Single most important help mama tool

YOUR FREEZER
When he is ready to eat its time and I dont have time to make a 30minute meal for him. I need something that can be ready in about 5 minutes. 10 is pushing it big big time and when we do wait that long he is in the kitchen crying waiting. Once I go into the kitchen thats it, its time to eat even if its not lunch time. In comes freezing.

Freezing:
This is the single most important tool to use to your advantage. I will spend an hour or so every few weeks to make things up to freeze to be used in a moments notice. Some things that I make and freeze are:

muffins both sweet and savory (single most used thing in my house)
Meatballs
spaghetti sauce
spaghetti sauce with one meatball in
home made silver dollar size pancakes
Frozen french toast sticks
Home made chicken nuggets
In season fruit frozen
Frozen veggies
Frozen sausage with chedder
homemade mini hamburgers cooked
Mini meatloaves or muffin meatloaves
Cooked ground beef or turkey

Menu planning:
If you can take 10minutes once a week on say Sunday to make up a meal list for the coming week it will make your life better. There will be no guessing on Tuesday what is for lunch as you will just glance at your list and make it. I make up my list the day I am going grocery shopping so if i need anything for his eating that week i can get it while at the store. I have even went so far as to make a menu for a month for him. Ill be posting weekly menus starting tonight.


If you cant spend any time making things homemade for freezing then by all means buy what they like frozen. Just find the best you can and have it on hand.
Making lunch ahead of time also saves time. If you know your going out the next day make a lunch ahead of time in a bento or lunchbox or even a plastic bowl with a lid and sit in the fridge. When your ready to go just grab and go.

Make enough for 3-5 meals so for instance make 6 muffins to freeze every 2-3 weeks to have on hand. Making things at home is A LOT CHEAPER than buying store bought. Take muffins for instance. You can buy the muffin mix at the store, add some water make 6 muffins for about 90 cents if you buy store brand. Or you can buy a 6 pack of already made muffins for 3 or more dollars.

Next time you make something that involves ground beef/turkey take enough to make 1-2 mini loaves and season it up throw in freezer. Then when you do your baking/cooking every few weeks cook it and throw it back in the freezer. I usually make mine about the length of my ring finger and 2 finger widths wide. You wont miss that amount from whatever recipe your making. Same thing for meatballs. Or you can buy a pound just for this and make it into meatballs, loaves, sauce, ground meat etc. A pound of meat goes a long way when your making small portions.

hopefully some of this info will help you!