Healthy Meals for Busy Lives

Prep, Glorious Prep!

~ Midwest Storyteller

I fully disclose that as a Certified Lifestyle Coach I do, at times, receive monetary compensation as such. See The Fine Print on the “About Me” page of this blog.

Have you made peace with the fact that life is full of surprises?  That, I believe, is a great step we all must take if we’re going to reach any measure of maturity.  Going with the flow, rolling with the punches – whatever you choose to call it – we may as well face up to it – anything can happen and on any given day, it usually does. 

I’ll tell the whole story soon, but you’ve probably already gathered that we had an unexpected Christmas surprise of the ugly, scary variety.  The preparations for the big event came to a screaming halt.  The duck was in the oven.  The homemade orange sauce simmered on the stove.  The “Happy Birthday, Jesus” cupcakes awaited their frosting.  Then came “the thing” and the call to 9-1-1 and the responders who hauled my Smuffy out the front door and into the ambulance.

None of those special preparations mattered anymore.  Pookie turned the oven off and threw things into the fridge.  I found shoes and a sweater, hopped into the front of the ambulance and what was to have been our family Christmas celebration turned into hour after hour of uncertainty and prayer in the emergency room.

On the way to the hospital, I called some close friends for prayer and asked them to call others.  Then, a thought occurred to me.  How long would this ordeal last?  I would go without food or water before I would leave Smuffy’s side and I might get shaky or not be able to think straight if this went on and on.  I remembered something I had made up ahead and called Pookie, asking her to bring me the container of Chocolate Berry Boost Bars (a THM “S” treat) I had in the fridge and a big cup of water.  If I needed sustenance, I’d have fuel that was protein filled and be able to hydrate myself and stay right by his side rather than wander around looking for a vending machine full of sugar-laden junk.

Home from the hospital, I needed to give Smuffy extra care and set my phone alarm to give him meds every three hours around the clock.  He needed food and I needed food and (wouldn’t you know it?) I started getting sick.

I have never been so glad to be a food prepper in my life!  I’ve always done some prepping, but eating according to the THM plan has really honed my skills.  Rather than scrounging for junk, over-cooked and sodium loaded canned soup or boxes with frozen dinners, I was able to warm up whichever homemade, nutritious meals I had prepped ahead and frozen.  Although we wouldn’t have been excited about the flavors in anything, this was a lifesaver! 

We were able to have Egg Roll in a Bowl, Sweet Potato Oat Soup, Sunny Southwest Trimmy Bisque and more, just by taking it out of the freezer and reheating it.  We didn’t have to impose on Pookie to come by and do cooking marathons or to do endless drive-throughs.  She had enough Florence Nightingale duties to perform and she did them cheerfully.

I’ve learned to love to prep ahead because of the time, stress and mess it saves, but early on, I questioned myself a lot.  Why would someone who is supposed to be an empty-nester need to be doing all this?  Now, however, I’ve had a strong reminder of how anything can happen – and will – and how valuable this practice can be when it does.

It’s a new year and if you’ve had that gnawing feeling that you really could improve in this area, check out some of my earlier helps, such as make-ahead packets here.

Soups are one of the greatest prep-ahead meals.  Make a big pot, have it for your meal and immediately dip it up into containers to freeze.  I like to save my large containers from Fage 0% Fat Greek Yogurt, my very favorite yogurt in the world.  This way, all my containers are the same and all the lids fit interchangeable and the 33.5 ounces is just right to thaw out and serve up for a meal for Smuffy, Lil’ Snookie and myself with some leftover.  I also do a few single-serve containers for times when that’s all I need to thaw.

Prepping Soups to Freeze www.midweststoryteller.com

Here is how I prep and label soup to freeze.  You may think you’ll remember what’s in that container, but don’t count on it!  I use the super-sticky full-adhesive post-it notes to write the name of the soup and whether or not it’s an “S” (satisfying) or “E” (energizing) meal so I can easily plan what I’m having on the side. This Sunny Southwest Trimmy Bisque from the “Trim Healthy Table” cookbook is one of our favorites and Smuffy asks for it.

Trim Healthy Mama has not only helped us to eat healthier and lose weight, it has helped to mature me so much in the area of planning ahead for taking care of my family when they need it most.

You probably don’t need a resolution or a goal for this year as those tend to be abandoned pretty quick due to their loftiness.  What you might really need is a turn-a-round.  How about just going in a new direction in a healthier, better way and taking one step at a time?

If you need support in your journey to better health and weight loss, head to the Contact page and let me know.  I’ll give you all the info on group sessions which I conduct locally in person on a weekly basis.  Private coaching can be done in person or by phone.  Share with friends and let’s see how many are ready to get Trim & Healthy!

The Trim Healthy Mama Plan is a great way to boost your immune system and we all need that right now, don’t we?  Leave a comment and let me know some of the simple ways you like to prep ahead for the busy days and the unexpected change in plans

I’m so thankful to the Lord for answering the multitude of prayers for Smuffy that arrived at His throne on Christmas Day. Smuffy and I are filled with hope for the year ahead and gratefulness that we are still together!  I’m so happy to have him back with me, healed and whole, and I’m happy to be a prepper!

