Chaos in the Kitchen

I’m the type of mommy/wife that loves to cook for my family. I usually cook 4 nights a week (Monday-Thursday), and I really prefer to cook from scratch. I don’t like cooking things from a box, although I do sometimes! I’m learning very quickly now that my little man is mobile, that some things are going to have to change about my cooking style.

While trying to trim the fat off of some chicken, and get it into the casserole dish last night, my son was running around the entire downstairs of our house, pulling things off shelves and out of cabinets. By the time I got my hands washed and caught up with him, my hair was a mess, my clothes were disheveled, and I was completely flustered! “This is not going to cut it!” I told my son, but then remembered he’s only 16 months old, and has no idea what I’m talking about. After I got him “locked” into his high chair, and poured myself a glass of Cabernet, I was already feeling better about the situation, but I knew my days of “cooking” dinner were over, at least for the time being.

As I sipped my wine, and fed my son a jelly sandwich (don’t judge!), I pulled out a few cookbooks in the hope of finding some inspiration. My friend, Susan, gave me a cookbook full of crock pot recipes when we lived in Tennessee. Then came my AHA! Moment. I can still cook my family dinners from scratch, without having to stand in the kitchen for hours in the late afternoon, when my son would rather be playing outside. My new goal is to start trying some of these crock pot recipes that I can get ready and into the crock pot during nap time. Even though I hardly have any more “free time” during his nap, it will be worth it to squeeze this one in, especially since it should make our evenings much more enjoyable!