Multi-tasking like whoa

When are you most productive in the day?  Are you a morning person?  I’m not.  I don’t feel like cooking or baking in the morning (which is why I pack my work food the night before).  I generally hit my stride in the early afternoon, but every once in a while I’ll have a late night frenzy in the kitch.

Last night was one of those nights.  We were out of bread.  We had black bananas.  We had raw home-made yeast dough that needed to meet it’s fate.  And I was feeling chef-tastic.  Count it – that’s 1, 2, 3, 4 projects.

So first, I made dinner.

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This combo was so good, you’ll definitely see it again in the near future.  A lot.

After dinner I got to work packing up food for work the next day.

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See?  Told you.  FYI, this brilliant fried trifecta has fried sweet potatoes, spinach, & eggs.  I’ll give you the play by play later if you want [so holler in the comments if you want].

Back to packing lunch.

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Brown rice quiche, oatmeal, PB&J.  Snacks sold separately.

While I was doing that I had my hands in three other things simultaneously:

I started a loaf of bread in the bread maker.

I kneaded and pre-baked the home-made dough.

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And I set to work on Katie’s banana bread.

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Once that was poured in the pan, it swapped places with the dough.

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One in, one out.

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I sauced it, cheese-ed it, and put it back in the oven.

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More on this guy later.

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Yesssss…

But it doesn’t stop there.

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Double yesssss…

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Triple yesssss…

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The house smelled like fresh bread, warm bananas, and cheesy pizza.

It doesn’t sound good when I write it all out like that, but I swear it was fantastico.

Multi-tasking yields deliciousness.

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I know what you’re thinking.  You can say it.  I’m crazy.

Who in the world does all that on a work night, then goes to bed at midnight, wakes up at 5, and tries to be normal for the next 12 hours?

I’m an odd duck.

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Simple (PB&J) by day, inspired (scramble) by night.

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When are your peak hours of productivity in the kitchen?

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Comments (30)

  1. LizAshlee

    Wow, I am impressed..I am definitely a morning person…but sometimes I do have a second wind later in the day too! So awesome that everything turned out!! I have tried that combo, spinach, eggs, and sweet potato…yum!

    Have a great day!

  2. Abby

    Clearly you are wonder woman in the kitchen, as I monotask cooking-wise and still manage to spill something. Plus, my house usually ends up smelling like steamed vegetables, something I try and cover up with banana bread scented candles. I would prefer the bread itself.

    Anyway, I also had a sweet potato/egg/veggie thing for my big-ass PM snack last night. Woot! (Do people still “woot?” I’m “wooting.”)

  3. Christine (The Raw Project)

    Wow, agreed on you being super woman in the kitchen! That hasn’t been me lately with so much stress at work, my peak hours of productivity is in the afternoon on weekdays and mornings on weekends.

    That vegan cheese looks wonderful, I must track that down.

  4. Chana

    Love it, I ‘m a night person myself but I need these recipes. You have an awesome imagination when it come to creating meals. I so wish I had the gene. I recently got a bread maker for my birthday and none of my breads come out to great. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

  5. Katie @ Peace Love & Oats

    I’m always most productive in the morning, or the afternoons on the weekends! That’s a lot of delicious looking bread you have going there!!!

  6. Carey

    Morning person for productivity, start to burn out by the afternoon..would like the deets on your yum looking combo though, please?

  7. Ellie @ healthy belly ellie

    It definitely varies with me, sometimes I like cook in the wee early morning, and other times its super late at night… Usually when I just get “that cookin’ feeling.” Or I always love to cook when the kitchen is looking a little too clean, gotta mess it up a lil’! Props on all your cooking adventures last night!! Looks amazing… And I have heard about the Tease cheez – apparently it’s supposed to be goooood! I must try!

  8. Elise (Post author)

    oh we’re wooting all right.

  9. Elise (Post author)

    the way to never mess it up is buy a food scale and measure flours by wight as opposed to cups (which leave so much room for variation in how packed the flour is, etc.). but ill post the wheat recipe i use which is so basic but so perfect. i dont use the scale with it and it always turns out – perfect sandwich bread.

  10. Sherry

    When I’m at work, I’m most productive in the mornings. When I’m at home I’m most productive in the evenings, after the kiddies have gone to bed, I have less distractions at night.

