At the beginning of June, I began the Capsule Kitchen experiment. The plan is to choose 33 items (foods and drinks) and make meals using those ingredients for three months.
My goal for the experiment is Simplicity in the areas of Meal Planning, Grocery Shopping, and Meal Preparation.
At the end of the first month I graded my progress in these three areas.
- Meal Planning - B
- Grocery Shopping - A
- Meal Preparation - C
Simplifying my Meal Preparation was the focus for month 2.
Meal Preparation Simplified?
Does losing interest in cooking and leaving my family to fend for themselves most days count as simplification?
It was a tough month. Seasonal allergies hit me for the first 3 weeks of the month and I just didn’t have the energy to prepare meals. We had company a few times and I rallied enough to set out a taco bar and make a pudding pie. On the other days, when it was just our family, we ate a lot of eggs and Subway (thanks to Harrison’s discount).
This final week of the month has gone better. I’m feeling better and our friends are our neighbors for the week. Community meals can sure encourage a person to cook. I’ve made honey-sesame chicken, scrambled eggs, and sauteed green beans. Tonight I’ll be contributing Chicken Chimichangas.
Is Grocery Shopping Still An A?
During the first week of the Capsule Kitchen experiment, I found simplification in grocery shopping and I was hooked.
At least I thought I was.
The first week of the second month I added non-list items to my shopping list. It was a frustrating shopping trip. I had to look for elusive ingredients, back-tracking many times.
I did the same thing last week, too. Ugh.
Meal Planning Was A Bust, Too
A list of meals is on the dry-erase board in the pantry. I looked at it maybe twice this past month.
Overall, I complicated rather than simplified during month 2.
Any Positives For The Month?
Yes. We’ve been to U-pick Farms this month, picking Sweet Cherries, Raspberries, and Blueberries. We’re regulars at the Farmer’s Market. Our RV neighbors are sharing produce from their home gardens with us (zucchini, green beans, and cucumbers). I sure love fresh produce!