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Savoring life in the Berkshires

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What I Cook When I Can’t Really Cook

Published on May 20, 2010 By Emily. Updated on May 20, 2010

I love cooking.  There are days when I’d be content to never leave the kitchen (assuming, of course, that someone else is going to do the dishes).  But lately, but life’s been so swamped that I haven’t had much time for hanging out in the kitchen and cooking complicated meals.  So, what do I cook when I don’t have time or energy to cook something exciting?

Often, we have leftovers.  I try to plan my menus a week in advance and if I know an afternoon/evening is going to be busy, I try to make a big meal the night before that we can eat twice (or more!).  When that doesn’t work out (like this week, when I somehow ran out of planned meals for the week), I have a few stand-bys that I go to.  For most of them, the freezer is key.  Keep a stock of “go-to” meals in the freezer and you’ll be set–and now that there’s almost no meat in ours, we’ve got lots more room.

Emily’s Top 6 “No Planning” Meals

Mark Bittman’s pancakes, with 1 cup of whole wheat flour substituted in for one cup of the All Purpose Flour.  Pancakes for dinner are a surprisingly excellent meal.

Stir Fry, usually with frozen vegetables and sometimes with tofu.  I frequently use the sauce recipe from The Pioneer Woman’s Sesame Noodles, because I’m pretty much obsessed with it (and her).

Tuna Melts There’s an awesome Emeril recipe in the May issue of Everyday Food for a tuna melt that involves tomatoes, capers and red onion.  Tuna melts are great on their own, but adding more ingredients makes them even better.

Whole Wheat Pasta, with my favorite marinara sauce, fresh from the freezer.

Pizza I keep extra dough in the freezer and you can top pizza with whatever’s seasonal or in your pantry.

Frittata A perfect way to use up leftover meat, cheese and vegetables, frittatas are ridiculously easy.

What do you cook when you have nothing else planned?

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Filed Under: food Tagged With: cooking

« A Twist on a Family Pasta Favorite
Highlights: Cocktails »

Trackbacks

  1. Oven-Fried Fish Sticks and Lemon Risotto with Summer Squash Review says:
    September 14, 2011 at 9:28 pm

    […] a lot of the meals I’ve cooked have been off of this list of last minute meals, although they’re not really last minute, they’re actually part of my meal plan.  When […]

  2. » Pantry Meal: Whole Wheat Waffles says:
    July 23, 2014 at 1:41 pm

    […] about what I make for meals when I don’t know what to make or have a lot of time (like here and here).  This recipe satisfies three needs in my meal making life:  I have all the ingredients on hand, […]

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Emily
It was a cold and cloudy morning, but we made it t It was a cold and cloudy morning, but we made it to our second annual strawberry picking at @mountainviewfarm413, which included E's first tractor ride (she was very excited). We picked about 9 pounds of strawberries and I'm looking forward to eating them! 🍓
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#NorthAdams #NAmazing
Scenes from this morning in Adams, featuring @shir Scenes from this morning in Adams, featuring @shiredonuts, Poseidon Coffee, the Ashwillticook Rail Trail, St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Adams Free Library and beautiful flowers.
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#AdamsMA #igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires
I don't have clear words to express my feelings ab I don't have clear words to express my feelings about the state of the world lately. As a teacher and a mother, it has been extra difficult this week to be fully present in my roles without thinking about innocent lives that should have had longer on Earth. How what has happened in each of the many mass shootings this year can happen anywhere. If you are feeling sad and frustrated too, you are not alone.

I don't have answers, but I'm trying to take care of myself and my biological and school families. I'm saying "I love you" a lot to my children and my students. I'm closely following and sharing the work of @everytown while contacting my state and federal representatives and the president. I'm going for walks and getting fresh air and trying not to overload on news. I'm sharing good resources in my stories as I see them.
UPDATE: the giveaway is now CLOSED. Congrats @aloh UPDATE: the giveaway is now CLOSED. Congrats @alohr3!

 @thelazygenius' second book, The Lazy Genius Kitchen, is finally here and I'm so excited! I don't purchase many books, but I pre-ordered this last July because I knew it would be right up my alley and then I pre-ordered a second copy because I knew that I'd want to give one away.

Author Kendra Adachi has been one of my favorite voices in recent years. Her principles (shared through her first book, The Lazy Genius Podcast and her Instagram) have helped me focus my priorities and give myself more grace. 

This book is NOT a cookbook (it has just 2 recipes), it is a kitchen guide - to help you "have what you need, use what you have, and enjoy it like never before". It is beautiful (full color!) and thoughtful.

I'm very excited to send this book to one of you.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment below with one of your greatest kitchen struggles. 
I'll draw a winner at 8 pm on Friday, May 6.
This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram or The Lazy Genius, Kendra Adachi.
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#LazyGenius #KendraAdachi #NameWhatMatters #TheLazyGeniusKitchen #TheLazyGeniusWay #BookGiveaway
This morning we took advantage of @massmoca's Berk This morning we took advantage of @massmoca's Berkshire Teacher and Social Worker Appreciation Day free admission. After enjoying the student Art Invitational exhibit, the 4 of us took in several of the other galleries. Mass MoCA always impresses and it was delightful to be able to be out in the world with my kids.
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #MassMoCA #ArtMuseum
Today I finally found my way into @plantconnector, Today I finally found my way into @plantconnector, in its new location on Main Street in North Adams. The shop is incredible - the displays are great and the plants are delightful. There's a refill station with bottles and jars for soaps, detergents and other products, a terrarium bar, and an abundance of sustainable and beautiful products. I'm now in the process of pondering who I can purchase Plant Connector gifts for in the coming months.
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #ShopLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #PlantConnector
This is your periodic reminder that @berkshiremuse This is your periodic reminder that @berkshiremuseum is a great visit for all ages. The current Voyage to the Deep exhibit, which involves an interactive Nautilus submarine that my 5 year old spent literally hours in.  We also thoroughly enjoyed the Aquarium and Berkshire Backyard. Highly recommended - we'll be back soon!
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My January and early February menu plans for my @m My January and early February menu plans for my @mightyfoodfarm vegetables are finally up on the blog. See how we're making use of these beautiful items, as well as the items from the other pick up we made in the past month. 
Link in profile.
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare  #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
One of my favorite things to do is bake from scrat One of my favorite things to do is bake from scratch.
But, in the interest of full transparency, this pie was made with Pillsbury pie crusts and a $5 bag of Walmart Granny Smiths. I used the recipe on the pie crust box.
I am very excited to eat it.
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