Guest Blog from Liz Rhoads with more healthy, working mom, need to feed my family and stay sane ideas!

Hey Y’all…it’s Liz from “…with a little Style and Ease”.

I’m so honored that Mandie asked me to contribute to her blog by talking about healthy menu options while managing a family and a full-time job.  Believe you me, it’s not easy.  But, I find that the busier you are, the more efficient you can be with your time…and it’s all about being efficient.

First off, a little background about moi.  My job is 7:30 – 5:30 Monday through Thursday, and 7:30 – 11:30 on Fridays.  Thank the Pope for half-day Fridays, but that’s not saying some Fridays my fanny shouldn’t be at the office getting ahead on projects that I have.  If you factor in time to grocery shop, do laundry, pick up around the house, and possibly work out, it really doesn’t leave much time in between.  Here comes the need for efficiency!

Meal plan!  Yup folks, you heard it here.  I HAVE to plan my meals out at least a week in advance.  That way I can be sure to make something healthy as well as something that will please the 8 teeth and very sophisticated palate of this guy…

As you can see, he tends to be my sous chef in the home kitchen. 

So, usually on a Tuesday (when Southern Savers puts out their weekly specials at Publix), I make my grocery list and then figure out my meals from my list.  I hardly ever buy anything from Publix that’s not on sale except for baby food and milk.  I don’t go grocery shopping until Saturday morning though because the store tends to be the most empty.  If I don’t have the option of going on a Saturday, I’ll go one night during the week after baby boy goes to sleep.  Again, during that time, Publix is super empty and I can take my good old time.  I tend to doddle when I’m in the grocery store.  Just ask my husband.  It’s a sickness, really.  I don’t doddle anywhere else…I swear.

So, when I put my meal plan together, I put it in a Microsoft calendar that looks something like this:

Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	31

I just type what I plan to make for dinner each day into the calendar days and when I go to the grocery store, I attach any recipes that I need to reference behind it so I can make sure to get all the right ingredients.  This sounds time-consuming, but trust me, I don’t make anything crazy during the week so I pretty much know what ingredients I need to get just.

I try to be healthy, but at the same time, when you are cooking for a hungry one year old and an always-starving 31 year old man, time is of the essence.  Spaghetti and meatballs for example, you’d better believe I “Costco” it up (yes, I’m dubbing “Costco” a verb now) and purchase bags of these just to keep on hand:

Lean turkey meatballs in a pinch.  You can’t get much better than that.  Use them for spaghetti and meatballs, meatball sandwiches with whole wheat rolls, sautéed onions and peppers, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top.  Sure to be a crowd-pleaser and time saver every time!

My other go-to food that is quick and easy is quinoa.  My friends, this seed rocks my world.  Forget rice, forget couscous…quinoa is where it’s at.  My whole family loves it leaps and bounds beyond any other healthy-ish grain I’ve made.

For those who aren’t familiar, here’s the dish on this super food:

Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance by maize. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), and like oats, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it a complete protein source, unusual among plant foods. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights. (From  www.wikipedia.com).
I get a huge bag at Costco every few months and if you need to, you can make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge
You can throw anything you want to in here!  Here are a few of my favorite combinations:
Room temperature:

Quinoa with diced cucumbers, tomatoes, green and orange peppers, garbanzo beans, and feta cheese.  Great for a light main course, side dish, or stuffed in a whole wheat pita.

Quinoa with diced yellow and green zucchini and sautéed onions.

Warm:

Quinoa with diced chicken, sautéed spinach, garlic, and goat cheese.  Or you can use salmon – this combination with salmon is by far my favorite!

Quinoa with chicken sausage, sautéed green peppers, sautéed onions, and maybe a shot of buffalo sauce or Texas Pete hot sauce.

Quinoa mixed with one egg, bread crumbs, cooked salmon, garbanzo beans or Cannelini beans, formed into patties.  Instant healthy burgers!

My last go-to meal to save time and still maintain a healthy menu is a crustless quiche, or otherwise known as a frittata.

Frittatas are a great way to use up your leftovers.  I’ve thrown sausage, tomatoes, chicken, cheese, other types of veggies, and even, believe it or not, quinoa into a frittata.  An easy, one-put meal ready in 20 minutes cannot be beat!
I have a great sauté pan from Williams Sonoma that I use. 

It’s similar to the one pictured above but without the handle.  So, I mix up all the ingredients, pour it into the pan and let it heat up on the stove until the mixture is almost set  Then I just pop it into the oven for another 10-15 minutes.  Easy peasy!  Here are some ideas for frittata combinations:
            Goat cheese and whole asparagus.
            Sausage, mozzarella cheese, and sundried tomoatoes.
            Leftover pork with sautéed apples and onions (sounds weird but oh so good).
            Broccoli and cheese.
I hope I gave you busy ladies some great ideas for your next quick dinner!  It’s been a blast contributing and thanks to Mandie for having me!!
Xoxo,
Liz