Kitchen Planning: Let's Bring Back Home Economics

I am not doing too well on the plan to convert our consumption of store-bought bread and english muffins to homemade. I did make english muffins--as you saw--but, so far, that has been the end of it. I do think about it. I have the ingredients.

I have identified the problem. Lack of planning and too much packaging.

Pre-packaged foods allow me not to plan. I just have to buy them and find a place to store them until a meal is about to happen (in 15-20 minutes). No thought required, or at least no action required. I do cook, but often it is for special occasions like holidays, birthdays, or when I am feeling especially warm and fuzzy about my family. It is not a daily occurrence, primarily because I have gotten away with no meal planning for so long. I just buy food. I don't plan.

Why? The concept of planning food preparation is daunting to me. I am not sure how to do it and am scared that if I do it one week that I won't continue. Bad reasoning, but effective in creating a blockade in my thinking. I am completely in awe of other families that know what they are having for dinner more than 30 minutes in advance, and more in awe of those people that cook from scratch ... regularly. I think it is a dying art.

I need--above all else--to learn home economics, sustainable home economics. They are the key to me reducing packaging, food miles, energy consumption, and increasing healthy food intake.

... and by the time Charlie and Bronwyn are in high school, I hope HOME EC has made a comeback with the lens of sustainable practices out in front of it. In the mean time, I should be making bread.