Rookie Mama: I’ve got high pizza pie in the sky hopes

By Michelle Cote
The Rookie Mama

Mamas.

I’d like to take a moment to spin a little praise for an oft-underrated player in the pantry freezer game – frozen pizza.

Frozen pies are a delicious, effortless way to feed your family in a pinch, when you’re short a pinch of this, and an ounce of that.

When you don’t have the thyme, and you don’t have the time – frozen pizza’s got you.

It just about checks all the pizza boxes when it comes to convenience on a budget.

Many of you know how I am frequent flyer of slow cooker bliss – There’s nothing like dumping ingredients in a pot, going about a busy day, and returning home to the cozy, savory scent of a home-cooked meal as though an invisible chef’s been slowly stirring a pot all day.

There are faster methods to this such as the Instant Pot, but that’s the pot I’m not going to stir today.

Several months ago, I began stocking up on various frozen pizzas for the basement chest freezer so we’d be at the ready for last-minute friend visits.

As my boys age out of the picky phase and into the eat-everything-and-anything phase, their friends do too, and pizza’s an easy pie for the win that pleases most.

I was surprised to learn that, although the cost of absolutely everything-and-anything has skyrocketed as of late, the cost of a frozen pizza remains reasonable.

I won’t shout that too loudly, I suppose.

But even store-brand pizza pies are scrumptious, as well as scrumptiously budget-friendly.

It’s my pizza bliss.

Friday evening found my second-born and I on the hunt for some formal wear during an epic rainstorm.

I braced myself, knowing too well we’d be hopping store to store for a suitcoat his size.

The demise of local menswear shops in my hometown, along with that of secondhand sporting equipment still hurt deep.

I’d planned to make from-scratch pizza, as I often do about once a week – It’s not complicated, it just takes a bit of time.

And basil.

Instead, I was able to take precious time with my young tween man and trek out to find a suit while my husband took care of the rest of our boy gang, and when we finally scored a perfectly fitting suit, drenched from the rain and all in the parking lot, I called up my husband and asked him to preheat the oven – This was a perfect night for frozen pizzas.

Again, pizza bliss.

You see, my family are a mix of spicy, some saucy, some certainly cheesy – perhaps the pizza metaphor’s a good one for us, as we do find ourselves stretched thin at times.

So, here’s where frozen pizza’s my unsung hero, my flour-laden secret agent, something of which I didn’t give a first or second thought until only recently as a serious contender for dinner prep ease.

And now I pluck these frozen goods from my freezer with glee.

I’m clearly still a rookie, still learning.

My oldest is 14 – I began this column when he was newborn and I was a rookie in absolutely every sense of the word – but I’ve come to learn that finding ways to simplify when I can remove a sort of indiscernible barrier.

Because raising and feeding a crew of four young boys during varsity lacrosse season is no lie.

So, take advantage of helpful, mini conveniences in life as you can so you can spend time with those that matter most.

Your kids will only be spicy, saucy, and cheesy under one messy roof for a short time.

And as for finding formal suits for growing lads during downpour days – godspeed.

­­– Michelle Cote lives in southern Maine with her husband and four sons, and enjoys camping, distance running, biking, gardening, road trips to new regions, arts and crafts, soccer, and singing to musical showtunes – often several or more at the same time! <