marley508 wrote: »

So after having two babies in two years I am giving the 12wbt to do something for myself. Am getting quite nervous about all the meal prep tho as I have 4 meals per night to prepare, an 8 month old on puréed and finger foods, a very fussy 22 month old, a seven year old that doesn't like a whole lot of variety and my husband and myself. I'm motivated but a bit worried about getting the balance right and finding the energy. Would love any extra encouragement and support (and creative planning ideas) you ladies can offer - and I'm happy to do the same in return

Hey Marley508,
Wow you will be busy! This is my 4th round of 12wbt and I have 2 hungry boys, a vegetarian daughter and a fussy husband to cater for. I have saved time in other rounds by cooking the freezable meals for evening meals and making double or triple the recipe to keep extras in the freezer. Also for my husband and kids, I often add rice/pasta/potato or bread to the meals because often the recipes are not filling enough for them. Some of the soups/ stews and Vege recipes might be OK to purée for your baby? I often customise my meal plan and choose the recipes that are going to best suit my family, and choose recipes that I can easily alter or add things to for the kids.
At the end of the day, all you can do is your best. I know what it's like to try and cater for everyone! It's a juggle that's for sure. Good luck with this round of 12wbt!
Cath

Cook up with freezable meals is certainly the way to go. Otherwise I suggest some of the following:

BBQs are real easy to do (the hubby then ends up doing the cooking) using a variety of meats and chicken. You can either do:

sliced up veggies to cook on the BBQ (real easy) ie pumpkin, eggplant, potato slices, or

you can wrap assorted veggies in aluminum foil to steam on the BBQ or

you can cut up veggies as sticks ie cucumber, tomato, capsicum, lettuce, carrot etc and kids can eat raw and adults can do a DIY salad with vinaigrette.

Serve BBQ meal with sliced fruit and, or with rice.

Find a slicing tool to help slice veggies quickly (I can't live without mine), invest in a rice cooker so rice is ready to go in no time without having to watch over it and your meal prep is done as quick as a flash. You can also pre-slice 2 days in a row of veggies so it is all ready for the next day.

Another very handy item to have, slow cooker. You can make stews by throwing everything in the morning and when you get home, voila stew all ready.

Hope these tips maybe of help. Good on you for taking on the challenge. Believe and you will find a way to overcome your challenges whilst achieving your goals.

Cheers Nathalie