Benefits of Cooking Ahead

I used this system a few weeks ago, before we left on our vacation.  I know how busy our weekly schedule is, so I didn't want my mom to have to stress over cooking as she juggled the many activities after school.

Two weeks before I left (the first week of school), I took advantage of the long, quiet days, and cooked ahead.  I cooked chicken enchiladas, spaghetti, tacos, stuffed shells, bbq chuck roast (crockpot), banana bread, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, chicken heroes, and pizza stuff ALL IN ONE DAY!!  The best part of that day was our dinner.  We ate lasagna with friends in their new, beautiful kitchen!  I think I mentioned it before, but when I cook something all day, I can never bring myself to eat it that night.  It's too far into my nasal cavity to contemplate tasting it, too.  I know, I'm wierd, that is a fact.  So, our weekly dinner with this family (at their house) fit in just perfectly.

If you want to see perfect (and beautiful), check out their kitchen on the brick floor website!  The lasagna was terrific, too, and not only because it was cooked by someone other than me!

Once I returned home from our week dodging hurricanes, I still had several items in the freezer.   Using my pre-cooked dinners, I had 4 entrees this week - 2 went with us to scouts and we ate 2 at home.  It was so nice to have them available right after returning from a vacation.  I could concentrate on laundry, cleaning, and spending time with the kids rather than cooking dinner every night.

As we approach fall, I will add soups to my list.  I try to have soup night on Mondays.  We have so many activities that night, it is easy to keep hot soup in the crock pot and serve it in a custom time frame, according to each family member's schedule.

If you have any good freezer-safe recipes, I'd love to have them.  I am always looking for a new addition to my "cook ahead" repertiore.

A Month of Meals

While on vacation in Texas, I received some great feedback on my blog.  I really enjoyed hearing what you think about my topics and what your favorites have been. A few weeks ago,  I received an email from one of my readers who was inquiring exactly how I accomplished my “organized cooking phase” and how I incorporated the slow cooker into my routine.  Rather than responding only to her, I figured some of you might be interested in hearing more, too, so let me explain.

I’ve talked to many friends who have organized their own rendition of monthly cooking.  My favorite was a neighbor in Oklahoma.  They had 4 families in a “group”.  Each family was assigned a week – during their week the cooking family was responsible for cooking the main course for their family and the other 3.  They delivered the food everyday at  a certain time.  The non-cooking family prepared their own vegetables and sides and received a home-cooked meal 4 nights a week for 3 weeks.  However, with our family size, and the fact that we have moved around so much, I was never able to find 3 other families with whom we could collaborate.

Instead, I decided to record a list of meals our family liked well enough to eat on a regular basis.  The list I remember included:  tacos, spaghetti, lasagna, chicken tetrazzini, chicken enchiladas, hamburgers, pork chops (couldn’t leave those out, 18f!), and ham.  In addition, I listed vegetables and sides that would complement our meals.  I actually cooked the entrées and some of the vegetables in one cooking session.  At the end of one month, I would plan the grocery list for the upcoming month.

Here's how my system works: I spent 2 days (usually) preparing the main courses.  I would begin by boiling, enough chicken for the enchiladas and tetrazzini.  While it was cooking, I also browned enough ground beef to cover the tacos, spaghetti, and lasagna.  While all meats were on the stove, I made patties from ground round and froze them individually in freezer bags.  Once the beef had been cooked, I separated the taco meat and seasoned it accordingly.  I then added the spaghetti sauce (either canned, or what I had also cooked on the stove).  Now I was ready to divide the meat sauce for spaghetti and lasagna.  I cooked the spaghetti noodles while I assembled the lasagna.  Once the lasagna was ready, the spaghetti could be mixed and placed in a pan.  I used all of my casserole dishes and reused Sister Schubert’s round aluminum tins to hold all of my prepared dishes.

The enchiladas and tetrazzini were also made in tandem.  As the tetrazzini ingredients melded on the stove, I assembled the enchiladas.  Once it was all said and done, I would have a total of 4 to 6 pans of tetrazzini (my recipe makes a ton), 2 pans of lasagna (8x8), 2 Sister-sized pans of spaghetti, hamburgers, 2 batches of taco meat, and 3 pans of enchiladas.  Once it was all done, I had at least 17 day’s worth of food for us to eat (and share when someone needed dinner due to a  new baby).  We still had sandwiches and grilled various meals, so really, I had more than enough to cover a month or two!   Looking back on those days, the task seems daunting, but it didn’t take too long.  After all, I had 3 kids 5 and under plus a newborn!  The hardest part was planning it all and being disciplined enough to spend that much continuous time in the kitchen.

I get tired of food on a regular basis, so I can’t serve something more than once in a week.  If we have left-overs, I will reheat and serve it, but I try to make the portions small enough that we don’t have to eat it more than twice in a week.

