Would you consider your kitchen “Well stocked”?  Have you put thought into your kitchen tools, making sure they work for you and your family?  Today, Brittany & I talk about our 5 must-have kitchen essentials, and WHY we love them!  When you’re done listening, come follow Brittany on Instagram @thedeliberateday and tag her in a photo of YOUR favorite kitchen necessity!  

• Kitchen Necessities (00:40)
• Kitchen Essential Priorities (01:46)
• Brittany’s Kitchen Essentials (03:45)
• Tiffany’s Kitchen Essentials (12:40)
• One Final Essential & Tips for Purchasing (19:29)
• Recap (20:49)
• Invitation (21:01)

Do you have a kitchen essential we didn’t mention?  Go to Instagram, follow @thedeliberateday, and tag us in a photo of YOUR favorite kitchen necessity!  

If you don’t have your meal planning template yet, send Brittany a DM with the word “meals” and she’ll give you a link to get the beautiful “Meal Planning Made Easy” kit she’s created (Image featured below)!  

Finally, make sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and give us a rating if you haven’t yet!  

While new episodes will not be published, we hope you can enjoy any of our 200+ past episodes!

In this third episode of the three-part series, we’re talking about the MONEY portion of meal planning.  We’ve talked about your ‘Why’, your ‘Time’, and today we’re talking about your MONEY.  Consider which of the three categories you’re in, if that aligns with your values, and if not, think about how you can get to where you want to be!  When you’re done listening, come follow Brittany on Instagram @thedeliberateday and tag her in a photo of your COMPLETED weekly meal plan! If you don’t have The Deliberate Day Meal Planning Kit yet, send her a DM with the word “meals” and she’ll send you a link where you can get it!

• Money and Meal Planning (01:02)
• The Penny Pinchers (01:33)
• The Budget Conscious (05:40)
• The Room to Players (08:42)
• Series Recap (09:22)
• Invitation (10:19)

Go to Instagram, follow @thedeliberateday, and tag us in a photo of your completed meal plan!  If you don’t have your meal planning template yet, send Brittany a DM with the word “meals” and she’ll give you a link to get the beautiful “Meal Planning Made Easy” kit she’s created (Image featured below)!  

Finally, we LOVE to hear from you!  Please consider giving our podcast a rating on your favorite platform (5 is our favorite)!

While new episodes will not be published, we hope you can enjoy any of our 200+ past episodes!

The time/money paradox will GREATLY affect how you approach meal planning. . .listen in this week to learn how these two things (time and money) and their availability will influence how you feed your people.  When you’re done listening, come follow Brittany on Instagram @thedeliberateday and tag her in a photo of your COMPLETED weekly meal plan!  If you don’t have The Deliberate Day Meal Planning Kit yet, send her a DM with the word “meals” and she’ll send you a link where you can get it!

• What is the time-money paradox? (00:40)
• The 4 factors of your food life. (01:00)
• Planning Meals (01:15)
• Prepping Meals (01:32)
• Making Meals (03:34)
• Eating Meals (04:00)
• What season are you in? (04:38)
• How old and how helpful are your kids? (07:59)
• How involved is your spouse? (11:26)
• What outside activities, obligations, and commitments do you have? (13:32)
• Recap. (14:31)
• Invitation. (15:02)

Go to Instagram, follow @thedeliberateday, and tag us in a photo of your completed meal plan!  If you don’t have your meal planning template yet, send Brittany a DM with the word “meals” and she’ll give you a link to get the beautiful “Meal Planning Made Easy” kit she’s created!

Finally, give us a rating on your favorite podcast platform (5 is our favorite)!

While new episodes will not be published, we hope you can enjoy any of our 200+ past episodes!

What is the ‘why’ that guides how you feed your family?  It is SO important to plan with YOUR family, YOUR season, and YOUR life in mind (not anyone else’s).  Food values can (and should) vary greatly from family to family—and we are only limited by our creativity.  When you’re done listening, come follow Brittany on Instagram @thedeliberateday and send her a DM with the word “meals” for your link to  sign up for the “Meal Planning Made Easy” kit.

