Heather says:
There are weeks where the only thing that matters is getting healthy food into the family in the most efficient way possible. This is one of those weeks. Shortly before I went to New Orleans, I went a little crazy in the freezer aisle of the grocery store.
What, Heather? Say it isn’t so!
Relax, I purchased plain frozen vegetables. I have a couple of hours today where I will prepare a large pot of pinto beans for refried beans. While that is working, I’m preparing an extra large batch of rice which will be frozen in quart zipper bags.
It’s not going to be a week of perfectly tailored meals where the side complement the main course, it’s going to be a week of steam the broccoli, heat the beans and cheese, and slap it on tortillas with hopefully a salad. I would place money on Slacker’s Frittata making an appearance, as well.
Tuesday I’m going to be flying all day and on Friday my tonsils *eeew* are coming out. For sanity’s sake, I will have to depend on my husband to put together meals. There are options for him, but if it comes down to it and he’s overwhelmed by the additional burden of taking care of me, I’m just going to let it go. The kids will survive a few days of sub-optimal meals.
What do you do when it’s crunch time and despite intentions the preparation to skate through just didn’t happen?
How do you try to stay reasonably healthy when your normal route isn’t available?
Are you just trying to get started with menu planning? If so, maybe the Meal Planning Primer Series would be helpful for you.
When I have weeks like that I make sure their is stuff the kids can get by themselves… boxed cereal (i know, i know) and sliced cheese, meat and crackers.
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Good luck with the tonsils. I'm coming down to the last 2 weeks of classes, so me preparing meals might be a rare sight.
I'm having a few of those weeks now too! May and June always seem the busiest.
I always have lots of fruits and veggies handy for the kids (I'm lucky they love them!)Grilled cheese, soup and or salad(or veggies) is one of our fall back meals. I try to have leftovers frozen too. My crockpot and casseroles are great fall backs for meals too, assuming I have time to throw stuff together in the morning,or night before. And yes, sometimes cereal is just what the kids want for supper!
I am on the Shaklee CInch program right now,and find it challenging to make something for 3 other people when I don't eat it! 🙁 Anyone else have experience/success with the Shaklee Cinch program?? I'dlove to hear your story!!
In times like this, I'd say "Tacos, Tacos, Tacos," so you are on the same track with bringing on the tortillas.
Our menu:http://fromthecheapseatz.withaz.net/2010/04/26/mo…
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Funny, I just posted today about how I started menu planning this month. It has been SUCH a life saver.
My recent post {My First Ever} Menu Plan Monday
Funny, I just posted today about how I started menu planning this month. It has been SUCH a life saver.
My recent post {My First Ever} Menu Plan Monday
I find that making a huge pot of tomato sauce is good in my family. The kids love it just with pasta and it can easily be extended to make a bolognese, pizza topping, curry sauce, etc..
Hope the tonsillectomy goes well ….. recover quickly!
During "those" weeks, I would do grilled cheese and Campbell's tomato soup , or breakfast-for-dinner, or a casserole of mac and cheese with broccoli …….. simple stuff otherwise not usually eaten. In other words, my extreme busyness or absence would allow a few days of indulgence. And if I was away, even if I had left food for my husband to prepare, he would often take the kids out for fast food. We hardly ever ate out like that ….. so it was another indulgence and a "while the cat's away, the mice will play" kind of bonding time for them.
I always figured that nutrition averages out over time ………. not every meal needs to be "perfect" for my family to be healthy and happy.
I've been a menu planner for years; if I get off-track, my nerves suffer as well as my nutition ……… and my food budget. So I stay on track probably 90 percent of the time, and try not to sweat the other 10 percent. That's when the freezer or delivery can be a life saver!