c-Rock On!!!

So far so good this morning- no calls yet about delays or closings!  It's a strange feeling having your work week out of sorts until Wednesday- we're halfway to the weekend already. Something tells me this weekend will be a great reward, as shorter weeks are often crazier than their 5 day counterparts. 

To make life easier, and a trip to the gym more feasible this evening, I have dinner in the crockpot- working away already! My crockpot is a standard fixture in my kitchen. I try to use it once a week in making dinner (having that challenge also helps when planning meals throughout the week!). 

A few weeks ago, I was making something- start to finish at 6AM. While the crockpot does all of the work cooking, it seems to forget prepping, and clean up!  What was supposed to take a few minutes ended up taking 40- getting my morning off to a late start.

To make this morning run smoother, I gathered everything the night before. While making last nights dinner {veggified Turkey sloppy joes and broccili slaw} I cut extra onion, peppers, garlic, and set it aside for this morning.  My blackbeans started their overnight soak.  I pulled out the beef broth, and canned tomatoes. All of the veggies and spices were mixed in a bowl, the beef started defrosting in fridge, and I called it a night.  All I needed to do this morning was mix it up in the crockpot.

Doing a few extra steps in the kitchen one evening is like investing in your week. The more effort put forth one evening, the more free time  me time I get later. And while I wanted to park it on the couch right after dinner, I pumped myself up with "If you do THIS now, your whole evening is free tomorrow."  Having 4PM-8PM open is a luxury, I didn't want to pass up!

Assuming our kitchen aroma is a precursor to a satisfying meal, I'll post ingredients this evening- and hopefully snap a few appealing pics of Black Bean and Beef  Chili... er Stew (the jury is still out on which one it will be!) 

Happy Wednesday