Lesson Learned: No Big Batch Cooking on Weeknights

I made four lasagnas tonight.  We did not eat dinner until 8:40... and the baby ended up eating leftover breakfast quiche and going to bed without dinner at all.  Will not batch cook on a weeknight again... lesson learned.

Really, it wasn't all that bad.  I have a lovely husband who watched the little one while I messed up the kitchen (and did the clean-up for me too - love him). And, I have always been one to enjoy trying new cooking methods and recipes.  While reading Real Food on a Real Budget by Stephanie Langford (great ebook and on sale right now!), I was inspired to try doubling what I cook and freezing the extra.  Then I thought - why double it when I can triple it! Great idea, right?

Hmmm. I went from deciding to do this, to shopping during my lunch break, to bringing home groceries and baby to an already dirty kitchen at 6:30pm, to breaking out every clean dish in the house and making them dirty.

  

I did not consider a few important details:

• We only have 3 working burners on our stove.
• My pots are not large enough to hold all that food anyway.
• I have done zero prep.
• I have a one year old.
• It is 6:30 pm... and this is a very detailed recipe.
• Tripling the recipe makes A LOT of food.... 

Delicious. Lots of Lasagna.  Lasagna Primavera from Everyday Food.

The price breakdown:

2, 30oz Ricotta $3.69 [$7.38]

2, Box Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles $2.19 [$4.38]

1, Gallon Organic Whole Milk $5.99

5, 12oz Frozen Spinach $0.88 [$4.40]

1, 2lb Mozzarella Cheese $6.99

1, 32oz Frozen Peas $1.99

1, Pkg Organic Carrots $1.59

1, Head Garlic $0.33

On Hand:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt/Pepper

Total: $33.05 or $8.26 each for 4 home made, fabulously overflowing lasagnas.

Overflowing..... There is a positive side to all this craziness.