Subtraction and Addition in Housework: Cooking Edition

This is a follow-up post on the practical application of "Subtraction and Addition in Housework."
If you are wondering what subtraction and addition are, please check out this post as well.

This time, as the "Cooking Edition," I will introduce
practical examples of subtraction and addition that we implement in our home.

1. Don't insist on freshly cooked meals

Thinking about daily menus, going grocery shopping, and spending 1-2 hours making dinner.
The dual-income Karashinchi couple cannot spend their time that way.

Our weekday evening routine is:
Leaving work (17:15) -> Picking up from daycare -> Bathing -> Dinner (starts around 19:00), and
the time available for dinner preparation is about 30 minutes.

Since this 30 minutes also includes plating and setting the table,
the actual cooking time is about 20 minutes.

So, what we subtracted in our home was
"eating freshly cooked meals every night".

Don't you have a feeling that "what you eat today should be made today"?

Since the Karashinchi couple has been a dual-income household since we got married,
we originally had a life cycle where we finished shopping and preparing side dishes
all at once on the weekend.

On the other hand, I felt somewhere in my heart that
eating the main dish "freshly cooked" was "natural."

However, after having a child,
at a time when weekday evenings became even more hectic,
"couldn't I just prepare the main dish on the weekend too?"
I started to think.

That said, for hygiene and health reasons,
there is a limit to the number of days you can refrigerate cooked food.

So, by planning menus for the first and second half of the week and
incorporating frozen storage,
we tried to reduce the burden of weekday dinner preparation.

First half of the week: Cook on the weekend, just microwave and plate on the day
Second half of the week: Make menus that can be cooked in a short time, such as stir-fries

<Menu Example>
Monday: Curry rice *Cooked on Sunday
Tuesday: Curry rice *Cooked on Sunday
Wednesday: Chicken Soboro bowl *Cooked and frozen on Sunday
Thursday: Salt-grilled salmon *Used frozen stock salmon
Friday: Ginger pork *Used frozen stock pork

Also, regarding side dishes,
I used to buy them with the feeling of "for tonight's side dish," but
once I started thinking, "let's make this tomorrow's side dish!,"
I was able to use them even more freely.

Things we don't eat on the day are immediately frozen,
and they serve as a savior on busy weekdays.

By subtracting the obsession of "
I must provide freshly cooked food on busy weekday evenings!," I have been able to have more peace of mind.

2. Don't worry about the number of dishes

The 'one soup, three dishes' concept is just an ideal.
When you are pressed for time balancing work, housework, and childcare,
seeking perfection is not realistic.

In our case, rather than the number or variety of side dishes, we consider it good if
nutrients from red (meat/fish), yellow (rice/noodles), and green (vegetables) are included in a balanced way
.

For example, on a day when we have curry for dinner, it already contains
red (meat), yellow (rice), and green (carrots, onions), so we just add more green with a salad and serve it with instant corn soup to finish.

Also, for weeks when I seem busy, I prepare pork miso soup or hot pot on Sunday to eat during the first half of the week.


By making it packed with ingredients like pork, tofu, vegetables, and mushrooms,it becomes a nutritious and satisfying dinner on its own.It pairs perfectly with menus low in green, such as minced meat bowls or grilled fish.

Trying to increase the number of dishes inevitably increases the burden of cooking.
For those who cannot spare enough time for cooking,an approach that ensures proper nutrition with fewer dishes
is more realistic.

3. Only use 'the usual' tableware

Our home basically uses two patterns of tableware for dinner.

Pattern 1: Plate + α
Main dish, side dish/salad, white rice, soup

Pattern 2: Bowl + α
Rice bowl dish, white rice, side dish/salad, soup

We hardly use any other plates.

By subtracting the focus on tableware(= fixing the tableware used), there were these benefits:
・No need to choose plates according to the menu
・Can be placed in the dishwasher or dish rack in a fixed arrangement
・The cupboard stays tidy

I think one of the keys to streamlining housework is making it a routine.
By using 'the usual' tableware,theprocess of choosing and thinking is reduced,
making cooking and cleaning up smoother.

