Juggling family life and business can be tough to any woman. Being a working mom and being able to feed your kids with home-cook food can be tough but not impossible. So many women have to undergo all the trouble of doing the balancing act and often, the lure of fast-food and take out goodies win. Mompreneurs, however, developed strategies which make the whole meal planning experience efficient and effective.
1. Go into the specifics by breaking down your meal plan. Try focusing on a full dinner at least 3 nights a week. A healthy and complete diet usually includes a protein (meat or poultry), vegetable, and carbs while low-fat or Paleo requires you to skip the carbs. Try to cook in excess to have leftover nights every other day. On other nights, try simple meals like omelet, bacon and hot dogs, pre-seasoned chicken or meat for deep-frying, and so on. Or you may head to a local diner or a local farmers market.
2. Keep things fresh, simple yet delicious. There are vast resources for recipes online. Feel free to download apps like Big Oven, Yummly, AllRecipes, CookPad, Epicurious, and much more. Many of these apps list down ingredients, where to source them out, calorie count, and cooking hacks presented in video tutorial form.
3. Invest in a good stove or oven to maintain freshness and taste. Nuking food in a microwave may seem the easiest thing to do but it also carries a lot of risks. Note: Frozen leftovers must be thawed before re-heated to ensure safety, too.
4. Make plans for the week and do it ahead of time. Last minute cooking should be minimized at all cost. Consider planning on a Saturday then, do grocery and prepping for meals in pre-packed Ziplocs on Sundays. Feel free to cook the night before while the kids are already in bed. Re-heat them at least 30 minutes before dinner time.
5. When cooking, do it in big batches. Cook at least twice the usual in preparation for leftover nights or simply freeze them for another day. Make a broth out of your chicken bones and store in airtight containers then, freeze. Preserve pickles and sauerkraut. Make your own mayo and ketchup. Have a slab of cheese handy. Those Jamon Iberico or Serrano also makes good kitchen investment.
6. When eating, we mean sitting down as a family, talking about each others’ day, exchanging ideas about the recently concluded elections, of the Supermoon, and all things some people may think as mundane. Part of the breakdown of families with both partners working or doing business is that communication seems to be focused on phone calls, emails, SMS, and perfunctory hi’s and hellos. Talking, laughing together, and exchanging ideas as well as sharing challenges when done in person always make it easier to handle.
7. Be flexible and best of all, stay positive. Though challenging, being both a mom and an entrepreneur is a privilege and must be dealt with joy and openness. Yes, you will grill a too-well- or not-so- done steak. You may even burn a few omelets and pancakes. Yes, you will lose some form of Nirvana but you will love it! Real food is love—especially when shared with family.