Stephanie

It can be tough to get dinner on the table every night whether you’re single, a couple, or part of a busy family where both parents work outside the home with kids in multiple activities.

Some people seem to have it all figured out and others still struggle.

Recently, I asked the members of my local online moms group for advice on what works for them in terms of making regular meals.

I got some excellent responses that I wanted to share here.

Follow a Simple Meal Structure (aka Theme Nights).

Many people answered that they like to have theme nights for each day of the week. For example Monday is pasta, Tacos on Tuesdays, Wednesday is soup night, Thursday is fish and vegetables and Fridays are for homemade pizza.

Having a theme can be a simple way to figure out what to eat every week.

To avoid boredom you can change up the ingredients every week. Personally I have never made the same pizza twice because I use up what’s in the fridge for the toppings. You can make vegetarian tacos one week and chicken tacos the next week. 

Batch Cooking.

Some people like to cook a bunch of food on the weekend and either freeze it for later or use it up during the week for various meals.

“When I have my act together the things that work for me are: cooking meals in advance/batch cooking and freezing and doing vegetable prep in advance, so that you can just throw it all into a pan for a quick dish,” said Carrie B.

Nadine A. says: “…batch cook and freeze things like pancakes, muffins, stock, pasta sauce, shepherds pie, sausages, pulled beef, chillies etc. Instead of making enough for one meal I make two and freeze one.”

Batch cooking can be a saviour for many people because the food is already done for you when you get home from work or an activity. For example if I diced and roasted a few sweet potatoes on Sunday, I would eat those with some eggs for breakfast on Monday, in a taco on Tuesday and on a pizza (yes pizza!) on Friday.

The downside of batch cooking is that you have to know what to eat it with the food you cooked. Some people might look into the fridge and see a bunch of roasted veggies in separate containers and not know what to do with it. It really depends on your personality and how you like to eat.

Meal Planning and Prepping.

You know by now that meal planning and prepping is what I love to do most. There are days when I like to wing it of course, but meal planning and prepping makes it easier to know what you’re having for dinner.

Sometimes in the morning I’ll think “What’s for dinner tonight?” and then I’ll remember that I have a plan and relief hits me that all I have to do is put the meal together and not think about what I’m going to cook.

Emerson T. likes to meal plan too: “I make two dinners on nights I’m home early, or on weekends, and I make dinner for the next night after the kids go to bed.” 

Others like the consistency of meal planning.

“I think that for both working parents and stay-at-home parents meal planning is key. I’ve recently consistently been meal planning and it is helping with two things: Taking the guess work out of what to cook and ensuring there is much much less food waste from spoiling vegetables,” said Nadine A. “[I get] less anxiety over what to cook when 600 people want my attention in different areas. I’ve also stopped agonizing over what to cook all day long. My husband is no longer wasting so much money on lunch! Instead I spend it on things to keep our family healthy.”

“I usually do some prep on Sunday,” said Paula M. “A soup (and portion some into small mason jars), a breakfast hash (this week ground turkey, sweet potato, zucchini, carrot, apple) which is used for breakfasts or a last minute lunch. I prep some veggies for lunches and quick meal prep during the week and generally try to keep meals simple—quality protein and lots of veggies. A curry or chili prepped in advance if I am really feeling it.

Keeping the meal plan out for everyone to see works for a lot of people.

“For years, I have planned a weekly menu, developed a grocery list, shop, and posted the menu for everyone to see,” said Jessica C. “By seeing the weekly view, I can ensure we’re not consuming too much meat and balance with enough fish or vegetarian meals and of course veggies. It takes some work but like everything else, the more you do it, the easier it gets. Additional tips that have made meal planning easier is getting an instant pot, and goodfood for two meals a week.”

Karen P. says: “Not that I have this all figured out… but my meal planning secret is my dry erase calendar up in the kitchen. It’s a removable vinyl sticker on the wall. I meal plan and shop on the weekend and make quick notes about what I planned to make for the week. I also put on that calendar all of the after-school activities, school lunches, etc. for the month, so I can plan the quickest dinners for the nights with less time. Even if something does not happen on the right night I can move things around.”

Keep it Simple.

Keeping meals simple and trying not to over complicate things was a theme throughout many of the responses. People like to save the more elaborate meals for the weekend when there is more time.

