Fast and Healthy Meals Tricks from a Mom of Five Boys

Looking great starts with feeling great. Taking care of yourself is important – but where do you start? Visit MerckEngage for some good ideas like Health Goals—Small Steps to Getting Healthier . Learn how to set how to get started. Are you too busy? If you can find just 10 minutes a day we can help. Now read on to see Fast and Healthy Meals Tricks from a Mom of Five Boys. Cooking with resentment. That's pretty much how I feel about making dinner after a long busy day. The idea of prepping for dinner, cooking dinner, spending 15 minutes eating with a ravenous clan (my family of four), then cleaning up after dinner...well, lets just say I'd rather stick pins in my eye. I need a quick, but healthy meals ideas. I need inspiration, short cuts, easy recipes and a little love in the kitchen. For all those and more, I turn to someone that manages mealtime every night for a family of seven (five boys between the ages 4 - 13 years old, plus her AF active duty husband). Sharon Smith, is a busy mom of growing boys and a fellow military spouse living at Ramstein AB, Germany. She is also a professional artist and Goodfellow AFB MSOY 2013. Surely, she has enough practice managing hurried mealtime than most. I sat down with her recently to find out some of her favorite tips, tricks and healthy go-to-recipes she uses in a pinch. How do manage to feed five growing boys and a husband every night with healthy dinners without pulling out your hair? Sharon: I have lots of bald spots. Ha! No really, it's never easy, but I no choice but to manage the growing men. The key is to have LOTS of staples on hand, especially proteins. With my size family, I have a freezer stocked; I mean seriously stocked, full of chicken, turkey and other meat. And a cupboard stocked with basics like brown rice, chicken stock and other essentials. I can make something healthy and fast if I have the basics on hand. I mainly go to the commissary for fresh vegetables, fruit and dairy once or twice a week. Do you menu plan for the week? Sharon: Oh, gosh, no! I can't because our lives are too busy - school, my painting, my husband's crazy schedule - it would drive me nuts to not have things go as planned. I'm more of a palate cook - I know the flavors of what I want to cook and eat for the week and I buy accordingly. I always have the basics around to fill in the flavor profile I need. Do you ever eat out? Sharon: Rarely. It would cost my family way too much money to feed five boys and a husband. Also, if we eat out, I can't control the fat content, sodium and nutrients in the dinner. It's just healthier and more affordable to eat at home. Any tips for grocery shopping? Sharon: I shop around the U. By that I mean, I shop on the outside lanes of the grocery store. That's where you find all the good stuff like fresh meat, produce, diary and the bread. Of course, I shop for snacks, juice boxes, can foods, mixes and items like in the other aisles. However, 80% of my grocery basket is filled it items from the U. I just don't trust food that has a crazy long shelf life. Any other mealtime tips? I usually lay out a tray of fresh vegetables and fruit about an hour before dinner. That way my boys don't bug me about being hungry before dinner. Hungry? Eat celery, tomatoes and carrots. That does the trick. Also, I don't let them fill up on milk before dinner. Milk is only for dinnertime or I would go through four gallons a day. Can you share any of your fast, delicious and healthy meals you use in a pinch? Chicken Curry in Hurry 4 chicken breast cubed and cooked 1 can of reduced fate coconut milk 1 can of diced tomatoes 1 chopped onion 1 TBS of Curry seasoning 1 handful of fresh spinach salt and pepper to taste 1 TBS of EVOO Brown rice Saute chopped onion in EVOO and the curry seasoning until onion is clear. Add coconut milk and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil stirring constantly, 5 minutes. Add fresh spinach, stir in and cook for an additional 15 min on low heat. Serve over steamed rice. Busy Day Beef Tips 2 lbs. of beef tips 1 package of onion soup mix 2 jar of salsa 1 box of whole-wheat pasta or brown rice Combine beef tips, soup mix and salsa in to plastic bag or glass container with lid. Seal and marinate for one hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer to casserole dish and bake for 45 minutes. Serve over past or rice. Crockpot Cordon Blue Layer the following in your crockpot 4-5 boneless chicken breast cut into chunks (bottom of crockpot) ½ a package of black forest ham - deli sliced 3-5 slices of Swiss cheese 1 can of cream of mushroom soup (fat free) 2 cups of chicken stock or broth ½ bag of stuffing Serve with a salad or fresh roasted vegetables. Cook for 10 hours on high.

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