How to Get Into the Habit of Cooking for Your Family

March 26, 2023 By Anne

Home cooking is one of those things that most people want to get into, but struggle to make the leap. Cooking is a valuable skill that can save you money and help you to eat more healthily if you’re able to put in the effort. True, it’s always tempting to order takeout or kick up a ready meal and call it a day, but this can be a bad habit to get into if you do it every night.

Unfortunately, cooking is easier said than done. Parents are busier than ever, which is why we fall back on bad habits. However, once you start to develop your skills and fall into a routine, it does get easier and you will see the benefits.

Why It Matters

One of the things that hold people back from achieving their goals is a lack of motivation. If you don’t see the point of doing something, then you’re far less likely to make the effort needed to reach your goals. This principle is true when it comes to education, fitness, work, and learning any skill, including cooking.

You might argue that cooking for yourself is pointless because the restaurant and takeout food is convenient and tasty. Ready meals are another option, as you can have a meal in minutes. At the end of a busy day, these options are very tempting.

However, takeout and restaurant meals are so tasty because the people who cook them aren’t considering your long-term health. They taste good because they are loaded with fat, salt, and sugar. This means that they’re a great treat on occasion, but not a good idea to eat for every meal, especially if you’re trying to be healthy. Ready meals aren’t much better, as they are similarly full of fat, salt, and sugar to make them palatable.

Health considerations aside, these meals all cost a lot more money than it would take to make the same meal at home. In some cases, you don’t even save that much time. In the time that you wait for a takeout to arrive, you might have been able to put together a cheap, healthy meal that is perfectly tasty. The trick is knowing how.

Find Recipes That Work

One of the easiest mistakes to fall into when it comes to home cooking is choosing recipes that are too complicated or take too long to cook. When you’re just getting started with any skill, you want to start simple. The same applies to cooking, choose recipes that are quick and easy, so that you can get it on the table and ready to eat.

You should also cook things that you and your family actually want to eat. This sounds obvious, but you can be so focused on choosing something that is as healthy as possible that you end up cooking bland or boring food.

Healthy doesn’t mean bland. Use spices and fresh ingredients to make healthy food delicious again. An air fryer is a great tool for any busy family, as you can quickly cook tasty meals without too much fat.

You can even use your air fryer to cook treats. For example, this easy air fryer chocolate chip cookies recipe is ideal for beginners and children to tackle. Even better, you have some amazing fresh cookies to enjoy.

Get Your Kids Involved

One way to kill two birds with one stone is to get your children involved in cooking. This way, you get some home-cooked meals and you can spend more quality time with your children. It’s important for parents to bond with their kids and teaching valuable life skills is a great way to do it.

Teaching your children how to cook is important because it helps them to grow up to become responsible, independent adults. As well as teaching them the skill of cooking, you can integrate other skills and teach them how to apply what they learn in school in their lives.

If your children need to measure ingredients, then they need to know how to add and subtract, as well as convert different measurements. They might need to multiply or divide to scale a recipe up. They need to know how to read and follow directions. Once they’re old enough to handle a knife, they learn fine motor skills. They can flex their creative muscles in the kitchen.

Finally, your children can learn the responsibility of planning and cooking a meal. Even better, once they can handle the cooking once a week or so, that’s one less chore for mom and dad.

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

Functional Food: The 3 Best Family Meals You Can Batch-Cook

March 6, 2023 By Anne

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Ensuring we provide tasty nutritious meals for our families when we lead such a busy life is taxing. When there’s work to do, extracurricular activities to manage, and the less-than-easy task of looking after your home, you may find it hard to get everything in balance, especially when it comes to the right meals, but this is where batch cooking comes to the rescue! Batch cooking is, very simply, cooking a larger portion of your favorite foods that you can store for future use, either in freezers or in the fridge for later in the week. Here are some of the best batch-cooked meals out there you can cook.

Sloppy Joes

One of the old-fashioned staples for most kids growing up, Sloppy Joes are easily freezable and when you create such a massive amount, a lot of people are concerned when they bring something out of the freezer that it either loses its texture and goes all runny, but this is nothing to be concerned about when it comes to Sloppy Joes because they are already sloppy in nature! If you feel they are too runny after you take them out of the freezer, just brown them off in the frying pan to reduce the liquid!

