Cooking! Who Knew?

We’re thrilled to welcome Kalisah to the Cook at Home Challenge, and to her kitchen! Her story resembles that of a lot of families, and we’re glad to see hers reaping the benefits of home-cooked meals.

For years, we have literally spent more money eating out than we do on our mortgage. It’s just so hard, when you don’t get home from work until 6 p.m., to then START cooking dinner. Our poor son used to beg for home-cooked meals the way most kids plead for McDonald’s.

When I lost my job recently, cooking at home became a priority for the first time in 17 years of marriage. Now that I’m home during the day, I have time to grocery shop, search for recipes and COOK.

It’s not as easy as it sounds.

For one thing, I’ve never cooked. But I’m a smart girl – I can follow a recipe. The trick is finding the right recipes. My goodness! So much to be taken into account! Cost of ingredients, difficulty of preparation, prep time, cook time, nutritional value. And of course, it has to be something my boys will actually eat.

The internet has been a wonderful tool for finding usable recipes. My son couldn’t be happier with the nightly meals. He plays on the high school rugby team and I honestly don’t know how he’d have the energy for the practices if we were still eating out every night. My husband couldn’t be happier with how much money we’re saving. And I’m kinda proud of myself for what I’ve accomplished. Cooking! Who knew?