Tag Archives: mealprep

Creative Time Management

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As a busy mom it’s easy to feel overwhelmed constantly, never-ending to-do lists, you feel like your brain is an internet browser with 92 tabs open all at once. I have a few tricks to tackling those to-do lists. Many of the tasks on my to-do list, although they seem overwhelming, actually only take a few minutes. And there are times throughout the day that I have a few minutes, I just don’t always realize it. Also, multitasking – this simple skill can actually save you time.

Laundry

  1. Start a load in the washer every night before I go to bed
  2. In the morning, while my coffee is brewing, put that load in the dryer
  3. Fold and put away that laundry – doing a daily load keeps the mountain of laundry at bay, and makes it more manageable. Realistically think about it – how long does it actually take to fold that one load and put it away? Minutes. Not long! And think of how great you’ll feel when it’s done!
  4. Get the kids involved – Let them help! Logan has loved helping with laundry since he was little. I let him put clothes in the washer, pull them out of the dryer, and put away his own clothes. It’s fun for him, quality time with him, AND he’s learning some life skills. Blake has been doing his own laundry since he was about 8. I put sticky notes on the washer so he knows the settings to use. Are the clothes always perfect when they’re put away? No, but they’re clean and that’s good enough! I’m raising future husbands and I want them to be true partners to their future mates, like the husband I have – capable of sharing in the household duties!

Meal Planning/Prepping

  1. Online grocery ordering: This saves me money AND time. I do weekly Walmart grocery orders. It saves my usual items so it takes seconds to fill my cart with my weekly items. I also fill my cart throughout the week when I notice things we need. It only takes a few seconds to add it to my cart, by the time I’m ready to order my groceries it doesn’t take long at all!
  2. I meal prep a lot of meals – not just to eat healthy, but to save time. I might make a breakfast casserole at the beginning of the week to last for breakfast all week, or I make a big batch of breakfast items for the kids to eat throughout the week. Blake is capable of heating up his own breakfast, and it’s quick and easy to reheat for Logan. When I cook dinner at the beginning of the week, I will simultaneously sometimes cook another meal for another day. I’m already using the pots/pans – I make the most of my time, less dishes to wash.
  3. I use my crockpot. A LOT. There is so much you can do with a crockpot that you may not realize – let it do the cooking while you do other things!

The Simplest Tip – But Hardest – Replace Social Media Scrolling With Productivity

Ex: When I’m sitting in the car rider line for 10-15 mins before school lets out –

  • Make doc appts
  • Online grocery shopping
  • Pay bills

    Look for other opportunities throughout the day when you have 10-15 mins to kill. Today it seems our natural reaction is to go straight to our phone and scroll. Think of all the little tasks that seem so overwhelming, but actually only take a few mins. Squeeze them in if you can.

    Weekly Meal Planning

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    Family of 4, that includes 3 boys that are human garbage disposals, and always on the go, requires some meal planning to stay organized and on budget. Here is a little snapshot of how I plan my week:

    1. Weekly grocery online grocery orders to pick up on Sunday
      • Matt and I are both paid bi-weekly, opposite weeks of each other, so we have some type of income weekly. I budget for groceries a week at a time.
      • I “add to cart” throughout the week and check out to pick up on Sunday morning.
      • The reason I do Sunday is mainly because trash day is Monday, so while I’m stocking the fridge and pantry, I’m simultaneously cleaning it out (throwing out expired food, etc)
      • Sunday afternoon/evening, maybe even after kids are in bed, I do some meal prepping
    2. Menu for the week
      • Midweek when I’m adding to my grocery cart for the week, I’m looking at schedules to figure out what we need for meals the following week
      • I have a few go-to meals that are healthy-ish that the kids like, and some that are good for on-the-go
      • I post the Menu for the Week on the fridge so everyone knows what is coming
    3. I don’t make gourmet meals
      • I try to do well-balanced meals most of the time
      • I don’t make stuff my kids hate. The only veggies they really like are carrots, broccoli, and green beans. And that’s great! So I stick to that. Sometimes if I’m low on veggies I’ll add a fruit. I make one meal for everyone.
      • Most of my meals for the family are quick and/or easy. I use my crockpot a lot. And if I’m not using the crockpot, it’s usually a meal I can make in 15 mins or less
    4. I plan with reasonable expectations in mind
      • My husband is no cook. There are about 2 things he is able to cook. So if I’m working in the evening and he is handling the kids, I plan for him to cook one of those things. On OT days, it runs till dinner time and I either have something prepared ahead of time or they have a pizza night
      • I save cooking for days when they’re in school and I’ve had time to maybe prep before they get home. And I don’t plan to cook on days I work. I either prep something ahead of time easy to heat up, or use my crockpot and let it do the work.
    5. Leftovers are ok to have as a meal
      • some weeks, especially if I’m working a lot, I will plan meals specifically because they make good leftovers and we can get a couple meals out of it.

    I’ll share with you one of our on-the-go meals – Chicken Quesadillas. On Mondays, we leave for hockey around 4:30pm and get home around 7:00pm which is about the time Logan starts getting ready for bed. I make chicken quesadillas and he eats half on the way to hockey, half on the way back for hockey. It’s an easy finger food with minimal mess.

    Ingredients:

    • chicken (I use frozen)
    • taco seasoning
    • shredded cheese
    • tortillas

    Directions:

    I usually keep a bag of frozen chicken in my freezer. I put frozen chicken in the crockpot with about 1/4-1/2 cup of water and taco seasoning (I season generously). I let it cook on high for 3-4 hours. It is usually easy to shred at this point. *Sometimes I cook extra to keep in the fridge and use for quick easy meals throughout the week. I use my quesadilla maker – place a tortilla in it, cover it with cheese, cover with chicken, cover with another tortilla – and cook. I use a pizza cutter to cut it up in triangles. For riding in the car I usually pair it with a fruit like apple, pear, or something like that easy to eat. I have a thermal container to put half in for Logan to eat on the way home from hockey.

    I hope you found this helpful. Let me know if you’d like to see more meal tips/recipes!