I’m a high school teacher in the Metro West area and generally the main cook in my household, so I totally hear where you are coming from right now!
As much as I would love to make something new every night, more and more I’m finding batch cooking, with the ability to have planned leftovers (either as a repeat or base for a slightly different dish) is where we are at right now.
Last week, I made a batch of borracho beans (drunken beans). Lots of different recipes online and in cookbooks (I used the one from Amá’s cookbook, but Rick Bayless’s is fine too). We had it on its own with rice, in shrimp burritos, and as a base for some roasted Arctic Char.
This week, I had mush grander plans that ended up being way laid by some family health stuff. So, there was more delivery than I would have preferred. That being said, we pretty much always have fish and seafood in our freezer due to a monthly shipment from Wulf’s. I made a double batch of a Kerala style coconut curry with fluke and shrimp that we got a few meals out of. Even in the summer, stews can be a big help with meal planning during the week.
Tonight I’m planning something with a bag of shrimp that’s thawed in the fridge. Might be tacos. Might be shrimp salad with tortilla chips. This will depend a lot on my partner’s meeting schedule today (which apparently ends with a virtual happy hour for WFH folks). Tortillas - both corn and flour - can absolutely come to the rescue on a busy week night. Anything can be a taco (or burrito)!
