• Home
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS

for the family

everyday wisdom for everyday families

  • start here
    • Meet Patrick and Ruth
    • Meet the Contributors
    • Statement of Faith
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • Videos
  • For Better or For Kids
  • You
    • Following God
    • Ministry
    • Relationships
  • Family
    • Marriage
    • Motherhood
    • Fatherhood
    • Parenting
      • Special Needs
      • Babies
      • Toddlers
      • Teens
    • Discipleship
  • Food
  • Shop

Food Home Homemaking

Finding Your Family’s Groove

With school and activities in full swing, how does your family handle the squeeze on your time and extra pressure to be so many places during the week? We've got some great ideas to keep you on track and your family fed with tried and true tips and a delicious recipe!Does feeding your family energize you or stress you out?

I’d have to say they do a little of both for me. While I love to cook, if I haven’t taken time to plan ahead, it can cause me to freak out slightly.

Okay. Freak out a lot.

If I fail to plan, I’m planning to fail. (That old adage is SO very true!) So here are some tips I’ve gathered along the way. And a great busy day recipe for soup using leftover roast beef. (Hint: if you plan now to make a roast for next Sunday’s supper, you can make this on Monday. For you gals who are away from home during the day, it works well in a crock pot too!)

Routine Tips:

~ On Sunday evenings, sit down with your planner, calendar or electronic calendar. Oh, and most importantly, your spouse! Take note of any appointments now and add new ones to your week. Consult your spouse to see what they have on your calendar that you do not–and vice versa. This will alleviate the panic you feel when you finally look at your calendar for the week at 10 a.m. Monday morning and see that you had a dentist appointment scheduled for 9:30 that day. YIKES!

~ If you are a lunch-packing parent, don’t put a few handfuls of chips or carrots or other side dish in a baggie for your child every morning. Make 5 bags on Monday morning and, the rest of the week, just grab one to toss into their lunch pail.

~ Think creatively about cooking on the weekends. If you are having grilled chicken breasts, make double. Dice the extra for fast salads during the week. If you are making a roast or ham for Sunday, make a large one or make two smaller ones. Utilize the leftovers in a soup or casserole on Monday such as bean with ham soup, ham and scalloped potatoes or beef and noodles.

~ Think through sports, music and other extra  curriculars on the weekend BEFORE your child is frantic because he or she now needs a costume, uniform or piece of clothing. Also, don’t just wash it for them. train your kids to do their own laundry. Remember the old “teach a man to fish” business….

~ Also think through times when you will be waiting and take along a tote bag of something to do. I like to keep a book, a small Bible, a note pad and some note cards in a tote bag. Then, when I am in a carpool line, waiting room, or other holding pattern, I can be productive or spend time reading or jotting a note to someone. This comes in handy when you find yourself in the waiting room longer than you thought you’d be. You can read a chapter, made a list or make a phone call or two two so you don’t fuss and fume that you wasted time.

~Okay…now here is the yummy beef soup recipe. You can use barley or pasta in it. Great with biscuits or corn bread. The perfect dish to make to use up some extra roast. Enjoy!

Beef Vegetable Soup

In a large kettle combine:

10 cups beef stock water (or 10 cups water with bouillon cubes to taste)

2 cups peeled, chopped potatoes

1 1/4 cups sliced carrots

1 onion, chopped fine (3/4 cup)

2 cups chopped cabbage

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen corn

2 cups leftover chopped beef

1- 14.5-ounce can petite chopped tomatoes

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon dried, minced garlic (or one clove fresh, minced)

2 teaspoons basil

2 teaspoons oregano

2 bay leaves (optional)

Combine all and cook over medium heat for 30–45 minutes. Then add:

1/4 cup orzo, alphabet-shaped, or other small pasta or 1/4 cup pearl barley

Cook 30–45 minutes longer, until pasta (or barley) is tender. Remove bay leaves. Serves 8–10.

Routine Blessings,

Karen Ehman, KarenEhman.com

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)


About Karen Ehman

Karen Ehman is a New York Times bestselling author, Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker, and writer for Encouragement for Today an online devotional that reaches over 4 million women daily. She has authored 11 books including KEEP IT SHUT: What to Say, How to Say It and When to Say Nothing at All. Her newest book and DVD Bible study, Listen, Love, Repeat: Other-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World, is full of ideas for scattering kindness to family, friends, strangers, and the "necessary people" who help you get life done each week. Karen has been a guest on national media outlets including The 700 Club, FamilyLife with Dennis Rainey, Moody Midday Connection, and Focus on the Family. She is also a contributor to Foxnews.com, Crosswalk.com, Redbookmag.com, and LifeBeautiful.com. She has been married for over a quarter-century to her college sweetheart Todd and is the mom of three children ranging from teen to adult. She resides in central Michigan where she enjoys cheering for the Detroit Tigers and processing life with the many people who gather around her kitchen island. You can connect with her at www.karenehman.com where she helps women to live their priorities and love their lives.

« The One Thing That Saved My Marriage
Winning the War on Worry »

Comments

  1. Lori A. says

    September 24, 2015 at 12:18 pm

    I have found that using the COZI app helps with scheduling because everyone in your “family” can see who has what scheduled when. I too pack as much of my weeks lunches on Sunday then all I have to do during the week is cut up my apple which I do the night before. I also set out my clothes the night before. All of this makes mornings go so much smoother. Can’t wait to try the recipe!

    • Datra DeNoyer says

      September 25, 2015 at 1:53 pm

      We use the COZI app to and love it! We use if for our grocery list and our “to-do” lists!!

Hey there! Thanks so much for stopping by our blog. We are absolutely thrilled you are here! We are a crazy church planting couple who loves Jesus, our four kids and loads of coffee! We are giving God the glory every step of the way and love sharing our journey with you.

Read more about us

Subscribe and receive our free guide to help you get through this season of suffering.

POPULAR POSTS

  • No Bake Coconut Snowballs (GF)
  • How to Build a Christian Home
  • Five Lessons of Wisdom from Abigail
  • 10 Little Things to Bring Peace into Your Home
  • How Your Family Can Pray for VBS this year

Categories

Search For the Family

Copyright © 2022 For the Family · Design by Bethany Beams