Quick tips?

magdusia

Lets do "quick tips".  What are your all time favorite tips to make things go smoother in your household and easier for you?  Food or not food related. what ever comes to mind

 

1) Our house is completely milk, egg, soy, peanut free. No room for errors from anyone, including me.

2) I make THIS pizza dough once a month. Break it up into small little balls and freeze them.  So i can either make a fresh pizza roll any time or make pizza for DS and have the dough all ready.  I have used the pizza dough as toast, as a panini, as rolls.

3) I sometimes make my son's mac&chreese at night for the next 2 days so that i can just quickly throw it in the microwave for a quick side (doesn't work for veggies -he knows if it's fresh or not ; )

4) I use the crock pot for my DH's dinners couple of times a week. otherwise i need to make 3 different dinners (same sides and all, but DH eats meat, i do not).. Crock pot has been awesome!!!!!

5) I sometimes have my nanny bathe my son before I get home from work so i get to have 20 minutes extra of play time (or cook time).

Miller238

1) I make boiled eggs and wheat pasta at nights that is enough for a few days.  It is easy to just pick those up and go.

2) I will bake chicken or boil chicken on Sundays and have to just heat it up for her during the week for a quick dinner.

3) I will make a whole sweet potato and give her half one night and the other half the next night.

4) I don't use frozen fruit because it gets too soggy when it thaws and it is too messy, so we just buy organic fresh and give that to her.

5) We always have allergy free graham crackers on hand or raisins for a quick snack.

magdusia

Miller238:

5) We always have allergy free graham crackers on hand or raisins for a quick snack.

what brand of allergy free graham crackers do you use? i have one and they are too hard..  thx

Miller238

magdusia:

what brand of allergy free graham crackers do you use? i have one and they are too hard..  thx

I should say they are allergen-free for my daughter.  She is allergic to dairy, soy, barley, oat, rice, peanuts, tree nuts, etc.  They are the 365 Everyday Value brand from Whole Foods.

magdusia

Miller238:

magdusia:

what brand of allergy free graham crackers do you use? i have one and they are too hard..  thx

I should say they are allergen-free for my daughter.  She is allergic to dairy, soy, barley, oat, rice, peanuts, tree nuts, etc.  They are the 365 Everyday Value brand from Whole Foods.

the only difference is that Aiden is also allergic to eggs.  It might work.. i'll check them out. thanks!

blueyez09

We keep our Kitchen stocked with Semolina Pasta, Back to Nature Graham Sticks (very allergy friendly), food pouches (like Ella's Kitchen and Happy Tots), fresh fruit, Veggies, Ian's Allergy Friendly Fish Sticks, Wellshire Farm Chicken or Turkey Hot dogs (from Whole Foods), Coconut Milk, Rice Chex, Cheerios etc.

I make a batch of Cherrybrook Kitchens Chocolate Chip muffins and through in 2 over ripe bananas and freeze them, do the same with Cherry Brook Pancake Mix.

If anything LO always has food/snacks but DH and I not so much.

blue33

For laundry, I wash all of my little guys clothes on Fridays after work. I mate up all the outfits and iron and hang them in his closet. So during the weekday mornings, I just grab an outfit and we are out the door. Saves me tons of time in the morning. I do all cleaning on Friday nights also, so that I can get up early on Saturday, go to the gym and do my shopping or hair appointment, and then have the rest of the day to relax.

I make sure to pack his clean bottles and put the bag in the car. This bag contains his epi pen, sippy cup, and bottles. I keep an epi pen in my purse, and when our insurance authorizes "refills" (long story) I will get another pen for my husband's car and one for his day care. He is starting in 2 months (I am nervous). 

My son is still on purees, and so far, we just avoid eggs, peanuts, and cow's milk. So, no real routine regarding diet yet.

 

tosh24

1) I hired a cleaning lady. I love her.

2) I try to cook meals where I only have to switch one thing out a night for myself. That way, it's not like I have to make two separate meals. If it's pasta night, I will substitute rice pasta for myself, but I make sure the meat and veggies are ones that I can eat along with everyone else.

