from my kitchen

Meal Planning for Busy Moms, the conclusion

January 18, 2013 by Edie Wadsworth 45 Comments

This is the conclusion of a 4 part series. Read part 1 (the why), part 2 (the where), part 3 (the how), first and then come back here to get the full picture of how to integrate this meal planning guide into your normal routine!

meal planning for busy moms

If you’re a busy mom in need a meal plan that works, you’ve come to the right place. This is the conclusion of a 3 part series on how to significantly reduce your stress, while feeding your family well. Follow the links below and kiss the 5 pm meltdown goodbye!

I’m making a commitment to myself this year to do things with more purpose.

To make a plan for the things in my life that cause me stress and time.

I may have tackled the hardest one first—-meal planning.

I’ve come up with a way to use some online tools to create a year’s worth of meals in as little as a month.

Part One was all about why you should consider developing a meal plan.

Part Two goes into lots of (painful) detail about exactly how I set up my Google Calendar to plan my meals and then have them repeat as often as I’d like.

Part Three combines Google calendar plus some great time saving websites like eMeals and Ziplist to streamline your menu planning and grocery shopping.

I guess I haven’t solved everything. That dinner’s not gonna cook itself. But for me, the hardest part is the planning and shopping. Once I have a recipe and the ingredients in my possession, I’m an armed and dangerous chopping and sauté-ing machine!

The beauty of this program is this—-there are countless ways that you can use these resources to customize something that works perfect for your family. You don’t have to do it just like I’m describing but there’s probably some online tool that you can use to make this part of your life more peaceful and nourishing.

And we all have to eat. Multiple times a day.

So, having some sort of plan at getting better only makes sense.

Now that you’ve had a few days to think about it and implement your system, I’d love to know all about it.

I’m adding links to some great recipes that will help you get started in your quest to get dinner on the table. Some are from my first list and some are your suggestions.

Thanks for all your great ideas!

Happy Weekend and Happy Cooking!

For some new ideas, check out my What’s for Supper board, along with my Breakfast, Soups, Bars and Cookies, and Cakes and Cupcakes Boards!

Chicken Tetrazinni

Marlboro Man Sandwiches (we had these today as leftovers and spruced them up by adding an egg-over-medium onto the sandwich—-I’m pretty sure my new motto in life is to add egg to everything—-it was divine!)

Lasagna Soup (one of my favorites!)

Pasta with whiskey, wine and mushrooms

Homemade Sesame Chicken

Pasta, Pesto and Peas

Salmon with Lentils

Broccoli and Shrimp Pasta

Skillet pork and peppers

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables

Cheese Tortellini Soup

Creamy Lemon Orzo with grilled chicken

Fusilli with Sausage, Artichokes and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken

Chicken and egg soup with Pastina

Beef Stew

Ruth’s freezer meals

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I’m behind on answering some of your emails and questions so this weekend, I’m gonna do a video to try to catch up.

If you have a question for me, leave it in comments and I’ll add it to what I’m already planning on answering.

Meal Planning for Busy Moms, part 1 {the why}

January 14, 2013 by Edie Wadsworth 122 Comments

This is part 1 of a 4 part series. Read part 2 (the where), part 3 (the how), and part 4 (the conclusion) to get the full picture of how to integrate this meal planning guide into your normal routine!

meal planning for busy moms

This month our theme here is time. How can we better use our time to serve others?
This is part one of a three part series on meal planning that will help start your year off right and save you lots of time and stress!

At the bottom of this post, I link to a few online recipes. Would you pick your one favorite online recipe and link to it in the comments? I’d so appreciate it!

It was ten years ago and I was standing in the middle of my kitchen at 5pm with four hungry kids pawing at my legs and a hungry husband who would soon return home from work.

I had just graduated from residency and was working part time at the ER on the weekends but most of my days came to a climax in this very spot, at this very hour, in my kitchen. This particular day something shifted inside me and I decided that 5pm, when everyone’s tired and hungry and whiny, is not a good time to think about what’s for dinner. I also decided that it was high time I started taking this job, that I was apparently going to have to think about every day, seriously.

