For five years, I was a stay-at-home mom. I homeschooled my son and my husband worked all day. I provided breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks like clockwork. The house was always clean. I know they probably thought little fairies did all the work around here. NOPE. It was me and they were quite cozy in that lifestyle. So, when I launched into the entrepreneurial world, we had to shift things a bit, especially in terms of housework.
However, my husband has this 'love language.' It’s called, “cook for me, woman!” I’m kidding… kinda. It’s very true with him, that the way to his heart is through his stomach, with a home-cooked meal. While he has adjusted to my crazy boss babe schedule now and is willing to help with cooking meals, I still want to do my part in making my hubby feel loved. Even if he has to grab an easy-going breakfast and have a light lunch sometimes because we’re both super busy and on budgets, I want him to at least have a nice dinner on a regular basis.
In reality though, my time is very limited with running two businesses. By the end of most days, this sista is tired! I had to get creative. How could I make dinner easy on myself, motivating enough for me to actually do it and pleasing for my family?
Yes, I know… the crockpot. Right? I love crockpot meals and I know it works wonders for many families. However, I know myself and I’m not going to lie. I FORGET THINGS! I always forget to prep the stuff to go in it! I forget to thaw the meat or prep the vegetables. And by the time I remember, if I were to put it in the crockpot, it’ll be almost midnight before we eat dinner. It’s just who I am, I’m sorry. But, if you are good with crockpot meals, absolutely use it. It’s a busy family’s best friend. If you can remember to prep the stuff.
As for somebody like me, I know I’m going to have to cook in the evening, while my son is finishing homework or practicing his instrument, and my husband is settling in after work.
We don’t eat much red meat, so I used to make baked chicken all the time. It was easy prep work, and I threw some rice and veggies on the side. Bon appetit!
My family never complained about the overabundance of chicken. But honestly, I got bored with it. And I felt like we ate so much chicken, we would start sprouting feathers.
So, I decided to do something a little different. I started themed dinner weeks!
I theme my weeks with a different cuisine. This way, I know exactly what I’m getting from the grocery store for the week. I know exactly what I’m planning to cook when I get home from working. And my family always knows what to look forward to.
For example, this week is Mexican cuisine. We’re having beef enchiladas on Monday, tacos on Tuesday, quesadillas on Wednesday, nacho salad on Thursday, fajitas on Friday, chicken enchiladas on Saturday and mama rests on Sunday (let’s be real, there will be leftovers from the chicken enchiladas and we are not too cool for leftovers in this family).
Next week, we’ll likely be doing Italian dishes, my favorite.
Dinner themes keep it fun and interesting for me, which I need in order to push myself to actually cook after a full day’s work. I like exploring new recipes and trying them out. I shop in grocery aisles I’ve never even thought about.
If you have older children, this can be some fun family time in the kitchen as well. Have a good time with it and put on some themed music during dinner time to match the cuisine.
This is just my way of staying consistent and having a plan that I thought I’d share with you all. My family loves it and so do I. I balance my load by having a plan for everything, including dinner time.
If you have a favorite recipe to share with the other boss moms and wives here, feel free to share. And if you have dinner hacks of your own, drop them in the comments!