About Supper Starter
Before motherhood, I looked forward to my weekly ritual of spending several hours flipping through my extensive cookbook collection and recipes torn from magazines. I love to cook, but spending time with my two-year old son takes precedence now. As my priorities shifted, cooking became a chore rather than a pleasure. I decided I did not want to compromise on the flavor or quality of meals to which our family had enjoyed. It became my mission to find short-cuts to healthy home-cooked meals. I wanted to continue to sit down with my family for an evening meal without the hours of planning and finding recipes, prepping ingredients and cooking for hours.
I discovered several methods to decrease time spent in the kitchen.
- Planned leftovers could kick-start a meal (or two) later in the week.
- When I made meals that could be easily doubled and frozen, I took advantage of that free meal ticket.
- I had to re-teach myself to cook using shortcuts, taking advantage of commercially available products to jump-start home-cooked meals. I did not want to rely on fast food or curbside takeout.
I found we ate more healthy meals prepared at home compared to the fare we ate at restaurants. I felt good about the dishes I prepared, but I did not want to resort to the same recipes week after week.
I dubbed Sunday "shop and chop." While my son took his afternoon nap, I did the shopping and ingredient prep for the week. Preparing my ingredients ahead of time allowed me to come home from work and spend time with my family instead of chopping celery.
And then SupperStarter.com was born. SupperStarter.com is a menu planning service developed to provide busy families or working professionals with a weekly menu that offers nutritious meal plans to free up valuable time. Our goal is to use fewer ingredients while still packing a flavorful and nutritional punch. SupperStarter.com also offers a variety of e-books for additional meal planning resources.
The meal plans are decidedly Southern. After all, we live in the Deep South! We aimed to balance the menus with good-for-you meals as well as a few guilty pleasure meals sprinkled in for fun! Hey, everything in moderation, right?
This method helps us spend less money on groceries. No more last-minute trips to the grocery store because of forgotten ingredients. We also eat fewer meals away from home, which is good for the waist and the wallet. And we are sitting down to eat supper together every night.
