I cook more than 90% of our meals. We only get takeout or go out to eat once or twice a month, and it’s usually for a birthday or celebration. To do this, I use a three-step formula that makes meal planning effortless. It involves grouping dinner into three categories, being super decisive, and getting creative in the kitchen. It’s one less thing I have to worry about as a busy working mom.
1. Pick your protein, vegetable, and carbohydrate.
I buy almost all my groceries on sale and in season. With protein, I have several whole chickens in my freezer; family portioned pork chops, ham, roasts, and rumps; and plenty of ground meats such as turkey, chicken, pork, and beef. Ground meats defrost and cook quickly. In my pantry I also have lots of tofu, a wide variety of canned beans and legumes, and fish.
With carbohydrates, I am always stocked up on different types of rice, pasta, bread, noodles, potatoes, oats, and other whole grains. As for vegetables, my freezer is full of items such as broccoli, cauliflower, peas, green beans, carrots, spinach, okra, and other seasonal produce.
Having my freezer and pantry stocked makes my meal planning simple and straightforward. I don’t have to worry about whether I have the ingredients I need for the dish I want to make. When it comes time to plan dinner, all I do is pick one from each category and get creative.
2. Pick a type of cuisine (spices, seasonings, and sauces).
Next, it’s about figuring out what flavors you want to have for your meal. Asian-inspired? Italian? Greek? Mexican? Indian? Good old comfort food?
For someone who has travelled from Tokyo to Paris and to Cairo, I’ve taken pleasure in widening my family’s palate. From durian pastries and pate on a baguette to braised beef tongue, my kids have explored global flavors from the foods they’ve tried; I’m hoping they become foodies like their parents.
I view this step as an opportunity to travel the world in my little kitchen, allowing the smells to waft through the house and warm everyone’s soul as they eagerly wait for dinner.
I keep a good assortment of spices so I can be prepared for the type of cuisine I want to cook. I like to go to the bulk section in a grocery store and buy small portions of different seasonings to try. For instance, jerk chicken, Cajun, coconut Thai, souvlaki, tandoori, shawarma, BBQ rib spice mix, and so forth. I can try it once and see if our family likes it. If we do, then I’ll go back and buy more. It keeps dinner exciting and adventurous.
I always have my staple Asian sauces: dark soy, light soy, rice wine vinegar, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, black bean sauce, fish sauce, gochujang, and chili crisp.
3. Pick your cooking method.
Now for the actual cooking. As a busy working mom who has barely 30 minutes to make dinner, I no longer have the luxury of babysitting a risotto or searing a steak and finishing it off in the oven. I rely heavily on “set and forget it” meals. This means either one-pot meals, slow roasting in the oven, or a quick and easy stir-fry in my massive wok.
Here’s an example:
Step 1: I’m choosing a whole chicken for my protein, potatoes for my carbohydrates, and broccoli for my vegetables.
Step 2: I’m craving Asian comfort food.
Step 3: It’s cold out and I don’t mind turning on the oven, so I plan to make roasted five-spice chicken with roasted potatoes and broccoli.
First, I’ll preheat the oven. Then I’ll peel, wash, and cut the potatoes and put them on the bottom of a baking dish.
Next, I’ll wash and cut up broccoli and put it on a sheet pan, drizzle some oil over it, and sprinkle it with some salt and pepper.
I’ll grab the chicken and marinate it with five-spice, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Then I’ll place the marinated chicken on top of the potatoes and wash my hands.
When the oven is preheated, I’ll pop the chicken and potatoes in and set a timer for 45 minutes. This gives me time to do some work, exercise, or anything on my to-do list. Once it beeps, I’ll pop the broccoli in and roast it for 20 minutes. Voila — a healthy and delicious dinner is made.
