Do you cook - and how often?

[mackmama]

Do you cook from scratch (not using pre-packaged foods) and, if so, how many nights per week?

[hillview]

It varies. I voted 3-4 times. That is maybe about average.
Usually it looks like
Sunday -- cook
Monday -- cook
Tuesday -- cook
Wedneday -- date night/kids get pizza
Thursday -- cook
Friday -- out with kids
Saturday -- out with kids

But some weeks don't go according to plan like this week it turns out my mom made chili and the kids have had that 2 nights in a row! I usually have a menu planned which helps me a ton. It isn't always followed 100% but it is a good place to start!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Prob 3-4 as well. There are probably short cuts in each meal, if you're a purist, like jarred salsa vs homemade. I also use canned beans and tomatoes.

[hillview]

Oh yeah. Short cuts for me for SURE. Canned stuff etc. But hey I turn on the cook top and sometimes BOTH the oven and cooktop so it totally counts!

[lmh2402]

well... i guess it depends on the definition of prepackaged. i cook on average 3 nights a week. au pair cooks once and my mom cooks once. weeks when my mom isn't here, i cook an additional night.

but i often use boxes/cans of chicken stock in recipes, if/as called for. and i used canned beans often (as opposed to dried) just because it's faster. i do always rinse to try and lessen the sodium.

ETA: yes, like other posters, i forgot i definitely use canned tomatoes too. almost never tomato sauce and i've actually never had jarred pasta sauce, but often find myself using diced tomatoes or whole plum tomatoes.

[speo]

I hope we are not talking about making our own pasta! I was assuming homemade=chili made at home (maybe with canned beans, etc) vs prepackaged=heating up a can of chili.

Anyways, I usually cook 6 nights/week. They aren't all separate meals always. I might make lasagna that will last 2 nights. But I will make a new veggie for each meal, heat up the lasagna in the oven, and heat up bread. We eat out on Saturdays usually. Every so often I will have a more prepackaged dinner like jarred marinara, TJs meatballs, and spaghetti. But even then I still cook fresh veggies.

[ourbabygirl]

I voted 3-4 times a week, but it's pretty basic stuff. Tonight was spaghetti (sauce in a jar + some extra spices and pepperoni cut into chunks), green beans (not from can), and sliced fruit. Last night I made a quiche (from scratch but with a Pillsbury pie crust) + frozen mixed veggies + fruit. Tomorrow night will be ribs (bbq sauce from a bottle), baked potatoes, fruit. We eat out about once a week, and if I'm lucky, DH will make one meal a week (that I plan and set out for him), and we might have leftovers once a week.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

i voted 3-4 per week even though it's not usually me cooking it. i maybe make one dinner from scratch a week, on the weekend (bc that's the only day i have time..i usually don't get home from work until 6 or 630). DH is the one who cooks dinner during the week (from a Paleo cookbook, so truly, from scratch, and no "easy" stuff like bread, rice or pasta)..i'd say he cooks from scratch 3-4 evenings a week (the other nights we typically eat the leftovers from it). so probably more like 4-5. i wouldn't say 5-6 bc i'd say that at least 2 nights a week we have leftovers, and we usually go out once a week as well.

[schrocat]

I usually cook two to three times a day from scratch except for using the occasional chicken boillon. DH cooks during the weekends from scratch.

[petesgirl]

I'd probably be 4-5 x a week, with the other days being either leftovers or take out pizza. DH has a thing for Papa Murphys Pizza and always gets them on the days I work regardless of whatever else there is in the fridge to eat.

[daisymommy]

I cook breakfast and dinner every day of the week. I do use things like canned beans and tomatoes, boxed pasta, but in my eyes, that's still from scratch. If I make the sauce myself, cook the noodles in a pot, put together a fresh salad...that's cooking!
Tonight was a roast chicken, butternut squash, and salad. Pretty typical dinner. This morning was eggs, sausage links, and toast, fruit. Repeat all week.


Sent from my iPad

[nfowife]

I cook 5-6 nights a week. I do use some shortcuts liked canned tomatoes to make my own pasta sauce, etc. usually one night we have pizza and maybe another night we either go out or scavenge.
However if my DH is not home I cook easy kid-friendly stuff like grilled cheese or eggs.

