Planned, Prepped, and Productive: Real Food Cooking for Busy Moms

Today on the podcast I'm talking all about mindset.  Specifically I'm talking about all of those nasty little thoughts in your head that are getting in the way of your meal planning success (and likely your success in other areas as well). 5 mindset shifts that will make your meal plan more successfulLike you, I have totally put myself through a mindset workout wondering if family meals and cooking are really all that important, and if I am really capable of both making dinner and living a balanced and stress-free life.  Negative thoughts are toxic and if you are constantly telling yourself that you don't have time, you hate to cook, your family doesn't like anything you make, or that you aren't good at it...you will likely fail at the whole family meal, meal plan, meal prepping thing. We all have those negative thoughts and I want to show you how you can overcome some of those negative thoughts. This episode comes with a little assignment, if you've already listened to the podcast and are ready to begin your assignment you can get your free Mindset Shift Worksheet here!Get your FREE Mindset Shift Worksheet here!Don't believe everything you thinkUp until recently, I never stopped to consider that what my brain is telling me is not always true.  In fact, it's hardly ever true! If we allow ourselves to believe the negative thoughts about ourselves and about the world we are setting ourselves up for failure.  Here's just a few ways to shift that negative mindset to a growth mindset when it comes to cooking and meal prep. 5 Mindset Shifts for Meal PlanningFailure is good, every failed attempt is taking you one step closer to success. Failure is not fun, but failure teaches you so much more than success! Learn from those failures and as you add up all of the things you learn, eventually you will reach success.Your path to success doesn't have to look like anybody else'sInstagram compare-ers I'm talking to you.  Just because your best friend gives up her entire Sunday to meal prep adorable little packaged healthy meals doesn't mean you have to.  Learn from your own personality, experience, and mistakes and forge your own path. Meal prepping and planning does not have to be all or nothing, small steps are still progressIf you're eating cold cereal every night (no judgment) you are probably not ready to start making every meal from scratch.  Start with a Sunday dinner, or maybe some partially from scratch cooking.  As you learn you'll be ready to add more, don't get overwhelmed because you try to do too much all at once. You're not supposed to be good at it at firstI have some pretty embarrassing cooking stories.  Cooking is a skill and an art that takes time to develop.  Meal planning is also a skill that takes practice, so if you are a good cook but you are terrible at meal planning, you just have another skill to work on.  Don't stress.  You'll get there!You ALWAYS have the ability to change directionSo that meal planning app that you paid for isn't working like you thought it would?  Let it go!  You made a bunch of freezer meals but you don't like them at all? Give them away and get them out of your freezer and life.  If something isn't working for you, change it.  Simple as that.  You aren't a failure, you just learned something that didn't work.  Move on.  Don't stay stuck because you've invested time, money, or energy into something that isn't working. Mindset shifts for meal planning worksheetNow that we've talked about some of the ways you should be shifting your thinking to be able to grow and progress, let's get to

I have been working tirelessly behind the scenes here at Call Me Betty blog, and putting in lots of early mornings and naptimes to make this day happen. I am absolutely thrilled to announce my new podcastNew podcast:  Planned, Prepped, and productive: homemade meals for busy peopleIt's all about helping you guys to put from-scratch meals on the table for your family every night WITHOUT stress and without overwhelm.The topic of conversation here in my little corner of the internet has always been about the importance of from-scratch cooking, but, truth moment.  My consistency has been lacking.  I have struggled to put out consistent content for you all, and after putting my heart and soul into this project I think I finally know why. Why I started a productive cooking podcastFor the past several years I've shared tried and tested from scratch recipes with you and why from scratch cooking is so important to me...but what was missing was connection. In all honesty I feel that maybe I have been a little preachy, a little too focused on the recipes and the "why" of cooking from scratch and a little less focused on you the readers, your goals, your dreams, your problems.  I haven't taken the time to convince you that from-scratch cooking is not only possible with a busy lifestyle, but that creating this routine and habit can actually open doors, save you time, and clear up valuable head-space by answering the constant nagging question of "what's for dinner.It's challenging to figure out how to be vulnerable on the internet, to say I have been where you've been and I know that it's hard.  To say that yes, I absolutely 100% believe in from-scratch cooking, homemade meals, and family dinner time, but that I also am very familiar with the Wendy's drive-thru.  That I am absolutely not perfect, but I am working toward a goal and I want to bring you with me on this journey and share everything I learn along the way.  How meal planning and prepping has changed my lifeThis first week's episode of the podcast is all about how introducing meal planning (something that I have done consistently for my entire 8-year marriage)... and prepping has completely transformed my life.  It can totally transform yours too! Meal time does not have to be stressful and overwhelming, especially not every day!In the podcast sharing all the benefits and changes that I have seen in my life (that I think you would like to see too!)Benefits of meal planning and meal prepping: More family time in the eveningsThe ability to use time more effectively and cook in hours that my kids aren't all overtired and crankyThe kitchen gets used less often so the house stays cleanerMeal time and your schedule is simplifiedThe quality of meals (both taste and health) improvedLife feels organized and controlled instead of chaoticAlways knowing the answer of "what's for dinner" Rarely feeling hangry because there's always something easily prepared available to eatGrocery purchases are more controlled and you save moneyMeal planning and prepping can totally change your life.  If you find yourself feeling constantly overwhelmed with all things food (the planning, the shopping, the cooking, the clean-up, the constant and never-ending cycle of work), I hope you take a chance and follow along on this journey. This week's episode focused mostly on the "why" behind meal planning and prepping, but that's really only one piece of the puzzle. In coming week's we'll really dig into all the ins and outs and tips and tricks that i've learned and how I've made family meal time and homemade meals a reality for my family (and if you don't know me, a quick intro: I'm a dentist's wife who stays home with 3 tiny o