Overwhelmed SAHM Needs Help with Meal Planning Etc...

Mealtimemakeovers.com

for the E Meals plan. The one Dave Ramsey recommends to help cut grocery costs and use food wisely.
It's only $5 a month!

First- take a breath!

Next, get that 2 yo under control. She should be able to control herself enough for her brother to nap. Maybe that can be her quiet reading time with you or a movie time. Any quiet activity so he can get some rest, you two can get some quality time and maybe you can have some peace. She should also be taking a nap, so try to adjust everyones schedule so that they take their afternoon naps at the same time. That is when you prepare dinner.

Take one or two days a week where you run errands and the rest have a nice, strict, schedule of events. The kids will do better with this. They will always know whats coming. Everything at the same time EVERYDAY! You can do it! It will take a week or two for everyone to get the hang of everything.

Good Luck!

it is a real challenge. i have a 2 yr old and almost 1 yr old. the one thing i can say is i am really lucky my husband is not picky! when i can plan ahead, and get a 5 day menu together then i go when hubby is in charge of kids I go to store once- it helps. also consider cooking double or triple batches of favorite dinners to freeze so that you cook once but eat 2 or 3 times. when little one naps, i sometimes pull a chair up to sink and 2 yr old can play in soapy water while i prep/cook. i also only bring markers out at this time and coloring books tape, etc. he sits on a stool and does that stuff for a few minutes which helps. i like cooking things in 9x13 pans so we have leftovers for lunch (chix divan, black bean casserole etc) we do not have any food allergies though, so i can not give actual recipes. good luck~!

I started an index card system and I don't know what I'd do without it!

On an index card I write the name of a recipe, where to find it (what cookbook page, etc.) and what ingredients are needed. I DO NOT write out the whole recipe! I make a separate index card for each recipe. I can do this while I'm watching TV at night.

I started with just 7 recipes that I knew we liked. I made out 7 cards, no more. That was our meal plan for the week.

The next week I added a few recipes and chose from the 10 recipe cards. Every week we try new recipes or I think of ones not on the cards. I have EVERY dinner scenerio on there, including "hot dogs and mac 'n cheese" and "hamburgers and french fries."

When I have to meal plan I just pull out the recipe cards and choose 7 recipes from there. All the ingredients are listed so I can make out my shopping list without looking up each individual recipe. I keep the cards in order clipped to my fridge (later on I bought a dry erase board and I put them on there). When it comes time to cook I know where to look up the full recipe. I can also plan to defrost meat the night before because I know what we're having for dinner!

We have food intolerances too so my cards only contain meal combos that work. Sometimes it's "turkey burgers and hot dogs."

The cards have cut down on my grocery planning a lot! It takes me 10 minutes or less to figure out what we're having for dinner for the whole week and get the ingredients on our shopping list.

Just remember, don't try to do a whole bunch of cards at once or you'll burn out. Just add as you go!

Good luck!

M. B,

Find 5 meals you know you and your family enjoys or in your case can eat. Include planned quick snacks. Put those meal and snacks on a calendar or other board. Buy only the ingredients for those meals and alternate cooking them each night. That way you KNOW what you are going to cook and how much time it will take, and it will give you a goal, versus trying to figure it all out when everyone is hungry. Most meals include meat, staple and vegetables. Keep that in mind when preparing it, so it is also healthy. Good luck!

Hello fellow Austinite!

I second the flylady. The 15 minute room rescues are great! I feel for you. We have a 2yo and a 6 week old.

Meal planning is tricky. I just recently made a printable 2 column spreadsheet similar to a blank weekly calendar. One column is for meals, the other for needed ingredients. It makes it really easy to put the meals in one column, go through the freezer/fridge/pantry, then put down any missing ingredients in the other column. Just before a shopping trip look at the "need" column, jot down what you need (taking note of multiples). If you find that you need multiples of something more expensive, maybe chicken or beef, you can shop for sales on those items.

