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

You've probably heard of intuitive eating, but what about intuitive cooking. If you can learn to master the art of intuitive cooking your time in the kitchen will be streamlined (because your nose won't be stuck in your phone or a cookbook). You will feel so much less stress because you'll know the principles of cooking and be able to change directions on the fly for homemade meals on the regular.  Don't know where to start? This episode will give you a step-by-step guide to start cooking less from recipes and more from intuition. Resources: Flavor GuideChef's KnifeCommon Substitutions

Don't love reheated chicken? You're not alone! While there's plenty you can do to make meal prep more palatable, sometimes pre-cooking just doesn't cut it. But never fear, I've always got some tricks up my sleeve. Listen on to find out the 2 ways I meal prep chicken for the freezer without pre-cooking it. If you're a leftovers hater, this will be a game-changer. Resources: Chicken MarinadesMeat Thermometer

The theories behind meal planning and meal prep make sense to you, but what does meal prep look like for a real person in real life. I've tried to share plenty of tidbits on the podcast of what meal prep looks like in my life, but what about someone else?  What about someone with no skin in the game (aka someone who isn't trying to sell you anything or get you to listen to their podcast). I've been chatting for weeks (months) about my meal planning and meal prep system that I will soon be bringing to you in course form, but what do those strategies look like in real life? Because the course is still in "draft" form, I don't have any official testimonials just yet, but I do have a sister who's been going through this mealtime transformation right along side me. She graciously agreed to be interviewed for the podcast and is dishing all about her meal prep system, how it's changed her life, as well as tips and tricks for success. Listen in to find out:>Why meal prep is for you, especially if you don't love to cook>What big changes you can expect to see in your life if you start using meal planning and meal prep strategies>How to make meal prep work for you even without tons of unique or expensive equipment.

Utilizing your freezer is the best way to preserve your meal prep and make sure it always tastes fresh and delicious. This episode includes the 4-step process for preparing, freezing, thawing, and reheating your meal prep to maintain the best quality possible.

This is a trying time for sure, which is why I wanted to take a little break from food-related content and focus on mental health instead. Because if you're mental health isn't in check, there's no way those dinners are going on the table.  That's a fact, and it's also okay.  Here's 5 questions I am asking myself (as often as possible) to help me cope with the changes and loneliness from social isolation and covid-19. 1. What did you think you would miss that you actually don't?2. What do you actually miss the most? 3. How has your life actually improved since social distancing began?4. How have you adapted? 5. What will you take with you from this experience into your future? These questions have really helped me process all of my big feelings, I hope that taking a minute to meditate and ponder these questions will help you to, and help you be ready to slay in the kitchen again soon.

The freezer is the most underutilized thing in your kitchen. Many people don't know what to freeze or how to get started.  This episode will help!What do you need to get started with freezer cooking? Getting started is cheap and easy.   You need containers to store your food in, something to cook or meal prep, and a freezer to put it in! That's it!What foods are freezable?Most foods can be frozen relatively well if you take the proper steps.  Exceptions are veggies that you want to enjoy fresh, (and some veggies should never be frozen at all like cucumbers and lettuce), some dairy products, uncooked potatoes, whole eggs, and citrus fruit.How to get started?Listen to the episode for my 4 easy ways to get started with freezer prep today! Resources: Resources: Sign up for email updates to be the first to know when the full suppertime sanity course system will launchRestaurant containers for meal prepFreezer Sweet Potato Recipe