[chottumommy]

I cook about 3-4 times a week and all meals of the weekend. The rest is leftovers. I cook pretty much everything from scratch (we hardly ever eat pasta), all veggies are fresh and all beans and lentils (which I use a lot) are soaked, cooked etc not canned. We don't eat much bread but eat chappatis which I cook from scratch every night. I'm a fairly quick with cooking and dish up any meal within 30-40 mins even when I'm having guests.

[StantonHyde]

I cook pretty much only out of Cooking Light magazine or Weight Watchers Cook Books. All of recipes take about 30 mins. 45 mins MAX. We try to go out once a week (Dh and I). DH works 1-2 evenings a week so I don't cook then. And some nights we just bag it and order pizza!!

I am a big believer in canned/frozen veggies and fruits. I'm all about yummy, healthy and easy!

ETA: I only cook dinner. No breakfast unless DD wants eggs.

[TxCat]

Usually 3-4x per week with the shortcuts already mentioned - canned beans often, occasional canned tomatoes. We don't have pasta often - usually fish twice per week, and then vegetarian entrees like veggie pot pie (homemade crust from scratch), veggie stew with corn dumplings, etc. We usually do leftovers 2x per week, and get take-out or do frozen entrees once a week.

[MontrealMum]

I cook from scratch maybe 3-4 nights a week. Then usually 2-3 nights will be reheating leftovers from some of those nights. I purposely will make a larger portion than what we'd eat in one sitting so that I can maximize the effort for each meal by assuring that we have leftovers. We order takeout maybe every other week for one dinner. And like other posters, I am not making pasta from scratch, and I use things like jarred tomato sauce :)

My shortcuts? I always have a few frozen dinners on hand (either made by me, or packaged) for those horrific work days or times when I'm sick and don't feel up to cooking. It takes the pressure off to know that I don't *have* to cook if I don't want to. My "big" cooking day is generally a Sat. or Sun. because I often don't have the time to make a meal w/an hour+ long prep/cooking time during the week. If I'm going to make soup or muffins I'll do it on the weekends as well. I make a huge batch, and freeze most of it. Weekdays we will often have fish or pasta which are quicker to prepare.

Lunches are generally sandwiches for DH and DS, yogurt for me, plus fruit/veg for us all. Everyone eats oatmeal for breakfast. So, not a whole lot of effort for those meals.

[Kindra178]

i voted 3-4 per week even though it's not usually me cooking it. i maybe make one dinner from scratch a week, on the weekend (bc that's the only day i have time..i usually don't get home from work until 6 or 630). DH is the one who cooks dinner during the week (from a Paleo cookbook, so truly, from scratch, and no "easy" stuff like bread, rice or pasta)..i'd say he cooks from scratch 3-4 evenings a week (the other nights we typically eat the leftovers from it). so probably more like 4-5. i wouldn't say 5-6 bc i'd say that at least 2 nights a week we have leftovers, and we usually go out once a week as well.

I cook 3-4 nights a week. The other nights are leftovers or we go out. Ms. Pacman, I recently finished Whole30 and have kept up this way of eating. I don't find Paleo cooking any different or harder than regular (can you call it that?) cooking. My kids and dh still have grains but I eat the meat and veggies I am serving to everyone. Not trying to single you out but I just had this conversation with primal eating younger colleague. He asked me how I had time to cook Paleo and I told him it was no different or more complicated than what I cooked before.

[Sweetum]

Every other night from scratch - nothing canned or pre-packaged. But I cook enough for 2 days, so, that's why it's every other day. One night, either Friday or Saturday night, we do take out (not easy to eat outside with DS' GFCF diet). Only thing that counts as prepackaged is the occasional bread - we are all trying to Do GF so mostly eat rice.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

I cook 3-4 nights a week. The other nights are leftovers or we go out. Ms. Pacman, I recently finished Whole30 and have kept up this way of eating. I don't find Paleo cooking any different or harder than regular (can you call it that?) cooking. My kids and dh still have grains but I eat the meat and veggies I am serving to everyone. Not trying to single you out but I just had this conversation with primal eating younger colleague. He asked me how I had time to cook Paleo and I told him it was no different or more complicated than what I cooked before.