This plan really cuts out excess grocery trips during the week.  I found that I could go once a week to replenish milk, bread, and produce, thus reducing the excess that I pick up when I am there everyday!

St. Thomas

I have to say, St. Thomas was my favorite island.  It was the cleanest.  The views were the best from both sides.  The people were very friendly and respectable.  The food was pretty good.  It was very easy to get around.  I have never seen so many taxi vans!

We started out the day shopping in town.  The stores were very nice.  Most of the stores were selling jewelry.  We had lunch at a local restaurant called Cuzzins.  Tim had bbq chicken, sweet potatoes, and fungi.  When he ordered the fungi, I could just picture a big green blob on the plate, straight off a tree.  Fortunately for him, it was really a mix of cornmeal and okra.  Strange, but fairly good.  I had a fish sandwich with french fries (much safer and rather tasty).

After lunch we ventured across the island to Magen's Bay.  Magen's Bay is listed as a top 10 beach in National Geographic.  It was really pretty.  The waters were calm and clear.  The beach was quite crowded, but we enjoyed a couple of hours in the sun and sand.

We finished our day in St. Thomas at KMart.  Of all things, we had to buy another suitcase.  We really didn't buy that much, but we were so close to the limit (50 lbs.), that we had to spread our stuff out.  

Once we pulled out of port, we headed to our last dinner with our new friends.  Then the packing began and the vacation was almost over.  We woke up Sunday morning to rain in Puerto Rico.  Hurricane Ike had just passed through.  We flew through some turbulence for about an hour and then the flight was smooth.  You know we are always desperate for mexican food, right?  On our way home, we picked up Pappasitos to go.  We had tacos al carbon, guacamole, chips, and fresh tortillas while we rehashed the whole trip en route to see our children and my mom at home in Tennessee!!!

#25 - St. Marten/St. Maarten

Today we docked in St. Marten.  I couldn't believe it - waking up morning after morning to beautiful ports with the same crystal blue water.  After growing up in Galveston with murky, green water and small dots of oil on the surface, I am still excited by the thought of seeing my toes in the ocean.  

Tim had great plans for adventure today.  He was my travel guide.  He read about every single island before we left - he knew what restaurants we should try, which beaches were the best and safest, and other noteworthy sights throughout the whole trip.  I, on the other hand, had to ready the house and schedule for grandparents!  I really wanted the whole "taking care of 4 children" deal to be as easy as possible and that takes A LOT of organization.  I'm sure you can understand my need to take a tour book with me rather than reading it ahead of time.  We are such a good pair - he reads and I organize.  

So, back to the adventure.  Since the cars drive on the same side of the road as we do in the United States, today was our opportunity to rent a car and explore.  I am sorry to say, this is the only picture of our day in the blue jeep.  Here is a glimpse of Tim as we traversed the very narrow streets of the island (just picture me beside him in my bikini and shorts).  You would think we were 20 again!  Don't you love the "10 and 2" position and the clenched jaw!

After hopping in the jeep and figuring out the right direction, we headed out to begin our circle around the island.  Our first goal was to find some of the less crowded beaches.  The roads wind around the coastline and in between the small towns there are various beaches.  It is rather difficult to find access to many of them, but we did find that Rouge Baie was easy to see.  We parked in the small lot and ventured out with towels.  Unfortunately, there were several men at the entrance trying to convince us to rent beach chairs from them.  There were also some bikini-clad models in the middle of a photo shoot.  Once we walked out onto the beach, it really was secluded.  We were early, so it may have filled up, but for our purpose, it was perfect!

The water was rather rough.  The waves were breaking violently, but once you got past the break, it was much better.  This might shock you, but I did have one grand purpose for this beach.  I had to strip down real quick, run to the water, swim for 5 minutes and hop back out as fast as I could.  Time is ticking away and I have to check things off of my "40" list!  Oh yes I did!!!  YAHOO!  (I was not alone in this venture I'll let you know).

We didn't read the sign until we were driving off - oops!!

Back on the road again, we wandered on around to Orient Bay.  We spent 3 hours on Bikini Beach.  This is supposed to be one of the top beaches in the world.  It really was beautiful.  We walked the length of the beach, beginning with chairs and fully clad swimmers, and ending with a beach full of nude bathers.  We cut that walk short - too much information for me!

Once we'd had enough sun, we jumped back in the jeep and drove back to the port.  St. Marten wasn't my favorite although the ride in the jeep was fun.  I'll just record it as our most adventurous day! 

Antigua

My favorite day!

I had the roughest start this morning.  I was feeling rather motion sick.  We travelled from St. Lucia several hundred miles to Antigua at a rapid clip, plus the ocean had large swells due to the hurricanes that were in the vicinity.  I was worried that our day on a smaller boat would make me feel worse, but I felt fine once we disembarked from our ship.

