3 Tips For Getting Out of A Dinner Rut

With a new school year starting, it's the time of year when families are looking to get organized for the academic year with new schedules and routines. After a summer filled with fun activities, making dinner is something that may have fallen by the wayside or you may even find the family is in a huge 'dinner rut' where the same boring meals are made over and over again. It has happened to us, and I know it happens to every family at times. I want to share with you my 3 top tips for climbing out of the 'dinner rut' and back into a schedule of tasty meals that has everyone leaving the table with happy tummies!

1. Meal Plan.

I cannot stress how important this first step is!  A sure way of getting out of a dinner rut is to plan meals for the week. And by planning, I don't mean choosing elaborate meals and new recipes. I mean choosing simple meals that are not only tasty but easy to make after a busy day. Meal planning is simply a food plan for the week so you don't have to think about dinner at 4 or 5 pm when energy is low, or you are busy shuffling kids to afternoon activities. I use a very simple notepad to write down at least 5 meals for the week and this one simple strategy is such a life-saver for me! A great place to start meal-planning is to simply check the fridge, freezer and pantry to see what items already purchased can be used to create meals. This will save time and money by using ingredients you already have!

2. Keep It Simple.
As I mentioned above, busy weekdays are not the time to try new recipes...save that fun for the weekends or when there is more time. I like to keep meals simple by choosing easy salads, using a slow cooker, serving cut-up veggies or fruit for side dishes, and even making 'breakfast for dinner' to help us keep on track.

A favourite 'breakfast for dinner' in our house is Bacon & Egg Cups served with Mini-Pancakes. Did you know that it only takes a few minutes to make homemade pancakes that are filling & delicious?

In cooler weather, Taco Soup is a favourite crock pot recipe that everyone loves!

Another easy dinner are these Sloppy Joes! Serve with Cole Slaw, cut up raw veggies or a green salad for a super fast dinner.

3. Make It Mexican.

I honestly think that Mexican cuisine is one of the fastest and most delicious things that can be made for dinner. I know whenever I serve Mexican at our house, I can count on a winning meal  that everyone loves and enjoys! I was thrilled to learn recently that I had been chosen as an Ambassador for Old El Paso, and I will be sharing some delicious Mexican recipes in upcoming posts. Did you know that the Life Made Delicious website  has a ton of great Old El Paso/Mexican meal ideas for busy families? Since grilling season is far from being over, I have chosen these 3 recipes to add into our meal plan to help us escape our dinner rut. And here they are:

Grilled Picnic Taco Nachos

Grilled Shrimp Tacos

Grilled Soft Chicken Tacos

 For more great ideas, you can also visit the Old El Paso Facebook Page where you will find several ideas for keeping the dinner rut at bay! You can also join the conversation on Twitter for more delicious dinner ideas at #YouMexiCan. 

I hope with meal planning, simple ideas and some Mexican dishes, that your family will enjoy dinner time again as we begin a new school year!

Disclosure-I am participating in the Old El Paso Blogger Campaign by Mom Central Canada on behalf of General Mills, and received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.

This post is linked to:
The DIY Dreamer, Gingersnap Crafts, The Inspiration Exchange, Under The Table & Dreaming,
Block Party Linky Party, Craft-O-Maniac, A Pretty Life, Uncommon Designs, Aalderberry Hill, Homestories A to Z, Time To Sparkle, Gingersnap Crafts, The DIY Dreamer, Savvy Southern Style, The 36th Avenue, Inspire Me Please, Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons, Tidy Mom, Inspiration Gallery, The Frugal Girls, Whipperberry,

Organizing The Fridge for Healthy 'Fast Food' At Home

August is here and that not only means that school will be starting soon, but August is also 'sports camp' month for many families. The rush of early mornings for us begins weeks before school even starts.

With a teen working a full-time job for the summer and a tween going to hockey camp full-time in August, regular meal-time can be a bit of a challenge around these parts.

One way I have learned to help keep our family on track in eating healthy, home-cooked meals is to have the fridge organized with several 'FAST FOOD' meals ready to go.This way, if a child misses meal time at home, or Mom is not home to cook dinner, there is always something to eat! Let me share with you how I create a fridge full of 'FAST FOOD'. 

You may remember that a few months ago, I had the honor of being chosen as a Frigidaire Canada Ambassador, and a beautiful Frigidaire Gallery French Door Fridge was delivered to our home. With the space this Fridge offers, organizing food & meals for our family has become easier than ever!

If you take a peek inside our fridge right now, you would see stacks of containers that look like this(below).

Inside these containers are foods that can make a few different meals in a jiffy.

They are all pre-cooked or prepared here at home and only need to be dished out or heated up.

I try to organize enough FAST FOOD to last a few days at at time, and the foods vary. Let's look at this more in depth, shall we?

In order for our 'FAST FOOD' shelf to work inside our fridge, I did a bit of re-arranging and actually removed one shelf for now. {And with the beauty of this fridge, the organizing options are endless.}

Here you see our 'FAST FOOD' shelf.

With this shelf, anyone at any time can make themselves a healthy meal in mere minutes by making a plate of food with the choices available.

Here is what is on the menu this week:

Breakfast Foods:

Pancakes, Berries, Oatmeal and Boiled Eggs.

