Tag: saving time making dinner

My family’s Menus The Week Starting April 22nd

Family Dinner

#MomsDinnerHacks #MomsSavingTime #LessDishesForMommy #KidFriendlyFood

I’ve asked friends, Mom’s at work and even moms at the playground…right now it’s an even split between ‘loved it’ and ‘so happy it’s over’.

How about you?  Did you enjoy the recent holiday? I’m so curious about this… my newest survey is all about holidays and stress… please take it if you’re inclined to weigh in.  Stay tuned for the results…in about 2 weeks.

I was (still) recovering from all of the extra baking and holiday activity last week and craved quick, simple everything.  A little bit of spring is making it’s way into the mix…a sugar snap pea here, a roasted beet there… more spring food soon as the weather improves!

A quick reminder about the rules of saving time with the dinner blueprint system:

  • Make bigger meals (that serve your family at least 2 times on the weekends)
  • Creatively ‘dress up’ leftovers so they don’t feel like leftovers
  • Weeknights, make quick dishes that cook in 30 minutes or less
  • Use as few dishes as possible (always)
  • One cutting board, one knife — limit heavy duty chopping projects during the week
  • Weeknights, use ideally one, at the very most two, pots or pans

Continue reading “My family’s Menus The Week Starting April 22nd” →

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My Family Dinner Menus – Week beginning April 15, 2017

Family Dinner

#MomsDinnerHacks #MomsSavingTime #LessDishesForMommy #KidFriendlyFood

You’ve come to expect relatively easy, fast, budget and kid-friendly dinner menus from me.  However, this week’s menu isn’t quite that.   It took on a life of it’s own due to the Easter holiday and Shad Roe season.

Typically, even on the weekends I cook main dishes that are pretty healthy, wallet and kid-palate friendly (i.e. Chicken and Pork versus Lamb and Shad Roe).  Still, despite the switch up from our normal routine, I managed to make one meal for the family each night!

If you haven’t read my previous posts about the whole system, here’s a quick review of where the time savings comes in:

  • Basic, flexible formula for a healthy meal each night.
  • A set of quick turnaround ‘go-to’ proteins, grains and veggies that work during the week (30 minutes or less).
  • Always have a set of plan B staples in the pantry and freezer.
  • Smart use of leftovers and weekend meals that feed my family at least twice.

Although this menu requires more effort, my family enjoyed the special holiday meals and my children especially loved the addition of cake to our weekend line up.

If you try any of these recipes or the whole menu, please leave a comment and let me know!

Normally, I start off the weekends with a 2X (feeds the family twice meal) however, my husband had a schedule change and the Shad Roe I bought to surprise him with on Friday night had to wait until Saturday.

Shad Roe has a very short season (a few weeks each year) and is a very strange looking yet delicious delicacy. So, I kicked off the weekend with Shad Roe grain bowls for the grown ups and a ‘deconstructed’ vegetarian grain bowl for the kids. Continue reading “My Family Dinner Menus – Week beginning April 15, 2017” →

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My Daily Family Dinner Hack – How Moving to ‘A Dinner Blueprint’ To Satisfy My Children (and Schedule) Has Saved Me Time & Sanity

Family Dinner

#MomsFoodHacks #MomsDinnerHacks #MomsSavingTime

How much time does it take you each week to put dinner on the table for your family? I mean the whole process — from thinking about what to cook, to choosing recipes, to visiting the virtual or real grocery store, making kid-friendly adjustments to said recipes, actually cooking and then the (never-ending) dishes that result. What about dealing with toddler and young child preferences?

Yes…family meals are kind of a part-time job. However, there are some workarounds.

There are not many subjects I give unsolicited advice in, but food – including hacks to make cooking homemade meals daily for a family work – for this, I’m you’re girl! I’ve been the unofficial menu, cooking and all-things-food advisor to family and friends for decades now.  My system saves me at least 1 to 2 hours per week.

So, before I explain my system for dinners I want to caveat a few things. Continue reading “My Daily Family Dinner Hack – How Moving to ‘A Dinner Blueprint’ To Satisfy My Children (and Schedule) Has Saved Me Time & Sanity” →

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