According to Christina B. dinner doesn’t have to be complex. “I try to keep it simple and cook meals that my kids will eat and that are nutritious. I’ve become queen of the sheet pan dinners. Eggs for breakfast or dinner has also been a big hit.”

“Keep it simple! Protein, veg, starch,” says Lindsay N. “Make extra one night so you have leftovers the next night (eat as is or transform into stir fry or a sandwich). Breakfast for dinner once a week. When prepping, do extra.

“For example: If you’re chopping a cucumber for salad, chop extra and save for the next meal or school lunches. Put out a plate of cut veggies while cooking so kids can snack on those while you’re getting the meal together. Depending on the child’s age have them help with simple tasks: cutting vegetables, grating cheese, or setting the table. Make it fun and train them to help!”

Christine C. says not to over-complicate meals. “The protein bakes while veggies boil or steam, boil some noodles/potatoes/rice and chop a couple of fruits up. You can do this with five-minute prep and very healthy.

“I also make kids a platter (veggie and fruit) to snack on before dinner is served. With busy lives something has to give so leave the complex flavours for the weekend and don’t try to take on too much during the week.”

“Cook a double meal and eat it for two days so you only cook every second day,” said Aileen H. “This means the re-heat days are quick and easy. Also meal plan. We have an eight-week rotation. Keep it simple family-friendly meals.”

Get the Rest of the Family Involved.

If you have a family, they should be helping too if they can. Get the kids to chop vegetables (teach them to use a small paring knife). Cooking with your partner can be a nice date while you listen to music and everyone should help with the dishes.

It’s a rule now that my kids have to clear their plates from the table and put them in the dishwasher. It doesn’t matter if they do it the ‘wrong way’–you’re teaching them responsibility and you can just fix it the way you like later anyway. :).

I thought these were great ideas and I hope they help you figure out what to do for dinners next week.

It’s spring! It’s spring! It’s spring!

Spring is one of my most favourite times of the year because the sun starts to shine more often, the air is fresh and we start to get excited about Farmer’s Markets!

This week, I wanted to go through a list of foods that are available in the spring along with their health benefits.

Before I get started on that though, I want to make sure to mention that I believe in a balanced approach when it comes to eating real food.

I don’t believe in a one size fits all food that will cure disease or make you super healthy (Eat kale and live to 100!!).

Instead, I believe in eating a wide variety of nutritious foods each day to give our bodies optimum nutrition from various sources instead of relying on only one source.

Not too much produce is available locally in the spring, but what is available is packed with nutrition that our bodies need after a long winter of cooked root vegetables.

Here are four fruits and vegetables on the spring list:

Rhubarb

One vivid memory I have from childhood is going into my Aunt Carole’s garden to cut a piece of rhubarb and eat it raw with white sugar.

It was the perfect combination of sweet and sour.

Health Benefits:

• Tons of fibre (5 grams of fibre for a 3.5 oz serving).
• Used in Ancient Chinese medicine to sooth upset stomach and help with constipation.
• Every serving provides 45% daily value of Vitamin K which helps with bone strength and brain health.
• Also includes Vitamin C, Vitamin A, calcium, folate and B vitamins.

Strawberries

I’ve noticed that strawberries are available at places like Farm Boy throughout the colder months because they are now grown in greenhouses in western Ontario.

The great news is that greenhouse strawberries use ‘beneficial insects’ to kill pests which means that fewer pesticides are used compared to their conventional counterparts.

One thing to note about strawberries overall is to buy organic if you can. According to the Environmental Working Group, strawberries are at the top of the Dirty Dozen list for pesticides.

Health Benefits:

• High levels of vitamin C (use those greenhouse or organic strawberries in the winter to boost immunity).
• Super important for heart health due to the high antioxidant content.
• Each cup provides 24% of manganese which helps with bone production, collagen production, blood sugar control and free radical damage protection.
• Strawberry seeds contain a small amount of Omega-3 fats.
• Help to prevent cognitive decline as we age.

Asparagus

I try to eat asparagus only when it’s in season, otherwise it comes from Mexico, which means it’s not fresh (We want to eat asparagus within 48 hours for optimum nutritional benefit).

Asparagus is a perfect spring treat and it has a ton of health benefits.

Note! Asparagus doesn’t take as long to cook as you might think.

Steam or lightly sauté the spears for only 3-5 minutes. Say no to soggy asparagus!