{Other choices could be: waffles, knock-off egg  mcmuffins, quiche, or bacon & egg cups}

Lunches & Dinners:

Spaghetti Sauce, Pasta, Potato Salad, Greek Salad*, Brown Rice, Chicken Breasts,  and Ham & Cheese Sandwiches.
{*Greek Salad has no dressing. It is added when served.}

{Other choices could be: pasta salad, quinoa, white rice, meatballs, soups, chili, taco fixings, fajita fixings, lasagna, etc.}

Having food ready like this makes it much easier for my teen and tween to make healthy choices when they arrive home from their activities starving.

How do I do all this? Here's how it works:

HOW TO PREPARE FAST FOOD

Let me share with you how it only takes about 1-2 hours to prepare these healthy FAST FOODS for the fridge.

It just takes a bit of planning in deciding what to cook and then committing to a few hours to make the food.

I begin by putting a batch of rice in the rice cooker, and then I get 4 pots on the stove at once to cook: a batch of spaghetti sauce, pasta, oatmeal and boiled eggs.

At the same time, I put a pan of chicken breasts in the oven to cook.

And while these things are cooking, I make a salad/salads and cut up fruits and veggies and put them in containers.
As the other foods finish cooking, I let them cool and put them in containers and label them with  masking tape and a sharpie.
I like to use square containers of the same brand because they stack well and make the fridge look tidy.

In addition to these meals, I also organize snacks and drinks in fridge bins under the fast food shelf.

This makes it easy for kids to grab a few healthy snacks for their bag as they head out the door.

The SNACK BIN often contains:

Yogurt, apple sauce,  and baggies with fruits and veggies.

The drink bin often contains: juice boxes, shelf-safe milk in single servings and YOPs.

And inside the full-width drawer are to-go cheeses:

Lots of apples are in the fruit bin. My kids love them and they pack well.

And here is the how the rest of the fridge is organized... more fresh veggies in the veggie bin.

The full-width deli-drawer with cold meats, dips, cheese and small veggies.

The large bins in the freezer are organized so that the right side contains things for meals, and the left side contains frozen fruit, frozen breakfast food and frozen treats.

And the top freezer bin contains frozen breads, frozen bananas for smoothies and ice packs for lunches.

The door bins are organized by category so things are easy to find.

And I know that we can't be the only family that has a whole bin devoted to mustards? You have one too, right? {wink}

Having things organized like this not only makes items easy to find, but also easy to put away.

We do love our condiments and spicy sauces in this house!

Thank you so much for being here with me today to see how I organize FAST FOOD for my family.

I think organizing food like this is a HUGE sanity-saver for any family. Whether you have teens, tweens or little ones in the house, it's a great way to stay ahead of the game in keeping the family eating healthy, nutritious, real food.

How about you? 

Do you have certain foods cooked and ready in the fridge  to help in making meals fast & easy?

Please share your organizing tips in the comments!

For more ideas on organizing your home, don't forget to visit these Pinterest Boards:

Organized Kitchens

Organized Homes

Organized Kids

Disclosure: I am part of the Frigidaire Canada Ambassador program with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

This post is linked to:
The 36th Avenue, The Shabby Creek Cottage, I Gotta Create, The Frugal Girls, Tidy Mom, Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons, Liz Marie Blog, Inspiration Gallery, Link Party Palooza, It's Overflowing, What's Cooking With Ruthie,  Under The Table & Dreaming, Craft-O-Maniac, Uncommon, Aalderberry Hill,  A Pretty Life, I`m An Organizing Junkie, Skip To My Lou, Cozy Little House, Homestories A to Z,  Time To Sparkle, Chef-In-Training, The DIY Dreamer, Frugal Mom Eh, Gingersnap Crafts, The Inspiration Exchange,  Savvy Southern Style, Block Party Linky Party, I Heart Organizing,  Tidy Mom, The Frugal Girls,Whipperberry,

A Mother's Day Breakfast...

I always remind my children that I appreciate small gestures from them much more than big gifts when it comes to special occasions.

I don't care about diamonds, or expensive purses or trendy shoes....just give me little gifts of love any day of the week.

A few years ago, my daughter went Christmas shopping for me on her own with her own money, and she bought some Burt's Bees lipstick and hand salve for me.

I loved that she knew that these things were my favourite little everyday things.

My son often brings me a glass of water with ice or a small treat on a plate when I have gone to bed early to read a good book.

It's these kinds of things that make me feel loved.

This brings me to a Mother's Day breakfast.

I love when others make food for me...it means they know that a break from the kitchen is a wonderful gift...and, for instance,  a breakfast tray would be an amazing and luxurious treat.

This is what my dream breakfast tray would look like...

Orange juice..{I am not a coffee drinker, so imagine coffee here too if you drink it.}

a soft-boiled egg with toast...

and a delicious fruit salad garnished with a bit of whipped cream and a strawberry.

Simple yet filling.

I lined the tray with this pretty turquoise place mat and used this awesome flower print paper napkin...both from Superstore....love that store!

I completed the tray by adding this mini-terrarium that I shared in yesterday's post.

(So, dear children, if you are reading Mommy's blog, here is a small hint as to what special surprise you could make for Mommy!)

And if I lived closer to my own Mom, I would surely consider surprising her with a special meal on a pretty tray for Mother's Day.

My son does not enjoy making crafts at all, but I know he would gladly make something like this for me if I suggested it.

My daughter would be more likely to tackle a bigger meal on her own....2 few years ago she made a terrific greek supper for me on Mother's Day...complete with dessert.

It was wonderful and I was so proud of her.

So don't be afraid to suggest to your children that you would love a break from the kitchen on Mother's Day...and see what they come up with!

Cooking for people is a time-honoured way of showing love!

This post is linked to these terrific parties: