Make Ahead Meal Ideas for Busy Mamas
*Bonus: Easy Hosting Menu*
Last week, I shared why it’s important to me to place a high priority on feeding my family. Now, I want to share how it works in our home! Feel free to replicate, alter, or reject any of the following ideas 🙂
Some of our go-to food items currently:
BREAKFAST:
Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins or Energy Bites
The Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins are especially low calorie and full of healthy ingredients!
A benefit for both of these items is the capability to make them ahead of time! I make large batches and freeze smaller portions in separate containers to use as needed. Then I put a few of each option in the refrigerator for the next several days.
In the mornings, we can microwave the muffins for approximately 30 seconds and just eat the energy bites as they are.
This efficient system makes our mornings run more smoothly, and I love not sacrificing health for convenience.
Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins:
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. pumpkin
1 banana
1/2 c. honey
5 c. old fashioned oats
1/4 c. ground flax
1 T. cinnamon
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 3/4 c. milk (I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
1 bag of mini chocolate chips for topping (I use approximately 1/2 c. total instead of one bag)
To Prepare:
Mix all ingredients and pour into greased muffin tin. Add toppings if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool completely and wrap to freeze. You can individually wrap in saran wrap or add multiple to a baggie to freeze. Remove from packaging to heat in microwave. (I put muffins we are going to consume over the next few days in the refrigerator and freeze the rest). Yield: approximately 36 muffins.
Energy Bites:
(I usually quadruple this recipe because these are so popular in our house!)
1 c. oats
1/3 c. honey
1/2 c. peanut butter
2/3 c. chocolate chips (I usually use more like 1/8 c.)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. chia seeds
2/3 c. coconut flakes
1/4 c. ground flaxseed
Combine all ingredients, roll into approximately 1 inch size balls, and freeze in a ziplock bag.
LUNCH:
Other than during quarantine and stay at home orders, our family has been used to mornings on the go. We typically head to the park, pool, or library most mornings.
Even though we are out, I still wanted to offer a variety of options, including protein and produce. My other goal is to minimize processed sugar (not “eliminate” but “minimize”).
Even when we are not leaving the house, we still pack our lunch at the beginning of the day, just to be prepared to seize any opportunity.
We can head outside for a change or scenery or go on a “driving/moving picnic” which is just driving around while they eat lunch because they are strapped into car seats and typically stay focused better. This is especially nice for days when we need a change of scenery!
This preparation ahead of time has also saved us when we have a last-minute play date invitation or an unexpected doctor’s appointment that comes up. We grab the lunchbox as we head out the door.
We even do this when we leave for road trips to eliminate a lunch stop. Now that a couple of my daughters are in school, they pack their own lunch each morning!
Here are our current lunch options:
- Peanut butter and jelly . . . I know, nothing new.
However, the new idea here is to save time and money by preparing a ton of these sandwiches ahead of time and freezing them!
I have even solicited help from my daughters to prepare and package these into baggies. It encourages independence because they can easily pack their own lunches in the morning, by simply grabbing sandwiches from the freezer.
(Side note: I can my own jelly from the strawberry jelly recipe in the sure jell fruit pectin box . . . it’s really easy and our family finds it to be quite tasty). - Lunch sides – cheese sticks are an easy side option.
We buy cheese sticks from Costco and my daughter’s pull them apart as soon as we open the package.
Again, this makes lunch packing easy and allows my children to be self-sufficient as they quickly grab their own lunch items, without requiring help to pull them apart.
This frees up my hands to do the dishes or fold laundry by them while they get ready.
Another staple for lunch is cold veggies and fresh or dried fruit. We wash and prep and package all of this into individual size portions to . . . you guessed it . . . allow for easy lunch packing! - Specialty items: Each child gets to choose one.
From Costco we like That’s it Fruit Bars and the Organic Applesauce or Organic Fruit and Vegetable Pouches.
We also have a variety of bars. Our favorites are White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Kid’s Clif Bars and These Peanuts Go on a Date Bars or This Coconut Brings Chocolate on a Date Bars from Trader Joes.
SNACKS:
Peanut butter with apples or bananas, dried mangoes, raisins, almonds, orange peppers, and carrots.
