Introduction

Hello readers, and thank you for taking a moment to check out my blog. I thought I would start with a bit of background on who I am, which will help explain the purpose of my blog. Evidently I enjoy cooking- always have. My interest has taken a different spin ever since I started reading books like Ominore's Dilemma and In Defence of Food (both by Michael Pollan), and when I became a mother (I have two precious little boys). It's brought me back to basics- cooking meals using real food, nothing processed, from as many sustainable and natural sources as possible. Though I don't detail it in my recipes, most of what I buy (I say I as I am the primary grocery shopper in our household) is organic and/or local. I think it's just a wise choice for the environment as well as our own health. I also think it's important to take the time to make meals from scratch- the control that comes from this is so important to our health. No preservatives, less sodium, refined sugar and fat- the list goes on. This way you can be sure that you are eating real food, which is what we were always intended to eat!

That being said, it's very hard to balance cooking from scratch every day and juggling the schedules of two working parents with children in daycare. I had to do it for a year after going back to work following my first maternity leave and it wasn't easy. I eventually got the swing of things but vowed that during my second maternity leave, I would start researching meal plans and dinners that worked well for the working mother. I am a firm believer in meal plans- keeps you on schedule and sane (no panicking in front of the fridge- what am I going to cook?!- when you have tired/needy/hungry children pulling at your pant leg), reduces food spoilage, and reduces your food bill. What's not good about that?

So this year I am tinkering- tinkering with recipes and meal plans that will guarantee happy children, full bellies, and lower stress levels for the chef, so that when I do go back to work (September 2013....) hopefully things will be easier than the first time around.

I will post my weekly meal plan the week following the test run and critique it- what worked, what didn't, what's a good recipe for a weeknight versus weekend etc. I will also post the recipes that go along with it. My goal is to hopefully have other mothers and fathers out there in the same boat as me benefit from my experiments. I also welcome feedback, so please don't hesitate!

Thanks and happy cooking!