Back to School & Busy Work Week Tips:
School is back so that means life just got busier – whether your children are in school or you teach them at home. Yep, we know what that is like because we are going through the same thing. Feels like you have barely any time to create meals, right? You are in need of easy, quick recipes to help you and your family from throwing in the towel and making crazy choices at the drive thru.
Or, perhaps you not only have school schedules and extra curricular activity schedules that you contend with, but you also have a job outside the home or you are working a job that bases from inside your home – life can feel crazy! Maybe your children are grown and your nest is empty but you still find yourself sometimes way too busy and you are in need of some tips to help you through a busy season that life has thrown on you.
No need to give up or feel overwhelmed! We’re going to give you some tips and help carry you through your ”back to busy” season.
Two Very Important Tips:
We have two very important tips that we would like to share first. One is the importance of including at least one snack throughout your busy day. In many of our official menus on the Trim Healthy Membership Site, we factored in two snacks a day, but you don’t have to be tied to that. We know many working Mamas do not have the time for snacking during their work day. If you could squeeze even one snack in, try to make it the one with the longest stretch between meals. Be it between breakfast and lunch or between lunch and supper. Going too long between meals can make us ravenous for our next meal (you get HANGRY!) and the chances of overeating or grabbing something off-plan and quick are greatly increased.
The second of our very important tips is to not forget to keep hydrated! If at all possible, try drinking any one of our delicious All-Day Sippers between meals. Hydration is important for all of us, but it is so easy to lose track of how much we are actually getting when we are on the job. Just plain ol’ water is great, too! Just be sure to get some fluids in!
Prep Ahead:
Many of us are the “fly by the seat” kind of Mamas, but when you are in the midst of a busy season – planning ahead ensures you are planning to succeed! Here’s some prep work tips that can take place during the weekend before your busy school/work week starts. We could have added many more, but we know you are probably too busy to read through all that we could throw at you!
* Think ahead as to what All-Day Sippers you might like to sip on throughout the week and have those ingredients handy.
* Clean and prepare your fruits and vegetables so you have a few day’s worth at least on hand. Prepping ahead your greens and other salad fixings ensures you’ll not forget to get some greens in throughout the week! A tub of organic, loose leaf baby greens makes salad prep so much speedier but the leaves get old and slimy so quickly. Tip: Take some of the leaves out, put a paper towel at the bottom of the tub, put all the leaves back in then put another towel at the top. Your greens should last you close to a full week this way.
* Consider planning a menu. We know the thought of putting together a menu can be so very tedious for some, but they really have proven to be helpful when we are just too tired to think! Here is an idea of what you could work up:
Monday night – Slim Sloppy Joes (Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook, p. 63)
Tuesday Night – Wipe Your Mouth BBQ
Wednesday night – Egg Roll in a Bowl (Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook, p. 62)
Thursday night – Chicken Fried Double Rice (Trim Healthy Table, p. 53)
Friday Night – Deconstructed Stuffed Peppers (Trim Healthy Table, p. 54.
Leave the weekend to freestyle as who knows you may even want to go out to eat on Saturday night. All of those weeknight recipes are quick, easy, and should soothe the stress and worry from your shoulders.
If you need some help with a menu and would like to just have one done for you that include ideas for breakfast, lunch, supper, and snacks… consider joining the Trim Healthy Membership Site. Many Mamas have found great help by using our official Trim Healthy Menus there – we have one for every area of life, including Working Outside of the Home! You can also make up your own menu using the newly enhanced Membership Menu Builder. Or, look up some Trim Healthy Bloggers online… they often make all their THM menus public.
* Cook ahead some chicken breast (or other meat such as hamburger or ground turkey) to be used in meals throughout the week.
* Utilize your crock pot or electric pressure cooker. You want an easy crock pot meal to fall back on? Who doesn’t want to come back home to a sweet and tangy BBQ chicken dish wafting from your crock pot and welcoming you back? A great recipe that is a THM Community favorite is Wipe Your Mouth BBQ. We have included the recipe in this ”Back to Busy” edition with a new FP-version that will make the dish completely versatile should you want to enjoy it as a meal and then use the leftovers for quick work/school meals.
