After our first child arrived in January, I was determined to make sure our family dinners didn’t devolve into a relentless parade of Chinese takeout and pizza. Several weeks before Clara was born, we had bought a small chest freezer, and I spent all of my free time in the kitchen so that I could fill it with lasagna, shepherd’s pie, brisket, and various soups and pasta sauces. I hoped having a stockpile of homemade meals would keep us from falling into the all-too-tempting takeout trap. (See here for more on my freezer adventures.)
Three months in, we still have a lot of freezer meals stored up (yes, we ended up ordering pizza more than once in those early days), and I've resolved to make the most of them now that Jonathan and I are both back at work full time. This of course involves planning, something I have historically embraced in most areas of my life -- with the notable exception of weeknight dinners.
I’m now much more strategic about my food shopping. I used to make decisions on the fly about what to make for dinner, leisurely popping into a hodgepodge of gourmet shops on the way home from work, and sometimes getting a meal on the table as late as 10pm. These days I try to map out our meals for the week in advance, taking stock of what’s in the fridge and freezer and placing a regular order with our local grocery delivery service for basics like milk, juice, yogurt and cereal, plus the items I need to supplement whatever I’ve chosen to defrost that week. I keep a running list of what’s in the freezer on my phone so I have it with me at all times.
Sounds pretty dull, right? The silver lining is that every chance -- no matter how small -- I get to just browse for food is like a mini spa treatment for my soul. If I happen to pass by a Whole Foods on my way to a meeting, I seize the opportunity and dart in to pick up some charcuterie and organic fruit. The Food52 offices are near the Union Square Greenmarket so occasionally I’ll steal a few minutes during lunch to pick up a wedge of locally made cheese or to linger over the gorgeous but exorbitantly expensive baby lettuces, eventually scooping up just enough for a fragrant salad for two that evening.
These moments are precious in their scarcity. And when my husband and I sit down to eat, while it's gratifying to revisit the sausage ragu I froze back in December, it's that hunk of soft cheese or the vibrant spray of green on my plate that makes me feel like, while I'm now somebody's mother, I'm also still me.
Last week, I assembled this simple meal by cobbling together elements from the freezer, fridge and farmers market. What are some of your favorite ways to steal a few moments and treat yourself to something delicious?
Oliver Clark’s Meatloaf
Mashed Potatoes
and
Pea Shoot and Baby Arugula Salad with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette
Serves 4
- Juice and zest of one small Meyer lemon
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 cups densely packed pea shoots
- 4 cups densely packed baby or wild arugula
See the full recipe and save and print it here.
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A New Way to Dinner, co-authored by Food52's founders Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, is an indispensable playbook for stress-free meal-planning (hint: cook foundational dishes on the weekend and mix and match ‘em through the week).
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Written by: Merrill Stubbs
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31 Comments
and my husband and my work schedules, evenings have been a frantic mash. Thanks to you and all these ideas, I'm going to get my act straight and commit to meal planning. Have you heard of Pepperplate.com? One of my friends turned me on to that app that allows you to create a meal plan, shopping list and recipe index. She said it's been a godsend. I'm now adding tons of recipes I've found here. Here's to more sharing. Thanks again, and congratulations on your journey into motherhood. I look forward to reading more from all of you.
Even on my busiest days, I can take a few minutes to do a quick shopping errand, sometimes just to buy items as ordinary as a few onions, some cilantro and fresh vegetables for dinner from our local produce shop. I'm lucky to have developed warm and enjoyable relationships with my butcher, cheese lady and produce market staff, so it also provides pleasant interactions with someone who isn't a client or across a negotiating table. It made me laugh to read Merrill's characterization of those little errands as a mini spa treatment for her soul. How true!!
I often work late a couple nights a week for the sole purpose of making sure I can get out, mid-day on Fridays, to the Asian farmers' market in Old Oakland, and my favorite Chinese grocery and poultry shops near that market. Nothing restores me the way that does!
I've loved reading all the answers, and am inspired to incorporate some of the many excellent suggestions into my own systems. (Yes, they're systems. That's why they work so well.) ;o)
My fridge/ essentials - no knead dough which allows pizzas in minutes, salsa which doubles for tortillas and pizza sauce
My freezer essentials - bread, soup (we try to have a soup night every week), and Oliver Clark's meatloaf - thanks to you. I make a double batch of meat loaf everytime - some gets frozen, some gets crumbled with tomatoes to make a tasty bolognese....
We've had the added challenge of making sure that we've always got stuff around for my husband's breakfasts and lunches. While it's great that he can work from home and be with the baby all day, as any work-from-home parent knows, it can be a challenge sometimes to carve out time to feed yourself well while you're also looking after a little one. But feeding ourselves well is more important now than ever, since Julian has started solids and we want to be sure we're modeling good eating habits for him.
Like you, we still try to make sure we hit our favorite cheese shop, butcher shop, and farmers markets when we are able to. We are lucky in that we have a new little market right at the end of our street, which carries not only staples like milk, butter and yogurt, but great locally produced cheeses and produce, so when we can't make it out to the farmers markets, we can still enjoy a sprightly salad of tender local greens, or a snack of soft little Hannahbell cheeses. Those little touches make our weekly, oh-so-easy, roast chicken a little more sexy ;)
My favorite way to steal a bit of me time is to buy Olives. If there are olives on the snack plate.. I feel like me .
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