I never thought in a million years that I would homeschool my daughter, even though I homeschooled my oldest son from 10th grade to 12th grade. Truth be told, the idea of teaching at a kindergarten level was terrifying. I really didn’t know if I had the time or skill set to make it work. However, after tons of research and prayer, I decided to go down the path of being a homeschool mom. At first, it was very challenging to maintain homeschooling as well as the daily tasks of my house and business. What’s more, I found myself eating out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner which became a considerable expense.
Today’s story is sponsored by The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA). All opinions are my own. For more inspiration during #FrozenFoodMonth, be sure to check out delicious ideas from NFRA at EasyHomeMeals.com
That was, until I decided to get organized and began doing a Weekly Meal Plan. Honestly, that’s when my life became more balanced. I make a point of following the steps below each week. Making these changes has helped my overall schedule and lifestyle so much!
- Have a weekly calendar that combines teaching and personal planning
Before I plan out my menu for the week, I input Joy’s lesson plan, all of her onsite classes and list all of my business tasks for the week. That gives me a full picture of our daily and weekly schedule and gets me thinking about when I can accomplish my household tasks.
- Plan breakfast, lunch, and dinners according to your daily agenda
With a full view of my weekly calendar, it makes it easier for me to plan what we are eating each day. For instance, if I know we’re going on a field trip on Wednesday, have a full day of lessons Thursday, plus onsite classes in the afternoon, I choose meals that I can throw in my crock pot or I know I can quickly prepare. However, there are bound to be days where organization goes straight out the window. Don’t feel guilty if you have to eat out because you haven’t had time to plan. Treat yourself to the best cheesesteak you can find and get on with the rest of your day.
- Always keep something in the freezer so you have quick and easy dinner options
Despite all my efforts to make sure our weeks are fully planned, sometimes plans change. Luckily, in those moments, I have a stock of freezer friendly meals that can be ready in no time!
I love Tai Pei‘s line of single-serve, Asian inspired, frozen entrees because they’re made with real, quality ingredients and none of the bad stuff. They’re delicious and filled with exceptional flavor in each dish. My favorite is their Shrimp Fried Rice, but Joy prefers the Chicken Chow Mein. On the day’s we are extremely busy and I just don’t have time to prepare a meal, having Tai Pei single Serve entrees in my freezer helps eliminate that problem. Tai Pei entrees take out the boredom of typical, everyday meals. They offer a wide range of delicious options and ensure that we always have a tasty dinner, no matter what our schedule looks like.
Stacie says
Tai Pei is an excellent way for any busy mom to get good food on the table. I’m all go all the time, and I make full use of their meals regularly.
Katherine King says
They are so easy to make and they taste great.
Liz Mays says
These are helpful ideas! Having easy meals ready in the freezer would definitely help me. It’s good to have some options.
Katherine King says
I know right 🙂
Amy Desrosiers says
What a fun giveaway! I love Tai Pei meals too! They are very convenient and easy to eat!
Katherine King says
they really are 🙂
Brianne says
It sounds like the home school path you’ve chosen is working out great! These are good tips to keep you going through the course of the day.
Katherine King says
thanks, These methods help me to stay on track
Anne marie says
I like having a plan, too! It helps me not to overbuy, and lets everyone in the family know what’s coming.
Katherine King says
I agree 🙂
keikilani says
Tai Pei sounds so yummy! I love having meals like this on hand for nights the get crazy.
Katherine King says
it really is helpful
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
These are really awesome tips!! Thank you!
Katherine King says
you are welcome
Jennifer says
These are some great tips! We followed a lot of these when we homeschooled as well.
Katherine King says
It’s great to know that others went with the same plan. especially since this is our second year.
Ruth I says
Great giveaway! I’ve been wanting to taste their products. These are perfect for busy days!
Celebrate Woman Today says
LOVE Thai food and would recommend it to anybody any time!
This brand is not new to me! And I would love to try their variety of meals they offer.
Kudos to you, the Homeschooling Mama!
Rachel says
I definitely have to plan meals while looking at the calendar. Sometimes meal planning means I am planning to make something quick, frozen, and pre-made.
