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All day you’ve been rushing around. You got the kids off to school. Then there are naps for the littles, errands to the store, and housework at home. Later there is picking up the kids from school. Maybe there are therapies, doctor appointments, or practices.
By the time you get home and settle down it’s dinner time! What are you making for dinner? If you did your meal planning and meal prepping that’s great! You’re set to go.
I know that I have day’s when things just don’t go as planned. I forget to defrost the meat. Or I don’t have that one ingredient I really need. Or maybe I’m just too tired!
It happens to everyone and we’ve all been there. Maybe there are moms out there that have it all together, but not me, not all the time.
I will share with you dinner ideas that help me feed the kids, and are quite inexpensive to make.
My kids most favorite dinner of all time…Macaroni and Cheese! And not just any macaroni and cheese, but the boxed mac n’ cheese from Annie’s brand. I buy these at the local Costco. A huge pack of them. It’s good to have them on hand whenever I need something quick. You can add a protein or veggies to this to make it a more balanced meal.
Annies macaroni and cheese
One of my favorite tools is the slow cooker (crockpot). I love to make slow cooker roast chicken. I’ve used frozen and defrosted whole chicken. If I forgot to defrost the chicken I can still use it! It’s so easy and delicious!
Just season it with spices and sauces of your choice. Place it in the slow cooker and set it to high if it’s frozen, and low if it’s fresh. By the end of the day, you’ll have a perfectly cooked, moist chicken. I like to take it out and broil it for a couple minutes to crisp up the skin.
Slow cooker roast chicken
Another slow cooker meal is barbecue pulled pork. Use your choice of pork meat. I have used pretty much every cut of meat for this and it has turned out really well. Place the pork in the slow cooker and pour bottle barbecue sauce on top. Cook 6-8 hours on low. Pull it apart with forks. You can use this meat on pasta, bread, salads, whatever!
Slow cooker pulled pork over salad topped with cheese
An easy dinner idea? breakfast for dinner! I love breakfast food! It’s fast and delicious. Plus the kids think it’s fun. We have too many mornings when we can’t enjoy a family breakfast. So why not enjoy it for dinner? I am talking about eggs and bacon or sausage. Plus pancakes with syrup for dessert. This kind of breakfast may take longer to make for an actual breakfast but it’s pretty fast for a dinner.
Can we also agree that frozen pizza can be a lifesaver? I always try to have one or two in my freezer. My kids love it!
Pizza
When all else fails and nothing is going to happen for dinner, then eat out or do take out. I’ve been there. It’s happened to me. Don’t feel guilty. You haven’t let anyone down. As long as everyone is fed and you kept a little bit of your sanity.
I know these are not new dinner ideas and they are in no way revolutionary. But I’m a real mom, with real kids, that gets really tired. And these my go to’s. No shame and no guilt.
Good luck with dinner, Mom.
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