3) A deep freezer is my saviour. Every once in a while, I'll have a "kitchen day" and make soup broths, tomato sauce, bread, pancakes, muffins, and cookies. It's so easy to just pull whatever you need out of the freezer when you need it.

4) I always have bananas on hand. Easiest snack ever.

5) Potato hashbrown patties are my other lifeline. I use them as bread if I don't have a loaf on hand. Need a hamburger bun? No problem! Potato patties it is! I also used two to make myself a BBQ chicken sandwhich last night.

6) I plan my meals on Sunday mornings. I grab a few cookbooks, sign into allrecipes.com and plan a meal for every night of the week (I leave two nights free for leftovers). Then I make my grocery list. I find that I stay on budget better this way, it's a much quicker trip to the store, I never forget an ingredient, and I know what we're eating every day of the week so it's quick to prepare when I get home from work.

cynasmin

Miller238:

4) I don't use frozen fruit because it gets too soggy when it thaws and it is too messy, so we just buy organic fresh and give that to her.

 

really good frozen or in smoothies though

Miller238

cynasmin:

Miller238:

4) I don't use frozen fruit because it gets too soggy when it thaws and it is too messy, so we just buy organic fresh and give that to her.

 

really good frozen or in smoothies though

Totally agree!  If only my daughter would drink a smoothie.  She only drinks water and formula and wants nothing to do with flavored drinks!

magdusia

tosh24:

1) I hired a cleaning lady. I love her.

2) I try to cook meals where I only have to switch one thing out a night for myself. That way, it's not like I have to make two separate meals. If it's pasta night, I will substitute rice pasta for myself, but I make sure the meat and veggies are ones that I can eat along with everyone else.

3) A deep freezer is my saviour. Every once in a while, I'll have a "kitchen day" and make soup broths, tomato sauce, bread, pancakes, muffins, and cookies. It's so easy to just pull whatever you need out of the freezer when you need it.

4) I always have bananas on hand. Easiest snack ever.

5) Potato hashbrown patties are my other lifeline. I use them as bread if I don't have a loaf on hand. Need a hamburger bun? No problem! Potato patties it is! I also used two to make myself a BBQ chicken sandwhich last night.

6) I plan my meals on Sunday mornings. I grab a few cookbooks, sign into allrecipes.com and plan a meal for every night of the week (I leave two nights free for leftovers). Then I make my grocery list. I find that I stay on budget better this way, it's a much quicker trip to the store, I never forget an ingredient, and I know what we're eating every day of the week so it's quick to prepare when I get home from work.

oh yeah! that's huge! we got one about 6 months ago and i LOOOOVE it!!!!!! you can buy so much more and it lasts so much longer. 

Do you make your own hashbrown patties or do you buy them? I might give that a try.  my son doesn't like potatoes, but maybe he'll like a hashbrown pattie 

tosh24

magdusia:

oh yeah! that's huge! we got one about 6 months ago and i LOOOOVE it!!!!!! you can buy so much more and it lasts so much longer. 

Do you make your own hashbrown patties or do you buy them? I might give that a try.  my son doesn't like potatoes, but maybe he'll like a hashbrown pattie 

I buy my hashbrown patties. I don't remember the brand off hand, but it's the only brand I could find that doesn't use wheat flour. And I just found it in my regular grocery store (Ha! That rarely happens!). I can update this with the brand name later this evening when I get home.

magdusia

tosh24:

magdusia:

oh yeah! that's huge! we got one about 6 months ago and i LOOOOVE it!!!!!! you can buy so much more and it lasts so much longer. 

Do you make your own hashbrown patties or do you buy them? I might give that a try.  my son doesn't like potatoes, but maybe he'll like a hashbrown pattie 

I buy my hashbrown patties. I don't remember the brand off hand, but it's the only brand I could find that doesn't use wheat flour. And I just found it in my regular grocery store (Ha! That rarely happens!). I can update this with the brand name later this evening when I get home.

thanks.. i'm curious if my DS can have it.  I find a ton of fries in stores but he doesn't like them. even when i make them myself he won't eat them -i really don't think he likes potatoes.  EVEN yummy mash potatoes he won't eat -weirdo