This blog post is sponsored by Tyson Foods, Inc., but all thoughts, opinions, and photographs are my own.
We had the best time during the kids’ winter break, celebrating the holidays, and getting lots of good family quality time in. We took our time and our schedules were pretty relaxed, but now school is back in session and work must continue, which means we need to get back into our routine.Finding our way back into routine after the holidays is so important for us as a family, with 4 kids (3 of them are school age!) Implementing meal plans throughout the week saves me time to focus on other areas of our lives (sports practice, church activities, family time, relaxing time). I do this by planning out my grocery list on Sunday afternoon and using Albertson’s grocery app to add everything I know I’ll need to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner seamless. I love that I can shop from my phone at home and select a time that’s convenient for me to go and grab it that same day! Since I shop on Sunday, I wake up Monday morning having everything I need to roll into the week which is huge for me as someone who really thrives on organization and being prepared. Not only does this help us get back into our routine, but it takes the surprise out of ‘what will I make my family to eat this week?’ and I’m less stressed. My week is bound to run so much more smoothly with this checked off my list. I also have more time to devote to our family’s other obligations and extracurriculars, and I MAY even have an extra minute or two to RELAX with this routine in place!!! We all need a little more balance in our busy lives as parents, right?!
The weekday mornings can feel like the most chaotic especially returning after the holiday hustle and bustle, so I choose to buy Jimmy Dean Delights® Turkey Sausage, Egg White & Cheese English Muffins. They heat up in just over 2 minutes, and what we like to do for our oldest boys (1st and 3rd grade), is heat them up in a meal prep, microwavable safe container and add some fruit on the side and hand them off when they’re heading out the door. So convenient and I know they’re getting a hearty breakfast. For our oldest daughter, who’s still at home most mornings, I will heat her sandwich up once she’s ready to come downstairs for breakfast with a side of yogurt, granola, and some blueberries.
The boys head off to school and I get the girls settled. I start some computer work for the day and they have playtime outside or in our family room. Before I know it, it’s time to prepare lunch. The guesswork of lunch can be time consuming and tricky for a toddler and baby, but I bypass that with Hillshire Farm Ultra Thin Oven Roasted Turkey Breast! I will chop up little piece of it for my baby girl to gnaw on and then add it to pesto pinwheels I make for my oldest girl. We love how it’s thinly sliced and tastes amazing with some veggies for a crunch! I’ll put it into her little car plate along with some yogurt raisins and carrots and she is satisfied until dinner.
The boys get home from school around 3:30 and I lay the baby down for a nap, and get to dinner planning before soccer practice. Can you see how so much of our days revolve around what we’re going to eat!? Thank goodness for Tyson® Grilled & Ready® Chicken Breast Strips – they’re super convenient since they’re already fully cooked to add to another meal. I love that there are no antibiotics in them which makes me feel good about serving them to my family. I love adding them to my orecchiette pasta with cream sauce, mushrooms, tomatoes and parm. Tyson® Grilled & Ready® Chicken Breast Strips are a simple way to add protein to your family’s next meal!
I hope this post inspires you to bring a little more balance to your every day routine! After several weeks of holiday functions and meals, it’s nice to get back to simple and easy to make food my family enjoys. I can focus on other areas of my work and personal life when I have these meal solutions in place!