Health Benefits:

• Anti-inflammatory food.
• 101% daily value of Vitamin K per cup serving (Vitamin K is important for blood clotting and bone health).
• Also high in folate which is good for brain and nervous system health as well as cardiovascular health and red blood cell production.

Radishes

People have a love hate relationship with radishes. They’re spicy and kind of weird, but I tend to like them all the same. They’re also super healthy to eat!

Health Benefits:

• High in Vitamin C.
• Helps to detox the body of toxins.
• Excellent for helping to regulate diabetes.
• Helps to regulate blood pressure.

The bulk of the produce bounty will come closer to the end of spring and summer, but get a head start by adding these spring fruits and vegetables to your daily meal rotations to get the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to your health!

What are your favourite spring foods?

If you find it difficult to cook at home, you’re not alone.

More than ever, families are packing their hours with work and extra curricular activities for their kids (and themselves) and it’s tough to find time to be at home to make a decent meal.

But I truly believe that health and wellness starts in the kitchen.

Now you may not like cooking, or you’ve lost interest in it or you find it’s too much pressure to cook a picture-perfect meal like the ones you see on Instagram, so I wanted to offer a few tips on how to make it easier to cook at home more regularly.

1. Have the Right Tools.

Sharp Knives
I mentioned this in my post about cutting butternut squash: we need to have the right kind of knife to cut it! If you have dull knives at home, it’s not going to be fun to cook. I can attest this every time I go to an Airbnb where the knives are dull—I don’t want to cook either!

So get a couple of good knives. You don’t have to spend a lot. My favourite knife is from Loblaws for $18. I do recommend having a couple different kinds of knives however:

• A Utility Knife
• A Chef’s Knife
• A thinner utility knife or slicer
• A couple paring knives
• Also a knife honer or steel so you can keep them relatively sharp!

Various Cutting Boards.
Personally I like bamboo cutting boards and it’s nice to have a few of them. I have a bigger board that I use to chop a lot of veggies at once, as well as a couple of medium sized boards for cutting fruit and meat. Some people will tell you not to use wood for meat, but I don’t want to use plastic so I always use the same one for meat and then give it a good scrub.

Measuring Cups and Spoons.
A set of stainless steel measuring cups is a great thing to have in the kitchen and it tends to last the longest (compared to plastic). Also I personally find it helpful to have a few sets of measuring spoons, but one will suffice. Winners and HomeSense always have them on sale in the cooking section.

Blender and Food Processor.
I use my blender daily so this is an important tool for me, but even still I think it’s a great thing to have in the kitchen. It’s not necessary to get a Vitamix or a Blendtec (although fun if you can afford it). I bought a Cuisinart blender for the cottage and it works really well (I even used it to grind coffee once!).

Again a food processor isn’t affordable to everyone, but even a smaller handheld blending system like this one will work really well in the kitchen.

Decent Pots and Pans.
I steer clear of teflon these days and opt for cast iron pans and stainless steel pots. It’s nice to have a few different sizes: I have five sizes of pots—although this many isn’t necessary (maybe if I had fewer pots I’d have fewer dishes to do??) and two sizes of cast iron pans (10 inch and 12 inch).

I also regularly use a big cast iron enamel pot for my soups and stews. HomeSense always has affordable cast iron and enamel pots and pans in fun colours.

I also love having two double size aluminum baking pans so I can roast a lot of veggies (and bake a lot of cookies!) at once. Just be sure to use parchment paper as you don’t want to cook directly on aluminum.

2. Make a Meal Plan.

Yes I’ve said it a million times, but making a meal plan is one of the easiest ways you can get on track for regular cooking at home.

Making a full meal plan might overwhelm some people, so you can start small to begin with. I like the idea of making a big batch of cookies or bars to eat for the week or make a big batch of baked oatmeal to eat all week for breakfast. Starting small and working yourself up to making a full plan will help you get used to cooking regularly at home.

3. Keep it Simple.

I’ve also said this before: keep your meals simple. Pick meals that take fewer than 30 minutes or less to cook so you’re not scrambling during the week to make dinner and keep the elaborate meals for the weekend.

Another idea is to choose a couple veggies to roast on Sunday that you can use for various meals during the week. Roasted sweet potatoes are great with chicken thighs, but also taste fantastic in a frittata or taco. Cook once, eat twice (or three times).

I hope that gives you a few tips on how to start cooking regularly at home.