A few months ago, a veteran dad pulled me aside to pass on some advice. “Oh, here we go,” I thought. “The ‘new mom’ sign on my forehead must be lit up, just begging for some unsolicited advice.” What I didn’t know was that he was actually about to give me the best advice I’ve gotten yet, and just in the knick of time.

Dear sweet Kitty,

You used to be my baby. My everything. My whole, fluffy, little world. I swore up and down that that would never change, even when I was pregnant. I even remember saying, “I can’t imagine ever loving anything more than this cat… I just love him so much!”

Well, Kitty, I was wrong. I still love you just as much as I always did, but damn, you’re making it difficult. I know, we brought a new little hairless cat (more commonly known as a “baby”) into your home a few months ago, but dude, you’ve gotta get on board with the new world order. Unfortunately, you’re not at the top anymore. I’m sure that’s hard for you to wrap your little head around, but tough shit.

So as it turns out, dinner does not cook itself, and with two working parents and a baby on a strict schedule, time for cooking is virtually nonexistent. Enter: pan-seared salmon. I always keep Costco Atlantic salmon in the freezer, so this is my go-to recipe when I’m on my way home from work and realize I made zero plans for dinner and have exactly 30 minutes to get something thrown together–which happens at least once a week. The husband and baby both love it (is it bougey that my baby eats salmon? I hope so), and it only takes 15 minutes to prep and cook. This recipe is also a one-armed-wonder, in that I’ve managed to make it one-handed while the baby terrorist demanded I hold him.

No, really. What’s cooking? Are you cooking? Because I’m not, and dinner ain’t gonna make itself.

I’m busy working part-time, nursing a 9-month-old (and generally keeping him alive), and trying not to forget about the cats. That’s about as many mouths as I can keep full at any given time, and you may notice that my own is not included on the list—and this mama is hungry. Like, teenage boy hungry.