A friend of mine asked me how do I manage to cook healthy meals while working what seems at times 2 full-time jobs. Simple. It’s all about the planning. First thing I do is either make meals the night before or early in the morning.
Tip: If you wear contacts, put them in prior to cutting onions and garlic. It will burn your eyes. I learned that the hard way Ouch!.
Next I use the personalized weekly dinner menu to plan our dinners for the week. Typically I’ll sit down Saturday or Sunday morning with a cup of coffee before the crew gets up and flip through my cooking magazines, cookbooks, and websites to search for meals that satisfy 4 criteria: easy, delicious, healthy, and can be tailored to Kendall’s allergies. I’ve gotten creative over time searching for alternatives. One of our favorite dishes Wayne and I enjoyed pre-Kendall was Spaghetti Bolognese, but I never made it again once we found out Kendall was allergic to dairy. But recently on a shopping trip to Whole Foods I found dairy-free cream cheese. Spaghetti Bolognese is back on the list and the menu for next week. Yum!
Some of my favorite go-to cook books are Express Lane Meals by Rachel Ray and Giada’s Family Dinners by Giada De Laurentiis. I’ll use recipes from Rachel’s cookbooks during the week because they only take only 30 minutes, for the most part. Honestly you need to have everything prepared for it ahead of time to really take 30 minutes, but they are still quicker than most recipes. I’ll use Giada’s recipes more on the weekend when I have the time to really tend to the meal. Recently though I’ve been using Cooking Light’s magazines and website. Their recipes are very healthy and typically are already allergen-free or easily substitutable. Our favorite is the barbeque chicken with mustard glaze. My next cookbook I hope to get I found in the Parenting magazine. In her book The Food Allergy Mama’s Baking Book, Kelly offers allergen-free recipes for baked goods. I have a feeling this will go over well in our home.
So after making the menu I’ll create the grocery list. This not only saves time while grocery shopping, especially if you have a child with a short attention span, but saves money too. I’m less likely to have impulse purchases because I get what’s on my list and leave. But don’t get me wrong, I still buy those chips or chocolate bars that didn’t make it to the list but in my shopping cart. Hmmm…how’d that get in there?
What are your favorite go-to recipes or cooking resources? Any tips for making quick and healthy meals on a short amount of time?
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There’s nothing like taking the time to sit down and plan the weekly meals. Really makes you feel like you’re starting the week off on the right foot. Any tips on lunches beyond PB and jam sandwiches?
Great post Bridgett!
I too, try to plan out dinners….but not as well as you do- looks like maybe I need a planner
I’m vegan & my husband’s not. Plus a growing toddler…..
sooooo….I opt for hearty soups, rice bowls & mix it up by creating sauces with different spices (Indian, Southwestern, etc). Big fan of salads & build your-own types meals too- create the base & then family can add their own toppings…to their liking & needs.
I play with different protein rich items like quinoa, lentils, & garbanzo…..I find a lot of ideas from Vegetarian Times magazine or take a regular recipe & modify it.
Thanks for the inspiration to be a better planner- hopefully I’ll sit down this weekend & get my act together
I have been doing meal planning for a couple of months now, and with the same type of schedule – day job, home business, kids, house, hubby – it has been a lifesaver! No stress of trying to figure out what to have, or worse, what to go get.
I use MacGourmet to house all my recipes because I can have all my recipes and shopping lists on my phone as well. I like to download recipes from Food Network, Epicurious and Rouxbe. Of course, we do use cookbooks as well, and I love the Joy of Cooking and Cooking with Mummyji for Indian food.
Great post! I love Rachel Ray’s stuff — but you’re right, it’s usually more than 30 minutes!
One thing that I find helpful is to figure out ways to incorporate leftover ingredients or whole meals into other dishes. For example, a roasted chicken really goes the distance for an entire week and makes other simple meals really come together quickly.