“What’s for dinner?” This just might be the most dreaded question of moms everywhere. In my house this question begins almost immediately after lunch had ended. Being a homeschool mom, blogger, and someone who likes to enjoy a little time each day for herself, being prepared is crucial for dinner survival!
There are many different ways a busy mom can make sure a wholesome meal is prepared for your family each night. I am going to share with you a few of my favorite and time saving methods (recipes another time!)
FREEZER MEALS
Freezer meals are great ways to have an entire meal prepared in a bag. There are several ways to find recipes and guides for freezer meals. Of course, one major factor is making sure you have the freezer space. We have a small chest freezer for this purpose.
Besides freezer space, you will also need to set aside some time to prepare your freezer bags meals. Typically, freezer meal plans will give a list of meals that use similar ingredients. This helps during preparation getting multiple meals from one ingredient. One thing I learned was to put your freezer bag meal in a container while defrosting. I had a few leak throughout my fridge while defrosting.
CROCKPOT MEALS
Crockpot meals were my saving grace when I worked at a daycare. I would work until 5 PM, so it was great to have dinner hot and ready when I got home. This is when freezer meals came in handy because you definitely have to take the time to prep food. To keep things from getting to routine, I would check out a cookbook from the library or browse through Pinterest for some new inspiration. Check out my pinterest board here
INSTANT POT
The Instant Pot has replaced my crockpot as it can function as a slow cooker too. BUT the instant pot offers more functions that help make meal time a breeze (even with clean-up). So, if I don’t get my food prepared in time for the slow cook feature, I can opt to use the pressure cooker feature. This will allow me to still have a meal ready by dinner time. I’ve even cooked a frozen spiral ham (small) in about an hour!! Check out my pinterest board here
PANTRY READY MEALS
I don’t have a large pantry so you will not see an abundance of goods there. However, I do have enough to get us through a quick meal or two. Keeping items such as lentils, beans, and pasta can help me pull together a meal in a pinch! Not to mention some canned goods such as crushed tomatoes or boxed mac and cheese.
FAVORITE STANDBY MEALS
One of my favorite standby meals is breakfast for supper! Now that eggs have come down in price we are able to consume more than just a few times a week during the morning. Another favorite in our house is pasta salad; with the addition of eggs or other meat such as ham or pepperoni, it is not only filling but quick to make. I have a few meals that I try to keep ingredients for just in case I need a fallback meal. My one-skillet stroganoff is a meal that I seem to always have the ingredients for even if I don’t put it on my menu and since it’s made all in one skillet it’s super easy to pull together on a busy night!
What are your family’s favorite meals? Are you a meal planner or do you pull things together nightly? Download my free meal planning sheet to plan out your family’s meals.
The Life We Build 