At first I was angry and thought, “How dare them get hungry at this very time every. single. day.” (Doesn’t it seem like they’re always hungry?)

And then I began to realize that of all the things I could spend my time and effort doing, learning to cook well and plan meals is probably among the most important for a busy mom.

So, I made myself a student of the Food Network and of cooking magazines and the more I learned about cooking and practiced it myself, the more I began to love it.

We tend to dislike things we’re not good at and many of us have a disdain for cooking and meal planning because we haven’t yet tackled that area of our lives.

I’m here to convince you that it’s so worth it! I’m still figuring it out but I want to bring you along with me so you and your family can start reaping the benefits of this.

Rome wasn’t built in a day so be patient with yourself. Take baby steps but take steps!

There are so many benefits to cooking at home and having some semblance of an idea of what you’re gonna cook.

1. It reduces stress.

I had come to hate the bewitching 5 o’clock hour back then. It was like a daily reminder to me that I didn’t have it all together. The guilt would ensue and then I’d start making all kinds of excuses for myself. “I have four kids, for crying out loud. Do you expect me to keep them alive and cook TOO?” or “That’s just not one of my spiritual gifts. Some people cook every day. I don’t.”

And don’t get me wrong, there are some seasons in life where it feels impossible to put meals on the table. I know. But all the more reason to have a plan. Any plan. I promise you that when you put some effort and thought into this daily, recurring stressor, it will pay dividends. You won’t be nearly as stressed and you’ll have a sense of control over your life that is very empowering.

2. It’s healthier.

Cooking at home with a plan has so many advantages, healthwise. You know what you’re eating and you can control how much salt, sugar, and fat there is. You can also be in control of buying more local produce and eating seasonally. (Better yet, start a small vegetable garden this spring and eat as local as possible!) When we eat out, we almost always eat more calories and we often eat on the run, losing the benefits of the ‘family around the table’ and also impairing digestion.

3. It costs less.

Eating out is terribly expensive. Learning to cook at home with some sort of purpose of plan will save you lots of money. I’ll give you examples tomorrow of how it works but you probably already sense that it’s true. And just think of all that you could do with that money you spend on mediocre food.

4. It’s a great way to serve your family.

I know, I’ve said it before but hospitality begins at home. And what better way to serve the ones we love than to feed them well. Meal planning is a great way to keep you accountable. You’re not tempted to eat out all the time if you have a plan for what you’re eating. These beautiful people? They like to eat. Regularly.

meal planning for busy moms

Things to consider–

Now you’ll have a different list but here’s what I take into account when making my meal plan:

1. Schedule—-I usually make something easy-ish on Mondays. Mondays are frought with enough resistance. Often, we have soup because I can cook it in the morning and let it’s flavors meld together. On Tuesdays, my girls have an early ballet class so I try to make something that can be made ahead of time and reheated easily. On Wednesdays, there’s no dance and I have more time to cook so I’ll do more gourmet-ish things. You get the picture. You have to figure it out for your family’s schedule.

2. Variety—- I don’t always succeed but I try to vary the meats, the textures, the flavors, etc. I try to vary the method of cooking and use seasonal items as much as possible. I wish I could say that I shop only the sales and then make my meals based on that but I don’t always do that either. I think finding a system that works for you, no matter it’s limitations, is better than the ‘winging it’ that most of us have always done.

3. Flexibility—–One of the reasons I’ve resisted long range meal planning is because I’m SO fickle. How can I decide today that I want to have cheese tortellini soup two weeks from Monday? I might totally change my mind. I might die at the thought of cheese tortellini soup on that particular Monday.

Side note: I had the same trouble as a child. I could NEVER agree to picking out my clothes the night before. These decisions change moment by moment. Who could possibly know the night before which outfit might be ‘right’ for this given day???

I get around this by giving myself room to change my mind whenever my little heart desires. But in three months, I could have a wonderful year-long meal plan.

