Potato and Chorizo Soup
Friends with older babies tell me that I have oodles of free time now and that I'll learn what it really means to be busy when August starts walking and stops sleeping so much. I guess it's nature's way of curtailing a new parent's freedom slowly, edging me into it so I'm not too overhwelemed. Because I have to say that even though I'm home all the time I cannot always find the time to prepare the food that I had planned.
So I've been looking for dishes with make-ahead elements so there are things I can do whenever August decides to take a nap. Baked pastas and casseroles work well. A slow-cooker meal fits in, too, because he sleeps later than me in the morning and I can just throw everything in.
Another option is meals so quick I can wait until Todd comes home to throw them together. That's the category this soup falls into. In fact, the prep of this soup fell into a third category, things so simple that Todd can start the work while I instruct him from the sofa where I'm nursing.
He cut 3 all-purpose potatoes into relatively small pieces (but not quite a dice) and then I chopped an onion and two links of smoked chorizo. Sauteed that in a pot for a few minutes to soften the onion and get some color on the meat and potatoes, then added a couple cups each water and chicken broth. Simmered that until the potatoes were done, then I added half a box of chopped, frozen spinach. Seasoned with salt and pepper and served.

When I was home raising my two boys, it literally took me all day to make dinner. Once I resigned myself to that fact, things got a lot easier for me. It was alot easier than trying to do it all just before dinner time.