• What are the priorities for your family? (00:40)
• What are some areas where food values can differ? (4:55)
• Recap. (10:31)
• Invitation. (10:41)

Go to Instagram, follow @thedeliberateday, send Brittany a DM with the word “meals” and she’ll give you a link to get the beautiful “Meal Planning Made Easy” kit she’s created! 

Before you go, make sure to subscribe and give us a rating!  Ratings help us to build a community where mothers feel seen, encouraged, and empowered!

While new episodes will not be published, we hope you can enjoy any of our 200+ past episodes!

What is your meal planning mindset?  Today’s episode begins with a great question. . .Were you ever actually taught how to meal plan?  Listen in to see how this can affect your entire belief system (and ultimately any frustration you may have) around meal and menu planning!  When you’re done listening, come follow Brittany on Instagram @thedeliberateday and send her a DM with the word “meals” for your link to  sign up for the “Meal Planning Made Easy” kit.  While you’re doing all the things, hit subscribe and give us a rating too (5 is our favorite)!

• Were you taught to meal plan?  (01:04)
• How can you expect to be great at something you were never taught (02:33)
• Have you ever thought about what your meal planning story is?  (03:22)
• How is your story shaping your current beliefs around meal planning?  (05:25)
• Recap. (12:11)
• Invitation. (12:38)

Go to Instagram, follow @thedeliberateday, and send Brittany a DM with the word “meals” and she’ll give you a link to get the beautiful “Meal Planning Made Easy” kit she’s created! 

Before you go, make sure to subscribe and give us a rating!  Ratings help us to build a community where mothers feel seen, encouraged, and empowered!

While new episodes will not be published, we hope you can enjoy any of our 200+ past episodes!

What can meal planning do for you and your family?  Hint: more than you think!  When you’re done listening, come follow Brittany on Instagram @thedeliberateday and send her a DM with the word “meals” for your link to  sign up for the “Meal Planning Made Easy” kit.  

• What can meal planning do for you and your family? (00:45)
• How can meal planning save you money? (01:04)
• How can meal planning save you time? (06:09)
• How can meal planning save you stress & anxiety? (09:45)
• How can meal planning save you from decision fatigue? (17:15)
• How can meal planning bring my family together (If I so choose)? (19:07)
• Recap. (20:20)
• Invitation. (20:38)

While you’re doing all the things, hit subscribe and give us a rating too (5 is our favorite)!

While new episodes will not be published, we hope you can enjoy any of our 200+ past episodes!

What is meal planning and who is it for?  In this episode, we answer these questions and more!  Listen in to hear ALL about meal planning, and how it can look in different seasons of life.  When you’re done listening, come follow Brittany on Instagram @thedeliberateday and send her a DM with the word “meals” for your link to  sign up for the “Meal Planning Made Easy” kit.

• What to expect in season 4. (00:39)
• What is meal planning? (01:19)
• What isn’t meal planning? (02:37)
• Real life examples of meal planning. . . (05:05)
  • Newlyweds. (05:22)
  • Young with young kids. (08:50)
  • Older with older kids. (11:00)
  • Older with kids out of the house. (12:37)
• Recap. (15:28)
• Invitation. (16:00)

Go to Instagram, follow @thedeliberateday, and send Brittany a DM with the word “meals” and she’ll give you a link to get the beautiful “Meal Planning Made Easy” kit she’s created! 

While new episodes will not be published, we hope you can enjoy any of our 200+ past episodes!

Do you cook hot breakfast for your kids on weekdays?

In our family, we've had times where breakfast was the "family meal".  We've also had times where breakfast was a "fend for yourself" type of meal.  

For a while, Brittany's family was doing hot breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, and she was feeling quite overwhelmed.  She listened to a mom who did a dinner rotation--after considering that--Brittany realized that good and diverse dinner menus were one of her values.  Also, eating the same meals every week would get VERY boring for her family.  Dinner wasn't negotiable, but breakfast was.  SO, Brittany's family does a static breakfast menu to save time and energy (with a hot breakfast choice-made by older kids-of course).  

