In this podcast episode, I’m sharing details on how I’m cooking these days. I'll explain why rigid recipes and traditional meal plans just don’t work well for our full, ever-changing family life. We’ll talk about the strategies and principles I lean on instead, including how to make peace with a more flexible approach to food, and why giving yourself permission to experiment can be so freeing.

I’m also diving into the art of using leftovers creatively, wasting less, and building meals from what you already have on hand. Let's chat about how to start cooking with more confidence, less stress, and a whole lot more real life in mind.

Podcast Episode Highlights:

• Life changes but I'm still passionate about food (it's just different now)
• The meal planning problem 
• Strategy #1: Ingredient baseline
• Strategy #2: Not a recipe, but a category
• Strategy #3: Flexibility and leftovers
• Strategy #4: Figure out what needs to be used ASAP
• Principle #1: How to use frameworks
• Principle #2: Keep the building blocks on hand
• Principle #3: You can repeat things
• Principle #4: Make room for imperfect meals
• Practical example that I recently did
• Give yourself permission to play and experiment

Resources Mentioned in This Podcast Episode:

• Learn more about Meal Craft here: https://mealcraftmethod.com/

--> Use the code PODCAST for a $15 off discount on Meal Craft

• Learn more about Azure Standard here: https://www.azurestandard.com/?a_aid=ANnu0O8ySU
• Helpful blog posts on building up your pantry: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2021/10/how-to-store-and-use-bulk-pantry-goods.html and https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2021/09/how-to-store-a-years-worth-of-food-for-your-family-without-waste-and-overwhelm.html

OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR YOUR HOMESTEAD:

• Sign up for weekly musings from my homestead: https://jillwinger.substack.com/
• Get my free homesteading tutorials & recipes here: www.theprairiehomestead.com
• Jill on Instagram: @jill.winger
• Jill on Facebook: http://facebook.com/theprairiehomestead
• Apply to be a guest on the Old-Fashioned on Purpose podcast: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/podcast-guest-application

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