San Antonio Busy Kids

When I was single, the voice mail on my phone pretty much laid it all out: “Hi. Happy homemaker here. I can’t come to the phone right now. My dinner just exploded in the microwave. I’ll call you back just as soon as I’m done cleaning the cheese off my ceiling.” In fact, I had a whole series of happy homemaker voice mails. Nobody can say my husband wasn’t warned.

My mom’s idea of a great meal? Frozen pizza. But she always added a few slices of American cheese…just to make it healthy, you know.

And so this is the tradition I pass on to my children. Scary, isn’t it?

I’ve tried all kinds of solutions. Cookbooks. Super Suppers. Take out. And then came Zoë.

It started with a few containers. Just like the door says, “Grab a recipe and fresh take tub to go.” I thought I was just getting take out, but then I realized, I was getting starters…an opportunity to flex those cooking muscles.

First night tubs: chicken salad, pimento cheese and marinated slaw.

Yep, it looks just all kinds of delicious, doesn’t it? I used Zoës Kitchen’s recipe for cheese biscuits – in our case, using gluten free Bisquick. I threw in a little cayenne pepper to the chicken salad and topped it with some smoked paprika.

Second night tub: Braised white beans.

By now, my family thinks I may actually have learned how to cook. Zoës #ftw! For the second night, I was inspired by my tub of beans to create a not-so-soupy version of Italian wedding soup. I might have made it all from scratch, or maybe – just maybe – I added some frozen chopped spinach, pre-cooked meatballs, canned baby carrots, a full container of chicken broth to the seasoned beans, and, of course, my favorite ingredient…a dash of cayenne pepper.

First night, it was fabulous. But after a day of sitting in the fridge, it was absolutely amazing. Practically perfect in every way.

There’s something about this concept that is inspiring…even for people who don’t cook, like me. Zoë challenged me to create something delicious. What would you be inspired to create? Go ahead. Pick a tub. Better yet, pick out a tub on me. Enter below for the chance to win a gift certificate good for free food at Zoës Kitchen.

Disclosure: Zoës Kitchen provided my family with some food to experiment with, however all opinions are 100% mine.

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