Schedules.I’m guessing you love them or hate ’em.I’m all about having consistent routines with my kiddos, but only recently have discovered the magic of scheduling.I was a skeptic for sure, and I had tried a lot of toddler scheduling techniques that just didn’t work.…and overall we were happy so I didn’t see why we should rock the boat.Creating Ease With A Flexible Block Schedule For Young Kids And ToddlersBut after my husband bought me a laminator for Christmas (nerd alert!!) I decided to try out some scheduling one more time,Let me tell you, this time I found a system that worked and it has been a total gamechanger.Why Block Schedules Work With Young ChildrenThere have been so many benefits to introducing a block schedule in our household. Heres my top 5 benefits:A flexible schedule helps all of the different personality types in our home work together better.Knowing what to expect makes transitions go much smootherA schedule can act like a built-in reward system.A flexible schedule helps me stop saying “just a minute” and actually play with my kidsA schedule keeps me on track in times of laziness or anxietyHow To Block Schedule With Small Kids And Toddlers.Let’s first define what a block schedule is, shall we?A block schedule (or time blocking) is basically the same as your high school class schedule.You set aside a dedicated chunk of time for certain tasks.I find that 90 minute blocks throughout the day work best for my small family.To block schedule I fill each block with 2-3 realistic tasks.I also try to split the fun activities up with the more mundane tasks that my kids are likely to resist so I have those built-in rewards throughout the day.There are 2 keys for making this work with younger children. 1. Pictures2. Making it low maintenance. With this laminated block schedule system, I don’t have to spend time on the computer every day adjusting as our life changes, and I don’t have to sift through a bunch of activities we’ve printed out to find the ones we do. We just sit down and write as a family.(another key to your kids cooperating is letting them help make the schedule).Maintaining this system takes me about 10 minutes a day, but it saves me so much more, and it’s honestly close to zero effort on my part because my 5 year old wants to “do the schedule” before we even eat breakfast.If you want to try my block schedule for free, you can download it below! Just hit the photo to open the link in a new tab and print it out.Then simply laminate it and start scheduling. If you don’t have a laminator, you can get things laminated at staples or other similar stores, but I found it was much more cost-effective to just buy one (and it’s seriously my favorite thing.)You could also just print out a stack and dispose of them every day.I hope this post has motivated you that even if you don’t think scheduling is for you, that you might try it out.

NOTE: The original version of this episode uploaded with an error.  That problem has no been fixed. Realistic Nutrition TipsThis week’s episode I’m chatting with Megan Ostler @meganjanesplate all about realistic nutrition tips. We talked about how to make positive changes without restricting, what we are doing that gives food too much power, and how to focus on factors other than numbers as we are making changes. Takeaways From This Episode:Why you should add to the diet, instead of taking awayHow demonizing food affects you and your goalsHow to make nutrition goals while maintaining a positive relationship with foodMetrics you should focus on that are not the scalAbout Megan OstlerMegan Ostler is the Director of Nutrition for iFit. She is a Registered Dietitian with a master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Science from Utah State University. Before joining the iFit family, Megan worked as a clinical dietitian at McKay Dee hospital. Her lifelong passion for service, science, and food led her into nutrition, and she has been successfully helping patients, friends, clients, and coworkers ever since. At iFit, she works to develop prescriptive nutrition programs to support iFit users in their health goals. For these programs, she develops healthy recipes and balanced meal plans and nutrition supplements.Megan currently resides in Cache Valley, Utah with her husband and three daughters.  When she’s not concocting new recipes, she treasures time with her family rock climbing, gardening, and skiing.Get more from Megan here:Blog: https://www.ifit.com/blog/category/nutritionInstagram: @meganjanesplateYou May Also Like These Interviews:Mealtime Mindset with Ahuva Magder HershkopGourmet Cooking with Marlee Brady