We met our tour at the nearby dock.  The tour picked up 7 of us (including Tim and I) and we headed over to Sandals Resort to pick up 8 other passengers.  Once on board, the crew introduced themselves and they outlined the itinerary for the day.  We didn't think they were serious, but one of the crew was named "One Love".  The others were Tony and Surge.  Characters they were, and they were great hosts!

Our first stop was about 100 yards off shore from Long Island.  Ken Follett has a house there, along with many other multi-millionaires.  We could see starfish all over the bottom of the sea while we were anchored.  We didn't swim, because along with the starfish, there were lots and lots of jellyfish.  

We travelled through the Caribbean around various islands where we learned about sea turtles, baby fish, and sharks.  We pulled up to the shore on Bird Island and hiked to the top of the hill.  We could see for miles.  We swam in the water near the boat, and ate lunch on the island.

After lunch, we continued on our journey through the sea to "Hell's Gates".  This is a natural island with a bridge/tunnel that has been carved out by the meeting of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.  Some of the passengers hopped out into the choppy water to snorkel.  Tim and I followed Tony through the water to the bridge.  We walked up to the opening and then climbed up the cliffs where we could walk over the bridge.  I have to admit, I was a little nervous swimming in the rough waters, but it was definitely worth the risk. In the picture, the Atlantic is on the far side of the bridge.  The water looks calm in this shot, but when the water washed into the cove it was scary!

While I was climbing up,  I found a cute little crab which I took back to the boat for a while.  It was in it's shell just hanging out. 

After our adventure on the bridge, they took us out to the middle of the Caribbean and stopped near a reef.  We hopped into our snorkel gear and jumped out of the boat.  Surge guided us through the reef where we could see all sorts of sea life.  Toward the end, I nearly collided with a jellyfish.  Fortunately, I saw it in time and squirmed out of the way.  

We had a great day!  Here I am with my new shirt (One Love is beside me).  I decided I needed something to commemorate my walk on top of Hell's Gates!

Here's our ship as it waited for us to return...

St. Lucia

The next morning we woke up docked in St. Lucia.  Talk about amazing beauty!  Just look at the view we saw from our balcony!

We spent the day at the Rendezvous Resort on this island.  We purchased a half-day pass and had access to their private beaches, lunch and beverages all day long.  It was so relaxing and quiet.  The beach was protected by a natural rock jetty, so the waves were very small.   The temperature of the water was perfect.  I could stay in as long as I wanted without getting too cold, and since you could see your feet, I never got the panicked feeling as I wondered what was about to sting or pinch me!

This resort had 2 lovely pools, 2 beaches, a small marina for sailboats, and a spa.  We enjoyed a side-by-side massage in a screened hut.  The hut was so close to the ocean that we could hear the waves hitting the shore the whole time.  They served a huge buffet lunch on the veranda.  What a day!

Once we returned to the ship, we hung out on the top deck to watch latecomers return to the ship.  If you are not on the ship on time, you run the risk of being left behind.  Evidently, watching latecomers is ship entertainment.  Everyone already on the ship stands on the dock-side of the ship and cheers for the stragglers as they run to the ramps.  Today the last 2 on board were a bride and groom.  They had just gotten married, so they had to run in their wedding duds.  I have a feeling the captain knew they would be late, but they ran anyway.  

Puerto Rico and Barbados

Whew!  I'm exhausted!  This is only my 2nd day back from the Caribbean and I am indeed tuckered out.  I think it must be a shock to the system - from lying in a beach chair straight back into the rigors of motherhood.  I hope I adapt quickly.  While I rest, I will update you on the details of our trip.

We started our trip in Puerto Rico.  It was really beautiful with the crystal clear waters and palm trees dotting the coastline.  Our hotel (The Hilton Caribe) had an open-air lobby with a great view of the ocean.  We spent Saturday touring Old San Juan.  It was hot and humid!  We experienced a short rain shower which was timely - it arrived right before I melted.

Once we were finished with our walking tour, we decided to walk back to the hotel.  It was an interesting 2 mile walk.  and painful.  I finished with 3 major blisters and Tim had 2.  These pics show some of the houses right on the shoreline.  The neighborhood was poverty-stricken, but they have spirit, don't you think?  Who needs a fancy house when you can have a zebra/tiger striped roof?  

Poverty-stricken, maybe.  TV starved?  Not a chance.  Direct TV must have been running a special.  I'll bet the inhabitants all have cell phones, too.  

We had the very best dinner at The Parrot Club on Friday night.  We ate ceviche, tostones, and chorizo crusted snapper.  My mouth is watering just writing about it.  We also had our worst dinner in Puerto Rico.  We ate at an Argentinian restaurant and had a sampler grill featuring tenderloin, short ribs, chorizo, chicken, blood sausage, and sweet breads.  I listed the worst last - they were muy terrible!

