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May 30, 2025, 01:10 AM

Homemade Meals Made Easy: Cooking from Scratch

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You’re incredibly busy! One thing that shouldn’t add to your stress is figuring out how to get meals on the table. Join me as I share with you how from-scratch cooking can transform your home into a haven of wholesome, delicious meals.

Cooking from scratch is more than just a culinary choice. It’s an opportunity to reconnect with the essence of food, build relationships in the kitchen, https://homesteadingfamily.com/finding-joy-in-a-home-centered-life/">find the joy in homemaking, and create dishes made with love and care.

This post was originally published in 2024 where I shared my tips for getting three home-cooked meals on the table every day. I have since updated it with my podcast interview with Melissa K. Norris. Together, we’re sharing our top tips to make cooking from scratch realistic.

You can watch or listen to both podcast episodes below:

Why I Love Cooking From Scratch

In this fast-paced world where your family is going in all different directions, it can feel rather daunting to https://homesteadingfamily.com/meal-planning-on-the-homestead/">meal plan on your homestead and put three home-cooked meals on the table each day. But would you believe that reaching for those processed convenience foods doesn’t really save you that much more time?

As a simple example, I timed how long it would take to open, reconstitute, and heat a can of condensed soup vs. my https://homesteadingfamily.com/cream-of-chicken-soup-recipe-or-any-cream-of-soup-recipe/">homemade cream of chicken soup recipe. The homemade version took just two minutes longer!

Just like the strategies used in https://homesteadingfamily.com/my-secret-to-running-a-productive-household/">running a productive household, some basic systems can make cooking from scratch easier than you might think. It just requires a mindset shift: you take inventory of your priorities and consider the true cost of convenience foods.

So, what benefits do you stand to gain when cooking from scratch? There are many…

Improved Health – You have control over every ingredient that goes into your meals, allowing you to avoid processed foods with questionable additives that are detrimental to your health. You can feed your family real, wholesome ingredients that nourish your body, including https://homesteadingfamily.com/homemade-baby-food/">nutritious homemade baby food!

Taste – There’s no debate about this one. The flavor of from-scratch recipes is far superior to their processed counterparts.

Economical – By preparing meals at home, you can https://homesteadingfamily.com/how-to-save-money-on-groceries/">save money on groceries and https://homesteadingfamily.com/3-must-do-things-to-increase-self-sufficiency/">increase your self-sufficiency.

Relationships – Typically, fast foods are consumed in a rush. However, families tend to slow down and enjoy a home-cooked meal together even before the meal is served. The aroma of the meal cooking often lures others to the kitchen area, where great conversations begin. Additionally, many hands make light work. Cooking a meal together strengthens relationships and creates memories for many years to come.

A Typical Day of Home-Cooked Meals

Over the years, our family has fallen into a pattern of eating that largely contributes to my success in providing home-cooked meals. Here is what a typical day of meals might look like on our homestead.

Breakfast – I understand https://homesteadingfamily.com/the-importance-of-a-healthy-breakfast/">the importance of a healthy breakfast rather than grabbing a convenient muffin on the go. But, I have a confession… I’m not a morning person! That’s where https://classes.homesteadingfamily.com/Carolyns-make-ahead-casseroles?_ga=2.80615442.445853851.1708008149-1951198221.1705536881&_gl=1*4jp5vu*_ga*MTk1MTE5ODIyMS4xNzA1NTM2ODgx*_ga_BJ7Z9KQBQ6*MTcwODAwODE0OC4zNC4xLjE3MDgwMDgxNTcuMC4wLjA.*_ga_6G797LETGT*MTcwODAwODE0NC4zNC4xLjE3MDgwMDgxNTcuNDcuMC4w*_ga_6239VFXFWK*MTcwODAwODE0OS4zMC4xLjE3MDgwMDgxNTcuNTIuMC4w">breakfast casseroles come to the rescue. We make these ahead of time for a quick, protein-rich hot breakfast. Other popular breakfast choices in our household are this https://homesteadingfamily.com/homemade-healthy-instant-breakfast-mix/">homemade healthy instant breakfast mix (pictured above), https://homesteadingfamily.com/whole-wheat-scones-recipe/">whole wheat scones, or this https://homesteadingfamily.com/instant-pot-oatmeal/">Instant Pot oatmeal.

