At Ashley’s Place, homemade isn’t about perfection or doing everything from scratch. It’s about choosing what makes sense, cooking in a way that fits real life, and finding confidence in the kitchen, one meal at a time.
And as the wave of homemade or homegrown is across all our feeds it can feel like an all or nothing mentality. Let's all be honest that isn't always possible or sustainable and can feel exhausting or overwhelming.
We love to make our own homemade sourdough, make lamingtons from scratch that taste better than the store, and utilise the summer fruits to make peach cobbler. It also means choosing where our energy goes by using convenience when we need to, or adding it to partially homemade meals. And using convenience or takeaway to eat is better than skipping a meal altogether.
Some of the ways I use convenience to help me in the kitchen when I need it, is to use it to help me or ways you can weave it into your kitchen to feel natural.
Cooked BBQ chickens:
Get these from your supermarkets or even your local charcoal chicken shop, they are great for easy quick meals that can be versatile.
- Grab fresh bread rolls, some lettuce and mayo, you have a quick chicken roll for lunch
- In place of a roasted chicken at home, throw on quick veggies or grab a simple salad & chips to go with it to make a complete meal.
- Make bbq pizzas the next night with leftovers. You can get pre-made dough balls for about $2 (1 pizza only) in your supermarkets. (Pre-warning though they are a bit more sticky that normal dough so can be a bit stickier to work with). I love to make mini ones with the Simsons Pantry pizza bases, you can find them in the wrap aisle.
Salad kits:
Are a wonderful quick convenient item to use and available in supermarkets, with all different flavour options.
- Use these as a quick side salad to any dish, simply open and serve
- Add protein like boiled eggs, your cooked chicken, tuna etc.
- They are also a great quick side to fish, chicken, steak etc or as salad option in a burrito bowl
My pro tip for these is buy them when you actually want to eat them as they can go off quite quickly or turn brown so I like to use them as fresh as possible and check the dates when you buy them.
Frozen Foods:
Chips, crumbed chickens, fish, garlic bread, pizzas etc are a great one to keep in the freezer when you need something easy that you can literally throw in the oven or airfryer and not have to think to much. Add some salad to the side and you have a complete dish, if you need complete convenience use your premade salads to make it easier.
Pre-made Soups:
While pre-made soups may not seem like one you may think of there is some great options out there now like Dari's Soups which are made in small batches and kept in the fridge section. These are a go too for me when I need a quick lunch or dinner but don't want to buy takeaway.
Homemade should always be about intention, joy and making delicious food not about perfection.