Casseroles

The great thing about having a slow cooker is that you can make meals with minimum effort. Another great benefit is that most of these meals can be portioned up and frozen. A little trick if you want to maximize freezer space is to not portion up less solid meals into Tupperware boxes, but instead, put them in freezer bags. This means that you may have to cut up the meat into smaller portions for it to maintain that liquidy consistency, but when you have more freezer space, you can get into the habit of batch-cooking a meal whenever you have some time spare. The great thing about batch-cooked meals is that they last at least up to six months in the freezer. Just make sure you put the date the meal was cooked on the Tupperware box or freezer bag!

Lasagna

One of those dishes that tastes amazing, in or out of the freezer. Lasagna is an amazing way for you to not just create a filling family staple, but is the perfect opportunity to load this dish with lots of vegetables. Your children may very well turn their noses up at the sight of vegetables, which is why you can benefit from making your own tomato sauce that has a wide variety of onions, carrots, zucchinis, peppers, and almost anything to create this amazing base. The benefit of this type of tomato sauce is that you can also freeze it, making short work of pasta dishes beyond lasagna, but spaghetti bolognese and even chili!

Ensuring we have an idea of the best batch-cooked meals we can portion up is critical because it means we’re not just working more effectively within the time constraints, but we’ve also got more opportunities to do the things that we want!

Anne

3 Unique Vacation Ideas Every Traveler Will Love

February 17, 2023 By Anne

I mage Credit: Dennisflarsen from Pixabay.

The recent pandemic meant everybody was cooped up in their home and there was no opportunity to travel. With everything easing up, however, there’s no time like the present to book yourself a trip. Nobody wants to settle for something bog standard, though.

A few unique vacation ideas every traveler will love should more than fit the bill. Since there are countless options for this, it’s difficult to figure out where to start. Three top options stand out, as they’ll be more interesting than you’d expect, as well as being a lot of fun. It’s worth considering each of them.

Unique Vacation Ideas Every Traveler Will Love: 3 Top Options

1. Sporting Getaway In Georgia

If you’re looking for a more sport-focused vacation, then Georgia is always worth considering. The 100-acre Sandy Creek Sporting Grounds will more than fit the bill for all of your sporting needs. Add in the scenic beauty, and you shouldn’t have a problem enjoying yourself.

As a sporting fan, this should be a must-visit at some point, especially if you’re traveling on a budget. Even if you’re there for a week or two, you’ll have more than enough to do without needing to spend a lot on it. Put it at the top of your list.

2. Family Fun In South Carolina

South Carolina’s beauty knows no bounds, and it offers more than a bit of fun for the whole family. Look no further than Myrtle Beach to see that. It’s got more than a few activities that’ll keep you and your kids entertained for the entire time. From mini-golf to go-kart tracks, you’ll be spoiled for choice.

You wouldn’t need to break the bank with this, however, as it’s one of the more budget-friendly family vacations you can go on. The hotels will be more affordable than you’d think, and so will all the activities you can do. If you’re on a budget, it’s more than worth considering.

3. Zipline Through Branson

Branson is a beautiful place to visit for more than a few reasons. While it gets tourists, it isn’t one of the more well-known places to go, so you won’t need to worry about it being overcrowded. You’ll be free to enjoy everything without having to wait too long.

Coupled with that are the countless activities you can take part in. Branson Ziplines can be one of the more recommended, as you can get a much better view of everything while still having fun. With how beautiful the area is, it’s something you shouldn’t miss out on.

Unique Vacation Ideas Every Traveler Will Love: Wrapping Up

There are more than a few unique vacation ideas every traveler will love, some of which will be much more interesting than you’d think. That adds to the fun, and you shouldn’t have a problem making memories you’ll look back on fondly.

Ziplining through Branson, getting some sport in Georgia, and having some family fun in Georgia can all be recommended. With how affordable and exciting they could be, there’s no reason not to give them a go.

Anne

Discover The Perfect Destination For Your Journey

February 9, 2023 By Anne

When it comes to planning a vacation, choosing the right destination can be a daunting task. Where should you go? What are the must-see attractions? How much money will you need? All these questions can make it challenging to decide on just one location. To help make this process easier, here are some of the most important factors to consider when selecting your next travel destination.