I recently started a weekly menu exchange with some of my friends. Maybe you can do this with some of yours? Or, if there is enough interest it can be done here too- I think. Please feel free to send a personal message if interested and maybe an exchange rotation can be worked out amongst the interested parties. ???

Hope this helps! :-)

Planning your meals out is the first step. Literally write it out on a paper. Monday we are having XYZ, Tuesday, XYZ and so on. If one dish that week requires something you might not use all of (like celery) make sure you incorporate that in another meal. You might spend 30 min-1hour planning it but it's worth it (because you aren't wasting food and there's nothing to think about at 4pm; the decision is already made for you). Make the crockpot your friend. www.allrecipes.com has plenty of great crockpot recipes. Make a crockpot meal at least 1x/wk. We like to make soups and stews (which are almost always gluten and yeast free). They also make a lot so I will freeze half in a ziplock and eat it 2 weeks down the road with some fresh baked bread. LOVE those heat up meal nights. If you make a meatloaf, buy twice as much meat and freeze mini meatloafs in foil. Then, pull them out late morning to thaw. As for cleaning, I keep a list. I only clean M-F. Monday you can dust the entire house, Tuesday is toilets, mirrors, sinks and counter tops, Wednesday dump trash cans around the house and clean kitchen surfaces, Thursday showers and bathtubs, Friday is vacuum and mop. All of the random toy pick up and laundry happens at random (when it needs to be done). These things never take more than 15-20 min. Except for the vacuuming and mopping. That's a bigger job. Let your oldest clean with you. She'll LOVE it. Give her a spray bottle with water and a rag, she can spot clean the floor. Give her a sponge with soap on it and put her in the shower or tub. Let her scrub away. Your kids are at a tough age right now. This is just how it is. I promise it will pass. However, if you simplify your meals, it will be a stress relief. 3-7 is always the most hectic time in our house so I love the easy meals. Once you start this kind of program, you will have it down pat in less than a month.

For meals, sit down one day and make a list of all the favorites you can think of. Then start plugging them in the calendar. Buy what ingredients are needed for those as well as healthy snacks you've thought of beforehand. I'd say now isn't the time to try new or elaborate meals -- stick with the healthy basics until life settles a little (i.e. the kids aren't so needy with your time).

Also, FlyLady is wonderful. I don't do everything she suggests, but I've really improved on things by taking what works for me/our family. Ironically, she emphasizes not being perfect, but when I tried to follow all of her plan I got wrapped up in everything being right and getting done what I needed to instead of grabbing my newfound free time for fun like I should have.

As a last thought, going from one to two kids was the hardest transition for me. That may be part of your overwhelmed feeling too.

its hard to be a sahm with 2 kids. if possible can a grandparent pick up your 2 year old while you do shopping or stay at your house with the baby while you shop or have them come to your house so you can cook multiple dinners one day of the week. as far and the baby sleeping is there any way that you can put him the the room farthest from where your 2 year old is when he naps. maybe introduce your 2 year old to coloring and have her find some quiet toys durring her special movie time (while brother is sleeping). i agree with the daily meal planer. plan easy meals like speghetti, baked chicken, rice and veggies.

My hubby & I both work full time, have a 5yo, a 10mo, and a baby on the way in 6 weeks, so I completely understand being overwhelmed!
I have a 3-section spiral that I keep one section for menues, one for grocery list (things we run out of through the week), and my to-do list. I am the list queen b/c otherwise I'd forget everything! LOL
As far as meal planning, I started sitting down every weekend and writing out a menu for the week, including dinners, lunches, breakfast, and snacks. Then I'd write out the grocery list based on that. I used to just go grocery shopping to pick up a few (or sometimes a lot of) things, then even when I'd just returned from the store, it seemed like we didn't have anything to cook or eat!
The meal planning in advance helps a LOT not just with saving grocery $$, but also when I'm running late and have to get my hubby to start dinner, he can't ask what we've got to cook- it's all right there in my handy-dandy notebook.
I love the one mom's idea about putting meals on notecards. We get stuck in a rut of eating the same things over & over, so having planned meals already written out would help bunches!

