Quick and Easy
Plan B Mom
Stay-at-home mom of three. Redefining perfect. Loves to plan and be organized.
Motto:" When things don't work out, you gotta have a Plan B."
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Last Minute Lady
Working, single mom of two. Crams as much as possible into a day and hopes it all works out.
Motto: "Take a deep breath, focus on the positive."
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I am thinking of trying to teach them to cook without me, so I could have dinner waiting when I get home from work and we could eat together. I am not trying to get out of cooking, but last night, for example, they waited for me to eat dinner and it was so late by the time I got home and prepared everything that I felt terrible. Maybe they would take pride in preparing the meal for us?
BTW, I made a delicious meal and it was so easy. I took ground chicken and mixed it with 1 egg, whisked with milk, breadcrumbs and grated cheese, salt, pepper and smoked paprika. I made them into patties and fried them in EVOO and served them inside of pita with a schmear of mashed avocado, lemon, cumin and diced red onion. OMG it was so good and three out of four of us ate it, which I consider a success!
I absolutely have my kids help me with dinner and other chores. My husband has a new job where he is only home for dinner one night per week - so it is just my three kids and me all the time. They take turns setting the table each night, they all clear their plates, and each kid gets one night to help me do dishes and kitchen clean up. I have to say, no complaints, and my life is much easier. Out of the kitchen, I have my 11-year old folding laundry for $1 per load, and she does a fairly decent job (I promised myself no re-folding!). My son drags in the garbage and recycling cans, and my older daughter walks the dog - I have to admit it is all a huge help, and I think the kids like that we are all pitching in to keep the household going.
This thing is working! My son now asks to make us lunch on Sundays and regularly sets the table. Talk about a perfect example of positive reinforcement working! I love it! Do you have your kids help out with the meals? I feel like the more responsibilities I give my kids, the less I feel like the slave around the house and the more I am enabling them to learn how to take care of themselves and others. Little things like clean up your plates after dinner or help me carry in the groceries all make a difference!
My kids never liked to cook as much as I had hoped, until recently when I really made it their responsibility. Instead of saying, "here son, come crack the eggs," I recently gave each of my kids the task of serving a meal beginning to end, totally on their own. They got so into it, my daughter even made menus on the computer and took our orders. It was so cute!
Valentine's Day is a family affair at our house - I made this barbecued chicken casserole with a corn bread topping. Everyone loved it and it was so easy - you use Jiffy corn muffn mix for the top (my favorite - always better than my home made).
My girls are really getting into baking on thier own - last night they made brownies - they are also doing well with cooking breakfast and easy dnners like pasta and pizzas. The hardest part is getting them to do an adequate clean up
. Are your kids into cooking?
Valentine's Day is today and we are celebrating it as a family! What are your special plans for tonight or for any special occassion for that matter? Do you like to cook or go out? We are going out tonight but other times we have made special meals at home, which I like even more!
Can't believe we had another snowstorm in the Northeast! We must have gotten 2 feet. Kids were cooped up and after some sibling bickering I had my 8-year old son become my assistant in the kitchen. We made soup! He really did it all! I helped him chop a carrot and celery. Had I not been with him, he would have flailed the knife around and lobbed off a finger. It's very important to teach them good knife skills early and it isn't that easy for everyone so be careful!
Next, he stirred the chopped veggies in oil and added tomato paste, a pinch of red pepper flakes, broth, a bay leaf. Then, in a separate bowl I had some chopped chicken and he grated lemon zest on top and I made little meatballs. Together we made Chicken Meatball Soup and it was pure joy for both of us!
I wanted to pass along this healthy snack I made for a Super Bowl party - crispy roasted chick peas - they were a hit and a lot of the kids at the party liked them too. They didn't know what they were which helped!
That's a great idea. This week we are battling the flu in my house so we're all about chicken soup! Their appetites are not great, but just so long as they are getting liquids, I am happy.
I got my kids to eat veggies by roasting them - I told them they are like french fries. I roast anything - broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, green beans - anything - toss in a little olive oil and salt, and roast until crispy. They pick them up just like fries - very satisfying and so much better than the mushy lima beans of my youth.