In our house, we now do a freestyle breakfast.  Honestly, I got tired of cooking food that kids weren't eating.  We have fruit, yogurt, cereal, and waffles available--and I encourage kids to forage in the pantry and refrigerator for breakfast.  

Sidenote: why is it feast or famine with bananas?  Either they get eaten in 24-hours, or they sit and go bad on the counter. . .there is no in-between. 

What do you do for breakfasts?

For Brittany's family, lunches are almost always leftovers or freestyle.  Ramen, macaroni and cheese, and sandwiches are a good fallback.  

Sidenote: Brittany's sandwiches are unreal!  Y'all, you can even up-level a pb&j.  

In our home, we do leftovers for lunch quite a bit.  Food is expensive, so limiting food waste is a good thing.  You can ALWAYS spend that money on something else!  

When we don't waste food, we teach great lessons to our kids about life in general.  

Dinners. . .how do you handle dinners?

Brittany uses Pinterest!  Scanning recipes, appealing meals for her and her husband, new ways to torture her older son with sweet potatoes. . .  

Brittany shops not only for the week's meals, but also to stock her pantry and freezer.  When she does her meal planning, she looks at what she has AND what's on sale.  

For example, if zucchini and squash are on sale, she has ground beef in her freezer, and pasta in her pantry, she will search recipes on Pinterest with those items.  (All together-or in complimentary dishes).

IMPORTANT: Pinterest is a search engine!  It is EASY to find visually appealing recipes that are delicious!

Another example, Brittany's family was recently sick, and had an abundance of produce in the fridge.  Instead of letting it go bad, she cut up some pre-cooked sausage, diced the veggies, tossed everything in olive oil and her favorite seasonings, and cooked them in the oven.  This is a GREAT way to get more veggies in! 

Sidenote: Garlic, onion powder, salt, and your favorite creole seasoning (I like Tony Chachere's and Brittany prefers Zatarain's) are excellent for the veggie bake mentioned above.

Finally, if you need meal ideas, Pinterest is a GREAT way to go!  

Our favorite recipe books are:

Trejo's Tacos

Trim Healthy Mama (All three cookbooks are great)

I also spend time on:

Brittany's Pinterest Board

In conclusion, breakfasts don't have to be hot, lunches are negotiable, and dinners can be simple or crazy extravagant.  Choose what works for you, but really try to eat one meal a day together as a family, and do it regularly.  Enjoy the food, and enjoy it together!

For more recipe and meal ideas, check out @thedeliberateday on Instagram!  

If you haven't subscribed yet-please do!  While you're at it, give us a rating!

While new episodes will not be published, we hope you can enjoy any of our 200+ past episodes!

What are some of the best decisions you've made in your family life?

1. Being a stay-at-home mom (for Brittany).  She and Brandon decided that she would stay at home to raise their kids.  11 pregnancies and 7 kids later, it is the biggest and best decision she made.

2. Homeschooling.  It's not always easy, every year it is re-evaluated, but it is still what's working best for their family.  It is important to note that we understand that homeschooling isn't for everyone-we don't believe it is for everyone.  Once you start-you aren't stuck!  As homeschool moms we can feel pressure to stay homeschoolers-but the real gift is the ability to choose from ALL the options!  

3. Dinners as a family.  This one can be easy to take for granted, but it is a positive thing that both our families do together (Brittany's every night, mine as much as possible).  This doesn't necessarily have to be dinner, it can be ANY meal together.  In my home-dinner is a battle currently.  

4. Family nights.  In Brittany's house, they will do something together on Friday nights. . .game nights, memory nights, movie nights, and even Instagram Reel nights.  This has also lent to taco nights, fondue nights, etc.

5. Memories over things.  Brittany and Brandon grew up in big families-never wanting for anything-but also learning that experiences were worth spending money on.  Their family has continued this with intentional experiences. . .

6. Being as debt free as possible.  Brittany isn't quite "Dave Ramsey" but works really hard to tow that line.  If they do acquire debt to pursue an experience-they pay it off as quickly as possible.  

7. Fostering sibling relationships.  Encouraging the bond between kids is an incredible thing, especially after parents have passed away.

