The Reluctant Chef

I never really intended to be able to write "homemaker" above the occupation section of the joint tax forms I share with my husband, but "parenting blogger and budding freelance writer" doesn't quite fit in the designated space. Yet, this is the situation in which I now find myself. As a "homemaker," it is generally expected that I will plan, shop for and prepare the family meals. Individually, each step is doable, but the trifecta has proved problematic.

As a consequence, my kitchen abilities are weak. I can read and follow recipes, and I enjoy adventurous food, but I definitely lack the motivation to experiment.

Interestingly enough, before procreating I was an avid reader of cooking magazines and eagerly tested new recipes each month. If an article touted the wonders of Chinese long beans, I would search the local Asian groceries until I located the mysterious vegetable. Words like "braise" and "batonnet" intrigued me, and I devoured biographies on Julia Child and Ruth Reichl. However, since the title of "homemaker" found its way onto my mental business card, I find myself rotating between the same 10 dishes. It didn't help that my first little offspring's demands of an all-beige diet made it impossible to create one meal for the whole family.

Still, I wanted -- no, needed -- to change this mind-frame, and in order to kickstart my new attitude, I needed a project. I decided I would create a realistic guide to feeding a typical family of four.
Here are the parameters I set for my venture:

1. Each dinner must take no more than 15 minutes to prep and cook (from playground to table in a quarter of an hour).
2. The meals must be healthy, organic if possible, and not be laden with processed, prepared foods (no frozen pasta in a bag).
3. The meals must be affordable, around $15.

Read the rest at Huff Post Parents.