Dinner Calls: Fight or Flight?

Photo courtesy of artemisphoto, www.freedigitalphotos.net

Your day at work ended perfectly. You had very little stress, and you can't wait to run home and cook dinner for your family. When you walk in the door, everyone is smiling, and they welcome you home with open arms.

You laugh as you accept their hugs and kisses, and in one sweeping motion, you grab your apron from the hook, where you hang it each night once you're finished preparing that evening's feast. You tie it on, and begin your dinner preparations, humming a little tune as you work. A mere hour goes by, and dinner is presented on the table in all its splendor. The smells emanating from your kitchen remind everyone of a lovely Italian bistro, and you can't help but be thrilled with your own culinary expertise.

If only that were the way it worked.

In truth, once you finish work, you race home, or you leave your home office, and you can't believe you forget to set something out to thaw that morning. You scour the freezer or the fridge for something that might be considered edible, all the while thinking about how you can convince your husband that pizza would be a better choice for that evening's dinner. Sometimes your meals are great, and other times...well, not so much.

Relax!

There are real answers for your dinner woes! Today we're going to talk about a few things you can do to make dinner preparations and planning a little more enjoyable for you and your family (Yes! It really is possible!).

1. Your crockpot is your friend

One of the greatest tools for any busy mom is the crockpot. There are all different styles available, and you can even find one in some really cool colors. You can find plenty of crockpot recipes online, and there are even some great crockpot cookbooks out there that are filled with great ideas that require little to no preparation time on your part. If you're looking for meals you can just toss in and forget about until you get home, there are lots of them.

2. Make double batches

Sometimes, you just can't escape cooking. However, try to avoid the temptation to make small meals that will only last for one night. If you double your recipes, you'll make a larger amount of food, and you can have the same meal again the next night, or even freeze half of it for use on another night. There are some plastic containers on the market that work really well for this, and it's great to pull a frozen meal out and reheat it. It saves you a lot of time.

3. Have a cooking frenzy on the weekend

Speaking of freezing food, why not have a cooking party during one Saturday afternoon? This is a great project for the entire family, or you can tackle it with your husband. All you need to do is get your ingredients together and prepare big batches of everything your family loves. You'll be amazed at how many things are easier to make in larger batches (spaghetti sauce, mashed potatoes, etc.). Once you're finished, you can freeze your meals and tuck them away for upcoming weeknights.

4. Call it a leftovers night

"How long has this been in here?" "Honey, are these still OK to eat?" If you've heard these phrases often in your house, then  you probably have plenty of leftovers in your fridge. Leftovers nights can be a lot of fun for your family because they get to pick and choose their favorite meals from the past few nights. They'll love the crazy combinations they come up with, and you'll love not having to cook. As a bonus, you'll save a lot of money because you won't be throwing away food.

5. Teach your older kids to cook

If you're like me, you tend to take on most of the cooking responsibilities yourself. On the weekends, my husband cooks (he knows that's the plan), but during the week, I've started instructing my older kids on how to prepare simple meals for the family. There are many of them out there that are easy for them to make. They can cook and mash potatoes, make spaghetti or other types of pasta, make taco salad or do breakfast for dinner. Focus on simplifying the instructions, and only start with one or two things at a time to give them time to get the hang of it. Before long, they'll be excellent cooks, and you'll get a break.

I hope these tips help you breathe a little easier during those weeknights when you can't stand the thought of cooking a full meal after putting in a whole day at work. Whether you work at home or you work outside your home, your family can enjoy healthy, home-cooked meals every day without causing you a lot of stress and anxiety.

A Working Mom's Greatest Challenge: The Snow Day

Without a doubt, one of the hardest parts of winter for any mom is knowing what to do when the local school district declares a day a snow day.

Your children are hooting, hollering, and making plans for snowmen and hot chocolate while you're stuck wondering what you should do...because you still have to go to work!

Never fear; I've come up with some ideas that will help to navigate you through the challenges of the (for much of the country) inevitable snow day.

Tip #1: Have a plan

No matter what problem you're facing, it's much easier if you have a plan. If you work outside the home, you'll have to make a decision on what you're going to do. Do you stay home and call in, or do you contact a sitter for the day? Some employers are very lenient on snow days, and they're happy to allow you to stay home with your kids; especially if it's possible for you to work from home. Others will want you to come in anyway, even if you have to come in late. However, knowing what you'll do, and who you can call can make it easier when you find out your kids will be home for a snow day.

Tip #2: Nix the screen time

If your kids are like mine, they're thrilled to stay home from school because that means they'll get to play video games, watch television or go online. Too much screen time is bad for them (and it's not so great for us, either), so come up with some fun ideas for them to do instead. Board games are always a hit with kids, and there are so many to choose from that will keep them occupied for hours. You can choose from classic board games like Connect Four and Battleship. There are also many other games out there that they're sure to love.

Tip #3: Family Project: Dinner and Dessert

This is a fun idea that will get the entire family excited about dinner. If you have to go off to work, you'll want to prepare this ahead of time, but if you'll be home, you'll enjoy doing this with your kids. You can get out the family cookbook and look for some fun dinner ideas that you can prepare together. While it's great to have some awesome kitchen tools to make dinner prep easier, you can create an awesome meal no matter what you have on hand. The kids will be thrilled to be a part of the dinner plan, and they might even eat their dinner just a little bit better that night; especially if they had a hand in helping to make dessert!

  

With a little help, you really can survive a snow day. You might even find you start looking forward to the next one!