well i think the thing is it depends on who you ask. i did low carb in college so i'm sort of used to the not having pasta/bread/rice being the dominant item in the meal, and not using boxed/premade stuff. DH, OTOH came from a more i guess American way of eating, and his mom typically made quick, simple stuff, like boxed mac & cheese, spaghetti & meat balls with sauce from a jar or Hamburger Helper or whatever. So i can see those kinds of things are faster bc the bulk of it is pre-made and the prep time is not that long. I think making things that is pretty much just meats &veggies (and having to make the marinade/suace for it from scratch) and no grains at all is a lot harder for someone who is not used to it. I know it was very hard for my DH, but he is getting used to it now. He still buys bread and Annies mac & cheese for him & the kids but it is not the bulk of the meals we make.

i still don't see myself ever doing whole30 though, i think it would be a huge jump from paleo, at least for me. i love me some coconut flour pancakes and almond flour muffins. :) i go through maple syrup pretty quickly these days :)

[TwinFoxes]

5-6 nights here. DH will cook one of the 3 meals he makes, or we go out once or twice a week. Tonight was homemade chicken soup, I used prepackaged stock, but did everything else. I'm the only one who's a fan of leftovers, so I usually have them for lunch if there are any (looking forward to that soup when the snow hits this Thursday!)

[lovin2shop]

So, I've recently taken on cooking as a newly declared hobby. I still only manage to cook from scratch 3 to 4 nights, and I LOVE to cook! Tonight was a big night, had a leftover rotisserie chicken (not exactly scratch) that my MIL bought, made Tortilla Soup (yum). Put the carcass and some veggies in the crockpot over night to make stock for later. Also prepped a pork roast for the 100 Days of Real Food Pork Carnitas Crock Pot recipe for tomorrow. Made the Tomatillo Salsa to go with it (yum). Made a few hard boiled deviled eggs for breakfast tomorrow. Ran late cooking it all, so made kids some Mac and Cheese (definitely not scratch) to tide them over until soup was ready. Thankfully, the soup was a hit or I would have cried. Still learning, enjoying it, but it is a very lofty goal for me to cook every meal completely from scratch especially with a full time job!

[bigsis]

I voted 5-6 eves a week:
Sunday - eat out for lunch; cereal for dinner
Monday - Cook
Tuesday - Cook
Wednesday - beer and tacos for me and DH; fast food for kids
Thursday - Cook
Friday - Cook
Saturday - Cook breakfast and *most* dinners

[happymom]

I cook dinner every night, but often have leftovers one night or am just too tired one night so we scrounge around for something or buy takeout...I also cook a big Sabbath dinner every week so we usually have leftovers from that. I have a rotation of dinners that are quick and simple but yummy. I make a weekly menu and follow it- some weeks more loosely than others, but like PP said its a good starting point! I enjoy cooking but its really just a chore to me when it comes to getting dinner on the table at the end of a long day...its worth it though when you sit down with your family to fresh, yummy, and healthy food.

[o_mom]

I need more definition of what "from scratch" means. I made salsa chicken tonight.... the beans were canned, the salsa jarred and the corn frozen. Does that count?

We have several meals that are semi-homemade - pineapple meatballs, for example where the meatballs are from TJs and the pineapple in a can. The sauce is from scratch and the veggies are fresh, so not sure where that falls either. Pasta with jarred sauce?

I would say one night a week is definitely packaged - frozen pizza or TJs orange chicken, for example. 3-4 nights are the semi-homemade and 1-2 nights are everything from scratch.

[specialp]

I cook from "my definition" of scratch 3 nights a week (Mon, Thurs, Fri.) and on one or two of those days I either double up one meal or cook 2 separate meals and freeze one. Tuesdays and Wednesday are way too busy for me to cook a full meal, so I use one I had made and frozen previously. (I keep a big freezer stash.) We eat low carb so I still have to cook vegetable sides or finish off those days, but I do not count them because it is so quick and the main stuff is done.

DH cooks Sat & Sun and is a much better cook than I am. We rarely eat out. I'm trying to make it a habit of eating out once a month just because, but it is more difficult to eat out with the way we eat and we always feel like crap afterwards.

[ladysoapmaker]

We as a family tend to cook from scratch more often then not. We do have Pizza night, but other then the occasion out to dinner we make dinner. I like having older kids, they are doing more of the cooking.

Now the from scratch cooking will use canned items (mostly store bought as I am not home enough to can enough for the whole year when food is in season.) Canned items include tomato products, baked beans, refrito beans, stocks, pasta noodles, etc.

We have a basic weekly menu that I will modify on the weekends when I'm home and have time to cook.

Jen

[wellyes]

My husband is the cook!