Bonus: place these items each in a separate compartment of a muffin dish to encourage children to eat these healthy options!
DINNER:
The easiest meal ever is Fantastic Pot Roast from my favorite cookbook, “Renee’s Recipe Collection.”
Contact them through Facebook if you want to purchase a copy of your own! As a mother of seven, she is skilled at creating easy recipes to serve many people. She is also my sweet aunt and she graciously gave me permission to share this recipe.
2 (2.5 lb.) boneless beef chuck roasts
1 Envelope Ranch Salad Dressing Mix
1 Envelope Italian Salad Dressing Mix
1 Envelope Brown Gravy Mix
1/2 C. Water
To prepare: Place the roasts in a 5 quart slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the dressing and gravy mixes. Stir in water. Pour over meat. Cover and cook on HIGH for 5-6 hours or LOW for 7-8 hours or until tender. Yield: 12 to 15 servings.
She also has instructions for thickening the juices for gravy, if that is your preference.
For my own variation, I like to add in some vegetables, such as carrots or potatoes, at the beginning and they come out tender when the roast is finished in the crockpot. After it is done cooking, I either shred the tender meat with two forks or place the meat in a different bowl and use the hand mixer briefly to shred it. Then I return the meat to the crockpot, stir it all together, and serve!
As promised, here is the bonus . . . Our go-to hosting menu: Tex Mex Medley!
Chicken and Taco Meat, “fixins” (I think it’s endearing this is what they call it in the south), cornbread, guacamole, queso, salsa, chips, fruit, and dessert.
Variations: add a salad, cheese quesadillas for picky eaters, or rice.
Keeping this simple menu naturally gives me confidence to host new people.
It is a menu we can mostly prepare ahead of time, it has been well-received so far, and there is a variety for people to enjoy even if they don’t like every single item offered.
As I mentioned in my last post, I love the flexibility of having food available in the freezer for last-minute gathering opportunities!
I always keep at least one portion of Santa Fe Chicken in our freezer, so the idea of hosting never feels overwhelming.
SANTA FE CHICKEN::
- Taco Meat: We use ground beef and follow the instructions on the McCormick’s taco seasoning envelope
- Fixins: Sour cream, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and beans (black or refried)
- Cornbread: Krusteaz Honey Cornbread
- Guacamole: Shout out to my husband here, who makes the best guac . . . our philosophy = keep it simple! He combines 3 smashed avocados without the pit or skin, 1-2 diced cloves of garlic depending on size, salt to taste, and the desired portion of diced tomato medley
- Queso: We actually order a large quantity of the white cheese sauce from Chick-fil-A! But you can search for white queso at your local grocery store as well.
- Salsa: We like Mateo’s Gourmet Salsa the best
- Chips: Multi-Grain Tortilla Chips
- Fruit: We change this up, but here are a few ideas and you can combine these to match your preferences: pineapples, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, apples, kiwis, and mandarin oranges.
- Dessert: Literally, anything from Renee’s Recipe Collection! There are plenty of make-ahead or make-ahead and freeze options available, like cookie dough or fudgy brownies. This is the part we always change up! If your guest offers to bring an item, this is also an easy part of the meal to delegate.
If you love sharing ideas or need to get out of your current rhythm of food, you can listen to these episodes for further tips, encouragement, and practical ideas:
The Story of Six Sisters’ Stuff
Sustainable Health and Nutrition
Pursuing Health in the New Year
Being Intentional with Our Health, Finances, and Relationships
Simple Changes for Healthier Living
Purposeful and Practical in 2021 *Patron Only*
Another simple way to change things up is share ideas with one another! So, now it’s your turn:
What’s your go-to menu for each meal? What about for easy hosting? Share your recommendations below so we can all benefit!
Remember where we started last week?
“She brings her [household’s] food from far away. She rises also while it is still night and gives food to her household” Proverbs 31:14b-15a (AMP).
Food is a practical way to love and serve the people in our household. This is a worthy endeavor and I hope these posts inspire you to gather together with special people in your life!
As one well-known song advises, “The more we get together, the happier we’ll be.”
Best,
Laura