Meal Planning Tips for Stay at Home Moms

Written By Kara Kelso

Just because we’re home all day doesn’t mean we aren’t short on time. We all need help from time to time scheduling our days out so everything gets done. Planning a meal is no exception.

Here’s some quick tips to help you manage supper time a little better:

- If you can get into the habit, try planning for supper the night before. While it’s alright to thaw meat in the sink, it’s best if thawed in the fridge. Planning the night ahead also gives you time to make slow-cooker meals.

- If you absolutely can’t plan the night before, make lunch time your dinner planning time. If you are like me, your freezer is usually stocked with meat or other “need to be thawed before cooking” items. Pull those items out of the fridge and put in the sink, so they’ll be ready to cook later.

- Plan to start supper after school. Usually kids get out of school around 3-3:30. By the time you get them home, search bags for important notes, and discuss the day quickly it will be time to cook. I try my hardest to only find recipes that take an hour or less. So if I start at 4pm, dinner is done by 5 or 5:30pm at the latest.

- Learn to use your crockpot on the busy days. Sports and other after school activities can have you running from 3pm until bedtime. If you’ve only got a small window to eat, cooking for an hour might not be an option. I’m not in love with my crockpot, but I’ve adjusted. Try your hardest to avoid fast foods!

Got the meat and can’t decide what to add with it? Pick up some Ideas for Meals at Idea Queen. Recipes are broken down by main ingredient, so it’s very easy to add or subtract additional ingredients.

Enjoy!