There are never enough hours in the day and therefore I spend a great deal of time trying to be as efficient as possible. My aim is not to spend all my free time doing housework, and more importantly not to let housework distract me while I am trying to work. A big disadvantage with working from home!
As my children are now getting a little older, the youngest is three, this does seem to be getting a little easier. Though I do feel like I am performing a juggling act, if I drop one ball…
If there is one thing I try really hard to organise it is meals – there is nothing worse than a bad day, hungry children and no idea what to have for dinner! I like to plan ahead so that I am not short of the vital ingredient for a chosen meal, my cupboards can appear to be well stocked, but strangely there sometimes seems to be nothing to make an edible meal with! Fish fingers and ice cream served with gravy for anyone?
I feel like a domestic goddess when I cook a large batch of something and then freeze it, perfect for those less than organised days. This doesn’t happen all the time, just on very good days! Chilli works very well for freezing in batches and is better when reheated, as is lasagne:
If this gets your mouth watering then try this easy lasagne recipe:
1 sachet Schwartz Lasagne Recipe Mix
450g (1lb) extra lean beef mince
150ml (¼ pint) water
400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbs tomato purée
6 sheets lasagne pasta
300ml (½ pint) white sauce
50g (2oz) Cheddar cheese, grated
Directions …
1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas Mark 4.
2. Brown mince for 4-5 minutes. Drain excess liquid. Mix sachet contents with water and add to the pan with tomatoes and tomato purée. Bring to the boil, stirring and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Place alternate layers of beef mixture and pasta into an ovenproof dish, topping with a layer of white sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 35-40 minutes.
A lasagne recipe like this one also works well in a slow cooker. The slow cooker is a particular favourite of mine, it is very economical and I love that I can have dinner all ready to eat with very minimal cleaning up. It is also perfect if meals need to be served at different times. I have very successfully adapted many recipes to cook in my slow cooker, meals such as lasagne work perfectly. Any pasta in a dish, such as the lasagne sheets need to be partially cooked for 5minutes or so before adding to prevent then turning to mush!
As mentioned lasagne is good for freezing and if I am making an extra quantity of lasagne I will add lentils, selected as one of the five healthiest foods. Lentils are a good source of protein, iron and fibre as well as being inexpensive. Celery, cut into small pieces also adds a nice bite.
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