[KrisM]

Well, I cook every night pretty much. We order pizza a couple times a month and we do not go out to dinner more than a few times a year.

But, I use dried spaghetti, canned tomatos, pre-made tortillas, etc. So, I'm guessing I don't ever cook from scratch. I do cook homemade.

[Melaine]

I definitely use shortcuts. I can truly cook from scratch but rarely have time with homeschooling and the toddler that never quits. Once in awhile I will do a turkey dinner from scratch with all the trimmings, or pot pie or soup from scratch but in general that's not a good use of my time at this stage of my life. I really enjoy cooking and wish I had had time to branch out a little more (I tend to stick to the American fall backs rather than trying new dishes...just because of convenience). This is something I really look forward to as the kids get older, cooking more variety and learning new skills. DH is not an experienced cook but he is meticulous at following directions, very efficient, and because of his sandwich shop days, can chop food with a speed that astounds me. So it is something I hope we can do as a family in a couple years. DH has also gotten really good at grilling so we do that every once in awhile. I just don't see the point in cooking if there won't be leftovers so I tend to go big or go home.

ETA: we go out or get take out maybe once every 1-2 weeks....sometimes less.

[lizzywednesday]

DH and I try to cook 5-6 nights per week. Sometimes, we're just not all there - one of us is ill, or had a late night at the office, or whatever, so, yes, we do a "convenience" meal like takeout or freezer pizza, but mostly we're trying to cook at home.

ETA: I use canned beans & store-bought tortillas, but I also work full-time, so, in my opinion, that stuff doesn't count against me in my definition of "from scratch" - I take help where I can get it and do my best to use short-ingredient-list items if I'm using packaged stock or something. Trying to be completely homemade, including bread, pasta, etc, would require a lot more pre-planning and time-making than I'm willing to do right now.

[anonomom]

I aim to cook 6 nights a week, with takeout the other night. But one night is always spaghetti and meatballs, for which I use prepared meatballs and jarred sauce. The fact that I don't have to plan that meal or expend any effort makes it feel like a 'no-cook" night.

[jgenie]

Ok, I'll be the outlier here in case someone else out there is feeling bad because they don't cook as often as they would like. I cook 1 maybe 2 times a week. I hate to cook add that to the fact that often no one wants to eat what I cook and I have a very hard time getting motivated to cook. I'm working on it but it's an uphill battle here. I think once the boys are in school full time it will get better because I will have lots of time to shop, prep and cook. Until then I'm cobbling along as best as I can. We eat out all weekend - sit down restaurants not fast food not that I'm fooling myself that it's any healthier. We do breakfast for dinner often and easy grilled cheese or quesadillas a fair amount.

[elektra]

Looks like I have some company in the rarely/never category!
I am not sure how I would have time to cook more than once during the week. And then weekends, DH and I either do fruits, crackers, cheese, hummus and wine for dinner or he may BBQ something. During the week we are out at activities almost every night now and when we get home we are starving so I either run through someplace (El Pollo Loco last night) or I do something really quick prep at home. I do try to add in frozen veggies that I heat up at least! DH gets home too late to eat with us during the week so we have never really had family meals.
Didn't realized is was in such the minority!

[BabbyO]

I rarely cook. Probably 1x every 2 weeks - and it is usually breakfast food for the next two weeks. DH does most of the cooking, but even for him it is at most 3x/week. We aim to cook 2x/week making several meals on the same day so they can be eaten as leftovers throughout the week.

So, while we don't cook often, we don't really eat out a lot or use pre-packaged meals a lot. Canned beans/garbanzos/tomatoes for chili, an other meals, yes. Frozen veggies, yes, pasta from a box, yes, but most of our meals are assembled by DH. We do often have lunch out on Sat/Sun because we are running errands, etc. One thing we could make but buy pre-packaged A LOT is hummus. I even make our yogurt fairly often....but that is because none of the local stores are carrying soy yogurt anymore....

[egoldber]

Like PP have said, it depends on what you call "cooking".

I cook dinner 1-3 nights a week. But I make large batches and we can easily eat for 2-3 days. I make lots of roasts, stews, soups, and chilis. Soups and chilis have lots of canned ingredients (tomatoes, beans, etc.). I also make some baked pasta dishes in large quantities (lasagna, stuffed shells).

I make hot breakfast for me and older DD every morning.

I very seldom make pre-packaged meals, although we have a few TJ favs that we like.

We eat out or order in 1-2 nights a week.

