Homemade Even When You're Away All Day

Red Velvet Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory

Stuffed Tortillas from The Cheesecake Factory

Day 24.

Today was my birthday lunch with my mother and sister at The Cheesecake Factory. We were going to be gone all day, thrift shopping and being tourist-y and spending time together, so making sure the family had home-cooked food required a little planning.

But it didn't take much effort or time. Here's how to avoid relying on convenience foods on a very busy day:

1. Breakfast: Everyone was still asleep when we left this morning, so I scrambled some eggs and put them in individual bowls, covered, and in the fridge with reheating instructions. On the counter, I left bowls of ready-to-cook oatmeal: 1/2 cup oats, 2 Tbsp brown sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon (instructions: Add 1/2 cup milk and microwave 1 minute.)



2. The past few days, I've been certain to create leftovers. I made a list of lunch choices for the family to reheat. There was soup, rice, veggies, fruits, and cheeses.



3. For dinner, in case I wasn't home in time (and I wasn't), I threw some frozen chicken, onions, and BBQ sauce in the crock pot. I set it to low and it could cook all day long.

There was air-popping corn for snacking, as well as fruits and veggies. It's getting close to grocery shopping day, so the selections are getting slim, but there's plenty to eat without resorting to take-out or a convenience store...or even a grocery store, for that matter.

Thoughts on my meal at The Cheesecake Factory: My entree was Stuffed Tortillas. It was okay, but the corn cakes on the side were delicious. I plan to try to recreate them, only better, in the near future. My cheesecake was the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake. It was very, very rich. I stole a bite of my mother's cheesecake (Steffanie's Red Velvet Cheesecake) and it was The. Best. Ever. I also plan to recreate that...one of these days.

More home cooked food tomorrow. For now, it's bedtime.