Meal Planning for a Very Busy Family
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Crock pots are a good idea, I also like to pre-cook my meat and just add vegetables daily to mix it up.0
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i like MsJulesRenee's idea of prepping everything and putting them in baggies. then you just pull out the baggies you need for your meal that night.0
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I keep a google calendar for the family events, and then have a menu calendar too, so I can overlap what we're eating vs. what's going on. I try to do a month at a time, do one afternoon of shopping and some minor food prep, but it's what works best for my family of 4!0
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I do several things to make meal planning and making super easy and fast. 1. I actually create a menu/meal plan. Usually 2 weeks at a time, along with grocery list to go with it. I get everyone involved so everyone in the house gets to pick stuff they are hungry for as well as at least 2 nights of "experimental" recipes. (I love to try new things!) I try to plan to either have left overs 2 nights (fend for yourself nights lol) or incorporate left overs into another meal (or two) for example, I made bbq chicken a large pot of rice and some corn coblets the other day, yesterday I took some of that rice and made fried rice out of it, and now there is both plain and fried rice in the fridge for tomorrow's fend for yourself night.
Another thing I do if I know we have a busy week is to prep as much ahead of time for the days to come (cut up veggies, make things a day or two ahead of time if they will be okay, kinda like most people do for big holiday meals), and I make more than 1 night's meal at a time. I don't freeze them, I keep them cooked in the fridge to be used the next day or day after that. Meals on the go almost!
I also utilize my freezer space. What is the worst part of meal time? cooking down the hamburger, or chicken. (Or praying the meat thawed out!) I cook up large batches of hamburger and chicken (separately) and freeze them in ziploc bags as flat as possible. Takes up small space, but easy throw togeter meals are just a defrost and add into the pot away.
Also I keep seasoning "packets" on hand. For example, we love tacos, and I buy my spices in bulk, make my own seasoning blends etc. So I have small baggies of seasonings ready to go. Also do this with some pasta for healthier almost hamburger helper meals, (add a bag of frozen veggies or the veggies I cut up earlier in the week) for a one pan meal ready to go in under half an hour.
But the best advice I can give is, start somewhere. Because routines create habits that create lifestyles. To eat more veggies and more fresh foods with a busy schedule start by prepping things ahead of time. I have friends that cook an entire week's worth of both lunches and dinners over their weekend off so they don't have to even think about what to have during the week. Good luck!0 -
Wow. Thanks so much for the advise guys. We have started trying to get everyone involved in the meal planning and shopping. We are off to a good start. We had a good week last week. Today we will plan for the next week. I'm thinking a lot of crock pot meals are in the near future. I love the ideas of having the meal ready to go in baggies. Never thought of that. Will try that this week.0
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My favorite easiest go to for jump starting the weeks dinner. Throwing 6-8 frozen chicken breasts in the slow cooker on low early in the morning. I throw in a little bit of water or chicken broth. You can use what ever you like, not much a quater cup at most-the chicken will put off it's own juices. By the time I get home from work it's finished. Remove from slowcooker and shred, you now have enough shredded chicken for at least three meals. We use it for wnc0
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We meal plan 1 week at a time and go grocery shopping once/week. I find that this allows my produce to stay fresh vs when I tried to do 2 weeks at a time. As for working different shifts, once of you could cook and the other eats leftovers. There are a lot of good recipes that are great left over.... for example, we love Bubble Up Pizza Casserole (emilybites.com) and she also has some wonton cupcakes that you could premake and throw in the oven when someone wants to eat them .
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Where is everyone getting their healthy crock-pot recipes?? I have looked at a few and a lot of them are high in sodium or calories and that's sort of defeating the purpose. Also are there any tricks to freezing the meals? Certain types of freezer bags or stroage containers that work well?
I will adjust recipes to fit my diet. For example, use low sodium chicken stock for soups or make your own and freeze. Use low fat or reduced fat dairy products or mix my own seasonings and store in an air tight container. Substitute ground turkey for beef.
Just some ideas.
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