Monday, April 7, 2014

F is for Food


My kids are hungry all the time.  It doesn't matter if they just ate a stack of pancakes, two apples, a pear and and a scrambled egg.  They are still going to be hungry. It might take an hour but chances are it will be before I have recovered from the last meal. I don't know what I will do when they are teenagers... I'm already scared. 
I believe in feeding my family the healthiest meals that I can which means I make a lot of things from scratch. Since my family comes first and feeding them nutritious food is part of that I find it difficult to fit in my other priorities, writing in particular.  I've been working on streamlining my kitchen time so that I can have more time (and energy) for writing.
Here are a few things that I have been trying:
  • Freezer Cooking. I purchased this book and made one of the meal plans with a friend. It took 4 hours longer than the plan stated but I now have several meals on hand for busy days. They might not be as whole food as I prefer for everyday but they are way better than store bought convince foods.
  • Audible. How does Audible help me cook?  Well, it doesn't but listening to an audio book while I clean the kitchen keeps me focused and I can whittle down my to read pile while I work.  A clean kitchen does help me cook :) I sometimes get audio books from the library which is a great option if you don't want to spend anything.  
  • Making breakfast the night before or on the weekend.  My children love muffins, banana bread, baked oatmeal and many other baked breakfast foods. I make my own so I know what is in them. I can add all sorts of healthy ingredients.  I have found that if I make a large batch of something after the kids are in bed I can have breakfast made and cleaned up before I even go to bed.  I love it!  What's even better is that I can listen to an audio book while I cook then do writing sprints while things are in the oven!
What are some ways that you have found to keep everyone fed and still have time for writing (or whatever else you need time for)?

16 comments:

  1. I like to make things ahead when I can. I've been drinking my own smoothies for years, a mix of fruit only and green veggie, sometimes with dairy, etc. I usually make enough to divide into smaller servings for 2-3 days. Some people on Pinterest I've seem divide up what they will put in the smoothie into plastic containers to refrigerate or freeze and then they put in the blender that morning. Whatever works I suppose.

    I agree, I'd rather put more work in the kitchen to prep food for the week than to resort to convenience food. I do sometimes, but after a recent rather disgusting experience with some pre-made Tyson chicken strips, I don't think convenience is always worth it.

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    1. I should get into smoothie making. I think everyone in my family would enjoy it.
      Some pre-made food is rather scary.... We still have it sometimes but I really want to avoid it.

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  2. I have to get better with this. I've done it before and have been happing with having things prepped and taking advantage of freezer cooking, etc but then I get lazy. I'm so bad lol. The one thing I do spend time on weekly is freezing fruits and greens for green smoothies, the whole family drinks it and its one way I make sure we all get good veggies and fruits in our diet daily ;)

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  3. I need to make more food the night before. It would help, but I am so lazy after work all day.

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    1. I don't think I'd be able to do it if I worked. I'd probably just want to do nothing lol.

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  4. Crock pot. A big crock pot. It helps.

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  5. Eating healthy is so important. I have got my kids to start doing a fruit/veggie shake int he mornings with me. They love it.

    Brandon Ax: Writer's Storm

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  6. Wow, Sarah, you're to be commended for finding ways to make the most of your time. Audio books are a great way to get through your TBR pile while cooking and cleaning.

    The stereotypical teen is a walking garbage disposal unit, but that's just a stereotype. I have met those kinds of teens, but that doesn't have to be the norm. I think if you teach them good eating habits and good choices now, you'll have less problems with them later. :)

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  7. I agree with crock potting it. It's bee a great help to me over the years as a busy home school mom. Prepared ahead freezer meals are good too. Doubling or trippling a meal and putting a portion in the freezer for an upcoming week is another way to do it. I never make a single meal so there are always left overs or a meal for someone in need. I think its been helpful to have a few easy to fix healthy meals in mind to fix in a jiff too. I have a few that I rotate. You have some great ideas of your own. Love the audible idea. I listen to sermons as well as books. Glad I stopped by Sarah. Keep the faith and the blogging. God bless, Maria

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  8. Food is a necessity so finding ways to prepare it without working yourself ragged or crazy is an excellent idea.

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  9. Believe it or not, I have just now begun making meals ahead of time and freezing them. I found a site where you get the list of ingredients and freeze them in baggies and when you are ready to cook just dump the container into the crockpot and viola! ready to go. Commend you for trying to get ahead of the cooking game. It is a never ending chore, esp. with hungry kids.

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  10. I've never gotten into Audio books but I'm going to definitely give them a second try now - thanks!

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  11. Sounds like you've got it pretty well worked out. I don't have kids, but I do make special raw food for my many cats! Nice to see you take the time to do it right. :)

    Random Musings from the KristenHead — F is for 'Fringe' and 'Firefly': First-class Sci-fi Shows

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