First, I suggest you take up crock pot cooking. Anything that is a one skiillet dish or soups can be done in the crockpot. It does not have to be a crockpot recipe. Generally, low takes 4 hours and high takes 6 to 8 hours.

I would suggest not cooking every day. Cook enough for two night meals. If you do not want the same thing two nights in a row, cook double amounts and freeze half. This way you can defrost something the next night which is different from the week before.

Also, I suggest getting your 8 month on a 4 hour schedule. Make sure this 4 hour scheduled allows you to have your errand time. Most importantly, go get a sound machine or a box fan and place it near his bed. Make sure the box fan is turned away from his bed. This will drown out his older sister and anything else going on. The box fan is great b/c it not only circulates the air in the room but it pretty much drowns out anything. I use this when the yard man comes, I am vacuuming, or we have people over for dinner.

The sound machine is great to travel with. I myself have become so use to it that we use it everywhere.

There are so many good ideas here! You can't beat being well planned. In order to stay on top of meal planning, you have to do just that; plan the meals ahead of time. One thing I do to keep it interesting is I have a notebook with tons of yummy sounding recipes pulled out of magazines that I have put into clear sheet protectors. I get a lot of them from Fitness magazine. That way I know they are healthy. Every Thursday, I go through it and pick out different meals that sound good or that we haven't had in a long time and I write them out. I put them on a magnetic strip of paper labeled Mon., Tue., etc. (you can get these at Michaels). That way I have it right there on the fridge for my husband to see and it reminds me if I need to take something out of the freezer for the next day. I then make my grocery list. I make sections such as produce, meat, dairy, other, etc. Do whatever order you go in when you are in the store. I then write down everything I need in each category from each recipe and other things that we need too. It is so easy once I get to the store because I have everything I need written down from each section of the store. I don't have to go back and forth because I forgot something on the other side of the store. I would love to give you more ideas on other ways to get more organized and have more time with your family if you want to email me privately. It is just too much to put into one response. I hope this helps you and good luck!

I am so with you (2.5 year old and 11 month old). I swear, I never actually play with my kids when we are home. We usually do one outing a day, but that is the only real "focused" time, save for reading before naps, I feel like I spend with them. In fact, right now my baby is sitting about 20 feet from me playing, while I ignore him and try to have some "me" time --and caffeine!

One thing I have done recently that seems to be helping is institute Sunday roast day. On Sundays, hubby makes a meal that provides us with at least one more meals worth of left-overs (I'm a vegetarian, and while I will cook some meat, he is much better at cooking meat then I am, since I haven't touched it in 26 years!). He also cuts up a chicken every three weeks or so, and we make stock out of the carcass and then make a giant pot of chicken/noodle soup --enough for a few lunches for the kids and another meal for the whole family! Cutting up a chicken also leaves us with a few extra parts, so we get another meal out of it as well --super cost effective!

Since the weather has shifted, we've been doing a lot more soup and sandwich night. Soup is great, it can be ignored once put on, and you get a bunch of meals out of it. I love having soup around for the kids at lunch time too. Great way to get veggies in their diet.

I have a friend that is a celiac. She makes her kids "sandwiches' by wrapping the ingredients with chives. The kids absolutely love getting their sandwich like that.

I also do the fly lady thing.But I spend 30-60 minutes every morning cleaning. I then scrub the kitchen floor after lunch twice a week, when baby is down and not climbing all over me! It seems to be working. I have a weird schedule and rarely is the whole house truly clean at the same time, but the whole house can be presentable within 30-45 minutes if given proper warning, so I feel somewhat on top of things. I also do laundry almost every day. I never let it collect. For me it's staying on top of things.