And that? Gets me very excited.

Don’t worry, tomorrow, I’m bringing the nitty gritty.

Today, think about how you might start to implement a plan. I recently started using Google Calendar and will tell you step by step how I do it but that might not be a good fit for you.

Give it some thought and come back tomorrow for details!

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I wanted to leave you with some tried and true recipes that you can scan and see if they’ll be a good fit for your family. You can add these to your Calendar and I’ll show you exactly how I’ve been implementing mine tomorrow. If you don’t have any ideas for this week, this will get you started.

Skillet pork and peppers

Cheese Tortellini Soup

Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken

Chicken and egg soup with Pastina

Beef Stew

Ruth’s freezer meals

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Don’t forget to link up at the end of the month with your post on time management. How are you finding strategies to make the most of your time? What is your favorite ‘time hack’? We’ll meet here January 30th!

31 Days to Hospitality::Day 28 What to Cook {when company comes}

October 30, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 19 Comments

This is day 20 in a 31 day series on hospitality. Start from the beginning here.

1. Keep a list of great recipes.

The big question is always, “What should I cook?” Isn’t that the bane of the existence of every mother? Don’t you get tired of trying to figure out what to cook? That’s why I started keeping a collection of my favorite recipes on my blog—like a hope chest for my daughters someday. They’ll have all mom’s recipes at their fingertips. I’m always trying new recipes but there’s nothing like a few that are tried and true.

And what could be better than soup? I’m kinda like the soup whisperer. I LOVE soup. I make it every week, even in the summer. It’s comfort food. It feeds a crowd. You can make it stretch. It’s not expensive. Soup is your friend when you’re having company.

Best Beef Stew Ever

Mocha Cake

Beef Enchiladas

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Glazed Apple Bars

Southern Cornbread

Spicy Tomato Soup

Blucberry Coffee Cake

Strawberry Dream Cake

Late Summer Vegetable Soup

Chicken and Dumplings

Cheese Tortellini Soup

Grannie’s Fudge

Chipotle Pumpkin Barley Soup

Rocky Top Chili

Italian Sub Soup

Cheeseburger {in paradise} Soup

Taco Casserole

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt

Potato Corn Chowder

Roasted Zucchini Lasagna

2. Plan ahead.

Make a menu. Right it down. When I’m having company, I plan every meal ahead and plan for plenty of snacks, cocktails, cookies, etc. I plan for things that can be at least partially prepared ahead. This allows you plenty of margin—-which translates into time, to visit with your company.

3. Cook ahead.

Almost everything can be frozen. I cook ahead and then freeze what freezes well. Soups freeze particularly well as do cookies. I almost always have those things in my freezer, just in case.

4. When all else fails, make homemade bread.

I always try to bake bread when company’s coming. The house smells amazing and everyone knows how much you love them. The end.

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If you have any favorite, tried and true recipes that would be great for showing hospitality, link to them in the comments. I will add some of those links back to this post!

Mwahhhhhh!

31 Days to Hospitality::Day 23 Homemade Honey Wheat Bread

October 25, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 58 Comments

This is day 23 in a 31 day series on hospitality. This series has been converted to ebook format and can purchased here.

honeywheatbread

You wanna know what love smells like? You do, don’t you? It’s the smell of homemade bread baking. I don’t know if there’s anyway to love someone more. Unless you add softened butter to the bread then you win all contests of love and war. So, I made this (dorky) video for you. Always be wary of home jobs, with hair coloring and with video making. But without further adieu—–

Welcome to dorkville. But I hope this video helps give you confidence to try bread making for yourself.

Never mind the nail polish on one thumb.

Never mind that I sling flour all over the kitchen because my mixer is OUT OF control.

Never mind all that. Concentrate on the bread, dear people. This bread will never let you down. It may be the easiest, most reliable bread recipe I have. Add it to your repertoire. You won’t regret it.

Can’t you almost taste it? Oh, it’s good, my friends!

