mizchef

Hi, kids. In case you haven’t guessed, I’m a foodie. I love to eat. But I’m also a cook (some have even called me a chef), and when a foodie and/or chef can’t cook, it’s problematic.

I’ve never experienced a time when I’ve had no time to cook, at least on the weekends. The circumstances of my life have changed in numerous ways over the past year or so, which has changed what I am able to do with my time. Most recently, about two months ago, I started a new job after being unemployed for a year and a half. And a direct result of that is that I have almost no time to cook. Over the past two months, I’ve relied almost exclusively on my mother’s leftovers. See, my brother and I usually go each Saturday to have lunch with my parents. Mom cooks for 28 people, even though it’s just the four of us. As you can imagine, we take home lots of leftovers. And it’s great. I love my mother’s cooking and all I have to do when I get home from work is pop some in the toaster oven, or into a pan, or in the microwave (notice I listed that last).

But it’s frustrating when one loves to cook but simply doesn’t have the time. It also impacts your diet (if you’re on one) because you lose control of what you’re eating. Fortunately, my mom’s leftovers are generally on the healthy side, but it’s still a challenge putting together a breakfast and lunch menu that I can easily take to work. A few times, I’ve had to go out and buy lunch, which is dangerous for me.

This past weekend (Memorial Day), I actually had time to cook and set myself up for the week. I cooked a big pot of vegetarian chile, some veggie burritos, a veggie frittata, and some millet to go with the chile. Now, I have some still in the fridge and some in the freezer for future desperate times. And now I plan on starting a diet next week. I mean, a real diet. So I have to do some real preparing.

I have to figure something out, figure out a way to get some more cooking in. Maybe I just need a little more time to settle back into a routine. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Have a great week, everyone.

Peace.