I spend an obscene amount of time thinking of food

[MissMillie]

I'm always thinking about what's in the fridge or freezer, what I can make with it, what days we'll eat it, what I can do with whatever leftovers there are.

Right now I have a freezer and fridge filled w/ food (and I do mean FULL), but when the grocery sales flyers came in the mail I still had to look and see what was on sale and think about what to make with it.

There's a few things I'd like to make this weekend. Mostly soups and beans but there's no room in the freezer for the leftovers. Some other time, I guess, but my brain is still thinking "When?"

I watch more cooking shows than anything else on TV, and spend a lot of time thinking about how to tweak recipes so that they work for my budget and for the taste preferences of my household.

I have a wish-list of kitchen gadgets and think about how the kitchen can be renovated to make some of the recipes I see done on TV (a dream kitchen, so to speak).

Usually, when people ask me what my favorite food is, I say, "All of it."

[Ohiogal]

1. If you have to stay on a food budget

(like I did for many years when my kids were small) you definitely have to think about food all the time! I was home with my 3 boys for many years and had to come up with 3 meals a day for my family 6 days a week (plus pack lunch for my husband to take to work)

I picked up some habits that I still cannot break to this day .... I still keep a food budget although we can veer off occasionally now that I am only feeding 3 men and not 4 any more, and since they all work and mostly take care of themselves for breakfast and lunch.

One habit I couldn't break was buying bread from the bakery thrift store. It's virtually half the price of what you pay for fresh bread in the grocery store. I started doing that when they were small once we got off WIC. With a lot of guys at home, we go through bread really fast. It's worth a trip out of my way to stock up on bread from the thrift store and put it in my upright freezer in the cellar.

[MissMillie]

3. We went to that store last week

Got something like 8 loves of bread, 6 pkg of english muffins, 3 boxes of donuts, 3 boxes of Twinkies, and a few other things... all for less than $20.

I don't eat a lot of bread, but my man does.

One of the reasons why my freezer won't fit any more food is because of all the bread and cold cuts. (We do have other stuff too, but the bread takes up the most room. We used to have a standing freezer, but it busted a couple of years ago.)

[Ohiogal]

6. My home upright freezer

is something I couldn't live without! My husband fishes, and I pack up fish fillets in my Food Saver (another great gadget that I couldn't do without). Fish from the store can be very expensive! I won't buy the farm raised kind, and the wild-caught can be pricey.
We do eat fish a couple times a week.

[FarPoint]

2. Great....

Cooking is a creative art...it must of been a passion you kept buried. Cooking became my side passion...Now my grandson is a Chef, graduated with a Bachelor's Degree from New England Culinary Institute ...we did the farm to table focus as he was growing up.

[Ohiogal]

4. That is awesome!

I like to think that the fact that my boys all grew up on home cooked food, is why they hardly ever eat fast food, don't like it and consider it a waste of money. They are more likely to buy stuff to make a simple lunch with, like eggs, cold cuts, tuna, and things like that.

You must be so proud of your grandson!

My middle son is quite a home cook, too. He will even make his own noodles for lasagna. He showed me how he made his own sous vide cooker out of a crockpot. It was pretty ingenious.

[FarPoint]

9. Interesting, at NECI in Vermont...

Montpelier....no fast food anywhere.....all local shops. Our Brett did miss Taco Bell..so during a few visits..we did bring him a rare treat..

Now, fast food is not a thought. Exception he says, Shake Shack by Danny Meyer.

[MissMillie]

10. I would love to cook professionally

I have even spent time making a business plan and menu for my own restaurant.

As my son was growing up we didn't eat a lot of fast food, and as often as possible I would bring him into the kitchen with me to teach him some of the family recipes. He still calls me from time-to-time to ask me how to make a particular dish.

When I was growing up, we didn't eat fast food at all. Almost every night we ate what a lot of people would consider to be a "Sunday Dinner" (meat, potatoes, veg and a salad). Both of my parents were able to teach me how to cook.

Once in a while we'd have burgers or dogs, and sometimes my mom would bring home an assortment of cold cuts (she managed a deli) and some sub rolls and we'd build our own subs.

[FarPoint]

12. It's people like us that preserve the essence of food as a life component.

Food brings along socialization, friendship, love...a true sense of community and embracing your neighbor.

[Ohiogal]

13. And I think it's a shame

That so many families are too busy to sit down and eat dinner together. That was a ritual we were lucky enough to have when I was raising my kids.

I remember once my oldest son came home from school after a day on a field trip ..... the school took them to McDonald's for their lunch. He complained that the food was terrible. He ordered the chicken nuggets and said they were so bad he threw them away. That was the first time he'd ever been to a McDonald's and he was in second grade.

[FarPoint]

20. Once someone gets connected with cooking...

Experience the massive quality of taste and cost savings with socialization...they become aware and are essentially hooked.