[123LuckyMom]

You may not be in the minority. It may just be that the ones who cook are answering!

I can't vote from Tapatalk, but I cook about 4 times a week. Mondays and Wednesdays are activity nights, so we do leftovers ( on Monday) or sandwiches/cheese and fruit/easy, quick stuff the kids can eat in the car (on Wednesday). On weekends, we eat out for lunches and often for dinner on Saturday, too.

I often use boxed broth, canned beans, jarred salsa, canned tomatoes to make sauce, store tortillas, frozen veggies for dishes with sauces-- that kind of thing. My family happens to LOVE the Goya boxed Spanish rice, which is the only really processed thing we eat. God only knows what's in those flavor packets, but that rice is GOOD!!! Otherwise, we eat food mostly from the outer rings of the market. (I buy bread, crackers, pasta from the inside sections, too.)

[arivecchi]

I rarely cook. No time or interest. We cook maybe once or twice on weekends. The rest are easy/quick meals from Trader Joes or takeout.

[BabyBearsMom]

Yes, and just about every night of the week (sometimes I am late from work and DH will do it). He and I try to do clean eating so we don't eat pre-packaged food for the most part, although I will use things like corn tortillas for tacos rather than make tortillas from scratch. So far this week I have made:
Monday - Shrimp Tacos with cabbage and avocado in corn tortillas
Tuesday - Grilled turkey burgers served over fresh green salad

Tonight I am making turkey meatballs over home-made polenta with tomato sauce and parmesan.

Also I tink we need to be careful with how you define from scratch? If I am making chicken soup, I consider it from scratch even if I use bagged noodles. I am not going to make my own pasta. I don't always make my own tomato sauce but I use a tomato sauce that only contains tomato and olive oil in the ingredients (and maybe salt, I can't remember). But I cook everything myself and don't use hamburger helper or the like.

[AnnieW625]

3 to 4 nights a week, but I really strive for at least 5 nights a week. We really try to limit going out to eat to once or twice a month. I consider using cans, pasta, and frozen veggies in a recipe cooking from scratch. However when I make spaghetti or lasagne the sauce comes from cans, but not from a jar because I think that jar sauce is just too salty. I try to make enough for left overs to have on the alternating night but sometimes that doesn't happen so I end up scrambling to get something done, but those nights it is usually hamburger or hot dog night. We have a processed dinner meal of chicken nuggets, bagel bites, corn dogs, hot dogs or mac n cheese once a week, and the kids usually eat that kind of meal for lunch on the weekends as well because then we don't have to go out; however when we do that I try and feed myself a big salad instead. I find that the pre made freezer meals from Trader Joe's or other markets are pretty expensive, yet cheaper than going out, but most nights I would rather sacrifice eating at an early hour like 6 pm and cook something that is partially made from scratch (chicken, tortillas, red rice, salad, and frozen veggies) vs. having something that is more high in sodium and can be cooked in 30 minutes vs. where I can control the sodium with cooking from semi scratch and we eat between 6:30 and 7 instead and I feel better about it, plus in most cases I have still saved myself some money.

[TxCat]

I know a lot of people so far have commented about using "pasta from a box" as a shortcut, but let's get real here - that's just a standard recipe ingredient at this point, IMO. Just because people aren't making homemade pasta (?!), homemade tortillas, or homemade bread doesn't mean they aren't cooking.

[elliput]

Under normal circumstances, we prepare something from a raw/uncooked state almost every night. Since we are currently in temp housing, that is down to once or twice a week.

[AnnieW625]

I know a lot of people so far have commented about using "pasta from a box" as a shortcut, but let's get real here - that's just a standard recipe ingredient at this point, IMO. Just because people aren't making homemade pasta (?!), homemade tortillas, or homemade bread doesn't mean they aren't cooking.

:yeahthat: although I have never bought Hamburger Helper, but have bought Rice A Roni, Trader Joe's boxed rice mixes on a pretty regular basis for much of adult life with kids, not as much or if at all when I was single and had no kids, but every so often I don't think it is all that bad.

[elliput]

I know a lot of people so far have commented about using "pasta from a box" as a shortcut, but let's get real here - that's just a standard recipe ingredient at this point, IMO. Just because people aren't making homemade pasta (?!), homemade tortillas, or homemade bread doesn't mean they aren't cooking.
I agree- many food items have been available from bakers, butchers, cheesemakers, etc. for centuries as staples.

