Episode 122 4 Tips for Busy Weeks
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Everyone has weeks that are just extra-busy. Last week was one of those crazy weeks for me. This week’s podcast has my four best tips for feeding your family when life is extra-busy.
Plan
Take the time to look at your calendar and plan out your meals. Use the Feed Your Family Tonight Weekly Meal Planning Sheet. You can get the free download, or get the Meal Planning Notebook so you don’t have to think about printing out the sheets.
Set your dinner bell. You may be having dinner in shifts. If that is the case, plan on meals that can be in the oven on warm, in the slow cooker, or ones that reheat easily.
Do a little prep. I am not a fan of massive prep cooking sessions, but I may make some Turkey Sausage or a Breakfast Casserole to eat on during the week.
Get your grocery shopping done early. Now is a great time to use grocery pickup or grocery delivery services.
Use the Grocery Store for Shortcuts
The grocery store can let you “buy time” by purchasing foods that are prepped for you.
Buy baby carrots and pre-washed salad greens.
Buy a veggie tray with dip for easy snacking.
Buy single-serve snacks for quick and easy snacks for you and your kids.
Buy frozen food. Think about pre-cooked chicken for salads, meatballs, potstickers, and frozen lasagna for shortcut meals.
Look at the deli. I like to buy rotisserie chickens, fried chicken, or takeout Chinese. It is much less expensive than getting food from a restaurant.
Use the butcher. Many stores will cook your fish or cut your meat for you at no extra charge. Get to know the full services offered at the butcher counter. It can save you lots of time.
Use Your Freezer Stash
If you are like me and have food in the freezer like taco meat, cooked chicken, or chicken broth, use it! So many times, we are saving those foods for “busy nights” and we don’t want to “waste” our freezer stash. It is there to serve you. Use it during a busy week.
Plan on Using a Backup Meal
Backup meals are meals you can get on the table in 20 minutes or less with ingredients you keep in the house all the time. It is okay to plan to use one of these simple meals on a busy week
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Marie Fiebach is a married mother of four active kids. She helps busy families plan and execute weeknight dinner so they can recapture a little calm in the crazy. You can see her every week on KAKE TV’s Good Morning Kakeland or listen to the Feed Your Family Tonight Podcast.
For a transcript click here.