Of course I feel like everything is totally out of control, and it is: do not look in our utility room or in the office! My lord, they are dumping grounds for everything that I don't have time to deal with right now. But, and I think this is key, this is the consequence of having a baby at home. Soon we will be able to dig out from the chaos of sleepless nights and crazy days......or am I dreaming? I actually think I will spend my husband's xmas holiday break organizing the house. It so needs it ;-)

I'm struggling with meal planning myself, because I usually leave it to the last minute, and now I'm going back to work! But I have a few things that are relatively easy to throw together, and hopefully they won't be things you guys can't eat! The ones I can think of right now are pizza pasta (pasta, spaghetti sauce, and pepperoni minis), sausage and turnip greens (sliced smoked turkey sausage and frozen turnip chunks and greens, sauteed--no oil needed), and taco salad (ground beef w/taco seasoning, beans, shredded cheese, lettuce, green onions, tomatoes, crushed Doritos/tortilla/corn chips, etc.).
To keep your daughter busy so your little one can nap, try giving her things to do that she can do by herself--coloring, 'chores' she can help you with like laundry (sorting socks) and 'cleaning' the floor (my MIL has my daughter 'clean' her floors with a spray bottle of water and a sponge), puzzles... Really emphasize that it is quiet time because the baby is sleeping, and she needs to use her inside voice. I would suggest spending this time with her for several days or whatever it takes, as opposed to getting things done yourself, so you can remind her it's quiet time and more closely direct her if she starts to get bored or wild. Give her ideas for things she can do during this time and hopefully she will eventually be able to entertain herself for longer periods of time so you can get things done, too. Or just sit down for a minute! Good luck!

I hear ya. I have a 2 yr old active boy and a 3 1/2 month old girl. I hardly ever have dinner made and the place isnt always clean but I am playing with them and give myself and hr to watch my soap opera. My husband has agreed to have a cleaning lady come in for thorough cleanings. (see if yours will agree!)
You can only do so much and your kids are the most important so don't be too hard on yourself!

Updated

I have three toddlers and I have some come in for about 5hours a day for 3 to 5 days a week to help me keep the house straight.

Double your recipes, freeze half for a meal next week.

Part of what will help your little one to sleep through noise is to place a radio or cd player or some thing similar in his room and turn the music down low when its nap time. This will help him get used to "noise". Its also an opportune time to introduce him to some of the good classics.

Most families have 6 to 10 meals that they cook all the time. A crock pot will cook so you can spend time with the kids. You didn't say exactly what your dairy, wheat and yeast intolerances were, but there are hundreds of recipes available on the internet.

I like the simple recipes. Chicken Rice dinner. One can of chicken broth, 1 cup of rice, 1 chicken breast (bone in skin on), carrotts, celery, fresh mushrooms, onion (diced). Place the chicken breast in a pot with the chicken broth. Cook on low until the breast is done. (if you do this low and slow, the bones will lift right out. Remove the skin if you don't like it.) Use a potato masher or meat tenderizer hammer to crush and separate the chicken meat. Put the cup of rice in the pot with the chicken broth and cook on low with the diced celery (I buy celery with the most leaves because I like the subtle flavor the leaves add to the meal.) diced onion, and mushrooms (rinsed and sliced). Add your favorite spices. I like garlic, parsley flakes, texas steak seasoning and a pinch of ground sage. In about 15 minutes add the sliced carrots. (I like my carrots with a little crunch.) Remove from heat in about 15 more minutes and serve. If you like this, make a double or triple recipe and place enough for another meal in a quart freezer bag(s) and lable with the name and date.

If you are spending around $800 per month on food, you could cut that in half buy shopping sale items. Don't buy bonless skinless chicken breasts. They are way too expensive. There have been dozens of posts and questions about how to save money at the grocery store.

With all that being said, YOU have to decide to change. If you keep doing what you are doing now, you'll keep getting the the same result.

