Be Prepared and do your best

  One of the things I hear most is that eating healthy cost too much and cooking takes too much time. I don't feel this way but I realize this is about perspective. I grew up in a home where my mom cooked dinner almost every night. I now have a family that is sometimes 8 and sometimes 2, but we tend to average 5, so sitting down to dinner has became a challenge with all the different schedules but is more important then ever. Watching my mother and working in the kitchen with her I learned how to throw together a meal. I can wing it. We didn't struggle financially, but my parents are frugal people, so I understand the value of a dollar. This being said, I have a general understanding of what I spend at the grocery store every week and how much time I spend in the kitchen but I do not know what everyone else does. This week I am going to challenge myself to see how fast I can get healthy, complete meals on the table and what it costs.
   With my Weight Watchers "15 minute meals" magazine in hand, I picked out a few new dinners for the week and made my list. I am picking new ideas for this challenge and also modifying the recipes. They use frozen foods and some processed things I don't recommend but it is a good starting point. I also don't have a microwave. I spent $67.34 at the store, got a few veggies from the farmers market ($20), and I am supplied for this weeks dinners. Dance also starts for my daughter this week, every night, so there will be a time crunch to get food on the table. I am opting to use fresh instead of frozen in the recipes but I don't think it should change the prep time much. I have to do the "naked burritos" on Thursday because I am using brown rice instead of minute rice. Tonight is Asian pork wraps, estimated prep time 15 minutes, feeding 5.
   Tuesday- For the last twelve years dinner has hit the table at 6pm, 95% of the time. Tonight it won't be until 7:30. The other option is 5 o'clock, if we want to sit as a family. Tonight I will be serving zucchini ribbons, turkey sausages and garlic bread from the farmers market for 4. Prep was 15 minutes but,  everyone was over hungry and over tired by 7:30pm. Next week I will try 5 o'clock dinner with a bed time snack.
  Wednesday- my busiest time of day during the week is from 2pm to 8pm. Tonights dinner is chicken chili. I made it while cleaning up the breakfast dished. I sliced up celery, cucumber and a pepper for the veggie portion. Reheat and ready to serve 5.
   During Dance class I had to run to the grocery store to replenish a few items for lunches. Also forgot Thursday is going to be 8 for dinner and we are adding a birthday cake. Also Friday I was hoping to go out, only 2 for dinner, but we will be eating in so we can attend the basketball game. $52.68 spent.
   Thursday- I admit, I over cooked the rice. I am not use to cooking ahead of time and then reheating without a microwave. Everything else was good for our "naked burritos" with a 7 out of 8 satisfaction rate. The birthday cake was 100% satisfied. The best part of the meal though was having everyone home. It was fun to listen to the kids speaking spanish, "como se llama?" and "mi cumpleanos es en April", then running off together to play upstairs. Is it possible that having 6 kids at home is easier then having 2,3 or 4?
  Friday- Dinner for two is being stretched to dinner for three. I forgot to serve the edamame salad earlier in the week so I can serve that. There is still some veggies from the farmers market to serve with hummus, some leftover birthday cake, sweet potatoes and some nice steak tips make dinner. I got a sudden craving for tomatoes, which is super weird since I spent most of my last 40 years avoiding them at all cost, so I am serving a caprese salad as well, $13.
 What I reinforced in myself this week are that the key components to getting dinner on the table in a healthy and timely manner are the same things I learned in Scouts, "Be prepared" and "Do your best." The unexpected and rushed trips to the store was when unnecessary purchases were made or a planned dinner was skipped and substituted with a quick and not so cheap stop at a restaurant.  Pick a time, for me it is Sunday after church, and make a list for the week. The more consistanly this is done, the easier it will become. I even wrote the meals on the calendar so my kids can see what we are going to be eating and I can enlist their help. They are looking forward to 5 can casserole on Thursday and I am looking forward to a smooth week ahead.