Moms are extremely busy nowadays. Working a full-time job outside the home, maintaining the homestead, raising kids, running errands and manning car pools leaves little to no time for the essentials like figuring what to make for dinner. Good Housekeeping suggests making larger meals on the weekend when you have more time and using those leftovers throughout the week. Find a meal plan that works for your busy lifestyle.
Significance
As a mom, spending quality time with your family is one of the most important goals you may have. Because of so many commitments and time constraints, it can seem almost impossible to sit down to a nice meal with everyone. If your family expects a home-cooked meal every night, you want to make sure you are not spending all of your time preparing your meals, but rather enjoying your family's company.
Types
Choose foods that are economical but also able to be used in multiple meals. Brown several pounds of hamburger in advance and then freeze in portioned bags or containers for later use. Chicken breasts can be cooked in advanced and then frozen for later use. Have bagged salads ready for a quick salad meal and dice fresh vegetable toppings in advance such as red peppers, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes and cucumbers. Utilize crock pot recipes for a few nights of the week. AARP explains that you can save money by using cheaper cuts of meat because they will tenderize as they slowly cook. Add vegetables, your favorite cut of meat and you have a complete meal. Some crock pot dinners can be prepared the night before and allowed to slow cook all day, allowing you more time around the dinner table instead of in the kitchen.
Solutions
In order to develop the most efficient meal plan, you need to organize a meal plan each week or month in advance. Just like you create a family budget, you should also generate a family meal plan. You can create a preplanned menu using a monthly calendar or you can use an online version like the one at USDA. My Pyramid lets you plan meals for the entire family based on their weight, age, height and individualized special diet restrictions.
Recommendations
In order to save time on your meal plans, try to also plan out your groceries for the entire week or month. Always have a list available of all the ingredients you will need for each meal. Shop on days when you can go by yourself and the store is not busy, such as a Monday morning right after you drop the children off at school. Use your spare time prepping breakfasts and dinners for the next day.
Outcome
Not all meal plans should fall on mom every day of the week. Asking for group participation with meal preparation, cooking and clean up can turn into a responsible learning experience for your children. Some families will enjoy taking turns cooking certain nights of the week. Even toasting bagels or buttering toast can make smaller children feel as if they are helping out at breakfast time. This will help take the work load off of you.
Member Comments