Challenge the first: Cook dinner every night for a month

[jamethiel]

Take-away and eating out costs a lot more. We've all got busy lives and finding the time and energy to prepare every meal is really difficult.

For a month, I'm going to make an effort to cook every single night. I have flatmates and we share the cooking so it's easier for me than for some. Still, it's going to require some planning and preparation. Who's with me? Comment if you want to take the challenge!

Needless to say, your commitment to this can absolutely vary. I am giving myself a pass for nights I have gigs and can't eat dinner beforehand. I can't really take a boxed meal to a gig! Also, it doesn't apply when I'm out on a date. You may decide that there is one night a week where friends come over and you have takeaway. It's all good!

What this challenge is aiming to prevent are those times when it's been a day from hell and you come home and look at the ingredients you have and you go "... stuff it. I'm getting take-away."

It'll require a bit of prep. You'll need to do your shopping a week in advance, which means planning your menu. I'll do a post on that on Friday and we'll be starting the actual challenge on Monday.

Of course, if your pay cycle doesn't synch with the challenge, feel free to pick it up at a later date.

Comments

[martyna]

I'm a newbie when it comes to cooking. Or at least I feel so, since I'd manage some spaghetti and wipe up some tomato sauce with stuff, but anything beyond this... For several reasons -including the financial one- I'd like to change our way of eating (that is mine and the one of my bf). I won't participate in your challenge, but will try to figure out how to find something nice to cook at least 2 evenings/week. Just need enough confidence to start this out! :x

PS

[martyna]

Anyone wanting to share very easy recipes with me, feel free to do so.

Re: PS

[jamethiel]

Well, i would have starved years ago without this recipe:

Tuna and Lemon Pasta

Ingredients
A large bunch of curly parsley (You need about two large handfuls/two heaped cups of parsley)
4-6 garlic cloves
A medium can of tuna. It can be in oil or springwater. Oil is tastier, springwater is healthier)
Fresh lemon juice, 2-4 tablespoons (or a lemon, juiced)
Olive Oil
Parmesan if desired
Fusilli (or other pasta) for two
Salt
1. Boil the water for the pasta. Add salt (a tablespoon or so) and olive oil ( a couple of tablespoons( to prevent it sticking
2. Drain the tuna
3. Rinse and chop the parsley leaves. Don't chop it too fine--it will turn to dust. I usually find that using the knife to chop 1-1.5 cm apart is adequate. (That's 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch)
4. Put the pasta on to cook
5. Peel and really finely chop the garlic.
6. Heat up a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan.
7. Add the garlic. Stir for 30 seconds, until the aroma rises. Add the tuna. Cook for about a minute--you only want it heated through, NOT twice cooked. Use the spoon to break up any chunks.
8. Add the parsley. Stir for a minute, only until combined. Again, you don't want to cook it. It turns bitter.
9. Remove from the heat and set aside until the pasta's ready.
10. Drain the pasta when cooked. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and toss through. Add the tuna mix and toss it through. Pour over lemon juice.
11. Garnish with Parmesan if desired. Serve

Give it a try! I'd be interested to know what you think.

[jamethiel]

Not a problem! I learned to cook with confidence when I was around 24 or so, so I'm happy to help someone go through the same process.