rechelle's lifelyrics

At some point it occurred to me the best way to save money and time on food and preparation is to pare down on the list of “must haves” for the household. The more generalized your shopping list is, the easier it is to manage, and you will find you’re not buying a bunch of specialized items that end up going bad in the fridge after you used a portion of them for that one recipe. Keep basic items on hand that can be used for multiple styles of cooking, and try to keep track of what items need to be used up before their “toss” time. This will enable you to limit the amount of things that are forgotten in your refrigerator until the fateful day when you have to get rid of that funky smell or mystery blob at the back of a drawer or shelf!

Summertime is a great time to think about limiting extra sauces, prepared foods, and specialty items. There are so many great fresh food options that can be prepared on a grill, or quickly thrown together in a summer salad, that it is the perfect time to simplify everything so you have more time to enjoy the outdoors with friends and family!

I am a fan of combining fresh ingredients in a single package and maybe adding a green salad or fruit for the dinner table. Also, fresh or frozen fruit is a great option for breakfast along with a protein and starch of your choice. Lunch time at our house is usually leftovers, or a reincarnation of dinner the night before, with some added greens.

All of this talk about easy prep and simple planning has brought a special meal to mind. One year, Ray and I went to this great restaurant on the Oregon coast, and ordered this all-in-one meal with seafood, pasta, vegetables, butter, herbs, and wine in a parchment paper bag. It was wonderful! We thoroughly enjoyed our experience as we relished the view of the bay from the restaurant windows next to our table for two.

That experience inspired me to create my own version of the easy-for-camping or backyard dinner party  meal that I named “Happy Sacks.” Unfortunately, I never wrote down what I did as a rule for those summertime meals, but you can give it a try in parchment or aluminum foil with a quick-cooking pasta such as angel hair. Also, you want to make sure all of your ingredients are cut to portions that will be finished cooking at about the same time. You definitely don’t want to end up with crunchy pasta or meat that has not had enough time to cook!

I did take the time to write down a summertime recipe we all enjoyed when we lived in California, though! I’m hoping it will inspire you to use fresh ingredients and have fun with cooking for yourself, your family, or a party of people this Summer.