    Your bread looks delicious! You always create the most amazing recipes!

  11. Dana

    Hey Elise! I’m fairly new to your blog and I’ve gotta say, I love drooling over all of your food photos. 🙂 The egg, spinach, and sweet potato combo looks great! I make something similar with added bell peppers and a bit of sauteed onion. So good!

  12. Elise (Post author)

    hi dana! thanks for the comment. caramelized onions sound like a stellar addition!

  13. Jerri Ann Mills

    I’m currently not working, only volunteering, so I get SO MUCH more done during the day- before the husband gets home. Does anyone else just like sitting next to your man on the couch/porch/floor/you name it? Something about him being home zaps all the motivation for anything but cuddles. tehe.

    Would love to try this combo…maybe even tonight! I might give it a go, but your way of doing it would be awesome when you get time!

  14. elizabeth @ the kitchen counsel

    that dinner looks delicious! how did you fry your sweet potatoes? i love eggs (and savory breakfast) any time of day.

  15. Lisa

    Haha. You are awesome. And I think a kitchen genius. For me, it depends on how I slept if I slept crappy I will not be a morning person and most likely get a second wind at night, for some reason. If I get a good nights rest, morning it is.

  16. Lou

    My peak hours are between 4:30-7am…. yeah that’s what having a toddler does for your morning productivity. I go to bed at about 730pm (!)

  17. Rachel C

    Please share the fried sweet potato, spinach and eggs recipe when you have time. Thanks.

    Great job multi-tasking. Everything looks amazing.

  18. Katie

    Ohmygosh, I’m so jealous that you get productive in the afternoon. I swear if I don’t get everything on my list FINISHED by noon, it won’t get done. Baking by sunrise is usually how it happens over here.

    Glad you liked the banana bread, thanks for the link! <3

  19. Abby @ Abz 'n' Oats

    You are a rock star. My post work routine usually involved planting my ass in a chair with dinner and my computer. lol. Must make that sweet potato/egg/spinach combo asap. Sounds fantastic!

  20. Ashley

    Completely in your boat!!
    I am worthless (zombie-like) until around 1 or 2pm, feel a little more vibrant in the evening, then peak hours are 9pm-12am (or 1am, if I’m not careful). Wouldn’t it be nice if the rest of the world morphed to our timeline??
    Well, dreaming is available if reality will never be!
    😉

  21. Elise (Post author)

    how awesome would it be if the normal work day was 1 pm to 5 pm.

  22. elaine c.

    oh my! i don’t multi-task in the kitchen, i can barely single-task in there!
    also, i have a really dumb Q:
    if i need to put things in the oven, i put them in one at a time which takes a LONG time. i’m worried that if i put something on the bottom (or too close to the top) it’ll burn! so i always bake/roast one thing at a time, on the middle rack.
    so my Q is, do you rotate the 2 items in the oven or adjust the times and if that’s the case, how do you know how much time to adjust? or should i just adjust my racks?

  23. Sarah

    Wow, your place must have smelt amazing. I love it when the house if full of cooking delicious cooking smells.

    I’m defo most productive from the afternoon onwards. x

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  25. Jill

    Wow!!!! Or should I say, double, triple…quadruple WOW!!! Amazing, all those recipes…you inspire me!!!
    As for the sweet potato, spinach and egg dish….what spices did you use?? Did you use nutritional yeast?? I WILL be making that one! And, you can’t go wrong with banana bread!! Although I NEED to get my hands on a bread maker…

    Thanks for sharing!! 🙂

  26. Elise (Post author)

    it definitely differs by oven. im still figuring out my new one (its significantly smaller than my old one and the burner is below rather than above), but ordinarily, if the shelves are spaced far enough apart, two things should be ok.

    normally i put the thing on top that i want to get more browned or crispy (if the broiler is on top), but now that i have a top and bottom part with the flame underneath, im not sure it matters.

    sorry i cant be more helpful. i guess trial and error is all i have to recommend.

  27. Elise (Post author)

    bragg’s and nutritional yeast. ill share the play by play later. 🙂

  28. elaine c.

    thanks! it sounds like i just need to put on the big girl pants and experiment 🙂

  29. Samantha

    That sweet potato/spinach/egg combo looks delish!

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