Encouraging young Men to cook

So I shared my goal: Having the men in my life cook more.


Another great idea shared in this book by Anitra is making dinner bags.
Put all the canned/dried items you need in a bag and include the recipe.

It's a dinner kit with the ingredients inside. They will still have to gather items from the refrigerator, but if you are making "kits' make sure you have the other ingredients available too.

I like this idea a lot!
I mean, Spaghetti is a staple in our house. Put a can/jar of sauce + a package of noodles together. Easy kit! Taco Soup is another simple meal, with lots of pantry items.

It's a step in the right direction and might make the idea of "making dinner" less intimidating. They know they can grab the bag, and I'll have all the ingredients ready for them.


Some other simple cooking meals- my boys have made.
Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup ( from a can) * we have a grilled cheese maker
frozen lasagna
pot pies and rice
chili and rice (we lived in Hawaii for 8 years- this is how you eat chili Hawaiian style. But they could make corn bread if that is what your family prefers.)
cheese quesadillas
tacos (a step up- since you have to brown the meat and flavor it.)
BBQ sandwiches (browned meat + add BBQ sauce AFTER DRAINING MEAT + bun+ cheese)
Hot dogs cut into Mac n cheese
Baked potato bar (with cheese, sour cream, chili, steamed broccoli as toppings.)

It's a start. I would like them to advance into making HEALTHY meals, but we are starting small. Cooking anything is a big step!

Introducing "Minute for MOM"

I am adding a new category to my blogsite called MINUTE FOR MOM. Sometimes I stumble upon something I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE and I want to share and tell the WORLD the exciting news!!!

Or I come across an amazing book
or idea
or helpful tip
recipie
you get the idea...

Today I want to share a book.
I am in a soup-for-dinner rut. I love it! But the house full of men I live with, eat the soup and look at me and then say, "what's next?". Soup just doesn't fill up these growing boys.

So when I was shopping at my local Deseret Industry I browsed the cook book section and found this great book by Anitra Kerr, called Celebrate Dinner: Eating Gourmet the Frugal Way!
The title- caught my eye. It included catch phrases I couldn't pass up; eating, dinner, frugal and gourmet to me mean tasty. So many "frugal" cook books have recipes that are really bland and boring.

I haven't gotten to the actual recipe part- what I love about this book so far- is Anitra talks about HOW TO organize your kitchen!!!! Love this!

We moved into this house a year ago- and I made the mistake of putting things where they FIT- not necessarily grouped together in station- for FUNCTION.

(For those of you who are born organizers- this probably sounds like common sense.) But for me,I struggle with organizational skills of things. (Organizing my TIME- I am a wizard.) But I can't put things away- because then I can NEVER find them again. *

Everything has to be out where I can SEE it. If I don't SEE it, I don't OWN it. (And will buy multiples of the same item.) It is a REAL problem I have.

Okay- but enough of my "issues".
The reason cooking and my kitchen are on my mind is....
I've been trying to encourage my sons to cook more. (My oldest is almost 17- one more year left at home and he is off on his LDS mission, then college or trade school adventures.)

My sons are resisting this nudging. And to be honest- I can't blame them. They get frustrated because it is such a project to cook- on top of the normal issues & set backs.

I think if I organize my kitchen in STATIONS/Zones like Anitra suggests, the men in my life might actually cook more! (let a girl dream... lol)

The four stations she recommends: Baking/Prep zone, cooking, cleaning and "wrap it up". 
I CAN Do This!!!

This post is also introducing a new topic I will be blogging about raising MEN. I want my four boys to grow up to be self-reliant MEN. And knowing their way around a kitchen is a good life skill. (lol) I am feeling the pressure with my 17 year old. Will he be ready to be on his own- in a year?? If not- I have failed indeed as his mother.

So the pressure is on! The count down has begun! I want him to be confident in his abilities to take care of himself. (Cook, clean, wash clothes, etc, etc, etc.) Being on your own is traumatic enough- without added to the mix, you don't know how to make a meal, or get a stain out of your favorite shirt, etc.


*Does this happen to ANYONE else?
I need to know.

I buy something. Think of the perfect place to put it.
Then when I NEED it- the first place I think to look... is not the "perfect place" I put it. I go to the second "most logical place" next... and the item isn't there either. I move onto the next- the next- then next... logical places... and still can't find the item! It drives me batty!!!