* Take some time over the weekend to make up any THM treats you might like to grab quick throughout the work/school week. Meadow’s No Bake Cookies are a great grab-and-go treat… especially when you need a chocolate fix! Prepping ahead any of your favorite THM treats will help you start the week with some goodies already tucked under your belt. If you are just not the type to want to do much Prep Ahead as far as your treats, perhaps the new Muffin in a Mug recipes, Kiss of Fall MIM and Chocolate Cherry Lava MIM, that we mention in the Intro & Welcome area of this EZine will be of interest to you. Be sure to check them out!
Do you just really want to skip all the “Prep Ahead” business?
Do you feel you are just too busy for all that? Perhaps your weekends are just as busy as your work/school week… you want sandwiches? Well, we got ’em… They’ll take you no more than 5 minutes to throw together for a quick lunch or dinner. We have FP-style, E-style, and S-style sandwich options for you! And there’s nothing better than a cold glass of milk to go with your sandwich! We have three quick choices for you to choose from… Pearl’s Slimming Chocolate Milk, Speedy Chocolate Milk, and Speedy Strawberry Milk. These recipes are great for hungry children, too! Whip one of these up before meal time for those who are ”dying from hunger”!
We have four new official recipes (and an updated recipe) that we have created with this “Back to Busy” season in mind. These are all recipes that can be made up in a quick minute:
The Beet-n-Greens Salad is a superfood side dish that is bursting with nutrition! Dark leafy greens and red beets are both high in antioxidants and loaded with vitamins and minerals. They also provide high levels of fiber, which helps control blood sugar, and aids in weight loss!
You will get your soft serve ice cream fix without igniting your blood sugar with the Tropical Cottage Whip recipe! Our original Cottage Berry Whip was a FP dessert that became a huge hit within the THM community nearly 6 years ago. Many of our faithful Mamas continue to enjoy it today! However, this new recipe is a twist on the classic and we all need to get our E snacks in! It is the perfect cold treat for a hot summer afternoon or an evening dessert. (Be sure to see our video on how we make this recipe in the Intro section of this EZine’s HOME page!)
Cold brew coffee is sweeping the nation, not only for its great, less-bitter taste, but also for its health benefits. It allows for improved control of gastric acid secretion (less acid reflux coffee) and contains higher amounts of antioxidants than regular coffee. In our new Maple Pecan Cold Brew recipe you will find that the delicious flavors of maple and pecan combine in this drink to create a taste sensation that reminds us that Fall is just around the corner!
If you have an umbrella straw, it’s time to break it out! Close your eyes and imagine yourself on a sunny and sandy beach somewhere tropical as you are sipping the Pineapple Burst Smoothie… delicious and protein filled! Pineapple flavor bursts onto your tongue in this smoothie – a fabulous breakfast or afternoon snack!
And then an updated community favorite that we have included is Salted Caramel Creamy Oolong. You really need to try this deliciousness. Our new Natural Burst Caramel Extract amps up flavor into pure, healthy bliss! Here is a great way to enjoy a creamy hot drink without any special ingredients, except the whey protein powder. If you do not have oolong on hand, you can use any variety of tea.
Trim Healthy Mama is a way of life, not a diet, so it is impractical to expect you will never be eating out. So, when life happens and you get stuck out and about, or you just need a break from cooking… we have you covered there, too! You absolutely can make smart choices at fast food restaurants. Check out this terrific resource we have created for you – The Best Trim Healthy Mama Fast Food Choices!
We hope these tips have been helpful to you! Be sure to check out the Certified Coach Testimonies that have been featured here in this ”Back to Busy” edition of the Trim Healthy Living EZine. You’ll find additional tips to help get you through your busy season… as well as some yummy recipes!