Mom's Cafe Home Cooking: A Quick Start Roast Beef Dinner

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Saturday, March 03, 2012

A Quick Start Roast Beef Dinner

Honestly, the past two Februarys have not been kind to me. Last year I ended up with a huge haematoma on my shin when a truck door slammed into it on Feb. 18. I still have a horrid mark and a bit of a lump there. Two weeks ago I hurt my back playing volleyball so was barely walking when my slipper got caught on the stairs sending me flying face down onto the landing on Feb 21. Thank goodness nothing is broke but I have one of the worst sprains possible according to the doctor. So I'm still on crutches meaning my cooking style is being cramped just a tad. This is precisely why keeping a well stocked pantry and home made convenience foods is a must! They can be a real help when you are dealing with illness or injury.

Years ago when the kids were small and I was back in university, I began bulk cooking sessions. It was one way for me to put good, nutritious meals on the table without a lot of fuss. I reasoned that cooking two roasts took the same time as cooking one roast. I quickly devised my homemade meal quick starts. These include vacuum sealed packets of meat or poultry with gravy, seasoned ground beef, browned ground beef/turkey/chicken, pre-made vegetable packets, vegetable sides and those types of things.

A couple of nights ago, I'm hobbling around the kitchen just itching to do a bit of cooking. I pulled out a packet of roast beef and gravy from the freezer. Then I cooked broad egg noodles and frozen niblet corn to complete the meal. It wasn't a fancy meal nor was it time consuming but more importantly it was something I could put together while on crutches. The entire meal was ready within 15 minutes.

Monday's Frugal Kitchen 101 will go into greater detail with respect to homemade convenience foods. A bit of prepping ahead as well as stocking the freezer and pantry will make dealing with injury and illnesses easier. You won't have to worry about running out to the store or ordering take-out as everything you need for a healthy meal will be right in your own home!