. But then we don't have any children living at home anymore so it is only the two of us and the dog so....

Answer 4

Take the courgette - eggplant - wash it and peel it Slice it thin about 1/4 inch Peel and slice the onion same size Wash and peel and tomato the same size. Place eggplant slices in oven casserole pan. Drizzle with olive oil, S&P some oregano if you have it Top it with onion slices and tomato slices. Season well with S&P, some onion powder and fresh chopped garlic. **** If you have some tomato sauce like a small can 8oz pour that over it, if not, add one cup of water or chicken broth. Final drizzle with olive oil - top it off with feta cheese and bake @ 350 degrees ( I don't know what that is in the UK) for 35 - 45 minutes Make sure casserole is covered for the first 30 minutes and uncovered for the last 10-15 minutes Wash well the leeks and chop - make sure all sand and dirt is gone In a pan, some olive oil and some butter, saute them lightly until limp. Wash and peel the potatoes and boil them in salted water to make mashed potatoes as you like. When pots are mashed, pour the cooked leeks on top and stir. Put everything together. On a plate put a nice serving of the eggplant casserole and a nice serving of the mashed pots. Serve hot with some crusty bread. Edit: @ Asker - I feel like an @ss - I thought it was eggplant and I just found out it's a zucchini - If you like my recipe you can still to that with zucchini.

Answer 5

I usually cook something simple to avoid spending all my time in the kitchen. But every once in a while, more on weekends, I like to go nuts and make something really nice.

I've tried to steer clear of the packaged stuff that still needs cooking. If I'm going to go to the trouble of standing over the stove for 30-60 minutes, I'll make something from scratch. It tastes much better. If I'm feeling lazy, I'll just throw something in the oven and go sit down until it's ready.

Answer 6

I usually just bring food home from work, unless it's my day off, then I take the time to make a nice meal.

Answer 7

I NEVER use hamburger helper

Answer 8

YES I DO I ENJOY COOKING AND I TAKE BY TIME