Comments on The Green Phone Booth: Giving Up Kraft Dinner: Life Change Check-In

@Green Bean: ahhh snacks would be challenging! I l...

2012-01-21T10:50:44.378-08:00

@Green Bean: ahhh snacks would be challenging! I look forward to reading about that :)

@Jenn Greenmom: hahah, yeah i wondered for a minute if Kraft Dinner was actually called something else in the states- it's mac-and-cheese by the Kraft company. And sadly, I ADORE KD.... :S
We actually made a yummy mac and cheese frmo scratch last weekend (w white wine and about a pound of cheese lol). It lasted as leftovers for DAYS. I was considering sharing that recipe here, but it's actually pretty intense to prepare and cook...

I like the idea of pre-making rice, we've never made it to brown rice due to the time it takes to cook, but maybe pre-making is a nice solution.

I also have this fabulous flatbread recipe (from Smitten Kitchen- the honey-thyme flatbread) that is SO easy to make, I'm hoping to try some pizza that way.

Thankfully Andrew is very accommodating to my weird food restrictions and fussy-ness. We always get what I want on pizza :)

Good for you ! One thought about the time factor (...

2012-01-21T08:47:38.763-08:00

Good for you ! One thought about the time factor (since YEAH, if you have a 10 minute choice vs a 45 minute choice, I'd take the quick one too!) is to pre-make some stuff that you can easily turn into dinner in a pinch--I tend to cook a big pot of brown rice that can then be turned into or added to any number of things, even if it's just pouring pasta sauce over it or dumping it into a pot with some broth and veggies and calling it "soup." (Which is, I guess, exactly what it is.)

Here's where I display my ignorance: is Kraft dinner the same thing we Yanks refer to as mac-and-cheese? (Do you notice we call it "mac-and-cheese" when it's powdered from a box, and "macaroni and cheese" when it's homemade and real? Or is that just me?) Because if you get a hankering for it, you could make a really easy homemade version, a basic bechamel sauce with cheese and seasonings melted into it, and it would probably keep for a few days...

Homemade "pizza" is also incredibly easy--you can use pita rounds, or naan, or any flat bread product (including, I suppose, pizza crust!) and put whatever you want on it. And no one has to argue about toppings.

(If you have found yourself a man with whom you AGREE in terms of the perfect pizza toppings, you are One Lucky Woman. Sigh...)

Good for you! I've got a similar goal - workin...

2012-01-20T10:34:23.435-08:00

Good for you! I've got a similar goal - working on changing how my kids snack. It is a little more work but after reading more and more about industrial food, even organic industrial, well, GROSS!

@Alli: thanks!! it's true, together we can cre...

2012-01-20T07:28:27.382-08:00

@Alli: thanks!! it's true, together we can create meals that I'd never try on my own. :)

@Laura: I feel lucky- sometimes he even makes all of supper for me :) We did have a slow cooker meal last week (pot roast, which he basically put together in the morning). I don't mind them, but i really am not a fan of all ingredients in one pot (like stew). But we have a crockpot recipe book and will hopefully try a few other things in there.

I know that having a successful meal planning system now will help once we have children (which will require a definite adjustment!)

Whoo! Good for you! It's nice your husband i...

2012-01-20T07:16:13.711-08:00

Whoo! Good for you! It's nice your husband is on board. Mine is willing to make the change, but he doesn't help cook or prep, so get excited about that factor! How do you feel about crockpot meals? I haven't done any in quite a while, but they are on the menu plan for this next week. My kids seem to think that 4pm is the bewitching hour and therefore it's as though all hell breaks loose while I'm trying to make supper! I always keep a pound of ground beef in the freezer to make homemade "hamburger helper" if it's really a tight night. Otherwise, we're eating cheese and crackers yet again. :)

Congrats! Sounds like together you will make it wo...

2012-01-20T04:27:08.462-08:00

Congrats! Sounds like together you will make it work! It is very important to do it as a team when you have a partner! You can help to motivate each other to keep you from falling back into the box! :) Diego and I do it often trying to keep from eating out all the time. Thanks for the recipe! Sounds very tasty!