Life with Smuffy (Special Episode – Part 4 of ?): “My Not-A-Kitchen Kitchen”

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 4 Comments

We still have no kitchen as we live in this cluttered world of hitches and compromises.  So, you may ask, how does a Trim Healthy Mama who is dedicated to eating healthy managing to keep on track during all this?  Let me introduce you to my Not-A-Kitchen!

These photos are really embarrassing, but hopefully will make the end reveal all the more glorious. And, please forgive the spastic decorating. I find that as things change, I keep poking things onto empty nails “for now” and the house is starting to look like I’ve lost my marbles. The chairs will go also – just gotta give Smuffy the time to get my new old ones re-done. Poor fella.

I’m hoping the reveal of this mess may help someone else who is going through something similar and knows that you can’t eat out all the time – not if you want to be trim, healthy and pay for a renovation!  The last thing we need around here is for me or Smuffy to get sick in the middle of the remodel.  That happened to us years ago and I still have PTKSS (Post Traumatic Kitchen Stall Syndrome) from that experience that put us three weeks behind and left us with a two-year-old and nothing – nothing – but a microwave in the otherwise empty kitchen for the whole time. 

I followed my original plan for daily function by shoving my dining room table as far over as possible to make room for incoming cabinets and then filling it with everything we’d be needing on a daily basis. I covered it with a felt-backed vinyl tablecloth first so that it would survive the ordeal.

Not-A-Kitchen Kitchen MidwestStoryteller.com

Tall items at the back included a rack of plates and bowls, a spice rack and the mixer.  In front of that, I lined up glassware and often used items such as salt and pepper, olive oil and salad vinegar, nuts, jars of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and other things we grab to snack on and, of course, my big, fat jar of Dutch cocoa powder because, though I may not have a kitchen, I’ve gotta live!

I left an empty strip along the front for food prep and placed a cutting mat there.  This area also serves to hold the hot plate, crock-pot or whatever else may be in use at times when Smuffy is pounding away and I can’t get into the kitchen at all.

Smuffy had built huge new drawers for the new kitchen, but prior to them being installed, I stacked them on one another and filled the top one with flatware and utensils so they’d be in easy reach.  Needless to say, we fill our plates and head into the living room to eat.

My “buffet” (I think this is, in reality, a gentleman’s dresser that has seen changes over time) now serves as Appliance Row with the food processor, blender and toaster oven perched atop a towel and ready to go when I need them.  One of my old wall cabinets got its doors removed and is shoved against a wall and filled with plasticware and other food prep items we might want to grab.

Appliance Row MidwestStoryteller.com

Over in the “new” kitchen, once Smuffy got the base cabinets in, I was relieved to find that the holes in the tops were the perfect size to catch the rims of my cookie sheets!  We take our small blessings where we can find them and give thanks for them.  I filled in an area and plopped in some cutting boards.  Then, as if in direct answer to prayer, Smuffy discovered that one of our old cabinet doors dropped in perfectly to another cabinet top!  We celebrated that discovery by placing the hot plate there and felt like we were really getting somewhere!  Sort of.

Cooktop MidwestStoryteller.com

The problem remained that we had no water.  Family came to the rescue, sending us jugs of drinking water, but as for rinsing things for the dishwasher and washing up anything extra, we were running back and forth to the bathtub.

That is, until that glorious day!  Smuffy, that man of many talents, installed a true farmhouse sink!

Farmhouse Sink MidwestStoryteller.com

I’m feeling mighty stylish over here!  This is where we stand until countertops are finalized.  I love the way he placed the decorative part to the front so I would remember not to insert the grandchild.

Take heart if you are in the midst of a makeover.  We’ll get through.  When?  I have no idea.  In the meantime, I’m fixing healthy, balanced meals or pulling out frozen versions of the same that I prepared in advance and stashed in the freezer. In case you didn’t notice the bottle warmer and formula in the photos, I’ll point out that I am caring for my four-month-old grandbaby most days in the midst of it all. I have to admit there are days when I’m just a tad pooped.

If you have a friend in the middle of a renovation and finding themselves disheartened, share this post.  It helps to know you’re not alone.

That’s the tour of my Not-A-Kitchen.  Stay tuned for what I hope will be next – my pantry and remaining cabinetry and their insides.  Then, countertops!  I’m expecting to be downright giddy when that happens.

Now I’m leaving you hanging again.  I’ll bet this has your curiosity piqued more than back when some of you were wondering who shot J. R.  Others will have to do a search on that.  Life With Smuffy is never dull.  That’s why he has his own page here on the blog.  (He’s not all about construction, you know.)  If you need adventure and laughs, check that out.

Missed a portion of my kitchen makeover story?  It all began with “Death of a Kitchen”, followed by “A Glimmer of Hope and Stainless Steel” and “Birth Pains of a Kitchen”.  Catch up on those and you’ll be ready for the next installment.

I’ll be sharing some of the meals I made ahead in order to get through this. and some of the ones I was able to whip up without losing my marbles in my Not-A-Kitchen.

Can I have your kitchen remodel ideas?  What would you have in your dream kitchen that you don’t have now?  Leave a comment!