Good luck to you and yours.

I wasn't very good at meal planning either. I would spend a huge amount of money on groceries every month, and then never have anything to eat. I did some research on-line and found great tips for meal planning and cutting down on the cost of groceries.

I found meal plans on-line from other people and looked them over. I found meals that my family would eat that I didn't usually serve, or hadn't thought about making at home before. That helped, so we weren't always eating the same things and getting tired of it. I printed out a free monthly calendar and wrote a meal in for each day, then made my shopping list from that. It worked for supper, but sometimes I didn't have food for breakfast, lunch, or snacks. So, I started writing in breakfast, lunch, and supper on the calendar, and making my grocery list from that.

I used to go shopping every week, spending $180 - $200 for each week. I switched to grocery shopping every two weeks and still spend the same amount, but it's for two weeks of food instead of one.

And I'm not locked into whatever meal is listed for each day. I just look over the meal plan and choose what we want for the day. I mark an X over each day that I've served, so I can keep track of what we have left.

Also, try cooking ahead. My sister spends one day a month cooking, and then freezes the meals. When she's busy she just pops a meal in the oven or microwave and serves. I don't do that, but I do make double the amount of some meals, like stew. I freeze half and then when I'm having a super busy day I just heat and serve.

I'm not the best at time managment, but have figured out that it's okay if I don't get everything done every day. I focus on what must be done in a day, which is take care of my family, and don't worry about the rest. If I don't get the dusting done or only finish enough laundry to keep us from going naked the next day, my family doesn't care. If I don't drop off the dry cleaning or whatever today, there is always tomorrow. I realized that when my son is grown and gone, he won't look back and think he had a great childhood because I dusted or scrubbed the toilet every day and ran a million errands. It's more important to me that he will look back and think about the time we spent together that was enjoyable for both us.

Pick a day...I usually do Sat or Sun, look at your week ahead and what you have and then plan your meals for every night you'll be home to cook. Make sure you make a list with everything on it you'll need for these meals, that way (at least hopefully) you'll only have to go to the store once or twice a week. Then the other days that you aren't running errands or store you can plan for cleaning, laundry, etc. It's a matter of getting a routine down and then you will find you will have plenty of time to spend with your kids. Also, no don't leave your house a complete mess, but if you plan on 1-2 days a week to do something with them, then the other days you can plan on your cleaning, laundry, etc.

My kids were ones that needed their sleep or they, as well as the rest of us, were miserable. If they did two naps did errands in between naps or when they got to one nap, got up in the am, got myself going and did my stuff and made sure I got home for naps.

I like allrecipes.com they have great recipes.

I haven't had to deal with allergies so my suggestions may or may not help. I work outside the home right now but also the chauffer to sports and such since my husband works 45 minutes from the house. When I know we are going to have a lot going on I utilize my crockpot. Stews-put everything early in the morning - let it cook for 8 to 10 hours then when ur ready to eat it's all done. Same thing with chillis - everything in early then done at dinner time. There are cookbooks for slow cookers that is great and has all sorts of meals. When I don't do those I have a lot of quick meals like spaghetti, chicken breast already thawed season and in the oven or skillet while vegetables simmer for however long I need. I'll even buy Super Supper meals every now and then as well that I just have to pop in the oven and cook for X amt of time. $800 seems high. I have husband, 9 yr old, 19mth old and myself and grocery bill runs between $60 and $100 a week. Most of that is because I've tightened the budget but if you make out a menu on Sunday night for the week then you aren't trying to figure out dinner the night of which takes away from your family. Wednesday I prepare the meals at the church so that is our night to "Eat out" I guess. I still made it but it's inexpensive and the kids enjoy eating with friends. You could choose one night a week to order take out.