And if you’re looking for dishes to serve it with, I have a plethora of delicious soups to choose from!

Ingredients::

2 cups warm water

1/3 c. honey

1/3 c. canola oil

1 T. yeast

1 t. salt

2 c. whole wheat flour (freshly ground if possible)

5 (or so) cups of all purpose flour (add until the dough pulls away from the sides and is no longer sticky)

The How-to::

Pans—I use the stoneware loaf pans from Pampered Chef and they work GREAT! You could use whatever you have but spray them with Pam first.

Preheat your oven to 375. I think I said 350 in the video. It’s 375. Sorry. Dorky video.

Also—I said olive oil in the video. I use CANOLA oil for this and olive oil for almost everything else in the world. But for this, canola or something similar.

Pour 2 cups of warm water into your mixing bowl. Add the oil THEN the honey. Use the same liquid measuring cup and your honey will come right out of the cup. Start your mixer on low. Then add yeast, salt and 2 cups of whole wheat flour. You could increase the amount of whole wheat for a denser bread (that’s coming tomorrow!) but for this one, I use two. When those are incorporated, start adding the all purpose flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is no longer sticky to the touch. It usually takes about 5 cups but when I made this batch, it took 5 1/3. It’s the consistency you’re looking for so watch the video for a demonstration if you haven’t made much bread before.

When the dough is just right, turn it onto a clean, floured surface and knead it for 5-10 min. The longer you need it the more dense it becomes. I knead this bread about 5 minutes. Or my sous chefs do, I should say! Put some oil into the bottom of the mixing bowl and then add the dough back to the bowl to rise. My oven has a proofing setting for the rising phase but you could also heat your oven to 200 when you begin and then just turn it off so that the oven is a little warm but not hot. I place a warm towel over the bowl and let it rise until it’s doubled in size. It usually takes 45′ to an hour in the oven. After it’s doubled, divide it into two loaves, shaping it into loaves by tucking the sides under, and then place into greased loaf pans. Let rise again until it’s just to the top of the pans. Bake at 375 for 25-30 min.

ENJOY!!!!

***This recipe makes two loaves so it’s perfect for sharing. I use these bread bags, Bread Loaf Bags, Pack of 100 by Perfect Utopia from Amazon to store it or to give it as a gift.

You will notice on bread-making day that there’s a general loveliness in the children and a certain all around sense of happiness and goodwill.

I’m pretty sure homemade bread has magical powers. Give it a try!

Okay, loves, I’m outta here.

Bake bread. It’s good for the soul.

Amen.
xoxo

31 Days to Hospitality::Day 20 Potato Corn Chowder

October 21, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 28 Comments

This is day 20 in a 31 day series on hospitality. Start from the beginning here.
Since you stocked your pantry and have plenty to drink and all, I figured it was high time we make some food. I’m gonna talk more about my philosophy when it comes to feeding people but suffice it to say, people love to be fed. And I find that when feeding a crowd, there’s nothing better than soup. And I’m a huge fan of one pot meals. One pot meals make life worth living. Okay, maybe that’s overstating it but still.

One pot to clean=one happy momma.

This corn chowder is so easy, so delicious, and is even a crowd pleaser among the youngsters.

Here’s what you need:

1 onion

1 32 oz bag frozen corn (could certainly use fresh corn when it’s in season but the frozen works great too)

1/2 to 1 red pepper, diced

1 stalk of celery, diced

3 yukon potatoes, peeled and diced

3-4 springs of thyme

salt and pepper

cayenne pepper

2 boxes of chicken stock

2 T. flour

1 T. bacon fat

1 T. butter

1 T. olive oil

1/2 c. heavy cream

1 T. honey

Melt the butter and bacon fat in a large stock pot and then add the olive oil. When the oils are hot, add the chopped onion, red pepper and celery. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper and then salt and pepper. You’ll reseason at the end but make sure you start the process now for depth of flavor. (I always buy celery that still has the leaves on the end and then chop those too and add them along with the celery.) I cook these on med high so that the onions will brown a little. When those have sautéed for 4-5 min, add the flour and cook it about a minute and then add all the chicken stock, along with the frozen corn. Add the thyme (you can either put the whole stems with the leaves on them and then remove the stems at the end or pull the leaves off the stems and just add the leaves) and potatoes and cook for 30 min on med heat until the potatoes are tender. When they are tender, add the honey and cream and then reseason as needed. Since there aren’t many seasonings in this soup, I add lots of pepper. Enjoy the some crusty bread!

