Defining Simple Cooking

My dear momma commented that I should define simple cooking. Yes, it's a resource in our tool box, but what does it mean? Good question. Simple cooking can mean several things.

1) Simple cooking can mean one pot, or one dish. This really isn't our style, though it would simplify things. I might look into one pot dinners more when I actually cook on the day we eat it. (Right now, I meal prep most of our food in a single day.) For now, if you like the idea of simplifying dinner dishes, I recommend Budget Byte's list of 50 plus one pot meals.

2) Simple cooking can mean minimal meal prep. This usually involves use of pre-prepared items and/or cans. This is really not our style either, as we do like to cook from scratch. I have found myself buying a few more pre-cut items, though, like the bags of frozen peppers and onions, or frozen chopped butternut squash. 

3) Simple cooking can mean minimal meal cook time. Again, in this season of life, I don't really know what that looks like. I just meal prep everything and then we reheat it when the time comes.

4) Simple cooking can mean easy cooking techniques. This IS our style. Enter sheet pan meals, use of the Instant Pot, and casseroles. When I am making multiple things at one, the recipes need to be simple, i.e. only a few steps, so that I can multi-task. Sometimes we go no-prep, think raw veggies, like carrots and celery, eaten whole. Other things really require no recipe, like boiled beans, chicken poached in water and a few spiced, scrambled eggs, and baked (or microwaved, or Instant Pot-ted) potatoes. Yes, there are lots of fancy ways to cook. Right now, I practice few of them. I save special techniques practice for Sally's Baking Challenge, and that's about it.

5) Simple cooking can mean limited ingredients. This IS also our style. Shop the shelf. Raid the pantry. Throw it in a pot and go. I try to always have a few items in the cupboards for this purpose. Are throw-together meals our every day? No, but when leftovers run short, or we unexpectedly stay home for a meal, or we have spur of the moment company, I need something to make, and it's got to be quick!

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As I said in my previous post, we don't cook simply all of the time. We like challenge recipes, when we want to feel challenged. We are just as guilty as the next person of buying things for only one recipe (hello hoisin sauce in the fridge and furikake seasoning in the pantry). We try to keep things simple overall, because hello, in this life, we need to eat, and we want some time for other things. Simple cooking fits the bill, that is simple cooking according to other definitions.

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Readers, do you cook simply, or with more flair? What does simple cooking mean to you? What are some of your best go-to simple meals? Please share in the comments!