5 Cooking Tips Every Busy Mom Needs to Know

5 Cooking Tips Every Busy Mom Needs to Know : As the world progresses, it feels as though we’re becoming busier by the day. Moms, in particular, have a greater amount of pressure and responsibility on their shoulders than ever. The combined demands of career, family, and home can make for one busy mom.

And with everything on our plates, it can be difficult to prioritize the things that should be taking priority in our lives. Though we’re all aware that our children’s nutrition is extremely important, 40% of the average diet of children and adolescents is made up of empty calories from added sugars and solid fats.

If your children are among this percentage, there’s no need to beat yourself up, but you do need to make some changes. Even on your busiest days, it’s imperative that you put nutrition, both for yourself and your children, at the top of your to-do list.

Listed below are 5 tips to help you do just that. By putting the following advice to use, you’ll find that providing healthy meals for your children isn’t as difficult or time-consuming as you might think.

Every Busy Mom Needs a Crockpot

If your kitchen isn’t already equipped with a crockpot, it’s time to buy one. A high-quality crockpot will last years and years and make cooking when busy a breeze.

To make delicious, nutritious meals in a crockpot, all you need is a few minutes to throw all of your ingredients inside. Set the crockpot to cook and leave it until you come home for the evening – your meal will be cooked, hot, and ready to eat! Have you ever tried to make a peach cobbler with cake mix? It’s so simple!

Not only are crockpots great for quick easy dinners but they’re also capable of making a large quantity of food. You’ll have dinner for one night, and lunch or dinner for the next. And that’s if you have a large family. If you’re only cooking for 2 or 3, you could have meals for the entire week.
Meal Plan and Prep a Week at a Time

Yes, it will take some time, but if you can set aside an entire morning or afternoon on your least busy day (Sundays are a great choice), you can do all of your planning, shopping, and prepping for the entire week at once.

Meal planning will not only lead to healthier meals but can help you save on your weekly grocery bill. Let’s say you choose Sunday. On Sunday morning, sit down with your family and pick your meals for the week.

Write down what you need for each meal and go ahead and cross off what you already have in the fridge and pantry. With your list in hand, go to the grocery store and buy what you need. Stick to your list – it will cut down on impulse purchases and unhealthy snacks.

When you get home, make cooking for the week an event! Gather the family in the kitchen and take the opportunity to teach your little ones about cooking and the importance of nutrition.
Use Proteins for Multiple Dishes

If you can’t set a day said for meal prep but still want to make dinner fast, you can prepare only your proteins in advance. For example, when you find chicken breast on sale at your local grocery store, buy a few pounds of it.

Prepare all of the chicken at once (a crockpot is excellent for this) and shred it, then use a portion for that night’s meal and store the rest in the fridge. Shredded chicken has a wide variety of uses, from soups to tacos to chilis to salad, all of which are a cinch to make if your chicken is pre-cooked.

The same could be said for ground beef, ground turkey, and any other protein that’s easy to shred once cooked.
Create a Menu

Browsing cookbooks and cooking websites for a new recipe can be fun, but busy parents don’t often have the time to do so. To save time, it’s helpful to have a household menu. You can still add to it from time to time, but you’ll have a handful of healthy go-to recipes to choose from every week.

Now, you’re cooking for the whole family, so get them involved. Don’t allow all of the pressure to fall on you. Gather everyone for an hour or so to create your menu, giving everyone a chance to make a suggestion. It’s okay to have a “fun” meal once a week but take care to ensure the majority of the meals on the list are nutritious.
Don’t Do All the Work Yourself

As we’ve mentioned throughout this article, one of the best cooking tips for busy families is to get the entire family involved. It’s easy to allow all of the pressure and responsibility of choosing meals, shopping, and cooking to rest on you, but make your partner and your children help as well.

Very small children might not be able to do much in the kitchen, but they can stir, add pre-measured ingredients, and do other simple tasks. Best of all, getting your children involved in the kitchen will foster excitement around food, leading to a willingness to try new things. Macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets make for a great weekend treat, but shouldn’t be the basis of your little ones’ diet.

Improve Your Family’s Health with These Tips

We get it, you’re a busy mom, you’re on the go from morning until night, and it’s not easy to squeeze in time for cooking. But making time at least once a week to meal prep can make all the difference in the health of your family.

Remember that nutritious meals will make everyone in your house happier and healthier. And because you laid the groundwork for good nutrition early, your children will live longer, healthier lives.

Looking for more advice for being the best mom you can be? Take a moment to browse our blog!