It’s been really hot here and I’m hoping the temperature finally drops so it feels a little more like fall. The mornings and evenings have been cooler though. Regardless of the weather, I love this time of year. Although it always makes me nervous to see Christmas decorations out already!!
Big A’s birthday is Friday week so no meal planning towards the end of the week. Trying to do soups/stews on Friday with soccer from 5:30-6:30.
As always, see Org Junkie for more meal planning inspiration.
What’s Cooking this Month?
Monday: Chicken Taquitos with rice and beans (Shrimp Fajitas, Chicken Enchiladas & Pork Tacos)
Tuesday: Spaghetti & Meatballs with a salad (Chicken Alfredo, Veggie Lasagna & Shrimp Linguine)
Wednesday: Kids choice (kids have been choosing grilled cheese and avocado, toaster pizza (with flatbread) or salmon sticks)
Thursday: No Plan (Pork Tenderloin, Salmon Topped with Veggies & Chicken Tenders)
Friday: No Plan (White Bean Soup, Turkey Chili & Black Bean Soup)
More from Cooking Light…
How are those back-to-school routines going?
I’ve had both kids in school full-time for over a month now. And I wrote about my big plans for how my routine would play out. Like any goal, it needs some refining.
First is my plan to cook on Tuesdays. It just hasn’t worked out. If I have work that needs to get done it’s hard to spend a whole day making food. So I’ve decided to try and make one each day instead. Maybe chicken in the slow cooker on Monday to make some burritos to freeze. Another day it might be to bake something. This seems to work much better than cramming it all in one day, where things are likely to come up.
I also forgot how big a transition school is for Big A. So adding making lunches to her routine right now doesn’t make sense. I’m waiting for things to calm down a bit to see how we can work that in.
My meal planning is the same but my plan was to grocery shop on Monday instead of Sunday. But I I prefer to get it done on Sunday if I can. That way I can get some work done before doing my favorite class at the gym at 9:30.
Lastly, I have yet to clean out areas of my home weekly but I’m going to designate Fridays as the day I clean house. I can get up early to do work and volunteer at school if needed, and then spend the rest of the time going through stuff. And (I think) it will feel good to clean stuff out before the weekend.
So as October gets into full swing, hopefully these changes will make me more productive while kids are at school.
How’s your routine going?
Links & Updates
Jill Castle and I are speaking at the Food and Nutrition Conference and Exhibition on October 19th in Atlanta. The topic is Solid Start: Best Practices for Introducing Complementary Food to Infants. We also will be at the marketplace the rest of the day selling Fearless Feeding and our educational handouts.
At WebMD, I blog about why I think breakfast is still important despite what the news has been saying. I also provide really easy ways to prepare winter squash.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is recommending delaying school start times for middle school and high school students to 8:30 am or later. They also recommend the use of fluoridated toothpaste at the start of tooth eruption due to the problem of tooth decay as a chronic disease of childhood. And to help promote bone health in kids, the AAP recommends kids eat foods high in calcium and vitamin D and need weight-bearing exercise like running and jumping.
Melanie Silverman, a pediatric nutritionist, explains ever so eloquently why she won’t put kids on a diet.
I really love this piece over at Mealtime Hostage: Meals: It’s Not About the Food.
I must try this recipe for Slow Cooker Pumpkin Bread over at Moms Kitchen Handbook.
Real Mom Nutrition posted this helpful Meal Planning Worksheet.
Well, that’s it for now. Have a great week!
Thanks for mentioning my meal planning worksheet, Maryann! I think it’s great that you set goals for yourself for the school year but aren’t afraid to admit some of them aren’t working and need revising–for me, sometimes I only know what works when I find out what doesn’t. 🙂
That is for sure Sally!