[lyt202]

I will usually cook anywhere from 3-5 new dinners a week with planned leftovers the rest of the time. I find that we eat much better when I sit down to menu plan in advance. I try to prepare things ahead so that they can be assembled, baked off, reheated quickly for dinner. I cook from scratch and do not think that using dried pasta, tortillas, canned tomatoes, or canned beans means I am not cooking. Other than chicken nuggets for DS, we very rarely eat frozen foods and do not keep them in the house. I like to cook but if I didn't I would have no problems using whatever shortcuts I thought was necessary.

[cagey]

I cook pretty much every night, even if it's reheating/thawing something I made earlier and froze (soup, chili, stuffed shells, etc). We don't usually do box things like Hamburger Helper, but I'd still consider that cooking as it's not takeout and technically you have to turn on a stove/oven!

[YouAreTheFocus]

We do a lot of large batches/leftovers, so I'm not sure how to respond. I made a big pot of sauce on Monday and we will eat that for 3-4 nights. Last week I did a big pot of minestrone, that also went 3-4 nights. Also many weeks DH will grill several lbs of chicken Monday night and we will use it through the week. So we are eating from scratch food basically every night, but only doing heavy lifting maybe twice a week.

[indigo99]

I assumed that prepackaged meant something that you can identify as a meal without buying several things - you just heat and eat. Our meals usually involve some cutting of meat or vegetables and assembling various ingredients to reach the final result, and that's cooking to me even if I do use jarred sauce or salsa, premade tortillas, canned beans etc. We eat at home 5-6 nights per week and probably average one prepackaged meal (pizza or lasagna) every two weeks.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

I know a lot of people so far have commented about using "pasta from a box" as a shortcut, but let's get real here - that's just a standard recipe ingredient at this point, IMO. Just because people aren't making homemade pasta (?!), homemade tortillas, or homemade bread doesn't mean they aren't cooking.
well to clarify my comment about boxed stuff like hamburger helper was just to reply to the comment about cooking paleo vs. not. IMO cooking low carb/paleo is a lot harder (at least for us, and in the beginning) bc you pretty much can't use any shortcuts/premade stuff at all. not saying that using things like pasta is not cooking...but that it is easier. if you eat paleo, you have to make something else (steam veggies, etc) to fill up the space where you could just have pasta/rice which is easy to prepare (just use rice cooker or boil it). I guess for some people (especially those who are experienced cooks) this comes naturally, but for some (e.g. DH) it is hard bc they are not used to it.

and things like canned tomatoes, canned beans, canned chicken broth i still think counts as from scratch category..you dno't have to grow and pick everything in your garden for it to be "from scratch." i used canned pumpkin for all my paleo pumpkin muffins and custards, etc. when i make butternut squash soup i like to buy the butternut squash pre-cubed bc it's easier. i agree iwth indigo99s metric that prepackaged food = food you can just heat and eat.

and FWIW i don't think there is anything wrong with using pre-made/prepackaged or what other shortcuts. believe me, i would use them in a hot second if i dind't have to eat gluten-free/dairy-free/low carb which pretty much nixes 95% of those types of foods.

[KrisM]

I know a lot of people so far have commented about using "pasta from a box" as a shortcut, but let's get real here - that's just a standard recipe ingredient at this point, IMO. Just because people aren't making homemade pasta (?!), homemade tortillas, or homemade bread doesn't mean they aren't cooking.

I would agree, but a lot of people make a distinction between "scratch" and "homemade". Scratch is only raw, fresh ingredients - tomatoes from the garden or that they canned, fresh pasta, etc. Homemade uses ingredients to make a meal, but includes the canned and boxed things. Personally, I use dried pasta most of the time and know I'm still cooking :). My kids like making pasta though, so we do make it a few times a year just for fun.

[Melaine]

I rarely cook. Probably 1x every 2 weeks - and it is usually breakfast food for the next two weeks. DH does most of the cooking, but even for him it is at most 3x/week. We aim to cook 2x/week making several meals on the same day so they can be eaten as leftovers throughout the week.

So, while we don't cook often, we don't really eat out a lot or use pre-packaged meals a lot. Canned beans/garbanzos/tomatoes for chili, an other meals, yes. Frozen veggies, yes, pasta from a box, yes, but most of our meals are assembled by DH. We do often have lunch out on Sat/Sun because we are running errands, etc. One thing we could make but buy pre-packaged A LOT is hummus. I even make our yogurt fairly often....but that is because none of the local stores are carrying soy yogurt anymore....

