Lean Meal Strategy

When I say "lean" I do not mean low fat. I am referring to methods to reduce waste in meal planning and preparation.  As a working mom, I do not have a lot of time to spend on dinner prep. I would rather spend my time in the evenings playing with the family. 

Health for me and my family is also important to me. I try to have fresh vegetables and fruit on a daily basis. "Clean eating" is something I strive for, although it is difficult when convenience is also a key goal.  Eating dinner as a family is also a priority. We can use the time to talk about our day and the little one is not excused until we are all done. 

I was recently in a parenting discussion that we talked about having "strategies" for dealing with different parenting situations. The first part of meal planning is pre-planning and preparation.  I have also discussed visualization as a tool for planning. But finally it is letting things go sometimes and having Mac and cheese or oatmeal for dinner, when you run out of time and options. 

To review, here is my current strategy:

Saturday - plan meals, I have a standard list of quick meals I rotate. I am always on the lookout for more. 

Sat/Sun - grocery shop or Costco for dairy, frozen products and bananas. 

Sunday - shop farmers market for fresh produce. 

Here are my quick, healthy meal ideas.  I try to make enough that we have lunch leftovers the following day.  Pretty soon my little one will be starting a preschool where I have to supply lunches. That will be a whole new challenge. 

Healthy meal staples:

Pasta with fresh veggies

Stir fry (frozen or fresh veggies) with quinoa (cooks faster than rice)

Salmon or fish (cooks quickly)

Fajitas (sauté chicken breast and heat up black beans and tortillas)

Crockpot stew (I had to take this out of rotation because my husband got tired of it)

Grilled chicken over salad

Personal mealtime Action plan

1.  Identify new recipes, especially using crockpot (prep in morning or night before)

2.  Do more chopping and prep on Sunday. 

3.  When meal is almost done cooking, spend 5-10 minutes quality time with my son to help him transition to meal time. 

4.  Make sure everyone is included in dinner time conversations, even the little one. By keeping him engaged, he has less reason to get bored and act out. 

5.  Research healthy lunch ideas for preschool. 

Any healthy meal ideas that work in your house are welcome.