Dawn Nieves says
What a great giveaway! These are such great tips for meal planning!
Elle says
I love beef and broccoli. It’s my favorite.
Betsy Barnes says
General Tso Chicken is my favorite Asian cuisine.
Dorothy Boucher says
I know for myself, planning isn’t always on point, But what I have come up with is, I only plan for 4 days ahead, usually once a week we go out and grab a bite to eat and weekends, I just never plan meals because we just never know what may come about and always ‘ have something extra in the fridge or freezer in case of sick day, medical emergency or who knows who might show up last minute for dinner.
@tisonlyme143
Dana Rodriguez says
We love Tai Pei also. We are so busy during the week their meals make life a lot easier for me! Thank you for the tips!
Natalie says
I recommend making a large batch of food on Sunday and freezing individual portions to use during the week. Using a pressure cooker has been a life saver!
Katherine King says
That’s a great recommendation.
Tim says
We have designated nights for certain foods which makes planning easier for at least a few nights out of the week. . We eat burritos on Friday and pizza on Saturday.
Lauralee Hensley says
That is one of my tips, plan out your menu’s for the whole month. I put mine on the refrigerator door either hand done or printed out on the computer. I shop according to that plan, but I also add to the basket a couple of things that can be microwaved quickly and easily should something happen and I can’t stick to that plan. I shop for all the non-perishable items at one time for the whole month (it doesn’t hurt to have a large freezer). Sometimes it is nice to cook double batches of casseroles that can be frozen. That way you can eat one on a less busy day and the frozen one can be taken out of the freezer a couple weeks later and popped into the refrigerator over night to unthaw and be warmed through in the microwave the following day on those busy planned days.
Richard Brandt says
I have to plan meals for my 94-year-old Dad, who has to manage his cholesterol and blood sugar, so I have to make sure he doesn’t get too many fatty foods or too many carbs in one meal. It’s probably a good idea to factor that into your kid’s meals the same way so that they don’t have issues with heart disease or diabetes later in life.
Melissa Storms says
I definitely have to keep some quick meals in the freezer. There are certainly many nights that dinner is late because I don’t have anything quick and easy. I have seen these in the freezer section but have not tried them yet, I think I will.
Linda Szymoniak says
I’m finding that planning ahead and pre-cooking some of the week’s dinners can really save time. For instance, I cook more chicken than I need for one meal and use the extra for another dinner. Or, when the grocery has something like ground beef on sale – usually cheaper in a 3 o 5# package, if I know I’ll need browned beef for other dinners (for instance, tacos or spaghetti sauce) I will brown up the pack and break it down into 3 or 5 containers. I keep the ones in the fridge I’ll be using in the next day or two and freeze the rest. I just need to pull out a container and the ground beef for that night’s dinner is already cooked and I just need to finish the rest of the dinner.
Katherine King says
I’ve thought about pre-cooking meals it just that by the weekend. I just want to rest 🙂
Cheryl Chervitz says
Pick a day each week to cook most of your meats you are having. That way you can pull out a meal starter and just make the sides with it.
Katherine King says
Thank is a great Idea!!!! Thank you for sharing.
Barrie says
I buy bulk of groud beef and cook. I put 1/2 cup in freezer bags so it’s ready to go to add to stews, etc.
Katherine King says
I do that sometimes too 🙂
Jodi Hunter says
I like to make anything I can ahead and freeze.
Helen says
My only tip is to not get overwhelmed. Take it one step at a time, and if you do have to rely on takeout or quick freezer meals every now and then, it is not the end of the world.
Katherine King says
I love that advice!!! I tend to get overwhelmed a lot and then I realize I just need to take a step back.
Julie Lundstrom says
I like to try to make most of my meals the night before or make meals in freezer bags and then cook them before dinner.
Katherine King says
That’s a great idea!!!
sheila ressel says
I plan my meals around what is on sale at the grocery store that week. Then I do as much meal prep as I can on Sundays so it saves time on weeknight meals.
Cassandra D says
I usually plan 1 week ahead and make a menu, so that I can have meals on the go.