Budget & Affordability

Budget and affordability are the first and most crucial factors to consider when selecting a travel destination. No matter how amazing a place looks in photos, it’s best to look elsewhere if it’s not within your budget. It pays to be realistic when setting a budget. Consider all costs associated with your trip, including flights, accommodation, food, activities, and souvenirs. Research prices before booking your trip, so you know exactly what you’re getting into financially. Once you have the numbers in front of you, it will be easier to determine which destinations fit your budget and which ones don’t.

Photo by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi

Weather & Climate Conditions

You may want to relax by the beach or go hiking in the mountains – but if neither of those is possible due to weather conditions, then it won’t be a great experience! So, take into account seasonal climate differences from region to region before making any final decisions about where to go for your travels. For example, if you plan on going skiing during wintertime, then naturally, countries like Canada or Switzerland would be better suited than countries such as Thailand or India, which don’t get snowfall at that time of year.

Attractions & Activities

Once you know where you want to go and how much money you have available to spend, you can start looking into attractions and activities at each destination. Some places offer more cultural experiences while others are filled with nightlife venues – so think carefully about what type of experience appeals more to you! If particular attractions interest you, then research them thoroughly beforehand for some travel tips or insider knowledge that may be helpful.

Safety & Security

Safety should always come first when traveling abroad – no matter how excited or eager you may feel about your upcoming trips! Before deciding on any specific destinations, research safety measures (e.g., embassy contact information). Also, look up crime statistics in areas where visitors commonly stay and general safety tips for traveling abroad (e.g., do not carry large amounts of cash). Knowing these types of details ahead of time will help ensure peace of mind throughout your entire journey!

Travel Time & Flight Duration

Finally, travel time and flight duration are another essential factor to consider when choosing a travel destination. Consider how much time you’re willing to spend in the air when selecting a destination. For example, if you only have a few days off work, then it may not be wise to book a trip to Europe from North America due to the long flight duration. On the other hand, if you can spare an extra week or two for travel, then spending the extra money on a longer flight may be worth it.

When it comes to choosing a travel destination, there are many factors to consider. From budget and affordability to travel time and flight duration, make sure to thoroughly research each aspect before booking anything. That way, you can be confident that your chosen destination is perfect for your next adventure!

Anne

How To Choose The Right Caregiver For Your Loved One

January 27, 2023 By Anne

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According to a report by the Family Caregiver Alliance, approximately 34.2 million Americans have provided unpaid care to an elderly person in the last year. Choosing the right caregiver for a loved one can be a challenging task. No matter how difficult it can be, it is crucial to ensure they receive the best care. So, if you’re searching for the best caregiver for your elderly loved one, here are some things to look out for.

Assess their qualifications and experience

A qualified and experienced caregiver will have the necessary skills and knowledge to properly care for your loved one. They should have a background in healthcare, such as a nursing degree or certification in a related field. Additionally, they should have experience working with patients with similar medical conditions to your loved one. For example, if your loved one has dementia, it helps to look for a caregiver who has experience working with the same medical condition. Furthermore, when looking at qualifications, check if the caregiver has a valid license or certification that is up to date and not expired. It will help to find out if the potential caregiver has any continuing education courses planned. That may eat into their time and can hinder proper patient care. Aside from the qualifications and certifications, find out if they know basic caregiving skills, especially regarding mobility. Proper medication administration and knowledge of emergency procedures are also vital.

Check their references and background

References and backgrounds are among the top three things to do when searching for the best caregiver. A person’s past and work history can provide ample information on whether they are the right fit for the job. Clients who fail to do due diligence face problems with hired caregivers. Assuming you received a caregiver from a nursing home facility, only to realize that the organization failed to do their checks, you may ask yourself, can you sue a nursing home for neglect if the new hire causes harm? Yes, you can. Indeed, this is why references and background checks cannot be overlooked in situations like this one. You and your loved one will feel more at ease when you know who is coming to provide care services.

Consider their personality and communication style

You will feel most comfortable with a caregiver who can connect with your loved one on a personal level and communicate effectively with them. Someone who is patient, compassionate, and has a good sense of humor can make a big difference in your loved one’s overall well-being. The person you pick must communicate effectively with other care team members, including doctors and nurses. Usually, the best option is someone who is empathetic and can understand your loved one’s emotional and psychological needs. If your elderly loved one has challenges with their speech, the caregiver must be well-versed in picking up on body language and nonverbal cues. The more pleasantly varied their communication style is, the happier you will be in choosing the right person.