Confession: I used to be a snob.
For a long time, I just did not see the point in many convenience foods and just refused to spend the extra money to purchase them.
Why buy a rotisserie chicken in the deli when you can just roast your own? Why buy string cheese when you can just cube it off the block? Why buy carrots cut to look like "babies" when you can just cut carrots into sticks? Why buy bagged salad greens when you can wash your own?
Even after having one child, I persisted in my convenience food snobbery. I had plenty of time during Riggins' naps to stretch my dollar by taking the time to put a little more effort into my food prep.
And then I had a second child. Just when I thought my list of "I will never..." statements could not be any more mutilated by parenthood, these little stinkers have invaded my grocery list too!
The first day I brought home a rotisserie chicken was like a revelation. I got two meals out of that bird and didn't even have to cook it! And then it was the bagged salad greens; dumping those babies into a bowl felt like freedom, and Riggins was perfectly content to play with the empty salad spinner at my feet. Then came the snacks: string cheese sticks and Baby Bell wheels, milk in a juice box, tiny bunny crackers and cereal bars. My lifelong disdain for any food that came in bar form (except for lemon bars, Hello Dolly bars, and the like!) went out the window, and in waltzed my friends Lara, Luna, Kashi, and BelVita. Oh, and don't forget my girl Sister Schubert! Individually frozen rolls that every member of the family devours after a mere 8 minutes in the oven? Yes, please...I'll take two, thank you!
Granted, my inner Martha Stewart cringes with every step I take towards the "dark side," and I'm fairly certain that she will return little by little as I continue to get ahold of this new season of life with small children. I truly enjoy the process of cooking and making things from scratch. But for now, every few minutes of time saved in the kitchen really makes a difference in the dynamics of my day, and that is worth a few extra bucks on my grocery bill. I'm still making plenty of homemade goodness when it matters to me (I'm not sure you'll ever see me buy a baking mix of any kind), but I'm grabbing the shortcuts where I can and refusing to feel guilty about it.
What are your favorite convenience foods?
10 comments:
I don't know the last time I made real chicken because I buy a rotisserie and throw that biz in everything.
I wish I was kidding.
Um everything!
I am not a fan of cooking or waiting :/
Im so proud of myself when I cook anything that doesn't involve the microwave! Haha. Oh and it's not just cause I have little ones, I've always been a lazy cook.
Breakfast convenience foods are great. Mini Eggo pancakes and Jimmy dean egg sandwiches are some of my current favs.
I don't know if this counts, but I like to buy a jar of spaghetti sauce and call it a day.
No one is judging you, Leslie!! :)
I can definitely relate to this post. I am guilty of the rotisserie chicken purchase (just last week in fact) and also purchase pre-made pizza dough and sauce for a quick "homemade" pizza. I know the made from scratch stuff tastes better, but at the end of a long day, sometimes it's necessary!
So random stranger comment :) (found your blog from hopping around from blog to blog): I never used a microwave(didn't even own one) until my 2 were 3 and 1. I now use it more often than I'd like to admit, and I also enjoy the convenience of certain foods I vowed never to buy (my kids are now 4 and 2). Rotisserie chickens have saved my life in the crazy seasons. I still hold to a lot of my "made from scratch" ways, but some of it I've just had to give up. I finally got the stage where I can bake bread and other things on a regular basis again. I did make a nice big batch of homemade pumpkin granola today of which I am very proud of too.
I think my children are 50% human, 50% cereal bar. I'm like you--with my firstborn, I could still maintain some snobbiness. With my secondborn, I lost most of my snobbiness but still held on to some shreds of it ... but with my third? I'm tossing goldfish on a plate and calling it good.
In all seriousness (um, even though that was actually kind of serious, maybe), there just has to be balance. Will I spend hours in the kitchen preparing everything from scratch? No. I have three tiny ones and it's just not going to happen. I still try to cook whole as much as possible, but, let's face it--Tony's pizza was on sale for two bucks and I tossed five in the cart. You just never know when you'll need it. I have found that I love to bake after the kids go to bed. They go to bed around 7:00 and after that it's just me in the kitchen, alone, with my music and my recipe. It's therapeutic, actually, to bake alone. As much as I appreciate my little chefs helping me ... ;) It's funny that you say that about baking mixes--you totally convinced me to stop using those a few years ago. Did you know that? Ever since you said you just make everything from scratch, it was like a lightbulb when off in my head that oh yeah, I could maybe do that, too. I'm not a baker by any means, but I actually really love baking cakes and brownies and such without mixes now--it tastes so much better. And it's cheaper. Your inner Martha Stewart should be proud!
I have definitely lost some of my food snobbiness since having a baby. Rotisserie chickens and "baby" carrots aren't exactly strangers in our household, but I used to always pride myself on putting a 3-course, cooked from scratch meal on the table each night. Not so much anymore. Having a child has definitely forced me to rethink how I spend my time and re-evaluate some of those pre-child "I would never..." statements. I can only imagine how that compounds with 2 kiddos! On that note, I'd love to hear more about how you're learning to juggle your household responsibilities with two little ones. I'm always looking for new tips and inspiration!
I am about to blow your mind: they do not sell those handy little cooked chickens over here. :) I will have to keep this on my "When we move..." list. However, I've started cooking chicken in the slow cooker, then throwing it into burritos, salads, bbq sandwiches, anything really.
I'm not against convenience foods, as long as it's still real food and is tasty! We like food too much around here to compromise on the yummy factor.
Mom of one child over here, but I tend to plan on 2 meals out of the week that I do no prep for. For instance, a frozen lasagna, a frozen meal of leftovers, or takeout. My favorite easy peasy cheat is to buy the already masterfully seasoned and chopped frozen sides that Trader Joe's carries. They are geniuses when it comes to gourmet veggies for $1.99. A great bang for your buck, with no effort.
Do you have a SAM'S card? For when you're really ready to cross over to the dark side.
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