I relate so much to this essay. My family will not cook anything if i decide to not cook for the day. They also dont like eating leftovers…so i stress not stop about meal planning.
I think another great strategy is to make flavor bases such as sofrito, ginger garlic paste, green seasoning, etc and then freezing them. Now you can whip up a stew, soup, or curry in no time.
Thank you so much, Ali! I love your work! I totally spaced and forgot to add your amazing book, I Dream of Dinner (so You Don’t Have To). I’ll make sure to update the list of resources. I’m so happy we on the same no meal plan team 💕
I loved this post and is exactly my approach to cooking and getting the ahead of the game. My OCD control takes over in the kitchen- a great super power!
Olga, you write so well and you have such self awareness.
Frequently I would go to the store and see my favorite but not so common ingredients, like kabocha. I also buy pantry items like buttermilk. I also love to stock my freezer—when I make stew, I always save one or 2 deli cups in the freezer, for that day I am too busy to cook.
Then I feel that I am chased by ingredients in the fridge, like onion jam and sautéed mushrooms waiting to be put on tarts, gently microwaved kabocha waiting to be cooked in curry.
Every week I would have to make a list of all the ingredients that are waiting in the fridge, screaming “cook me cook me”. That’s where my stress comes in and I can become dysfunctional and feel burdened.
I relate so much to this essay. My family will not cook anything if i decide to not cook for the day. They also dont like eating leftovers…so i stress not stop about meal planning.
I think another great strategy is to make flavor bases such as sofrito, ginger garlic paste, green seasoning, etc and then freezing them. Now you can whip up a stew, soup, or curry in no time.
Thank you so much for sharing, Gio. Those are great ideas! Doing just a little bit of prep ahead of time is such a great idea.
Thanks for writing this and for mentioning 40 Ingredients Forever. I also cannot, will not meal plan.
Thank you so much, Ali! I love your work! I totally spaced and forgot to add your amazing book, I Dream of Dinner (so You Don’t Have To). I’ll make sure to update the list of resources. I’m so happy we on the same no meal plan team 💕
I loved this post and is exactly my approach to cooking and getting the ahead of the game. My OCD control takes over in the kitchen- a great super power!
Thank you, Sarah!
Great article!
Thank you so much! ❤️
Olga, you write so well and you have such self awareness.
Frequently I would go to the store and see my favorite but not so common ingredients, like kabocha. I also buy pantry items like buttermilk. I also love to stock my freezer—when I make stew, I always save one or 2 deli cups in the freezer, for that day I am too busy to cook.
Then I feel that I am chased by ingredients in the fridge, like onion jam and sautéed mushrooms waiting to be put on tarts, gently microwaved kabocha waiting to be cooked in curry.
Every week I would have to make a list of all the ingredients that are waiting in the fridge, screaming “cook me cook me”. That’s where my stress comes in and I can become dysfunctional and feel burdened.