4. Introduction of convenient products

In this day and age, there are many convenient products sold at supermarkets.

Especially with vegetables, when you buy them by the head or bunch, it is surprisingly difficult to use them up while they are fresh.

Compared to that, frozen cut vegetables are very convenient because they are
already washed, cut, and can be used in the amount needed.

Also, for our home, where we can't stand shredding cabbage every night, shredded cabbage that can be served quickly without a slicer is a must-have item.

Recently, I have also started keeping frozen bento boxes in the freezer as a backup item for when I need them.

Even if it is a little more expensive, if the effort and time saved are worth it
, I think there is no reason not to adopt it.

5. Finding your favorite deli items and restaurants

Considering both finances and health, you want to keep the frequency of buying deli food or eating out to a minimum.
However, honestly, cooking 100% of meals is tough...

At the Karashin household, we choose our favorite deli items and restaurants based on the following criteria:
・Satisfied with the quality and quantity of the food
・The menu items are time-consuming to prepare at home
・Feels like good value for money

I often buy deep-fried foods from the deli.
Especially with fried items, the process of breading and frying takes time,
so I feel it is more cost-effective to buy them at the supermarket.

My favorite place to eat out is the family restaurant Big Boy.
*The service details introduced below are as of March 2025.

Are you aware of how generous Big Boy's kids' benefits are?
・[Elementary school age and under] Dessert gift based on number of visits (Kids Passport)
・[Elementary school age and under] Mini parfait gift during birthday month
・[Elementary school age and under] Toy gift upon arrival
・[Preschool age and under] Salad, soup, rice, curry, and drinks are free

Believe it or not, preschoolers get free, all-you-can-eat curry rice, salad, and drinks, and they even get a dessert every time
!

And for the kids, the toy gift is a must.
It is no exaggeration to say that they want to go to Big Boy because they get a toy; it seems to be a service that makes the kids very happy.

Also, what makes adults very satisfied is the generally reasonable pricing and the salad bar where you can eat all the vegetables you want.

The salad bar is packed with everything from vegetables to desserts.
・Standard salads like lettuce, cabbage, onion, tomato, and potato salad
・Japanese-style salads like seaweed and vermicelli salad, okra, and tofu
・Seasonal salads and pasta with a rotating menu
・A wide selection of 5 types of dressings
・Fruits like oranges and pineapples
・Desserts like fruit jelly and coffee jelly

Eating out often makes me feel guilty about nutrition, but
since I cannot prepare such a rich salad menu at our usual dining table,
I actually feel like my body is happy about it.

The cost is about 3,000 yen for two adults, and children (preschoolers) are free.
If you use app coupons or birthday coupons (15% off),
it is an exceptional deal at about 2,500 yen for a family of four to eat until they are full.

I am not affiliated with Big Boy or anything, but
to convey how much the Karashin family loves it,
it ended up being a bit of a long post. (lol)

What I wanted to convey here is that if it is a product or restaurant that the whole family is very satisfied with,
then it is worth utilizing deli food and eating out.

After considering the frequency and cost that suit each family's situation in advance,
it would be great to be able to incorporate these external services well.

Finally

I used to think,
“I want to serve freshly cooked food!”
“Cooking at home is best, whether you think about health or money!”
Because that was my thought process,
I thought it was unavoidable to be chased by meal preparation every day.

However, around the time my second daughter was born, I started to feel the limits of that lifestyle.
After my maternity leave ended and I returned to work, I increasingly felt
that I could not keep up with life like this.

So, what we practiced at the Karashin household
is the subtraction and addition introduced in this article.

Thanks to this, I feel like I can spend
the evening mealtime with more peace of mind than before.

That said, when it comes to reducing the burden of cooking, our household is still in the trial-and-error phase.
If you have any recommended examples of subtraction or addition practices,
I would be happy if you could let me know in the comments.

Thank you for reading until the end.

Examples of subtraction and addition in housework are also available in the 'Laundry Edition' and 'Cleaning Edition'!
If you are interested, please take a look.