We spent Sunday morning by the pool/ocean.  Then, we packed up and embarked on the Adventure of the Seas.  

Sunday night, we met our dinner companions in the dining room.  When we booked the trip, we had planned to eat at a table with 8 to 10 other travellers, but we wound up at a table with just 6.  It's kind of strange to sit down to a group of people who you've never met.  We were the last ones there and I didn't know what to expect.  The other 2 couples were very friendly and they were very young.  We were the oldest by about 10 years.  Being the oldest is still a strange phenomenon for me.  We were the youngest married couple for so long (since we married when we were 22) - in Sunday School, in Tim's family, in medical school, at work, etc.  Evidently that phenomenon has ended.  It rarely happens anymore.

Anyway, we introduced ourselves and became well-acquainted throughout the week with a West Point graduate and his wife (they have a 14-month old), and a couple from Virginia who had just discovered that they were expecting twins.  When they announced that fact, I had to exert all energy to maintaining a straight face.  I can only imagine the joy and challenge they will be faced with in the next 12 months!  Here we all are with our waiters:

Monday morning we sailed all day long.  We just happened to wake up at 5:45 am, so we both sat out on the balcony to watch the sunrise.  It was beautiful.  Since we were on vacation, we headed back in after we took a picture and went back to bed!!

The water was fairly smooth considering the fact that there were a few hurricanes swirling around.  Tuesday morning we docked in Barbados.  We walked through town and found a local beach where we could swim and sunbathe.  I've never seen such clear water. 

We had the beach to ourselves for a few hours.  It was quiet and peaceful.  By mid-morning, the beach started to fill up with cruisers who had slept late.  We had the best time just people watching.  The funniest people we saw were 2 couples (travelling together).  The girls didn't have their bathing suits on, so they put their bikinis on over their clothes and very carefully pulled their clothes off from under the bikini.  Now, I used to do that at camp or at a sleepover, but on a beach with a bikini?  I haven't done that....

 Once we'd had enough of the beach, we headed out to find a flying fish sandwich - evidently in Barbados it is legendary.  It was good - and the bajan hot sauce is definitely hot. 

 At the end of the day, we headed back to the ship to get ready for our first formal dinner.  It was a fun day!

Top 20

The 20 best things about our vacation – other than the fact that I don’t have to be responsible for anyone or anything – no meals, no laundry, no cleaning, no taxi driving. 

 

1.     I can sleep as late as I want to for 9 days straight.

2.     Dinner at the Parrot Club in Puerto Rico.

3.     Listening to the waves lap against the shore at the Hilton in Puerto Rico.

4.     Watching the very talented honeymooning girls arrive at the beach in Barbados as they change into their bathing suits on the beach – putting bathing suits on top and removing the clothing underneath bit by bit.

5.     The water is the clearest I’ve ever seen.  It is absolutely beautiful – blue all the way to my toes.

6.     Our day at the Rendezvous Resort in St. Lucia.  The island was beautiful and the food was yummy, too.

7.     Meeting 2 other fun couples at dinner.  We’ve had so much fun getting to know them.

8.     Taking an Eco-Tour around the island of Antigua.  We hiked to the top of Bird Island and walked on top of Hell’s Gates.  We swam in the Caribbean Sea and in the Atlantic where the two merged together.  The water was really rough with the hurricanes nearby.

9.     Snorkeling in the Caribbean and successfully avoiding a jellyfish.  I squealed so loud, they heard me in the boat.

10. Meeting “One Love”, “Surge”, and “Tony” – our Eco-Tour hosts and captain.

11. Enjoying our Romantic package.  Tim ordered a package for us which included flowers, a luxurious breakfast, canapés, after dinner sweets and champagne too!

12. Riding through St. Martin/St. Maarten in a blue jeep.

13. Visiting a secluded beach on the Caribbean side.

14. Enjoying the afternoon at Orient Beach – watching people all day long.

15. Indulging in multiple desserts every night.  I don’t feel too bad, though.  Our table mates have been ordering 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and 2 desserts everynight!

16. Spending 8 days straight with Tim and wishing it wasn’t almost over.

17. Lobster night in the dining room tonight – it was yummy – and it did not end up in my lap like it did on our honeymoon.  I feel so accomplished!

18. Experiencing a beautiful sunrise from our stateroom balcony.  We took pics – we are pretty sure it is the first we’ve ever seen together.  You know, we are NOT early risers.

19. Managing to dodge 3 major hurricanes while on our vacation.  Now if we can just manage to stay between Ike and Josephine.

20. Finishing 4 books and checking off a few more items from my “40” list!!!  Oh yes, I did.  More details later.