Can you tell me how to make soy yogurt?

[SnuggleBuggles]

I would agree, but a lot of people make a distinction between "scratch" and "homemade". Scratch is only raw, fresh ingredients - tomatoes from the garden or that they canned, fresh pasta, etc. Homemade uses ingredients to make a meal, but includes the canned and boxed things. Personally, I use dried pasta most of the time and know I'm still cooking :). My kids like making pasta though, so we do make it a few times a year just for fun.

Right. I wasn't sure where the OP was going with things b/c she said no shortcuts.

[Nooknookmom]

I cook 5/6 days. If I'm super dead we pick up something or run to the corner rest.

I LOVE to cook and we tend to eat healthy all week nd only splurge on weekends.

[Myira]

I have started cooking regularly since the past 5-6 weeks. I cook in the evening and pack the leftovers for lunch next day to work for me & DH(kids eat lunch at daycare/school). I am very proud of myself for making it happen 5-6 days a week. Requires time & effort but when we enjoy a homemade meal it seems so worth it! I am especially thankful the next day when I open my lunch box, since I do not have to suffer with the cafeteria options or head out for lunch in the cold. Not to mention it saves us a ton of money on restaurants.

What I really want to be able to do, is to do more of the prep work on Sunday, such that I can get dinner on the table in half an hour. Currently it takes me about an hour average, but I cook the meals from scratch. We eat a lot of veggies, beans and legumes, so a typical meal is some sort of curry with indian bread(roti made from scratch), brown rice/quinoa with lentils(dal). Some weeks we keep a stock of wheat flour tortillas from TJs to substitute for rotis. My kids also love homemade quesadillas.

On days I am tired and do not feel like cooking, I use one of these options - wild alaskan salmon fillets from Costco with a side of couscous/quinoa, pulao/khichadi with frozen veggies, chicken burgers with frozen patties(ingredient list looks good & kids like them) from Costco or pasta with veggies.

[Myira]

Duplicate post.

[maestramommy]

I cook almost every night. It's a combo of from scratch, and using helpers like frozen spinach, canned crushed tomatoes (vs. sauce), and yes even creamed soup!

[bostonsmama]

I cook from scratch 12 meals a week...including my own salad dressing for salads and pancakes or waffles from flour and oats 3 mornings a week. I have a son with MSPI (food allergies), so I can't eat a lot of packaged foods. From time to time I enjoy frozen fries or onion rings from Alexia, but like another poster, I cook all meals from Cooking Light magazine. I don't eat foods or broth with maltodextrin, autolyzed yeast exact, hydrolyzed soy protein, or MSG derivatives. It seems to be in everything, so I make foods I would normally enjoy myself. I enjoy it, though, and I give myself leeway during periods of transition, like the first month after baby comes home or when traveling. But frankly I don't have the budget to eat out like most of my peers. We eat out maybe once or twice a month.

[ArizonaGirl]

Ok, I'll be the outlier here in case someone else out there is feeling bad because they don't cook as often as they would like. I cook 1 maybe 2 times a week. I hate to cook add that to the fact that often no one wants to eat what I cook and I have a very hard time getting motivated to cook. I'm working on it but it's an uphill battle here. I think once the boys are in school full time it will get better because I will have lots of time to shop, prep and cook. Until then I'm cobbling along as best as I can. We eat out all weekend - sit down restaurants not fast food not that I'm fooling myself that it's any healthier. We do breakfast for dinner often and easy grilled cheese or quesadillas a fair amount.

:yeahthat:

Ok, I'm glad I'm not the only one because between a new 5 year old that has some challenges and a 1 year old and with both DH and I working full-time outside the home I'm barely managing to hold the house together from a state of near collapse. :bag

[Mommy_Mea]

We cook "homemade" 5-6 nights a week, sometime 7 nights. We typically only eat out 2-3x a month for dinner. Dinner is a combination of fresh and frozen/canned shortcuts. I don't love cooking, but try and keep the ingredients simple and healthy. I want to work on making bigger meals and having more leftovers to cut down on the number of nights we have to cook, since it isn't something I love, and it is the time of evening the kids start to go crazy!

