Is there anything else better than coming home from a long day and smelling the welcoming aroma of dinner cooking? As wives and mothers, we carry so many weights on our shoulders, but putting dinner on the table for our family doesn’t have to be burdensome. But how? Let me share a few ideas.
This past weekend, I hosted a fun, fabulous freezer workshop with friends. Five friends and I shared a planned grocery and recipe list, were given some prep work to do on our own before the workshop, and then gathered on Saturday afternoon to fellowship and finish packing our freezer bag meals. Each person went home with ten meals! Talk about packing a freezer! Not only are these meals great for your own family, but they make it easy to have a servant’s heart in helping provide meals for those in neeed as well. We happened to use a company that did a lot of the legwork for us and offered seasonings and products that we used for our meals. However, you can do this all on your own with a few friends simply by sharing recipes, planning a menu, dividing a grocery list and picking an afternoon to get together and cook and bag meals. In fact, you can look on Pinterest or other sites for meal ideas that freeze well.
Seondly, getting your family involved in the kitchen is always a win-win. Children can help put together salads, pour sauce into a pan, or simply retrieve items you need. Children love feeling like they contributed to a meal. Not only does it make cooking seem less like a chore, but it helps children become comfortable in the kitchen and it’s a great time to have conversation with them and ask about their day.
Another useful tip is to grocery shop, meal prep and cook for the week all at the same time. If your family doesn’t mind leftovers, then this is th perfect plan for you. Take a Saturday afternoon after you return from the grocery store and prepare two or three meats and a few sides for the week. You can then refrigerate and mix and match meats and sides for the week. You can easily create some variety with meats or veggies by adding things like pasta, rice or potatoes.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that as a single mom, my children have seen the fast-food drive-thru on several occasions. And that’s okay. The key is that I try to be deliberate in finding ways to provide home-cooked meals to my children when I can and to have a joyful heart about it.
Proverbs 17:22 reminds us that “A merry heart doeth good (like) a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”
I find that I’m much more joyful about homemaking when I am prepared and I don’t feel like I carry the weight alone. And guess what? I’m not alone. And neither are you. So, grab your kids or some friends and let’s get cooking for the week. I’d love to hear some ways you tackle meal preparation in your household?
Love and Blessings,
Sara
