This month I am sharing my three awesome meal planning hacks for busy families. These are my go-to’s during the fall busy season in my photography business as well!
1. Create a list of brainless crowd-pleaser meals made up of ingredients that you have on hand and can throw together quickly and everyone loves.
That’s the concept behind brainless crowd pleasers! I got this idea from an amazing podcaster, The Lazy Genius, that I follow, and I have found this method to be LIFE CHANGING for our family. Brainless crowd-pleasers do not have to be gourmet or fancy.
The list should include the meal, i.e., Trader Joe’s fettuccine alfredo and the salad, which would be mine, and ingredients you need to have on hand. Such as one, pre-made Trader Joe’s fettuccine alfredo sauce, two, pasta or zoodles in the case of our family, and three, leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken.
Keep the list on the counter and use this list when you are in a pinch. Use them on nights when your family is busy, tired and you just want to throw in the towel and go grab Chick-Fil-A. The Lazy Genius says, “Don’t feel bad about meals on the fly. That’s what brainless crowd-pleasers are for.”
2. Batch-make breakfast and school lunches on the weekends.
My kids like very specific breakfasts that are time-consuming to make. Aiden prefers an egg sandwich or a breakfast burrito and Owen likes a smoothie with ALL THE THINGS. We don’t have time or the energy to make these each morning so we batch them breakfast items twice a month on Sundays. We whip up 10 breakfast burritos and 10 smoothies and pop them in the freezer. Pinterest is full of these recipes and tips on how to do this.
The night before, we take them out while we’re doing our kitchen cleanup and they thaw in the freezer. They are good to go by the time the kids are awake. Easy peasy, and zero morning stress. I’m all about relieving our morning stress and making things go quickly. We also pre-make their lunches on Sundays so that they can grab everything and go quickly during weekdays.
3. Invest in an air fryer! This gadget has literally saved my life.
I picked up a cheap $59 one from Costco last year and this little machine is magic! Literally, we use our air fryer for heating up frozen chicken strips, leftover pizza and making more homemade meals like salmon or Brussel sprouts. It’s an easy way to reheat and cook items on a busy night without heating up your house.
I love that my kids can do this and I don’t have to worry about the stove or the oven being left on or fire hazards. It is the best invention for kids learning to cook on their own. The possibilities are endless with the air fryer and they prefer it to item cooked in the oven.
What are your easy meal planning hacks for your busy family? Do you have some brainless crowd-pleasers? Reply to this email, and I love to know and share them with the group. Best of luck with back to school, and I look forward to seeing everyone this fall.
Cheers,
Shelly
P.S. School Portrait Mini Sessions are 9/7. CLICK HERE to learn more and grab your spot before they are gone.
Shelly Niehaus Photography is a Prosper, TX-based senior and family photographer. I specialize in teens, seniors, family, and school portrait photography in the Dallas Fort Worth area. I also offer adoption photography for local families through the Red Thread Organization and volunteer for The Gold Hope Project. For more information please contact me so we can start discussing your session.