Homemade bread is the ultimate comfort food, but it’s time consuming to get it on the table.It’s fine to make on it’s own, but when you have a bunch of other dishes to make it’s challenging to juggle everything and make it happen.It’s also difficult because many bread recipes take 2-3 hours to bake (some even longer) so if you work it’s basically impossible to get make homemade bread a part of a weeknight meal.Enter parbaking.Parbaking For Fresher-Tasting BreadLike I said, there really isn’t a ton of information out there about parbaking, but I did find some pretty useful in an old textbook on baking.There’s not a lot to the process of parbaking, but there are some techniques to keep your bread pale and avoid browning when you are baking the first time, and to help your bread keep it’s shape.How To Parbake Your Bread Before Storing It In The FreezerReduce Your Oven TemperatureThis is one of the most important steps when parbaking your bread because it helps you to achieve that pale almost unbaked look you are going for so you can save the browning step for when you are ready to eat your bread. Try reducing the oven temperature to 275-300 degrees Fahrenheit to achieve this.Cook Your Bread To 180 Degrees Fahrenheit To Ensure Done-NessYou will likely have to adjust your cooking time to make up for the adjusted temperature. Start by baking for the recommended time on your recipe and take the breads internal temp and add time until it reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit.Decrease Yeast And Proof QuicklyToo much yeast can cause bread to spring too much in the oven, which will make it more difficult for the rolls to hold their shape in the freezer. Try decreasing the yeast in your recipe just a little (not more than 25%) and proof in a very warm environment (try this method)Increase Flour SlightlyWhen parbaking bread, you want the dough to be just slighthly stiffer so the bread holds it’s shape well (this isn’t the best technique for those soft and fluffy rolls). Try increasing the flour by just 1/4 C. You want the dough to be soft and workable but not overly sticky.What products can I parbake?I use this technique on loads of baked goods, but my favorites are cinnamon rolls and dinner rolls (these crusty french bread rolls use this technique).Still Afraid Of Making Yeast Breads?Don’t worry you’re not alone! I get asked about making yeast bread all the time, and while it takes some practice it’s truly so rewarding and fun!Because I get asked about it so much, yeast breads are likely to pop-up in my twice monthly live cooking demos that I do in my private facebook group. I’ve already done one demo on my homemade naan bread (a great yeast bread for beginners) and I’ve got more planned for the future. Watch the naan live and any future cooking demos by joining my free private facebook group here!Resources:Baking Science and Technology TextbookFREE facebook group with LIVE cooking demos

Making family meal time happenWith Family Meals Quality Is Greater Than QuantityOnly have time for one family meal per week with your family?Make it a good one and something your kids will remember.Maybe you can get out the fancy dishes.Maybe you can rotate through everyone in your family’s favorite dinners.Maybe you can plan fun and interactive menus that everyone can help make.The point is, if you work on making that one meal special and memorable family meals can become a cherished memory for your kids, even if they didn’t happen every day.Simplify Your MealsI really can’t say the word “simplify” enough when it comes to family meals.Maybe you don’t have time for a michelin 5 star meal, but you do have a small nugget of time you could all eat together.Consider that the togetherness factor is more important than what’s on the table.If it’s waffles, grilled cheese, spaghetti and frozen meatballs…the key is that you are together.If we can let go a little bit of that all-or-nothing mentality we can start to enjoy time together more often even if it’s a little less than perfect.Planning Is KeyI am a huge advocate for a weekly planning session to keep my life and my family’s life in order.Scheduling in a weekly planning session will allow you to clearly see the pockets of time you have and choose the most realistic days for family meals (and the days that maybe everyone has to fend for themselves).It’s important to include your kids and spouse in your planning session so everyone is on the same page and you don’t miss anyone’s activities.Choose A Different Family Meal TimeWho said that family meal time has to be at dinner time? Does breakfast work better for you? Get up a little earlier and try for family breakfast instead.Real life isn’t perfect, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make small changes to make our goals work for us. Even if you have to be a little unorthodox, you can totally make family meals happen.Create Habits, Even If They Aren’t PerfectI’ve said it a hundred times, but this all-or-nothing mentality that most of us moms deal with on a regular basis is killing all of our dream.Just because we can’t do EVERYTHING doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do something.So work to create the habit of family dinners with whoever is there. If dad’s not there because of a work schedule, or some of your kids are at activities it’s okay. You’ve created the habit.And as seasons of life change you can welcome those absentees back to the table with loving arms because you’ve created the habit of having a family table.Let Go Of Mealtime BattlesEllyn Satter’s division of responsibility in feeding says in a nutshell, YOU decide what, where, and when your child eats.Your child is in charge of if they eat and how much they eat.In other words, and in the words of the great Queen ElsaLet it go.Stop with the dinnertime bribes and recognize that you did your job by providing a meal and let your child take care of the rest.Sometimes they won’t eat. Sometimes they’ll whine and complain. But you did your job by providing a meal, and you can just ignore it.Yes it’s challenging, yes kids not eating is a huge trigger for us, but as you work to trust your child the table will become a safe place for them and they will eventually start trying foods.It’s a process. It’s not a linear process. They may eat broccoli one day and hate it the next, but when we trust our kids, they will become happy eaters eventually.And you can focus on what’s on your plate, not what’s on theirs and actually enjoy your family meal time when you let the battle go.