Quick links:
Sourdough resources: https://amzn.to/3rYabff
Batch cooking tools: https://amzn.to/3qiRRgo
I admit, “slow” has never been a part of who I am. I like to take action / get involved. I love to make a difference. I have a passion for so many things. Balancing our crazy family calendar and my work schedule is insane with 2 extremely active teens.
Over the last few years, I’ve come to recognize that I needed to pull back because I was spreading myself too thin trying to be THE resource for everyone. When I see a problem, I can almost always find a solution and won’t stop until I do. The sense of achievement is my dopamine drip that keeps me craving more.
The issue is, there are many hills to die on and I found myself climbing ALL of them, whether or not they were personally imperative to our family or helping my business. While serving others with my strengths was incredibly meaningful, it was also draining me emotionally, energetically and spiritually on many different levels.
So, I committed in the back half of ’23 to remove those things that didn’t align with what I was called to do. In the process, I realized that I operate best with systems, tools and delegation.
I learned to slow down to speed up on things that matter to our family, most.
SLOWING DOWN TO SPEED UP THIS FALL
At the beginning of each school year, I do a bit of food prep to make our mornings a little more efficient as we settle in. If I have extra time, I do this for dinners as well since Trisha’s Elderberries hits the road August – Christmas. While my husband does 99% of the cooking, it makes me feel better that I’m contributing while I’m out of town.
Fun fact: did you know? I used to teach freezer meal workshops!
Focusing my energy on my family in this way REQUIRES me to slow down in other areas of my life and I’m really appreciating the healthier meals and simplicity of the ‘good old days.’
Here is ‘what’s cooking’ for us over the next week.
6 egg casseroles
This is a family favorite. They will eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner if we let them. For each casserole:
- 18 eggs
- 1pkg ground sausage
- 1c milk (oat/macademia nut)
- 2c cheese
- 1 chopped red, orange and yellow pepper
- 1 chopped medium onion
- 1pk croutons (we like onion & garlic croutons when we can find them. If I’m making this for me, I use GF bread crumbs instead)
Brown meat. Beat eggs & mix-in veggies. Add croutons to the top and push down. Add to a greased 9×13 pan. Bake on 350 for 50min – 1hr, watching for the top to turn golden brown. Let cool and slice into squares.
*Swap foods to make it to fit your needs (vegan, dairy-free and GF food-swaps are easy).
4 sourdough sandwich & round loaves
Shop my list of tools (including the recipe book I use), here: https://amzn.to/3rYabff
5x batch of protein balls / squares
- Oatmeal (we prefer organic, non-gmo rolled oats)
- Nut Butter
- Honey (local, raw is best)
- Chocolate Chips
- Vanilla protein powder (1 use 2 scoops)
- Pure vanilla extract (1tsp, we like it strong)
- Chia/Flax/whatever else I can squeeze in unnoticeably (as much as you’d like)
There is really no recipe here. Mix all ingredients so that the consistency can be roll-able into 1″ balls. Refrigerate (or freeze, in our case). For squares, press into an 8×8 or 9×13 pan and put in fridge. Remove after 2 hours and cut into squares. Repackage & freeze.
Here’s a link to my favorite batch cooking tools: https://amzn.to/3qiRRgo
12 Breakfast Burritos
- Scrambled Eggs
- Bacon | Chicken Sausage (Costco)
- Chopped Peppers & Onions
- Cheese
- Potatoes
- Tortillas
Brown the bacon. We like to make bacon in the oven. Lat it flat on a cooking sheet. Bak on 425 for 25-30min or until the texture you prefer. If you’re not using bacon, but chicken sausage, cut it up. If it’s frozen solid still, might need to slightly thaw it.
Chop potatoes into small chunks. I like golden sweet potatoes an an anti-inflammatory food swap for traditional russets. Sauté potatoes in coconut oil in a cast iron skillet & season as you like (garlic & onion powder for us).
Beat eggs, veggies & cheese all together. Scramble in a cast iron skillet.
Combine meats & scrambled egg mix. Wrap into burritos & put into airtight containers to freeze.
Have an amazing Sunday,
Trish
PS. I’m a bit of a personal development junkie. Understanding what makes people tick is one of those passions I talked about. Here’s a little more about me and why slowing down is REALLY hard for me. Instead of fighting what lights me up, I’m learning to embrace them to serve my highest purpose. Have you taken these before?
Myers-Briggs: ENTJ
Clifton Strengths-Finder:
- Maximizer
- Input
- Significance
- Intellection
- Relator
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