A few cooking tips for/from the working woman

As school is back in session, so begins the drudgery of preparing dinner each night. It isn't such a big deal in the summer, since I have all day at home to do the prep work. We do have a menu plan each week, which we follow pretty closely. In an attempt to make things easier and cheaper, I have adopted a few habits. I cook a whole chicken in the crock pot, and I cook my own beans.

These are not things I have done once or twice. I have done them enough now to feel they are part of my cooking routine.

Whole chickens are cheap. They are 98 cents per pound at my grocery store, which is about as cheap as meat is going to get. This chicken tutorial is what got me started. Cook the bird, shred the meat, and freeze it. Then you've got chicken on hand to throw into dinner at a moment's notice. I also make chicken stock and freeze it, which is awesome, since I'm not paying $3 for a box of chicken stock at the store! It is also fat-free and low-sodium, since I control what goes into it (and I skim the icky fat off the top....so gross...)

Dry beans are also awesome. We have incorporated black beans into many of our meals, since they are yummy. The Crockpot365 blog got me started with bean cooking. This is especially frugal, since 1 pound of black beans is 98 cents, and cooks to equal 3 cans of beans (which sell for $1.19 each). I scoop the cooked beans into quart-size plastic bags and toss 'em in the freezer.

Lentils are cheap and, I am discovering, a superfood. One-quarter cup of dry lentils (probably half a cup cooked) has 10 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber! Holy cow! Lentils are easily cooked on the stove and can also be frozen in plastic bags. I like to use them in tandem with hamburger--if I make taco meat or spaghetti with meat sauce, I'll use half meat and half lentils. A one-pound bag of lentils cooks-up to 6 cups.

Having things ready to go in the freezer makes dinner preparation much smoother. Here is probably our favorite go-to recipe, which lasts for a couple of days in the fridge:

Mexican Rice
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups black beans
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup lentils OR 1 cup chicken OR half-pound ground beef
16 oz jar of salsa
taco seasoning, to taste

Mix everything over medium heat in large skillet. Serve as burrito filling or over tortilla chips with shredded cheese and sour cream.

**If you make this with lentils, a 1-cup serving has 12 grams of fiber, half of what you need in one day without tasting at all like a vegetable**


So there is my kitchen-related domestic advice (not that you asked for it). It does help answer the question of how I make dinner almost every night after working almost all day. Plan ahead, plan ahead, plan ahead!