For errands plan them around nap time. My son used to take a morning nap around 9 and wake up around 10:30 or 11. When he woke up in the morning I used that time to run a few errands then back in time or close to time for nap. During nap time I would try to get stuff around the house done. Not sure how often your 2 yr naps but she should go down the same time in the afternoon as your 8mth old. This will give you time to yourself to either do things around the house or start dinner or just to sit for a little while doing nothing and catching your breath. Then when they wake up from afternoon nap if you still have errands to run you do it at that time. You can even do some of them when your husband gets home. I have recently started doing my main grocery shopping at night after the kids have gone to bed. Then I can take my time, not dragging 2 kids with me, and if I run into a friend can stop and talk for a minute or two without fearing children getting ancy. Sorry so long. Good luck.

A few websites that will e-mail you a weekly menu plan and grocery list:

www.savingdinner.com (there is a small charge for it) - she is part of the Flylady crew.

www.thescramble.com (there is a small charge for this one also) - our family is a tester for this one.

www.rachaelraymag.com (this one is free).

Good luck!

such wonderful advice here already! i heartily second jacy's suggestion to get help (grandparents, neighbors, or hire a mother's helper for an afternoon) and prepare several (a week's worth is ideal) meals in advance. oh, how much stress will be magically lifted from your afternoons and evenings!
make a list of staples that you MUST have at all times and make sure you keep track of them. i always have one of what i need and a backup in the pantry, and i keep a grocery list on the fridge so i can add items right then when i use them up rather than trying to wrack my brains when i'm running with my tail straight out.
flylady is helpful for housework issues. off topic here, but i heard so many people raving about it and had no clue what it was. i looked it up and boinged eagerly over to the site and found.......housework hints? YAWN! but it is actually really useful.
i applaud you, busy overwhelmed mom, for being wise enough to tackle ONE issue at at time. in your request you just look for meal organization help. that's a great place to start, rather than EEEEEeeeeEEEEeeeeEEEEE i can't do it all help!
good luck!
:) khairete
S.

Have you tried FlyLady? I would be so lost without her...http://flylady.net/
Also it sounds like it is overly simplistic but when you go to make a grocery list, first make a meal plan, and plan in snacks/treats and at least one super easy I can make in a minute spare meal, then go through pantry and freezer and make sure you don't have anything on your list that you already have...this saves me a lot, I do not waste as much and I always have one meal I know I can throw together last minute in case something unexpected happens.
Have one day that is for errands, ask for help, find a neighbor or friend or family member that can watch kiddos so you can do errands if that make sit easier. I never had two that were so little at once, mine are all spaced far apart, but I have found the more prepared I am the more organized the easier things go.
Lots of luck, at least you recognize that you are feeling overwhelmed, ask for help from family, friends, Significant other.

Here are my two life-saving favorite web sites... one for managing your time and house... the other for dinner...

www.flylady.net
Anything can be done in 15 minutes! :)

www.savingdinner.com
Your week's menu is already planned out for you, even down to the printable shopping list!!

They are FABULOUS!! Check them out!!

Try having casserole night, soup night, and salad night on MWF. Have 4 to 6 casserole dishes and main dish soup/salad recipes that you can rotate for that so you don't have to do too much planning for MWF. One of my favorite casseroles is a taco bake with cornbread topping that probably works for your special dietary concerns. That cuts you down to 4 nights. Then keep some pre-prepared main meals in the freezer like barbecued chicken or pork chops, thin chicken cutlets breaded with polenta and herbs, grilled chicken breasts, leftover sliced beef that can be used in salad, soup or stir fry recipes. Have your husband watch the kids while you have a cook fest day to stock the freezer. Then you can use the pre-prepared main meals a couple of times a week and just have to worry about making sides. Also, be familar with ways to replace wheat/yeast in recipes you find on line...like using polenta, corn flour, crushed almonds. Make your own bread crumbs using yeast/wheat free soda and flatbreads and keep on hand (in freezer packaged in 1 cup portions) as so many recipes call for breadcrumbs. Good luck!