On more than one occasion I have been known to say, "I want a wife!"

Kudos on the healthy eating even when you are hella busy.

Today is my mil's b-day and one of her presents is your book. She will love it.

I'm a wife and I work outside the home so we get home and there is no supper simmering on the stove. Usually just a package of some meat I grabbed out of the freezer that morning and then we have to decide what to do with it.

I've thought of preparing more than one meal at a time but the best I ever do is fixing enough to have lunch the following day. Oh well.

It's like you've become your own fast-food slinger! Except, without the questionable meat and sugar-laden fries.

Another thing that works well for me is a slow cooker. It's a fairly inexpensive appliance, and if you can find 5-10 minutes in the morning to cut a few vegetables (or do it the night before), it's awesome to come home to a tasty meal and a house that smells great. (Like living with a mom, but without the nagging).

It's can be a good way to cook healthy too, if you're getting sick of grilled chicken breasts.

I don't only cook once a month though, I do cook throughout it. But every couple of weeks or so, I'll make a huuuuuge batch of something, veggie chili, curry or soup or something along those lines, and freeze a lot of it. That way if there's nothing to cook, I just defrost something in the microwave and there you go, meal!

However, we're not currently on the type of budget that ordering pizza is really an available option so that makes it easier I guess (in some twisted way)

Come in in the afternoon and wonder smells greet you as soon as you open the door, and the food is nutritious and wholesome. Can't beat it.

One of my favorites is to put a pork loin on in the morning with a little salt and pepper and when I get home it ready to shred and cover in bbq sauce. Makes delicious, low fat bbq since pork loin is extremely lean.

I loved this post because I find that making meals in advance is like...the best thing ever! Last night I made grilled chicken to put in some tomato sauce for dinner, and cut up the rest to put in a salad for my lunch today. While all that was cooking I chopped up some veggies and canadian bacon to make an egg scramble for my breakfast this morning. It's great to feel prepared, isn't it?

I have a love hate thing going on with my George Foreman grill. Im not sure I like it. It flattens everything out or am I doing something wrong? I prefer to slap my meat on the gas grill out on the deck.

hah! I really need to learn to cook. Any advice for someone who doesn't know the difference between grill and sear?

I got a highly recommended cookbook called "How to Cook Everything" but I'd get lost on even the simplest recipes.

I have been known to make double quantities of things I'm making from scratch (macaroni, quiche) and freeze them, but never quite get around to doing other things in advance. I think I'm not convinced that I know what's happening in the upcoming week, and that the food wouldn't go off in the fridge because I missed a meal or something.

Instead, I've started stowing my meals in heavy duty freezer bags. They work great at holding the right portions of pasta. And I feel less guilty for throwing them away (even though it's still bad for the earth and whatnot).

The only problem is that it seems to cook way more than 1 serving. I like the idea of having my meals cooked to reheat when I come home or eat as lunch - but after 3 days of the same thing I just get bored and don't want to eat it.

Still, I heart my slow cooker. I actually have two, a big and a little. hence, I can double heart it!

Am loving the book, BTW!!

My co-worker's wife does it to the extreme though. She makes their lunches for the week on Sunday. He has 4 options - salad, stew, curry, spaghetti. But whatever he picks on Sunday, he will have for lunch for the entire week. So when we see him eating spaghetti on Monday, we know that he will be having spaghetti for lunch until Friday. lol. And he does not want to complain, then he will have to make his own lunch.

2. homey foods that required more complicated steps but were Totally Worth It to eat food like Mom (with calls to Mom that made her feel good)

3. stuff I wanted to learn to cook. That came later, and with time. That's basically all I have to work on now, things I've had at a restaurant or read about and I want to know how to make cheaper and healthier.

One really creative venue is salads - no need to know how to cook, but you do have to learn to think about how to assemble, how to add flavor with less calories, the importance of cutting evenly and of similar shapes...

Another option is that if you realize you've got extra, put it in the freezer. If you do it as soon as you realize you're not going to eat the meal you planned, it won't go bad.