Mindsets

I used to be a full time homemaker, and I felt I was a failure if I didn't cook a full meal every night and make as many things from scratch as possible - homemade stock, scratch cakes, homemade biscuits and cookies, etc. I didn't get all these things made all the time, so my level of frustration rose. Then I went back to work and was exhausted every night. I don't have a hard job, but it's enough that I want to spend some time decompressing before I hit the kitchen, if at all.
So I decided that stock cubes and frozen biscuits were a better idea, and the cookies and cakes are fewer and more often store bought. I also discovered I could have some meals ready for the next week if I cooked on the weekends. I could make a couple chickens, a roast, maybe get a large package of ground beef and brown it so it's ready to dump in a sauce. Also the jars of spaghetti sauce came from the store instead of homemade. I found that I could put together good, nutritious meals even without driving myself crazy or losing sleep.
How many times do we set too high expectations for ourselves? Even those who don't cook or don't cook all that often are apt to get the idea that "healthy" meals means only salads and frozen meals with the least calories and "bad stuff". Healthy, nutritious meals can be whole grain pasta tossed with 1/3 jar of garden pasta sauce and some lean, cooked chicken diced or some browned, ground meat tossed with some cooked rice, diced, canned tomatoes and some cheese. Not a fan of meal-in-one dishes? Try cooking a sliced onion in some olive oil and adding some chicken tenders in one skillet, then in another, heat a little olive oil and put in some frozen mixed vegetables and add your favorite dried herbs. Serve with a roll and some fruit. The same can be done with ground meat patties browned and cooked in mushroom soup and served with instant mashed potatoes and a salad. The possibilities are endless!
Utilizing boneless, skinless, frozen chicken tenders, canned tomatoes, and a variety of frozen vegetables will simplify weeknight meals or make the weekly cooking quicker to put together. Also having a couple bags for frozen fruit - my favorites are cherries and mixed berries - will make a healthy dessert in a hurry. All you have to do is add a couple spoons of fruit to some plain yogurt and honey and you have dessert! The more decadent alternative is to microwave a couple spoons of fruit until it's soft and top a freshly baked biscuit or a slice of angelfood cake. Add a little whipped cream to make it really special!
Don't let time, media, and your own outdated attitudes keep you from the kitchen and the family table! Get in there and use what you find in the pantry! Enjoy the time in the kitchen and the table.