Anyone overwhelmed with dishes & pots & pans?

[patty]

This may sound silly, but cooking whole food creat so much cleaning for me. On any given day, i have dishes, pots & pans, water bottles, all over my kitchen counter.

 

I cook 3 meals a day, along with snacks that i pack for my kids in school. My son also brings lunch. To save money, i eat at home everyday and my husband brings lunch 2/3X a week.

 

Anyone has any tips or feel the same frustration? I have no idea how much dirty dishes a family of 4 can create!!

 

Also, my children all like to eat different things and my husband & i enjoy eating different things aside from the kids sometimes ( we like spicy food). I guess i created my own mess!! Before we had children, we love to eat out and tried different things, so we are accustomed to it. We lived in CA., food is yummy here!! Even my children like variety!

 

 

Patty

[leodenn]

You might be interested in looking at this site Maybe you can use this in between meals there is no cooking, reading labels for nutrition, food shopping, and has tremendous health benefits.

 

 

balanceandharmony.wholefoodfarmacy.com

 

 

 

In order to go directly to this site you will have to put it in Internet Explorer Browser, Netscape etc. A search engine will not take you to the site such as Google etc.

[Calicat]

Patty, I just wanted to say I completely feel your pain. I was saying to my parents how much time I spend doing dishes, and my dad was completely non-understanding. He said, "You have a small family. How bad could it be?" Well, IT CAN BE!! I'm the same as you... practically everything from scratch, pots, pans, water bottles, and regular dishes every day. I mostly use reusable containers in my daughter's lunch, so there are always those to clean, too. And I don't have a dishwasher, either, so it's no walk in the park! People who think dishes are no big deal probably have a dishwasher, and eat take-out and tv dinners.

 

The only thing I can suggest is doing a big cooking day once every week, and make enough main dishes for the freezer, muffins and granola for the week, etc. Rice for side dishes freezes very well, and mashed potatoes quite well. Then you have the big clean up only once. I do freezer meals every couple of weeks, and I love it.

 

Hope this helps a bit.

 

Calicat

[patty]

Calicat,

 

I have a dish washer and i rarely use it. I find it inefficent unless i have a ton of dishes on hand. There just isn't enough dishes to go around when you are eating mostly whole food, not to mention the appliances you use to make your food.

 

I have find some way to adjust. I have been freezing beans, grains, hamburger patties, bacon, waffle and pasta sauce to reduce cooking time. However, i don't find other cooked food freeze well w/o sacrificing taste, like cooked chicken, pork or beef. I have been experimenting with freezing marinated meat and it taste good when i cook it. My only concern is that i freeze the marinated meat in freezer bag and wonder if the marinate can break down the plastic!!?

 

I see how well my son is doing. I don't even mind the cooking. Luckily, i also enjoy cooking and that helps alot. Also, my son & daughter like to cook, so we just make it a family activity. My son actually go thru my cooking magazines and clip out receipes for us to try.

 

Pat

[Caryn]

I hear ya!

I keep saying that everyday is a holiday at our house because that is how it feels-- like I am entertaining!

 

Over the year I have learned to do a couple of things to help cut down the work:

• I make huge batches of whatever and store excess in the fridge or freezer (meatloaf and meatballs store in the freezer fantastically)
  
• On the days that I go to Costco I semi prepare my dishes for the week. (For example I buy the bulk fresh fish and portion them out. Some I bread with almond meal, some I just season.)
  
• Certain foods I will actually store in glass containers (pyrex) so that I can thaw and cook in them, all the one, and save on bags. (like my 1/2 cooked Lasagna. I will bake it 45 mins and then cool it and freeze it for future).
  
• I taught my 3 year old to peel veggies: potatoes, carrots, etc.... This REALLY cuts down on time for me and keeps him out of trouble LOL.
  
• I got into the habit of making dinner in the morning in the slow cooker, that way I only use one pot and can come and go without worrying about my stove being on. (I found this is actually better for the kids too. We either eat a second helping at dinner time or eat 'light'.
  
• I use canning jars in the freezer instead of plastic bags for some things. I don't yet know how to can and someone who does suggested I try that.
  