[mytwosons]

I selected "every night usually" but we aren't making gourmet dinners over here! Especially during the week, our dinners are super fast to get on the table. Tonight I will make a teriyaki shrimp stirfry. When I made this last week, I did make the sauce from scratch but I saw a bottled GF sauce without any crazy ingredients and picked it up to try. I'll be using frozen stirfry veggies and the precooked quinoa from Costco. In the summer, we often have salads for dinner. A big box of organic baby greens and then top different ways with different protein. Grilled chicken caesar salad one night, fajita steak salad another. I'd guess most of our meals take 15-30 mins to get on the table, tops.

[BabbyO]

Can you tell me how to make soy yogurt?

Sure. I'll PM you the recipe, but incase anyone else wants it too....here you go!

DH's family makes regular yogurt or mestah from Dairy products. I just use non-dairy products.
My starter is 1 c of plain coconut yogurt. If you can find soy yogurt, you can use this.
The other ingredient is 1 qt of soy milk. I've done it with both the sweetened and the unsweetened. I recommend the sweetened - it had a better flavor and I didn't have to add sugar/honey/agave to the final product. Here is the recipe/method I follow:

1 cup plain yogurt to be used as starter. (plain coconut works)
1 qt milk (sweetened or vanilla soy milk works)
Glass containers (2 quart sized canning jars usually work for me, but I've also used pyrex)
Towels or cheese cloth to cover the containers
Bath towel to wrap the containers

Directions:


Let the plain yogurt starter warm to room temperature and set aside.
Pour milk into large pot and slowly bring to a simmer on medium low heat. Stir continually with a large spoon and skim off any “skin” that forms.
Let simmer for as little as 5 minutes or as long as 20 minutes (the longer, the thicker the yogurt will be). If using milk with lower fat content, a longer simmer time is recommended. (I always do 20 min)
Turn burner off and let cool to about 110 degrees (medium warm). Stir every few minutes to keep temperature consistent and to help cool it down. If it is too hot, it will kill the yogurt cultures, if it’s too cold, the cultures won’t grow to make yogurt.
Meanwhile, warm empty oven to 150 degrees, then TURN OVEN OFF, leaving it closed.
After the milk has cooled somewhat, test the milk with a clean finger. If you can count to 10 and not feel uncomfortable, the milk is ready. You can also use a thermometer (you’re looking for it to read about 110 degrees).
Stir a few spoonfuls of the warm milk into the yogurt starter and add the yogurt/milk mixture to the pot.
Stir thoroughly to incorporate the starter throughout the milk.
Pour the mixture into glass containers (pyrex or canning jars work well.) Cover with a clean towel or cheese cloth.
Once the containers are filled, place them into warmed oven on top of cookie sheets to ensure even temperature. Cover glass containers with towels. I wrap an old bath towel around
Leave in oven overnight or at least 6 hours. If you have an oven light, leave it on to provide a small amount of heat. The yogurt is done when it is firm like sour cream.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before eating. The longer the yogurt sits in the refrigerator, the stronger (more sour) it becomes. I find the flavor is at its peak in about 2-3 days. The yogurt should stay fresh for about 2 weeks (even longer if in canning jars).
Serve cold with Dolma or other Assyrian dishes!
Save a small jar or container of the yogurt that you’ve made. Don’t mix anything like fruit in it, but keep it plain and save it for starter for the next time you’re ready to make it again. The flavor gets better each time!

Tips:


To store the yogurt even longer, try using sanitized canning jars and equipment (as when making jam or other canned items).
When serving yogurt out of the containers, use a clean spoon and dip in one side, making sure not to stir the rest of the yogurt. Homemade yogurt doesn’t contain stabilizers like store bought, so once you stir it around, it becomes soupy. The next time you open up the yogurt container, there will be a little pool of liquid that accumulates in the side you dipped in before and you can easily drain it off.
Little glass jars are also great and can be used instead of the large ones.
Homemade yogurt makes great cream cheese to be used as a base for dips and spreads — try straining it with cheesecloth or paper towel over a fine mesh strainer for a few hours until it becomes thick.

[daisyd]

I generally cook from scratch 3-4 times a week. we do left overs and microwave ready meals and take out for the rest of the week.

[KrisM]

This thread popped into my head just now. We are having scratch pasta for dinner tonight. DH and the kids started it about 1 hour 20 min ago and they are on the last batch going through the roller/cutter now. It's a lot of fun and they had a great time making the spaghetti, but I sure am glad we don't have to do this often!