Day 313: January Cleaver

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Ya know… I’m just gonna lay it out there…

I… don’t like to cook.

Nope… no June Cleaver here.

Maybe this will change when all my kids are in school (unless I have a job again…) and I’ll have time to prep dinner before everyone is home. But… currently, cooking only brings me stress. Plus… I have pretty much zeroooooooo cooking instincts.

But at the same time… I know that as much as I might not enjoy cooking… I need to cook.

Why?

Because I DO love to eat.

I love flavor. I love the taste. I love to savor things. I love the conversation around the dinner table.

And when I am missing out on those things pretty frequently, then… I start scrounging. I guess it is my body trying to find the nutrients that I am not getting in meal-snacking (meals that are made up of snacky type eating).

I have been provided an abundance of food, of recipes, of cooking utensils, spices, and the like. I have easy access to grocery stores. I have an oven that works (no, it’s not pretty… but it works!). I have a stovetop that works (also not very attractive – ha!). And most importantly, I have three (count em) three crockpots.

So, because of all of that, I also have no excuses.

And last night I decided to plan out my meals. Tomorrow I will go to the grocery store and get what I need. And I will cook. June Cleaver be derned. I will cook.

  • Thursday: Brenner (Breakfast for dinner)… eggs, hash browns, grits {for the boys… lil smokies sausage and pancakes}
  • Friday: Potato Soup (thinking of trying Paula Dean’s recipe that uses frozen hash browns because the store was, literally, OUT of potatoes).
  • Saturday: Fish tacos (it might not be fancy, but frozen tilapia works awesomely for this… with a litte cajun seasoning)
  • Sunday: Crock Pot Stuffed Bell Peppers
  • Monday: Veggie Paninis
  • Tuesday: Stir Fry
  • Wednesday: Vegetarian Enchiladas
  • Thursday: THANKSGIVING… yummy stuffing and sweet potatoes and my mom’s broccoli!
  • Friday: Stuffed Mushrooms
  • Saturday: Black Bean Burgers

*Ironically enough, I wrote out this post and then never went tot the grocery store. It was originally because I knew that I could stretch what we had in our pantry for a few days and since we are on a bit of a snug budget, I decided that was the way to go. But I have cooked every night! We had Brenner and then Friday we had Italian Bean Soup and last night we had Black Beans and Rice.

Day Fifteen: The Pancake Problem

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Today I had no energy to think about cooking… or eating… or anything! It was a cold, rainy day and my oldest boy woke up about 8,324 times last night because the downspout is right outside his window and it essentially sounds like a battle going on out there when it rains. So, needless to say I was in sleepy-survival mode.

And when he asked for pancakes for lunch, I was relieved that he requested something simple. (He does not have my issue with gluttony… getting him to eat anything is a miracle, so he pretty much gets to eat whatever he asks for… within reason, of course.) But I didn’t want to think about what to cook for myself too, so I thought… okay, pancakes are essentially bread. I can eat bread. It’s not like I put syrup on my pancakes anyway. I shouldn’t have a problem with them.

Well…… yes. And no.

I guess in the pancake mix that I use there is juuuuuuust enough sugar to have made those pancakes taste like the most delectable treat that I have ever had in my life. And there popped up my gluttony in a heartbeat. I ate, like, seven of them. Now they were like little silver dollar pancakes, but the point is that I was completely and totally satisfied after three of them.

I didn’t cross the “line” of the covenant technically, but oh my I sure was standing directly on it. And it backfired. So my mind renewal is that I’m attempting to be above reproach. I don’t want to get ON the line… I want to stay as far AWAY from the line as possible. And here, I “sweet talked” (haha, another diet pun) myself into thinking that those pancakes would be okay for me. But in the end, they didn’t satisfy my soul. Those dern pancakes made me feel empty and defeated. By oversatisfying my body, my soul ended up feeling starved. And some food for thought on that point (hehe, get it… “food” for thought?!?!?! I know. I’m a nerd.)…

O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy. I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely. Psalm 63:1-8