Back To School 2012: Making Meals Part 2

Reusable Snack Bags

I'm sorry I haven't had more posts on getting ready for the school year- I've just been so busy doing that there has been no time to post on it! We've gotten every one's bureaus or amoires sorted and cleared out so that we know what is needed and not. (Blessedly, hardly anything!) Yesterday we divided up the school supplies, labeled them and got them packed away in every one's backpack. Today I cooked up a large amount of ground beef and venison to freeze for future dinners. I have 3 quart sized bags labeled and filled with the meat so that next time I need a quick meal, I'm prepared!

Last time I wrote about dinner time and meal planning, shortcuts, etc. Today I'd like to share a bit about lunch time. On weekends and (admittedly) during the summer, lunch can be a "Gee, it's noon and everyone is hungry. What should we do?" sort of affair. We always have bread and peanut butter, sometimes cold cuts and left overs. But come the school week, I like to remember lunch so that A). my kids don't starve at school, and B) I don't have to shell out for them to buy a school lunch. Now, this does not mean I have some sort of elaborate meal plan for the kids' packed lunches, or even that they get fancy theme-type lunches like you see on Pinterest. But I like to have options for the "entree" and for the snacks.

For the "entree" or sandwich, peanut butter is usually a good choice. My boys like peanut butter, hold the jelly. (I have NO idea how they choke it down, but no one has needed the Heimlich so far!) My daughter likes peanut butter and Fluff (I know, not healthy, but it's not an everyday lunch choice.) Teddybear will take a salad or even what we call a wrap, which is just a flour tortilla with lettuce and some dressing, cheese and steak or chicken from leftovers. I try to have healthy options, and am very grateful for a cookbook I bought a few years ago called Disney's The Magic Kitchen Cook Book.

I was desperate when I bought this book! Teddybear would only take a salami sandwich to school. And I had (and still do!) another fussy eater with Wheels. I was hoping that their favorite movie characters would inspire them to try new foods. And it did. Teddybear couldn't wait to take a wrap to school! This was only one "recipe" that we have used with great success! For more ideas, pop on over to Pinterest and type in "lunch box ideas". They have some nice choices and ways to pack them. Some are cutesy, with shaped sandwiches, etc., but there are some very good ideas, too. (Not that gussying up your kiddos' sandwich from time to time is o.k., but really, who has time for the everyday?)

Now, if the thought of packing lunches every morning for the next 9 to 10 months doesn't appeal, here are some tips to make it easier.

• Talk to your kids about what they would like for lunch. I know, seems silly, but they might have a great idea. This doesn't mean they are going to get what they want, but it's a starting point.
• Have a cupboard, shelf, drawer or some other place devoted to just lunch box foods. I keep all of the "kids'" food in one cupboard, along with snack cups, plastic silverware (which we reuse, but is less heartbreaking if someone throws it out or forgets it!), etc.
• Start the night before. I try to remember to have the kids bring their lunch boxes to the kitchen so I don't have to hunt them down the next morning. Then I get out the bread, crackers, fruit, and other non-perishable items and their packaging. When I get up in the morning I don't have to go all over the place to get what I need, just a trip to the fridge for anything that could spoil.
• If you want to send carrot or celery sticks, cut them up all at once at the beginning of the week, then you aren't trying to get them done while fighting with your 6 year old to get their clothes on and teeth brushed!
• Have the kids do as much as they can on their own! This isn't always a good option for us because Daddy is usually in the kitchen packing his lunch (I'm not allowed to. He says he doesn't get enough to eat when I pack his lunch!), so it's best if it's just Mama and Daddy in the kitchen. Do what is best for your family.

These are just a few ideas to get you going. I'd like to do a post soon with more specifics and maybe even pics of what we do exactly. Hope you have a marvelous day!

Many Blessings,
Kelly

• Just a note to let you know that I do not receive any compensation for any of the books I mention in my posts or featured on the side of the blog. I just like to share what I have enjoyed and think others might, too!

Back to School 2012: Making Meals Part 1

 

Dinner. We all have to eat it at some point in the day! Some of us know what we're having for dinner a week in advance. Some of us wait until 3p.m. to plan it. And some of us find ourselves making a phone call for takeout for dinner. This school year, I do not want to be one of those making a mad dash to the local pizza joint 30 minutes before my family expects dinner on the table. It's unhealthy for both our bodies and our bank account. So this year, I will menu plan and have emergency meal plans waiting in the wings!

Now, I am not going to go into a long post on how to menu plan. There are many other bloggers that have done a much better job of explaining it, but I will give some you some ideas to keep in mind. And at the end of this I will share links to blogs and sites that I have found helpful.

