Hi friends,
Fall 2024 semester started this week! It's going to be a great semester.
I know some of you have started a new job, student teaching, grad school, etc., and I wanted to share some ideas to take care of ourselves. We get so busy worrying about our work, taking care of our family/pets, and forget to take care of our basic needs. Consider Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
from Simply Psychology
We need to make sure our physiological needs are met before we go up the pyramid. This includes food and sleep. As a night owl, I need to follow my own advice of getting enough sleep, but luckily I can function pretty well with 5+ hours of sleep.
Food, on the other hand.... I'm an Asian mom, so food and feeding my family is very important to me. I do most of the cooking, and I wanted to share some ideas that save time, energy, and money.
I make a giant batch of meat sauce for pasta every few weeks to keep in the freezer.
I used 3 pounds of ground beef, half a bag of Costco baby carrots and celery sticks, and onion flakes.
1. mince carrot and celery in food processor
2. brown beef (drain any fat/liquid)
3. add celery, carrot, and onion flakes (I add enough to cover the pot), garlic or garlic powder
4. add 2 cans of tomato sauce and about 4 cups of chicken broth
5. simmer for 2 hours
6. add salt and pepper to taste
7. divide up the sauce per portion and freeze.
This time I made 6 batches of 3 portions = 18 servings!
These come in handy when you have zero energy to make dinner. It has enough vegetables, so if you have no salad, it's ok!
Buon appetito!
