Dinner

I am all about things that make my life easier. One thing that has really been difficult since having a child is dinner prep and finding the time to cook. Before Lauren I used to have dinner all made and ready to eat when Shawn got home from work. Now I am lucky to have eaten lunch when he gets home. It's not that I am totally incapable of having a meal ready, it's just that most days I am taking care of, playing with, feeding, loving on, etc. Lauren. Dinner does get made eventually but it has been a source of stress for me. So, I have started thinking about dinner in the morning. I lay out anything that might need to defrost. If I have time during the day while she naps I will make hamburger or cook noodles, basically anything I can cook ahead of time. If it is a casserole dish, I will try to make it during a nap so I know that later all I have to do is pop it in the oven. The other wonderful thing I totally recommend for everyone is a Food Saver. This thing is remarkable!!! If you don't have one, you need one! Basically you have this roll of bag paper (I don't know how better to explain that) that you can cut to whatever size bag you need. The food saver will seal one end and you put the food in the open end of the other side. The machine will then suck all the air out of the bag and seal the other side. When you freeze the food there is NO freezer burn taste!!! I have fried several pounds of hamburger, for instance, and then put them in individual bags. When I know I am going to have a dish that needs ground hamburger, I simply pull out one of my bags and boil it. The meat inside heats up and tastes like I just made it. My mom did this with a meatloaf she made Shawn and I after Lauren was born. I just boiled the bag, opened it up and served the meatloaf. It tasted like I had just made it. This contraption has helped me to not waste food and be more prepared when it comes to family dinners around here.