Want to know a secret? I don’t make everything from scratch, and my past self would have judged my current self hard! I used to have this ideal that everything my family ate would be homemade, homegrown, and unprocessed. While I agree those things are healthy and something to strive towards, I've also come to a place where I’ve worked hard to find a middle ground.
You see, that's an ideal, my perfect world where my kids don't eat dyes, sugar, or processed food, because we all know those things are "bad." But I've come to realize that it’s just that, an ideal, and life isn't as simple as "good" and "bad" food. The complexities of life have to be factored into what's right and healthy for me and my family, and that in different seasons of life, that means different foods as well.
I'm a busy mom with a husband who has a demanding job. I have a chronic illness, and I started a business that I run while chasing a toddler around. I'm pregnant and exhausted. On weekends we help take care of aging family members, and the list of responsibilities and things pulling at my time and energy goes on. I've had to dig deep to find peace with the fact that I can't be everything and do everything all at once. So while I want to be an Old-Fashioned Girl that bakes my own bread and makes every meal from scratch, some days there's just not enough me to go around for that. And that's okay!
Maybe you find yourself in a similar space with the weight of life and the ideals of the internet bearing down on you. Girl, I feel you! I've found and accepted that some days I use beef or chicken bouillon instead of homemade bone broth, or that pre-cut frozen vegetables are not lesser than fresh-cut veggies. Some days, it's okay to take the shortcut to make my life easier when it comes to food prep, and I have let go of the guilt that I used to hold around this. On days my energy is at an all-time low, it's okay to use a gravy packet or taco seasoning I didn't make myself. I may not have as much control over the ingredients, but some days those shortcuts are what it takes to put dinner on the table for my family.
Some days these "shortcuts" are my saving grace that makes cooking a meal possible and so much easier on days where my health is flaring or the baby is teething or the husband is working endless late hours. So here is permission for both me and you that some days a meal from scratch is not what's best, and that your mental, physical, and emotional well-being are just as important to take care of, and that may mean the toddler gets chicken nuggets. That might be what's best for you and your kiddos that day, and that's okay. Boy, was that not the mom I planned to be either! But let's face it when I'm juggling working and staying home, being healthy and supporting my husband, the real ideal is finding balance!
So here’s a list of things that I do to make life easier in the kitchen:
- I don't chop garlic anymore; I bought the big jar of minced garlic at Costco.
- I keep taco seasoning and gravy packets in my pantry.
- I keep a few ready-made (yes processed) meals in my freezer for tough days.
- I freeze homemade leftovers when I can too.
- I buy the pre-chopped frozen onions for the days I need to cut even simple steps out.
- I mix homemade and store-bought snacks in our diet.
- Sometimes we use paper plates when life is hard and dishes seem endless.
- I keep beef and chicken bouillon on hand for when I haven't had time to pre-make and freeze bone broth.
- I mostly use frozen or canned veggies because they don't go bad if I forget them, and I don't have to chop and prep them like fresh veggies.
- I keep easy lunch meals on hand like nuggets and pasta guilt free.
Did you know I felt guilt and told myself these things were "against" the rules, as if the health police were waiting to get me for these things? Maybe your swaps will look different. Just writing these things out makes them sound so much sillier and makes me laugh that for years I had a rule against these things. Sure, there are healthier alternatives, and I do them when I can, but to be a good wife, mom, and business owner, these are some simple changes I've made in my kitchen to be the best me I can. Maybe someday I'll have the time, health, and energy for my ideal everything-from-scratch kind of mom and wife, but that's not where I'm at, and making these simple changes has freed me up to truly invest and show up for my priorities!
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