Because Wife-ing Often Demands Cooking

I have been a wife for a little over two years. Surprisingly, I've done relatively little cooking. When Sergio and I first got married, my grandmother and aunt would send us food three times a week. They make large amounts of food, package it, and send it to several members of my family. We return the tupperware at the end of the week. This was a huge blessing to me. I do love cooking, but between finances, school work, and coming home well after 8pm on some days, it was so much easier to just heat up already prepared homemade food and eat left overs on the days that we didn't get food. Combine that with the fact that my in-laws often took us out to eat or had us over for dinner on Sunday, I cooked maybe once a week. (Not including breakfast and lunch - but those are a piece of cake.... sometimes, we had cake!)

Fast forward a year and a half later and we found ourselves living with my in-laws. for the last five months, we've been very glad to partake in the meals my mother in-law graciously prepares for the family almost nightly.

But lately, I've had a growing conviction that I really should be more proactive about what I'm feeding my family (which, as of right now, only includes me and my husband). I enjoy both my grandmother's and my mother in-law's cooking, but I've felt a heavier burden to be responsible for making sure my husband is fed well without being dependent, or at least having an assumption of dependency, on other matriarchs.

At the very beginning of our marriage, (like the first few weeks) I cooked a lot more - and most of it wasn't as healthy as I cook now for the sake of expediency. Once school started, I began to rely heavily on family and that never really faded out as I would have liked it to. So lately, not only have I been more diligent about preparing meals for me and my husband, they have been healthy and economical.

Tonight, I prepared Shepherd's Pie:

Ingredients: (I don't measure things - sorry).
Carrots
Celery
Cumin
Parsley
Scallions
Garlic
1 lb Lean beef (96% lean)
Pasta Sauce (tomato-based like marinara - PROBABLY about half a cup)
Baby potatoes
Skim milk
Butter substitute ( I like the taste of Earth Balance )
Salt and pepper to taste
Extra Virgin Olive oil

First, quarter the baby potatoes and boil until tender (about 10 - 15 min)

While the potatoes are boiling, sautee the carrots in 2tbsps of olive oil then put away the oil for the remainder of the process. Add the celery and scallions, cumin, and some of the chopped up garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set this combination aside. In the same pan (now empty, but still a bit oily) brown the meat and add the parsley. Add the veg combo to the meat and add the half cup of pasta sauce.

When potatoes are done, drain. In a cup, combine 1/3 cup of skim milk and 1 tablespoon of butter substitute. (Use this ratio if making large amounts). Heat the milk/butter combo so the butter melts. Add more chopped garlic to the mixture. Add the mixture to the potatoes and mash. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a baking dish, place the meat/veg combo into the dish and top with mashed potatoes. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 - 15 min to get the top bits slightly burnt and crispy.




Taken with my camera phone so it actually looked a bit more appetizing than this. I was in a rush, but adding dried thyme and/or oregano would probably be a nice addition.

Remember, this is a healthier recipe so it's not going to be uber rich in buttery goodness, but it is pretty dang tasty, REALLY easy, and very affordable.