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Having been the product of a mother who worked three jobs a day to bring up her family of five, and also make sure that they ate well to, is a feet that some women find amazing.
I guess it would all start on pay Thursday, I would be down and dress at 3.30am to go to the market with her before she went of to her first job, and a ten year old boy dragging a whole lamb home for the meals for the next month, not to say we only ate lamb, she would always see things in food shops and integrate the whole lot for the month.

I always think that when you make certain dishes you can always make a little more for the freezer, if I'm cooking for three, I'll cook for six. This only works with some dishes, bolognaise, curry's, stews, pulses and rices, freeze them by the portion or in bulk, depending on how your going to use them.
Fresh veg takes no time to prepare and is so much nicer to eat, get the family involved, make food fun for the whole family, and meals take no time at all and the social interaction aspect of preparing food like this is a real family bonder.
Another short cut is when you get some time, prepare some larder goodies, chopped onions and peppers and pastry for the freezer, spice mixes, marinades, finely chopped thyme, sage and rosemary in oil, when making meat balls, roll an extra set for the freezer.
As you have probably noticed I talk alot about the virtues of the freezer, because its the only method that i like for long term preservation of food that I have cooked, easy to remove in the morning from the freezer into the fridge for that evening meal.
Have you ever thought about using a slow cooker, a timed all cooking solution that ensures that you have a hot meal when you walk through the door, allowing you to spend more time with the family in the evening.
If you have kids that don't like veg, puree them add to sauces, use the to thicken soups.
Try and get everybody eating the same thing, so as you only have to cook one dish per mealtime. I remember watching my sister in law cooking four different meals at one meal setting, what a fiasco, and neither one of them helped with the washing up...lol.
I know it may sound odd but my mother never would cook more than one meal per mealtime with the exception of Christmas, because my older sister did not like turkey, but other than that we all eat the same thing, this i guess is something that you start with kids when they are you, introducing them to the foods you eat, training there taste bud.
I sometimes think that modern life has totally forgot that family social time around food is so important, and its very much a dying tradition.

Learn more about this author, Leslie Lundy.
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