Ode to bacon fat

Also, the bacon adds a lot of flavor so don’t skip that step. I know my Southern friends won’t but if you’re from Connecticut, you’ll be tempted. Bacon fat rules the world. Corn chowder just isn’t corn chowder without bacon fat. I am not me without bacon fat. Love your family well. Use bacon fat. Amen.

Don’t forget the recipe page for other tasty treats!

Potato Corn Chowder

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Ingredients

1 onion diced
1 32 oz bag frozen corn could certainly use fresh corn when it’s in season but the frozen works great too
1/2 to 1 red pepper diced
1 stalk of celery diced
3 yukon potatoes peeled and diced
3-4 springs of thyme
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper
2 boxes of chicken stock
2 T. flour
1 T. bacon fat
1 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 T. honey

Instructions

Melt the butter and bacon fat in a large stock pot and then add the olive oil.
When the oils are hot, add the chopped onion, red pepper and celery.
Add a pinch of cayenne pepper and then salt and pepper. You’ll reseason at the end but make sure you start the process now for depth of flavor. (I always buy celery that still has the leaves on the end and then chop those too and add them along with the celery.)
I cook these on med high so that the onions will brown a little.
When those have sautéed for 4-5 min, add the flour and cook it about a minute and then add all the chicken stock, along with the frozen corn.
Add the thyme (you can either put the whole stems with the leaves on them and then remove the stems at the end or pull the leaves off the stems and just add the leaves) and potatoes and cook for 30 min on med heat until the potatoes are tender.
When they are tender, add the honey and cream and then reseason as needed.
Since there aren’t many seasonings in this soup, I add lots of pepper.
Enjoy the some crusty bread!

Chipotle Pumpkin Soup {with barley and chicken}

August 26, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 92 Comments

Chipotle Pumpkin Soup

It’s football time in Tennessee and I’m gonna make this soup very soon, in honor of all things fall and football! It’s one of my favorite fall soups so it thought it was time to re-share it. If I were stranded on a deserted island where it was perpetually fall (PLEASE!!) and could only eat one thing for the rest of my days, it’d be this soup. This is the CROWN JEWEL of my recipe stash. I hold nothing back. I GAVE ALL for Tennessee!

When I found out a few months ago that there was gonna be a certain photo shoot at my house this fall (more on that later!), I fully embraced my slightly curvier self. I was so proud that I seemed to have kicked vanity to the curb.

“They’ll just have to take me as I am.” Those were my exact words to myself.

But don’t worry, I’m a parent so I’m quite accustomed to eating my words. As the shoot drew painfully near, the fire breathing dragon of my vanity reared its ugly head.

So I ~~tried to find a way to get on crack~~ called my dear friend who had recently lost 12 pounds and 20 inches using an awesome system of nutritional supplements and begged her to meet me with a starter kit. 15 days and a nagging viral illness later, I’m desperately missing soup and bread. And coffee. And diet coke. And especially chocolate chip cookies. And butter. OH, how I miss butter. It’ll be a few more days until I can eat this yummy soup, but I hope you’ll make it and eat it with lots of bread and butter in my honor. Don’t email me, telling me how good it is until this weekend. I’m sick and slightly irritable. I was doing pretty darn good until I got this wicked virus and as I continue to recover, I’m much too weak to hear about your buttered bread and good rich soup:) Especially since I’ll be eating meat and salad and protein shakes for a few more days.

