How to End Cooking Burn Out and Save Money: An Everlasting Meal

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How do you feel about cooking?  Are you someone that absolutely thrives in the kitchen and loves every minute you get to spend there or is it a chore just to drag yourself in and “slave” away at the stove to put something edible on the table.  Most people probably find themselves somewhere between the two extremes.  After having cooked for a family of 7 for almost 20 years now, I’ll admit I’m not always a cooking enthusiast.  I have been rediscovering the joy of cooking and have found meal time is a very sacred time indeed.

My own mother was a lousy cook (God rest her beautiful soul) and therefore I didn’t know what a gourmet meal was until I left home. After I got married I became a self-taught cook, learning by trial and error. Time flies by and almost 20 years later, with changing dynamics and 2 kids heading off to college, less time to grocery shop, and huge food bills, I needed a fresh approach. I accidentally stumbled upon a poetic, philosophical cookbook that changed my experience in the kitchen. 

An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace

Tonight I had a few organic chicken breasts in the fridge that were getting perilously close to the date. I haven’t shopped in days and I don’t have the ingredients to make anything from a real recipe. There was some stuff in the fridge, yet I would have thought “nothing to make”. Thanks to the philosophical shift from reading Tamar Adlar’s book An Everlasting Meal, I pulled out my pot, boiled some very salty water and starting by boiling the chicken with a handful of a good spice blend. Then I sauteed a diced onion with some leftover mushrooms that would have been thrown out in the next day or so, chopped celery ends I had remembered to save, then made a little roux. I created a sauce with the broth from the chicken breasts and a cup of milk and some cheese pieces. I added some  leftover cooked veggies and the diced chicken breasts in my yummy mushroom sauce. I also found some too-stale-for-salad croutons in the pantry, so I threw them in the rest of my seasoned broth, making a makeshift stuffing, and put it on top of my mushroom saucey chicken concoction and baked for a few minutes. My family declared this makeshift casserole the best thing ever. And there was enough to put another one in the freezer, so I have solved “what’s for dinner” twice, never having touched a single recipe. Everything except the chicken, onion, and cup of milk was what Tamar calls “ends”, most of which would likely have been in the garbage.

Tell us how you feel about cooking in the comments below.

Add this book to your library and you’ll be glad you did!

An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace

Healthy Blessings,

Sandy

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Sandy J Duncan
Sandy Duncan is completing her Doctorate in Integrative Medicine, a health and wellness coach, Certified Neurofeedback specialist and author of AllNaturalHealthReviews.org. Read honest reviews on current health and wellness products as well as register for FREE giveaways.