Learn how I feed my family with simple, seasonal meals—no meal planning, no stress, just real-life cooking from scratch.
Why Meal Planning Stresses Me Out
I’m a full-time working wife and a mother of two adult sons. I don’t do meal planning; instead, I cook meals using the ingredients I have on hand. Meal planning stresses me out because if I plan something and then can’t follow through, I get discouraged and lose confidence in my ability to feed my family.
I Like Seasonal Meals
My cooking is pretty simple. I have a list of meals I can make—most of them are easy and I know how to prepare them without using a recipe. The meals I cook usually vary by season because I prefer to use seasonal ingredients. For example, I don’t like buying tomatoes (maybe just for pizza) or strawberries in the winter. They don’t taste great out of season and also tend to have lower nutritional value. Plus, they’re often cheaper in the summer. And it is so much fun when you get to buy those seasonal fruit and vegetables after a long winter break: I feel that we are able to enjoy their taste so much more.
How I Rotate Meals And Where I Get Ideas
When I cook, I try to rotate ingredients like rice or pasta and other carbs so that we don’t eat the same things over and over again. I usually make some kind of pasta once a week, then would cook one of the rice dishes, and sometimes prepare fried or baked potatoes. I also like to make soup about once a week. For more ideas I have a list of meals which I can cook and which my family like to eat. Sometimes I have inspiration to cook new meals, but working full time I have to keep things simple. Most of the meals I cook last for two days. The next day we eat leftovers, I simply warm up the rice or pasta in a skillet, add some eggs and spices, and that’s our meal. We take leftovers to work for lunches as well. Cooking this way I only need to cook about 3–4 meals a week.
My Staple Ingredients
As I mentioned, I don’t meal plan. I cook based on what I have. There are some staples I always keep in the kitchen: root vegetables like carrots, beets, potatoes, onions, and garlic. These can make a quick and easy meal. When I go shopping, I usually pick up a few main ingredients like mushrooms, cabbage, eggplant, or zucchini.
I also try to keep dairy products on hand—milk, cheese, butter, and eggs. In my pantry, I always have pasta and rice, along with other items like beans, buckwheat, chickpeas, and millet, which my family enjoys. I also keep flour, honey, oil, canned diced tomatoes, nuts, and chocolate for cooking and baking.
I didn’t mention meat because my husband and I mostly eat vegetarian food. Sometimes we buy pork, but that’s rare. Occasionally, we buy chicken or ham for our children, which we freeze and use little by little for their sandwiches.
I Started Baking Bread
Since Christmas, I’ve also started baking our own bread, so we no longer buy it. I keep grains in my pantry and mill my own flour. I try to rotate our family’s favorite desserts too and avoid buying store-bought treats.
Now, writing all of this out, it might seem like a lot—but remember, I’ve been a wife for 27 years, and I started small. That’s what I encourage others to do: start with 3–4 simple meals a week and repeat them until you know them by heart. Stick with that for a month. Once you feel confident, you can expand your meal list and gradually build variety by changing up your salads, greens, and vegetables—like using avocado, broccoli, or lettuce.
These are some of my favorite tips for cooking from scratch at home and avoiding ready-made food.