Working Mom Life and How to Feed 3 Hungry Kids

We all seem to be living in a season of “busyness” at the moment. Especially if you are a working mom. And while we want to slow down, things just seem to be getting faster and faster. So how do we get the energy we need to sustain our joyful lives? Fueling our bodies with healthy food is definitely a step in the right direction.

And this might be hard to believe, but it’s not as difficult as you might think. A little bit of planning and preparation certainly goes a long way. So let me show you the way I feed my three hungry kids, even as a super busy working mom.

Ground Rules as a Working Mom

Let me first share some ground rules that I’ve set for myself. I aim to buy organic food, along with grass-fed and pastured animal products. And believe me, I feel the pain when I shell out $6 for a dozen pastured eggs compared to $1 for the cheap ones. But the quality and taste of the food is so much better than industrially-produced food that these hungry kids actually enjoy the food. Truly!

From when my kids were born, we’ve eaten this way. I loved the book Super Baby Foods and was feeding them kale and sweet potatoes way before it became the latest eating craze (my eldest is now 18). Here are some ideas on fabulous freezer trays to use to store the baby food, which makes it so much easier when you’re in a rush.

Was it a lot of work to eat like this? Um, yes. Has it been worth it? Absolutely. My kids are now tweens and teens, but I can’t remember the last time they were sick. They have amazing energy and have healthy bodies, and as a working mom, that makes me really proud.

So, let’s talk about how to feed your hungry kids even when you’re super busy.

Meal Planning

Working out what you’ll eat during the week really depends on everyone’s activities – appointments, events, practices. My sons train six days a week (hello, competitive gymnasts) and finish at 8.30 pm during the school week. It’s certainly hectic, and as a working mom, it’s important to look ahead and plan around that.

I base our family meals around a clean protein. There are so many protein choices that it also lets us have a great variety of meals. I take a look in the freezer and make a meal plan by thinking of family favorites, as well as researching new recipes online or in books. Some of my favorite recipe bloggers include Tori Wesszer from fraiche, Danielle Walker from againstallgrain and Angela Liddon from oh she glows. I love looking at plant-based recipes as the flavors are normally fantastic, the ingredients are clean, and they are easy to prepare.

Food Preparation

Food and meal preparation is also a big key to our success in eating healthy, even when the family is running around like crazy! After getting the groceries (check out my post on How to Use Sunday to Have a Productive Monday to see how I shop), I cut up vegetables and fruit for snacks and pop them in containers in the refrigerator, so they are easy to grab and go. We love snack-sized hummus and guacamole, and having tangerines and grapes in a nice bowl at eye level, helps the kids make the right choices.

One of my favorite lunches is mason jar salads, especially as a working mom, as I can also take them to work. It’s best to start with the heavier vegetables or proteins at the bottom (cheese, cucumber, tomatoes), then add spinach and greens on top. Sometimes I’ll even make these at night, store in the refrigerator, and can easily grab them as I run out the door.

I’ll also make hard-boiled eggs and keep them in the refrigerator. Or have dry snacks portioned out, so they are ready to throw in kids’ lunch boxes or gym bags. We do tend to buy in bulk from Costco so that we have plenty of food in the house and don’t need to make little shopping trips (that can easily add up) or eat out too often.

Grocery Shopping

Ah, grocery shopping. I really enjoy it, although totally get it if you don’t, especially if you are a working mom. There are ways that you can shop to feed your hungry kids frugally. I usually buy our protein from local farmers.

For instance, twice a year, I buy a pastured heritage half-hog direct from the farm, they send it to the country butcher, and I can choose how I want it packaged. It’s also great value, too. I end up paying around $4 per pound, and this includes ground pork, ribs, roasts, and pork chops. More recently, I’ve subscribed to ButcherBox. I find the custom box is a good size for my family, and love the flexibility of choosing six cuts of meat. The beef is grass-fed, the chicken is organic, and the pork is heritage.

Believe me when I tell you that once you start eating really good quality food, you’ll never go back to other types of eating!

There are also fabulous options for vegetables and fruit. I’ve tried Imperfect Product and Amazon Fresh. Or another option is Farm Fresh to You, which offers different types of produce boxes: fruit, vegetable, organic, snack pack, or traditional CSA.

Bulk Cooking

When planning your meals for the week, it’s a really good idea to work out how you can bulk cook. As a working mom, I try and make the best use of my time by bulk cooking individual ingredients or double (perhaps even tripling) recipes. Our weekly menu might look something like this:

• Sunday – cook two batches of lasagna and freeze the second tray. When you’re cooking the meat sauce, triple the recipe and freeze the leftover bolognese sauce.
• Monday – cook chicken with rice, making extra chicken and rice. Refrigerate the chicken for mason jar salads the next day. Save the cooked rice in the refrigerator too.
• Tuesday – grab some frozen pork belly or roast and cook in the Instant Pot for 45 minutes. While it’s cooking, heat the rice, slice some guacamole and tomatoes, and grab some grated cheese. Make burritos or even a carnitas bowl. It tastes really good. Freeze the extra pork.
• Wednesday – boil some pasta (or even better, zoodles), warm up the bolognese sauce from Sunday, and make a salad.
• Thursday – fill a baking tray with chicken, butternut squash, and other root vegetables. Bake, and save the extra vegetables and chicken (they will last a few days in the refrigerator).
• Friday – go meat-free today and use the extra vegetables from Thursday’s bake-up to make a pot pie.
• Saturday – warm-up the lasagna from the freezer and toss a quick salad.

Kitchen Tools

As you’ve probably guessed, my secret to feeding hungry kids when I’m super busy is to plan and prepare, cook in bulk, and also use the best kitchen tools.

As a working mom, I’ve got to say that my number one kitchen tool is the Instant Pot. I love how it has so many functions: pressure cooker, slow cooker, steamer, warmer, rice cooker.

I often start with the saute function to seal the outside of the meat and then pressure cook it. It does a great job with cooking frozen foods, which is fantastic when you forget to defrost them.

My number two favorite is glass or pyrex containers. I prefer glass over plastic as they last longer, don’t seem to get bad smells or tastes from previous meals, and stack well in the refrigerator, pantry, and dishwasher.

And, of course, I love mason jars. As a working mom, I make my morning smoothie and bring it to work in my lunch bag. I’ll also use them for salads, storing dry goods, and coconut milk.

And I just adore my KitchenAid to mix my smoothie. If you’re into bulletproof coffee or even frozen smoothies, KitchenAid blenders make it fast and easy.

Key Takeaways

Feeding a hungry family when you’re super busy working mom doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, just an hour or so of planning and preparation can save you money and time.

And remember to keep it simple. There’s truly no need to make gourmet dinners (unless that’s your passion). Serving the meals with love and kindness is the biggest gift you can give your family.