‘Bring
home the bacon… and cook it too’ is an axiom that most working women are
accustomed to. But not everyone finds it a dreadful chore; rather, they are
making it a fun activity.
Ask
mother-of-one Charlotte D’Silva, a branch manager at Kotak Mahindra, Margao and
fitness enthusiast and foodie who whips up not only a different menu every
evening, but a healthy one to boot. “Dinner is one meal where we all eat
together,” she says of her family, which includes her husband, two-year old
daughter and mother. “I ensure that we eat an equal portion of protein, salads
and carbohydrates specifically for each day. My husband and I are both health
conscious, so while we have a menu for ourselves, I ensure that my daughter
also gets her share of a healthy diet. To bring a variety and novelty into the
menu, I keep Monday for Italian food, Tuesday for vegetarian, Wednesday for
fish and salads in which I include fruits like pomegranate, even apples in
Waldorf salad as that’s the only way i can get my husband to eat fruits,
Thursday is for beef steaks and vegetables, Friday for chicken. We take a day
off on Saturday and eat out and indulge in traditional meals like fish curry
rice only on a Sunday,” reveals Charlotte.
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Her
secret is to shop at least twice a week, and though she has set up a schedule,
she whips up something she feels like for the evening. “Our meals are very
simple and I usually know what I will be cooking for the next day. Say I want
to make a steak for the next day; i will thaw it out the previous night and
marinate it in the morning. Also, since I like to make everything at home, I
prepare a stock of masalas and herbs for at least three days. And on the day of
the specific meal, my maid helps me to dice up everything in the evening,”
elaborates this fitness enthusiast who works out for an hour once she returns
home, spends around an hour with her daughter and then heads to the kitchen at
8 O’clock to prepare dinner. “It takes just about an hour or so to prepare
everything and by 9:30 we are ready for dinner,” she states.
Preparation
also seems to be the key for working mother-of-two Mrinal Naik from Mapusa.
“Usually on a Sunday, I will prepare the masalas and deep freeze them. I also
sprout moong and other beans which I can then add to my cooking. I also make a
few vegetable cutlets as well. The curries I make I usually store in the
freezer. Our menu for the evening will depend on what we want for that day, but
we like to keep it light, like chapati and bhaji. I supplement
these with what I have stocked for the week. I prep for it in the mornings and
it’s easy to cook it up in the evenings,” states Mrinal.
DID
Supermom Cecille Rodrigues can not only whip up a storm on the dance floor, but
is equally adept in the kitchen when she has to cook up dinner at the last
minute. “I see what’s left over for the day and improvise. Sometimes its just
egg burjee with bread, or corn beef sandwiches with tomato, onions and
chillies or a salad with mayonnaise. Another of my favourites is fried egg and
a generous helping of whatever vegetables are there all wrapped up in a chapati
like a frankie! Sometimes this even includes some pieces of chicken left
over from a gravy dish. For my son, of course, I will make a lighter version
with cheese, sauce and a full fried egg, which he enjoys enormously,” says
Cecille, revealing her quick-fix dinner secrets. But her all time favourite is
lots of fruit before meals. “It’s the healthy way to go,” she emphasises.
So
if you are caught pondering over tonight’s meal, take a cue from these ladies
who are whipping up an appetising and healthy quick-fix meal.
