Momma tips and tricks
sabusby
Posts: 78 Member
So, I know mommas have a unique set of circumstances to deal with, whether you have 1 or 10, are working FT, SAHM, etc. I think this could be a great place for tips to make our lives easier with both nutrition and fitness.
For example:
I had a friend complaining on facebook yesterday that she would LOVE to eat dinner but she was beached under her little snoozer. I had another friend tell me to hide luna/clif bars (et al.) around the house just in case I started to get hungry and baby was sleeping on me.
I keep frozen bottles of water (on coasters!) in the 2-3 places I most commonly breastfeed so when I get 'stuck,' at least I have a fresh drink of water.
I plan our weekly menus and carve out time on Sunday to prepare as much of the weekly meals as I can (trim fat from chicken, put meals in bags for crock pot, etc). That way, around dinner time, it's minimal fixing time. I do NOT suggest cutting up veggies in advance as they lose MANY nutrients the longer they sit.
What types of tricks do you use--with your precious time--to keep you and your family healthy?
For example:
I had a friend complaining on facebook yesterday that she would LOVE to eat dinner but she was beached under her little snoozer. I had another friend tell me to hide luna/clif bars (et al.) around the house just in case I started to get hungry and baby was sleeping on me.
I keep frozen bottles of water (on coasters!) in the 2-3 places I most commonly breastfeed so when I get 'stuck,' at least I have a fresh drink of water.
I plan our weekly menus and carve out time on Sunday to prepare as much of the weekly meals as I can (trim fat from chicken, put meals in bags for crock pot, etc). That way, around dinner time, it's minimal fixing time. I do NOT suggest cutting up veggies in advance as they lose MANY nutrients the longer they sit.
What types of tricks do you use--with your precious time--to keep you and your family healthy?
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Replies
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With two toddlers and a baby, I struggle to have a decent meal for myself. By the time I get breakfast or lunch on the table for the toddlers and nurse the baby, I often feel to tired or like I'm running too far behind to prep something good for me. It's been a big help to keep easy/portable foods already ready. Some examples:
-hard boiled eggs (I boil a dozen at a time and try to keep 2 or 3 peeled in the fridge at a time.)
-steel cut oats (I cook a batch of four servings on the stove since they don't turn out very good in the microwave and then store them in individual serving bowls in the fridge. 30 seconds in the microwave and I can eat while I'm cleaning up the kids breakfast or even heading somewhere in the car.
-carrot sticks, bell pepper strips, cut up fruit
-yogurt
I've also learned a lot lately about ingredients I can keep prepped in the freezer to help put dinner on the table quickly. This has kept us from eating out quite a few times. Some examples:
-pepper strips or diced peppers (Not sure what this does to the nutrition. Would they still lose nutrients if they're cut and then frozen? I hope not, but think for me the benefits outweigh the risk of eating junk or eating out.)
-diced or sliced onions
-diced chicken
I also keep a list of "go to" meals that I can prep quickly with ingredients I keep on hand (tuna/salmon/crab cakes, spaghetti, quesadillas, frozen fish (thaws fast), etc.
Food deliveries... Trying to eat as much real, fresh food as possible, I've found a milk delivery service with higher quality dairy, a CSA-type produce delivery service and pastured eggs delivered by the farmer himself. This has added up to save me hours of shopping trips during the month and money savings from not picking up impulse items on those trips. There's a lot I will do to avoid dragging three kiddos to the store! :-)0 -
Great ideas!
Our local safeway delivers and it's totally worth the money.
The vitamin C in peppers deteriorates pretty quickly when exposed to sunlight, mostly. The faster you freeze foods, the better.0 -
I batch cook alot, so then there is minimal meal prep when we have been busy all day. I plan ahead & do a weekly food planner. In an attempt to get breakfast in a reasonable morning hour I get everything prepared the night before, so come morning i can do pretty much everything with my eyes still half shut, a baby nursing & a toddler at my ankles
I have my toddlers juice with vitamin drops in ready in the fridge, the kettle filled up & tea bag ready in the cup, porridge weighed out & milk measured in the fridge. It really helps X 0
