jump to navigation

Family Management 101: The Food Department February 10, 2009

Posted by Tonya in : Family Management , trackback

You oversee 1,095 meals per year- not including snacks and parties. A few smart strategies can eliminate time-robbing, last-minute trips to the store and significantly reduce your food bill, too.”

~ Family Manager - Grocery Shopping Savvy

Each evening, I use to go from the fridge to the freezer, to the cupboard again and again looking for something to “jump out” at me as if it was going to dance and sing “Cook me tonight!” Just deciding what to cook for dinner use to take forever, of course the only input that I got from my family as to what they wanted for dinner was “anything”. Because I was so unorganized I usually did not have meat thawed out or all the ingredients for what I wanted to make, not to mention that I was not including all the food groups that needed to be included for a balanced meal. By getting my “food department” organized I was able to save time, money, and created more nutritionally balanced meals for me and my family.

There are several things that as Family Manager you can do to provide nutritional meal options that still fit into your schedule. The best place to start is to make a menu of meal options for the week. This will help you cut down on preparation time and also give you a very clear vision of what needs to be purchased at the grocery store. It will also give you the chance to make sure that you are planning balanced meals and snacks. An organized kitchen will also help you save time, make meal prep and clean up easier.

If you have a crazy schedule like mine then picking one day a week to do some advance cooking might work for you. I pick one day a week usually Sunday and cook several meals that can be reheated during the week.We make a family affair out of prepping and cooking. Logan loves helping and is very good at following directions (stirring is hands down his favorite). I love it when we cook together as a family, it gives us a chance to talk over our days and be together. Get your family involved in the menu planning and cooking!Food has a way of bringing families together, I feel that sharing in the responsibility of the whole process from planning, shopping, meal prep, cooking, serving, eating, and clean up are all important. Not only are they skills that they will need later in life, but it creates a good model where everyone is responsible to do their share, not to mention it is just downright fun to do it with your family.

I usually make a soup or stew (in wintertime I make a chili which is loaded with veggies), several main dishes like meatloaf, turkey ham, or a pan of lasagna. Make up scrambled eggs, pancakes, or french toast and then freeze them into individual servings can help you give your kids a hot, filling meal that can be reheated in minutes during the morning rush. Also, preparing a big batch of jello and pudding divided into individual servings make for great snacks that are easy for the kids to grab. A little trick that I discovered a long time ago is that the sugar-free low calorie puddings and jello taste almost exactly the same so I only buy the sugar-free versions and by making it yourself it is SO much cheaper than buying already prepared pudding or jello cups. Purchase reusable Popsicle molds and make frozen pudding pops for a great tasting sugar-free snack.

Having fresh and frozen fruits on hand are a great addition to breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack time! I often thaw frozen fruit and serve with low-fat whipped topping and call it desert. Fruits are a really great substitute for sugary snacks while still being sweet enough to feel like it is a treat. In our family we love snacking on raw vegetables; in fact we prefer raw veggies over cooked in many instances. A favorite afternoon snack of ours is a vegetable and cheese tray with fat-free ranch dressing – it makes for a very healthy snack, it is more filling and gives a nice boost of energy.

Make sure that you take inventory of what you already have on hand before meal planning and grocery shopping. I often plan my menu on items that I already have on hand to prevent food from expiring or going bad. For fresh produce buy from local farmers, utilize farmer’s markets. In the off season months I usually buy from the grocery store – if it is in your budget I highly recommend buying organic; if it is not an option or desire then make sure that you wash vegetables and fruits very well before eating.

When shopping read the labels, know what is in your food – good and bad. Sometimes with busy schedules “from scratch” isn’t an option. On my families busy nights we have chicken nuggets with a salad and fruit or yogurt. Crock pot cooking is another way to have a great family dinner when your schedule is jam packed. There are tons of great crock pot/slow cooker recipes out there, one of our favorite is homemade beef stew (recipe below), look in your grocery stores for soup packs (they usually include carrots, turnips, parsnips, celery, potatoes, and onions) that have all the veggies you need to make a great soup.

Make meal time a special time with your family, research notes positive effects on children that eat dinner with their family.  Teamwork can make meal time more enjoyable, less work, and a time for you and your family to connect, laugh, share, and grow.

Tonya’s Crock-Pot Veggie Beef Stew

Ingredients:

Directions:
Wash, dry, and cut vegetables.
In crock-pot/slow cooker combine meat, vegetables, beef broth, V8 juice, vegetable soup mix, a pinch of salt and pepper. Fill to the top with water, set on high and let it cook. An hour before you want to eat taste the broth of the soup – if you want more beef flavor you can add an evelop of beef stew mix or brown gravy (don’t add if you are happy with the beef flavor). Serve with warm bread.

(Note: if you can substitute chicken for the beef, just change the broth and gravy mix to chicken)

USDA Food Pyramid

What is a “Healthy Diet”? - The Dietary Guidelines describe a healthy diet as one that

  • Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products;
  • Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and
  • Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.

    • ~ United States Department of Agriculture

    Other Resources:

    Finding Your Way to a Healthier You: Based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

    Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services & U.S. Department of Agriculture

    Dine Without Whine™ – Menu Planning Service for busy families

    Comments»

    no comments yet - be the first?