Whether you’re a mom who counts down the days to school starting or not (no judgment here!), the reality is that life with kids gets busier in the fall. Like, a lot busier.
If there’s a parent out there who isn’t time-crunched, we have yet to meet them. That’s why we’re sharing some of our favorite time-saving hacks for busy moms.
Time-Saving Hacks for Busy Moms #1: Frozen Is Your Friend
You might associate frozen food with unhealthy food if you grew up with pizza snacks and other questionable frozen entrees. If that’s the case, forget what you think you know about frozen food! Freezing fruits and vegetables actually locks in nutrients and freshness, and today there are many wonderful and healthy options available. Even just a bag of frozen pre-cut veggies can make your next stir-fry so much easier.
So don’t be afraid to peruse the frozen aisle at your grocery store, and don’t be afraid to freeze your own food (find tips on how to freeze and use your own frozen food here).
#2: Meal Prep
Frozen food ties in with our second busy mom hack: meal prep. When the kiddos are back in school and everyone’s on the go, we recommend you meal prep like your life – or at least, your schedule – depends on it.
For some people, meal prep is a way of life, and you won’t need us to offer any insight. But if you haven’t fully gotten on the bandwagon yet, think small. Don’t worry about making a week’s worth of meals in one day (although again – if you can do this, we salute you!). Instead, consider doubling up the next time you make a good freeze-worthy meal. This way, you’re basically making two meals for the time of one.
It’s also easy to whip up and freeze extra pancakes and waffles. Then you just need to pop them in the toaster on busy mornings. It’s also easy to prepare smoothie ingredients and freeze them individually, so that all you need to do is throw them in the blender with your favorite nut milk for a quick and healthy on-the-go breakfast or snack.
A bonus meal prep hack: package individual servings whenever you’re freezing things. It’s so much easier when you can just pull out and thaw exactly what you need.
#3: Make Snacking Easy
As busy moms, we can’t be all things to all people, and we can’t cook all things for all people, either. So, we like to focus on making healthy and nutritious meals, relying on healthy but much quicker options for snacks.
See all of our easy (and super quick) after school snacks here for a little inspo. We’re talking things like apple slices and nut butter, veggie kebabs, and energy balls and muffins you can easily make in advance. For example, our kids love Vegan Strawberry Lemon Muffins, which are (thankfully) only sweetened with our Strawberry Lemon SuperFruit Freezies and real fruit, so they're refined-sugar-free!
And while homemade is great, it’s not always a do-able option for snacks. We love these premade, healthy and #kidapproved snacks from Walmart when we’re swamped on time.
#4: Simplify Shopping
Grocery shopping has never been easier for busy moms. In fact, when you’re really crunched for time, you can skip it all together! Our SuperFruit Freezies are available to order online, for example. And they’re available in Walmart in the United States, which has delivery and shipping options available, too.
So, forget spa days and manicures. We say that grocery delivery is the best form of self-care!