8. Faith.  Brittany & Brandon's entire marriage and family is built on their faith.  Prayer, sacraments, and liturgical seasons are big.  

9. Raising adults.  Financial responsibility and work ethic are all encouraged.  Meal mastery, taking classes, chores, and participating in business fairs.

10. No cell phones for kids.  Also-so social media. 

11. Traveling.  Traveling and introducing kids to different places and people is a priority for Brittany's family.

12. Love and respect for others.

Shifting gears a bit. . .

1. In our family-we prioritized outdoor play equipment over indoor toys.  Also-we have prioritized kid-powered over battery or electric powered. 

2. Homeschooling.  I have 2 kids who have moved on from homeschool to public school and three who are still homeschooled.  

3. To have another.  Openness to life.  In our family we very quickly had 3 kids in 3 years.  We tried again for a girl (which is when we had our fourth son), and then my husband came home injured when Raylan was 4 months old.  Even though life wasn't easy after Raylan (with an injured husband), we decided to have one more and have Anna.  

4. Supporting my kids decisions.  I try to encourage my kids in their endeavors. . .but in the process, I have extinguished many a passion.  

How do you encourage your children in areas where they are weak?

Personally-my weak area is seeing people's weaknesses.  I see ALL the things my kids are great at-so I have a difficult time with this one.  

Brittany is built for constructive instruction.  Brittany and Brandon work to encourage their kids and build their confidence, recognize strengths their kids have that they can use in different situations.

Teach kids to learn from experience and work on their weaknesses.  

Hit "subscribe" below and come over to Instagram and follow @thedeliberateday

While new episodes will not be published, we hope you can enjoy any of our 200+ past episodes!

How do you find time to connect with your husband?

Where do you plan your "me" or "us" time in?

How frequently do you plan these things?

First, there are different seasons of parenthood. . .

Before we ever planned a date night, I would make sure the first 15 minutes after my husband got home from work belonged to us. . .I would make sure the kids were safe and we would head into our room or bathroom (where I would sit next to the tub and let my husband talk about his day).  

Brittany makes a specific effort to welcome her husband home-and let him know she is happy to see him.  It can be a challenge-but it is important for her to really let her husband know (with a smile, a hug, and a kiss) that it is wonderful that he is home.  

What do you do for date nights?

With littles, Brittany would spend time with Brandon after the kids went to bed at night.  They would order a "Hello Fresh" meal, and enjoy it together.  They would watch shows together and talk and laugh about them afterwards.  

Now, Brittany has two sisters that she pays to babysit one time a month and she and her husband go out for the whole day!  Pro-tip. . .try to come home after the kids go to bed.  (This can help you avoid a "date hangover" feeling from having to come home and immediately enter hardcore parenting mode).  Every mom knows that 3:00-7:00 is the "witching hour" and having the ability to miss that once in a while is a gift. . .for you, and for your kids (who may enjoy a fresh face).  

When my two first kids were little, my husband and I would hire a team of babysitters who would watch the kids for us while we went out-almost every weekend.  

If you don't have time for a proper date night. . .take 10-15 minutes in your room together!  

Now that Brittany's kids are older, she and her husband go on a walk in the neighborhood.  If you can't go on a walk, consider a movie or show. . .sit on the porch, hide in a closet or your room, just take the time!  

My husband and I would do bread dates!  We would go and order garlic cheese bread (for a grand total of $6) and play cribbage together for an hour!  

There are times when Brittany and Brandon have paid for the babysitter and had a picnic, or gone on a drive.  Dates don't have to be expensive!  

Find a common interest, try caring about what your husband cares about.  For Brittany's husband, it's tanks, or painting.  My husband finds shows for us to watch.

How do you make time for "me" time?  

Brittany gets her "me" time when she gets up before her kids!  Me too-I used to wake up at 4:00 am to get a few things done before my people get up (before daylight savings), now I'm on the struggle bus.  If you have little ones, finding the pockets of time to regroup is VERY important.  Maybe you need to be honest with your husband and ask for a little time. . .perhaps an hour (or few) here or there.  Let your husbands help. . .and spend time with them!  

While new episodes will not be published, we hope you can enjoy any of our 200+ past episodes!