I’m a busy parent of two active kids. I work part-time, I volunteer, and I drive my kids around to all of their events, whether it’s a sport, dance class or playdate. To say it is exhausting a lot of the time would be a gross understatement. There are times that I would rather run away than cook dinner for a family of four. The reason that I don’t is the secret weapon that is in my kitchen: my food processor.
When things really started picking up in my life in terms of my kids’ activities, I started googling weeknight meal hacks for busy families. It turns out, one of the best ways to deal with this is to pick one day of the week and prep all of our food for the upcoming week. Sometimes they could be a little more involved, but other times when we really are short on time and aren’t getting home until 6:30 at night, time is of the essence.
One of our family’s go-to meals is pasta with pesto. It is literally the perfect thing to make in a food processor and freeze in small containers. If you forget to thaw it, it’s no problem. Just throw it in the warm pasta and stir it until it melts. I’ve done this on many occasions when I forget about dinner in the midst of the chaos. It really ends up being the perfect consistency when I use my Cuisinart food processor.
I’ve experimented with different kinds of pesto- switching up my herbs to cilantro or parsley and even mint. I’ve tried my hand at avocado pesto too. One time I even made an arugula pesto since the process is so incredibly easy. All of it was delicious and believe it or not, the child approved. Knowing that I can’t feed my kids pasta and pesto every time we have a busy day, I broadened my search for easy things to make during the week. As usual, the internet did not disappoint.
So I revisited KitchenWorksInc., where I originally purchased my Cuisinart food processor. They also sell Cuisinart food processor replacement parts, which was exactly what I was looking for. I purchased some parts that I did not currently own, and now my arsenal is stocked.
For those pasta nights, I have an awesome roasted red pepper sauce that is to die for and of course a good marinara that I make from fresh tomatoes, all courtesy of my food processor. Another easy weeknight meal is soup. I can’t count the variety of soups I have made with this handy tool. I make things up for nights when I have a little extra time too, like meatballs, pizza dough or bagels on a more casual evening when we do breakfast for dinner.
There are so many things that can be made with my Cuisinart food processor. The possibilities really seem endless, but for me it’s about not necessarily always having the choice to make really involved dinners. This way, I can be sure my kids are getting the nutrition that they need, even when I can’t spend a whole lot of time on their meals.