People just need to be reintroduced to good eats.

[Freddie]

5. I do to

Mainly because I'm bored (kids are grown, boring job) so I spend a lot of time on recipe sites trying to find new ideas. Alas DH is not an adventurous eater and he has a digestive condition where he can't eat much fiber. A healthy salad for a summer dinner? Forget it.
My favorite site is Big Oven where people post their own recipes or links to ones they like. It was always a "real food that real people make" site although lately it's been overrun by paleo/gluten free/kale and tofu stuff. But the old recipes are still there.

[Ohiogal]

7. My husband won't eat a salad for dinner, either

He grew up on a hot meal for dinner and has to have that all year long. Me, I could be very happy on salads all summer long.

[notdarkyet]

8. I think about food all the time too. And it's just me now, so I end up making too big a meals.

I divide them up and freeze them, so it’s not wasted. I love to cook and search out recipes.

[MissMillie]

11. I always end up cooking more than we need

and end up freezing stuff. In more than one instance it has been a blessing. One year I got pneumonia and felt too sick to cook. I ate out of my freezer for a week. (Then I had the problem that my freezer was empty but there was no room in the cabinets to put all the Tupperware. LOL)

When my son was growing up, our home was where all his friends would hang out and I ended up feeding 3 or 4 kids even though I only had one.

[Ohiogal]

14. I have the same problem when we finish our spaghetti sauce

My husband makes enough sauce to last for approx. 6 meals and when the containers are all empty, it's a challenge to find a place to store them!

My son brought a friend over when he was about 12 - this is funny - the friend stayed for dinner and my son "warned" him, we're having tuna casserole. The friend said "okay". He ate every bite! He lived with just his dad and I don't think they ever had too many home cooked meals.

[samplegirl]

28. God you sound like

me! One kid and I cooked all the time. I never learned how to cook for just 2.
You can share your favorite recipes!! I love new tried and true recipes!!!! Always willing to share mine as well!

[Polly Hennessey]

15. You are not alone.

I think about food a good portion of the day. Always want to try new recipes. Watch cooking shows because of the cooking tips. One of my favorite sites is Damn Delicious. Already thinking about dinner. Love to go grocery shopping and finding new and different “stuff.” My freezer and refrigerator are full. My favorite thing now is to find delicious recipes using five ingredients or less.

[Ohiogal]

16. One of my favorite web sites for cooking that I tell everyone about

budgetbytes.com

Originally intended for novice cooks who don't want to rely on fast food or ramen noodles and need to stay on a budget. But, the recipes not boring and do include Asian, Mexican, Middle Eastern cuisine, the food is interesting. Some great vegetarian and salad recipes, too.

Recipes are easy, budget-friendly, and tasty, and don't rely on anything processed or packaged. Each recipe has easy step by step photos, too.

A couple of my favorites are the "Easy Oven Fajitas" (we eat that probably twice a month) and "Yellow Rice Chicken Skillet".

I've also found some great recipes on Delish.com

[MissMillie]

17. I don't worry so much about how many ingredients, but

I want to dirty as few dishes as possible. The only dishwashers in this house are on the end of my arms.

[Polly Hennessey]

18. I love one skillet or one pan dishes.

Love to cook. Doing dishes is really annoying (isn’t this what husbands are for?).

[MissMillie]

23. My guy used to do all the dishes

but since I've been out of work, I've taken over the kitchen. He still does the laundry, floors and makes the bed.

[WhiteTara]

19. You must have a family and are the sole cook and bottle washer

I wake up thinking about dinner before I have had coffee.

[MissMillie]

22. Actually it's just my guy and I

but we're on a fixed income.

I'm planned out on meals until Tuesday. I planned tonight's dinner on Thursday.

[WhiteTara]

24. Menus are the best way to keep it all together

and I know what you mean about inordinate amount of time is spent thinking, planning, procuring, storing and preparing and dealing with the clean up and storage of left over foods. Sometimes I forget what I even ate because I'm so busy getting ready for the next meals!

[malthaussen]

21. More time thinking about it than eating it, yeah.

Wolves got nuthin' on me.

-- Mal

[NightWatcher]

25. I am the complete opposite. I want the Jetson's food pills so I never have to think about it

I hate making grocery lists. I hate food shopping. The food that I used to enjoy either doesn't taste the same or it wrecks my guts. I'd rather just pop a pill with all the nutrients that I need and be done with it.

[blueinredohio]

26. I think about what food I can't have anymore that I loved.

A1c was outrageous my last doctor visit so I'm trying to eat very few starches. I'm trying but I don't know how long it's going to last.

[iamateacher]

27. I love cooking shows and I plan meals too...

Since I retired, I love to cook. I bought a Thai cookbook just today...

[c-rational]

29. A perfect example of "what you focus your awareness on grows" bon apetite