Prepping Lifestyle is Fun and Easy

January 20, 2015 — diet, food prep, health, healthy eating

You probably know about the doomsday preppers, who build bunkers and buy machine guns and prepare to survive Armageddon. This has no interest to me. However, the other popular group of preppers, the ones who prepare food ahead of time to make sure they have healthy meals ready when they want them, are very attractive. I started following this idea in 2015 as a way to branch out of my food habits and try new dishes. I had a bad habit of making too much of one dish and tiring of it before we finished it. This was such a waste of time, energy and money. The remedy is simple. Make exactly the amount you need for each meal, or deal with any excess on the spot.  I have not started a good freezer regimen, but I have managed to come out even with prepared food.  This was one of the benefits, but not the only one.  I decided to make at least two different dishes from each basic staple I cook.

I created a calendar in order to finish all my meal preparation in 4 days in order to leave the kitchen clean and undisturbed for 3 days a week.  This is such a great change because it means a lot less clean up for the same amount of food.  I make a big specific mess, clear it out, and enjoy the meals in the fridge ready to heat or add dressing.  I think I can move toward 4 days out of the kitchen if I concentrate.  Most of my fellow preppers do a whole week in one day, so surely I can pick up my pace on this.  It does not take that much time, but it does require planning and strategy.  The time off feels like I have hired a chef to make all my favorites.  The fact that I am the chef does not intrude on this fabulous feeling when I waltz into the clean kitchen to find dinner.  There is no drudgery involved because the prep days are very creative with research and invention.  The magic chef days are wonderful because I reap the harvest of time as well as the pristine kitchen.

I have been a vegetarian for 65 years, so I am not planning to implement any new phase.  I am fine as a lacto-ovo vegetarian eater.  I have no desire to be gluten free or vegan, but I do really appreciate all the available recipes in those categories.  I go very light on wheat, eggs and dairy, so many treats I enjoy are raw, vegan, and gluten free.  I also happen to have a kosher home, but I go to no extra effort.  This week we came into a giant harvest of cherry tomatoes.  I am drying them, roasting them, marinating them, and next I plan to make a salad dressing from some of the roasted ones.  I also saw a good looking focaccia recipe with cherry tomatoes and olives on top..That will be a new way to use them.  If you have interest in trying these methods or learning about the food prep movement, find everything you might want to know on Pinterest. Happy prepping, gentle readers.

dried cherry tomatoes