Type A Efficiencies

A reader commented recently that my enchilada recipe had a lot of steps for an "easy" recipe. For me, that is one of my most basic recipes. A quick meal in a pinch. For others, it is the equivalent of cooking a Thanksgiving feast.

I work full time in a fairly stressful job...and I love to cook. Not a good combination when I often don't leave the office until 6:30 at night. Co-workers often pick up Chinese or pizza, or serve a quick omelet to their families. I can't even imagine. So how do I manage to whip up creative dinners each night? And why bother?

The key is the title of this blog. Type A Diversions. I have a "Type A" personality. Type A personalities are rarely at rest. Type A personalities are the kings and queens of multi-tasking. Type A personalities feel failure if all meals are not deliciously prepared from scratch. No take out allowed.

At this moment, I have fajita ingredients simmering, fajita shells frying and the rice cooker is beeping its sign of completion. I'm also adding items to my grocery list (which I will pick up on the way home from work tomorrow so I can accomplish other things on the weekend). And I'm enjoying a glass of wine so I can begin to relax.

So back to how and why to ensure great dinners each night. Why is easy. Weight control. Eating out you have no idea what goes into your meal preparation and how many calories and grams of fat you are consuming. My husband thinks Thai food is healthy. Not when you consider the peanut oil used to sauté the vegetables. Pizza? Oil in the dough. Burritos? Beans cooked in lard. Seemingly healthy fare, laden with fat and calories.

How to ensure well prepared meals, especially on the weeknights? Planning is key. I subscribe to Cooking Light, which is full of great low fat recipes. I usually try them "as is" to understand the basic elements the first time around. Second time I start adding ingredients to enhance the basic recipe. If they pass the “weekly rotation worthy” test, I then document the recipes and keep them in a notebook with all my other favorites. I have far too many favorites to rotate each recipe weekly - most repeat every 2 or 3 weeks.

I typically plan meals a week in advance. As I get an idea or think of a meal we haven't had in awhile, I jot it down on a list for the next week's meals. At the same time I keep a running grocery list so when I put an entree on the list, I add the ingredients needed for the weekly shopping. That way when I grab the grocery list on my way to go shopping, I don't have to spend an hour figuring out what I need.

Once you have the ingredients on hand and a "pick list" of entrees for the week, it is easy to create gourmet meals when I get home. I don't even have to think about the meal - I just select something from the list, confident I have the ingredients. To save time at night, sometimes I'll set the rice to cook while I am out for my morning run or cut vegetables as wait for my husband's breakfast to cook.

So that's it. The secret is out.

Lest you think I don't ever cheat, that I don't ever put a meal on the table that takes less than an hour to prepare, I do keep homemade ravioli in the freezer (prepared on rainy weekend days) to serve if I'm really in a pinch! A new Type A Diversion.