• I rinse dishes immediately after use. I found that the slow cooker usually needs to steep a while, otherwise I clean up the pots while the kids set the table. (Tip I got from a woman who homeschools--- she put all her dishes in a lower cabinet for her little ones to easily access and taught them to set, clear, scrape, and load her dishwasher. Mine don't load, or the stuff would be everywhere, but I do have them stack on my counter.
  
• Once a week we have leftovers and hubby takes care of reheating, serving, and cleaning up.
  

[JennyC]

I guess my best advice is clean while you go. If you have 2 minutes while onions are cooking, wash a few dishes. I also love dishes that cook in the oven or the slow cooker, this lets me do the dishes right after Ive used them. I dont know about you but after I eat a full meal I dont feel like doing dishes. Freeze what meals you can, that helps. There is no shame in paper plates either. And breakfast for dinner is always fabulous and creates very few dishes.

[CSP]

I have been using paper plates for years now, it was a tip to lighten the load for homeschooling moms.

 

Best part now is my husband and I go for a walk every night and leave the dishes for the children to do. (16yo 14yo 11yo) They are being more responsable and I see how they take pride in a clean kitchen. We went through stages where they didn't always clean up everything, or wipe down the countertop well. Now it is always clean, everything, and I feel like a proud mama who will have young adults who won't be oinkers.

 

C.P.

[patty]

Caryn & CP

 

Any good slow cooker receipes? I have a slow cooker that is collecting dust.

 

Pat

[petb]

LEODENN

 

do you buy things from wholefoodfarmacy.com ?

 

I have been looking at the site and wondered how the food is.

 

Do you sell it also or just buy from them?

 

Thanks

PetB

[CSP]

Hi Patty,

 

This dish is to die for.

 

The recipe calls for pork, but I don't do pork so I substituted chicken.

 

1 package(6oz) dry herb stuffing (I make my own stuffing croutons)

2 stalks celery, chopped (1cup)

1 medium tart cooking apple, peeled and chopped

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2cup)

1 cup dried cranberries (really any veriety of dried fruit will work)

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 cup chicken broth (I make my own)

4 chicken boneless breasts/or 6 pork chops (1/2in thick)

 

spray or oil the inside of your slow cooker.

Mix all the ingredients except the chicken/pork

Place half of the stuffing mixture in slow cooker; top with chicken/pork. Spoon remaining stuffing over chicken/pork.

Cook on low heat setting 6 to 8 hours or until meat is tender. (watch for how your slow cooker cooks, mine does not need to cook 6 hours)

 

Steamed green beans or broccoli, really any vegetables are a good accompaniment.

 

Yummy,

C.P.

[Caryn]

Patty, here is Irish Stew.....

 

(It is an allergy friendly version, but I don't think that matters, tastes the same to me).

 

1 1/2 lbs of chopped lamb or beef (cubed)-- my hubby loves the lamb. I prefer the beef.

 

1/4 cup of gluten-free flour (I used Betty Hageman’s recipe: 2 parts white rice flour, 2/3 part potato starch, 1/3 part tapioca flour) you could also use corn starch if you are not corn-free, or use arrowroot starch if you are and don't have any gluten free flours around. Could also use regular white flour if you don't have gluten issues, of course! Oh, and almost forgot-- in a jam? Just take a cooked boiled potato and mash it, then put it in the pot. Works like a charm!

 

3 cups of carrots peeled and sliced

 

1 celery stalk

 

1/2 teaspoon of white pepper

 

2 teaspoons of sea salt (regular table salt if you are not corn-free is fine)

 

1 bay leaf

 

1 teaspoon basil

 

1 tablespoon parsley

 

1 medium onion, chopped

 

1 medium diced parsnip (about 1 cup)

 

 

Place your meat on the bottom of a 2 quart crock pot. Add enough warm water to cover the meat completely. Then add the GF flour mix (or corn starch, or arrowroot starch, or wheat flour). Stir until the mix is completely dissolved and there are no lumps. Add the seasoning and vegetables. Mix well. Set on high and cook a minimum of 6 hours.

 

If your stew seems a bit runny before serving, just empty out 1 1/2 to 2 cups of broth and let it cool. Mix it with 3-4 tablespoons of additional flour mix and bring it to a slow boil in a saucepan until it thickens. Add to stew. Makes 6-8 adult-sized portions.