• Know what you have in the freezer and pantry. Now might be a good time to take inventory and write it down. It doesn't have to be an elaborate inventory system, just find out what you have and try to make note of what you have added and used.
• Keep staples on hand. These might be different things for every family. We usually have pasta at least 2 times a week, whether as the main meal or a side dish. So I make sure that we always have it in the cupboard.
• Have one or two quick and easy meals that your family likes. Spaghetti with marinara sauce is my go to meal when it's been a crazy day.
• Keep your schedule in mind when planning your meals. Tuesday is not a good day to try out that new recipe for stuffed chicken breasts when you know that that is the day that your son has sports practice and your daughter has a music lesson. Try to plan easier meals for days and evenings that are hectic.
• Rely on your crock pot. One of my favorite things to do is to put a whole chicken in in the morning on high, then walk away. All I have to do then is decide how we want our potatoes and make the gravy from the juices in the crock pot. In fact, next time I do this I'm thinking of adding the potatoes to the crock a couple hours before dinner. I'll let you know how it goes!
• Cook once, eat twice. Whether you plan on eating the leftovers or you cook double the rice, pasta or meat needed for a recipe later in the week, you'll save time if you cook everything at once. And make sure to let your family know that you are planning on those leftovers!!
• Have a meal or two that's ready to go in the freezer. Not only will this benefit you, but if a friend or family member has an emergency, you can have a meal for them.
• Do as much prep work all at once, ahead of time. For a while I used to get home from the grocery store and cut up the carrots and celery for snacks, wash the grapes and take them off the stems, etc. Why not do this for dinner? Cut up your onions, shred your cheese, measure out your ingredients for the week. Then label them with freezer tape.
• Be flexible. One method of cooking and/or menu planning may work for one Mama and her family, but not for yours. Find what works for you and stick with it!

The other day I got a cook book on my Kindle called Fix, Freeze, Feast:The Delicious, Money Saving Way to Feed Your Family for only $2.51.* The basic premise is to but meat in bulk and cook one recipe using that meat, then dividing it up into meals that you freeze in 1gallon freezer bags, pulling them out when needed. I don't know if I will be using many of the recipes, but it gave me some ideas of how to do this with meals that I make now, as well as doing this for crock pot meals. 

One site I stumbled upon abut 2 years ago was A Year of Slow Cooking. It's an amazing blog full of crock pot recipes for things I didn't even KNOW you could make in a crock pot! A good friend of mine that is our Pastor's wife, an art teacher and home schooling Mama of 4 (among many other things!) has used quite a few of these recipes. And you can go to Tipnut for crock pot cooking tips.

For menu planning, check out Organized Home for more information. You can also search online for make ahead meals, freezer cooking, etc. to learn more and get ideas. I'll be sharing more on this as the weeks go by.

Have a lovely day, Friends!

Many Blessings,

Kelly



Introducing: Back To School 2012

It's that time of year again.Whether they send their kiddos off on a bus every morning or home school, Mama's all across the country are gearing up for the coming school year; checking sales circulars for pencil prices, trying to get their off-spring to bed a little bit closer to school year bedtime, wondering what the coming school year will bring. And if they are anything like me, trying to get themselves out of bed closer to the school year weekday morning time!

I have always loved the back-to-school time of year. Deep down I think it's the brand new school supplies at low prices that set me off. I admit that I've always had a think for notebooks, folders, binders, papers and pens. It started as a young child. I remember grabbing handfuls of deposit and withdrawal slips at the bank every time we went. And the post office had forms, too, I think. And don't even get me started on going to the office supply store......................................... Anywhooo, I digress. I believe it's also just that it's a fresh start, a clean slate, a new horizon.

With that in mind, I am resolving that this will be a different school year for this mama. Last year was probably the worst for me when it came to be organized and on top of things. I used to be the type of mom that would get the permission slips, etc. filled out as soon as I got them, wrote the dates on the calendar immediately and so on. Not so last year. I vow to not get lax this year. Also, back to school for the kiddos means back to work for Mama. I sub at their school and another area elementary school. I was very fortunate that last year most of my work days were schedule ahead of tie, so it was easy to plan dinner, house work and child care if needed. But I still found myself frazzled or just plain exhausted when it was time to make dinner. And inner time is important to me. (And not because I get to eat!)

So, this year I have goals and I am going to plan, plan, plan! I will have healthy breakfast and lunch items for both the children and I. (And Daddy, too, hopefully!) And making dinner will not be a mad dash of "I know this isn't very healthy, but we HAVE to eat something, I'll just throw some breaded chicken strips and tater tots in the oven." ! I will keep on top of field trip slips, special events at the school, volunteer dates and so on. I will also keep up on the school lunch accounts! I will not allow my children to dig through baskets of clean laundry to find socks or underwear every morning. No sirree, my children's laundry will be folded and put away, waiting for them to grab and put into service!

Every day for next few weeks I will be taking steps to accomplish my back to school goals, from menu planning to managing the laundry. I am not going to be able to post every day, but I will be sharing new hints, tricks and recipes that I learn, as well as a few that I've forgotten. I do plan on posting websites and links that I have found helpful on my facebook page, so make sure to "Like" me!
I can tell you know that I have searched on Pinterest under "Back to School" and found a few helpful pins. You can try Googling for some links, too.

Please join me on my back to school adventure!

Many Blessings,
Kelly