Don’t worry, I’m gonna tell you all about my program and how it’s worked for me as soon as I finish the initial challenge. I’m VERY impressed with it so far. And as a {former} physician and lover of health and food and exercise, I’m always in the market for a good boost to the system. Especially one that’s doable. Nevertheless, I miss Paula Dean. I’m a lover, not a dieter. And I MAY have cheated a time or two. But I am losing some stubborn inches and practicing the ever difficult task of depriving myself, which I could stand to do much more often. I’m ‘in my forties’ now and apparently that means I’m either gonna have to run 10 miles a day or occasionally tell myself no. The ‘no’ seems a little more reasonable but reasonable has never been my strong suit. Blasted metabolism.

The best motivation ever? I took a before photo. Heavens. to. Betsy. I DO NOT recommend the before photo under any circumstances but especially not with a high quality DSLR camera. Get a 3 year old to take it with a fuzzy camera phone while doing the Hokey Pokey. Trust me on this one. Knowing my luck, I’ll die before I have a chance to incinerate the memory card. Deleting is not a powerful enough option, dear friends.

Now for the recipe which is a repost from a couple years ago.

2 T butter and 2 T. olive oil

1 onion

1 large carrot

3 stalks of celery

3 cloves of garlic

2 boxes of good chicken stock

1 can of pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix) the smaller sized can ~14 oz

3 c. cooked chicken or 3 c. diced potatoes for a vegetarian option (could also use frozen hash browns)

1/2 c barley

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. ginger

1/4 t nutmeg

2-3 T honey

1-2 t. chipotles chopped very fine (it comes in a small can in the mexican section of the store and is packed in a heavy sauce)—it has a lot of heat so be cautious.

1 c. sour cream or greek yogurt

1/4 c. heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

To begin, saute the veggies in the oil and butter until carrots are almost tender. Always salt as you go along and then adjust the salt at the end. Don’t wait til the very end to add salt or your dish will lack a depth of flavor. Add garlic after the veggies have cooked about 5 minutes.

Then add chicken stock, pumpkin, chicken, barley and all the spices. Cook at medium to high heat for about 45 minutes to an hour or until barley is tender. Turn heat down to simmer. Add sour cream or yogurt and whisk so that no lumps remain and then add cream. Taste and reseason. I had to add more honey to balance the heat of the chipotles but DON’T leave out the chipotles. The smokey flavor makes the soup. It just wouldn’t be the same without them! Enjoy!

Find more yummy food on my recipes page and download my free soups ebook here!!

40578087 - pumpkin soup with cream, seeds, bread and fresh basil in rustic metal plate on grunge black background. top view, copy space

{Chipotle Pumpkin Barley Soup} with chicken

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients

2 T butter and 2 T. olive oil
1 onion
1 large carrot
3 stalks of celery
3 cloves of garlic
2 boxes of good chicken stock
1 can of pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie mix the smaller sized can ~14 oz
3 c. cooked chicken or 3 c. diced potatoes for a vegetarian option could also use frozen hash browns
1/2 c barley
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ginger
1/4 t nutmeg
2-3 T honey
1-2 t. chipotles chopped very fine it comes in a small can in the mexican section of the store and is packed in a heavy sauce—it has a lot of heat so be cautious.
1 c. sour cream or greek yogurt
1/4 c. heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

To begin, saute the veggies in the oil and butter until carrots are almost tender.
Always salt as you go along and then adjust the salt at the end.
Don’t wait til the very end to add salt or your dish will lack a depth of flavor.
Add garlic after the veggies have cooked about 5 minutes.
Then add chicken stock, pumpkin, chicken, barley and all the spices.
Cook at medium to high heat for about 45 minutes to an hour or until barley is tender.
Turn heat down to simmer. Add sour cream or yogurt and whisk so that no lumps remain and then add cream.
Taste and reseason. I had to add more honey to balance the heat of the chipotles but DON’T leave out the chipotles. The smokey flavor makes the soup. It just wouldn’t be the same without them! Enjoy!

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My new spiritual memoir All the Pretty Things was just released! You can find it here!