Hello there, I've had several conversations lately about how I am able to cook all our meals and still work? So, I'm going to try to explain how I manage it since it is generally the same each week.... I shop at the local farmer's market and bulk wholefoods shop on Friday after work to stock up on vegetables, some fruits, dry goods, etc to cook over the weekend. I bring my jars (labeled with a black marker) to fill at the wholefoods and my cloth bags to put veg and fruit in and my baskets to carry it all. I organise these on Thursday night after work. I keep a list of dry goods (staples like beans, flours, nuts) I have run out of in my phone so I don't forget them, but I buy vegetables that are in season and, preferably, local (the rest comes from our garden). I try to adapt basic recipes to accommodate different veg that's in season instead of buying out-of-season veg to accommodate the recipe.
On Friday night I unpack my shopping and get my gluten-free sourdough leaven ready, I feed my starters and organise to make bread on Saturday morning (I have time to do some gardening, take a walk or clean the house while the dough rises).
On Sunday I bake 2 - 3 sweets (this week it was apricot , black bean brownies, chocolate cookies with almond meal and some custard - because I have so many eggs right now) and a huge Sunday night dinner so that there are enough leftovers to get us through to Wednesday (this week was Mexican - smokey chickpeas, shredded salad, guacamole and quesadillas made with homemade tortillas). I also made no-grain flatbreads for myself as I can't eat bread.
I have taken stock and roast pumpkin out of the freezer to defrost in the fridge so I can make soup on Wednesday night (those are the white tubs pictured in the fridge). The soup will generally last 2 - 3 dinners, through the end of the week.
That gets me through the week with a huge cook up on Sunday, but minimal cooking (mostly only prep work) on the weekdays. This way I don't feel overwhelmed by the need to cook a meal after I've been at work all day.This schedule may not work for you, but with some trial-and-error you can come up with a flow that works for you!
N x