Homeschool Meals Part 1

 On our kitchen table growing up you would find simple and nourishing meals. There were seasons of feasting and I'm sure my mom would attest to seasons of famine or at least what felt like it. Protein, a vegetable, and a starch were the usual foods that graced our plates and satisfied our stomachs. Mixed into the simple foods were plenty of homemade goodies!  I remember my mom's meal planning system that she used to feed me and my four siblings for years because it worked. She was a single fulltime working mom of five kids and the queen of making meals simple. It consisted of an index card box filled with cards having the name of a meal typed (with a type writer) on the front and all the ingredients needed  on the back. Just before grocery shopping day she pulled out seven of those cards for our weeks dinners and made her list. That was it. I said it was simple!

I'm not sure where the break down happened of making meals simple. Was it the 24 hours 7 days a week ability to watch cooking shows and then buy the cookbooks of our favorite tv chef personalities? Perhaps it was the craze of pinterest where the meals you want to try get lost  in a smorgasbord of boards.... Let me see did I pin that to Family Dinners or Weeknight Meals? Oh here it is on my Hospitality board. Sound familiar? Whatever the cause, finding ways to simplify meals seems to be an ongoing quest and for good reason. Our families want to eat at least three meals a day, plus snacks seven days a week! 

I confess that I used to be a cookbook junkie and would read them cover to cover like I was reading a novel. My favorite section at Barnes and Noble was the bargain books dotted with cookbooks of every kind and for an inexpensive price. I had good intentions of trying out recipes in those cookbooks, but the reality of trying a bunch of new things when I had 3 babies under 4 set in. I was in survival mode and needed fast quick and easy. In other words - simple. I like to cook and I love to bake and I've had seasons where I could play around with food more freely and experiment with new recipes. Right now though is not that season for me. If you are a homeschooling mom of multiple kids than chances are you need simple, tried and true, and nourishing meals as well. 

I have a plan in place for this school year to hopefully stream line meal planning for breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks. I'll be sharing a breakdown of how I planned meals and how it actually worked out. 

Rooted in Him,

Hannah