One of the things that we’re guilty of in this house is succumbing to the convenience of having Wegmans (our supermarket) so close to home. Given that Mike’s schedule keeps him at work till at least 6:00pm, we often find ourselves slacking off in the cooking department and just picking up a pre-made meal at Wegmans. While I would argue that it’s marginally better than running out to a restaurant for dinner, it’s still not ideal—especially when I’m trying to eat right for me and the Sprout (good proteins, whole grains, leafy greens, yadda yadda…)
So I picked up the new Jamie Oliver “Food Revolution” book. I have always had a mini crush on Jamie Oliver, so his was the natural choice… never mind that the book has good reviews! :) Just kidding. As we started reading the book we realized that our kitchen was lacking in one major area: good-quality, nonstick pans. We have an awesome pot set, but they’re stainless and sometimes you just need a good nonstick pan (think omelets… chili cheese omelets… mmm)! We picked up a couple of pans and I just have to say: Holy crap, what a difference good nonstick makes. Since this weekend we’ve tried two of Jamie’s recipes so far, and we’re looking forward to trying more. The first recipe was a very tasty asian chicken noodle bowl, but it gave Mike horrendous breath. (Not sure what it did to mine: Mike has had a cold and couldn’t smell.) The second was a creamy pasta with peas and bacon which I can definitely see becoming a Loftus meal staple. We totally should have taken pictures… I dropped the ball on that one, sorry.
The reason I mention the new interest in cooking is twofold. First, I think we’ve gotten lazy in our eating habits. I don’t exactly love to cook, but I realize how important our nutrition is to our overall well being. And eating out at Wegmans or relying on prepared meals isn’t doing our bodies any favors. Second, one of the things I value is family mealtime. Sure, when it’s just the two of us having dinner, we can catch meals whenever, however we want. But when this baby comes into the world I want him to experience dinner with the family as a regular occurrence. We’ve all heard about the importance of family meals (or maybe you haven’t), but I want to make it a staple in our house. Which means I’m going to have to turn meal-planning and -preparation into a habit, and what better time to start than now! Oh man, I’m going to need a lot of help!