Lunch – Lunch in our house often consists of leftovers from last night’s dinner, rice with a https://homesteadingfamily.com/how-to-pressure-can-black-beans/">jar of canned beans, a https://homesteadingfamily.com/how-to-can-beef-stew/">home-canned convenience meal, or https://homesteadingfamily.com/bread-soup-recipe/">homemade soup with sandwiches made with https://homesteadingfamily.com/making-homemade-dairy-practical/">cheese from our dairy cow and https://homesteadingfamily.com/no-knead-artisan-bread/">homemade bread.

Dinner – My heart and energy go into this meal. Dinner is a balance of a protein source, such as https://homesteadingfamily.com/how-to-raise-a-years-worth-of-meat/">poultry or meat we raise on the homestead, a cooked or raw vegetable, a starch or a root vegetable, and bread. This meal is most enjoyed by our family, not just because of the effort that goes into it, but because it is the time in our day when our family slows down to gather and enjoy one another’s company.

Getting your routine down may look a lot different from mine. For instance, Melissa developed her routine while she still worked outside the home, and uses her system to this day.

This focuses on using Sunday to prep and freeze her breakfasts for the entire week. She will also make a large cut of meat to have bones for bone broth and use the leftovers for various meals such as casseroles, pot pies, sandwiches, soups, etc.

Then for the rest of the week, she plans out just 2-3 days in advance what she will make for dinner, and uses leftovers for lunch.

I found that what creates success for everyone is looking for areas where your systems are breaking down and finding solutions. An example of a system failure might be forgetting to pull meat out of the freezer the night before.

My solution was to make my meal plan visible to the household and https://homesteadingfamily.com/planning-morning-chores-for-kids/">create an age-appropriate chore for one of our children to check the meal plan each day. They would then put the meat they needed for the following day in a defrosting dish to complete their chore.

Melissa’s solution is to pivot on those days by collecting an arsenal of recipes using ground beef, because many of these recipes you can cook the ground beef from frozen. Think about casseroles, tacos, sloppy joes, or https://homesteadingfamily.com/ground-beef-curry-recipe/">ground beef curry.

How to Start Cooking From Scratch

If you’re new to cooking from scratch, don’t worry! There are just a few steps to get started. Learning how to cook can be a fun and rewarding experience, and it all begins with the basics.

Master Basic Cooking Techniques – Before diving into complex recipes, it’s important to have a solid foundation of cooking techniques, such as learning knife skills and the differences between sautéing and stir-frying, boiling and simmering, and baking and roasting.

Be Intentional – As you develop your skills, set time aside to learn your craft. When intentional about your time, you are more likely to stick with it.

Prioritize Learning to Master Proteins – Before diving into side dishes, salads, breads, or even dessert, learn to master cooking a large cut of meat, such as https://homesteadingfamily.com/whole-roasted-chicken-recipe/">roasting a whole chicken, pot roast, or a https://homesteadingfamily.com/slow-cooker-bbq-pulled-pork-recipe/">slow-cooked pork shoulder. These large cuts of meat typically provide leftovers that can be used to make subsequent meals of casseroles, soups, tacos, sandwiches, etc.

Learn to Make a Roux – A roux is just a mixture of fat (butter, lard, etc.) with flour to thicken sauces, soups and stews. (For gluten-free, you can use cornstarch.) From there, you can add cream or cheese for a decadent sauce, bone broth for depth of flavor, or different spices and seasonings to give variety to whatever protein you have on hand.

Learn to Make Bone Broth – We use https://homesteadingfamily.com/instant-pot-chicken-bone-broth/">homemade bone broth in so many of our dishes, including soups, casseroles, rice, sauces, mashed potatoes, and steamed vegetables. Not only does it enhance the flavor of these foods, but it also boosts the nutrition.

Invest in Spices and Seasonings – Spices and seasonings are a critical factor in enhancing the flavor of your dishes, and many offer nutritional benefits as well. Don’t be afraid to play around with different combinations to find what your family does and doesn’t like. Homesteading Hack: You can save money by making your own seasoning blends like this https://homesteadingfamily.com/homemade-poultry-seasoning-recipe/">poultry seasoning, https://homesteadingfamily.com/garlic-and-herb-seasoning/">garlic and herb blend, https://homesteadingfamily.com/homemade-organ-meat-seasoning/">DIY organ meat seasoning, https://homesteadingfamily.com/homemade-celery-salt/">celery salt, and https://homesteadingfamily.com/homemade-garlic-salt/">garlic salt.

Implement Menu Planning – Menu planning is a crucial aspect of cooking from scratch. It reduces stress by helping you stay organized, saves time and money by using ingredients efficiently, and enables you to maintain a balanced diet. Here are a few guidelines to follow while menu planning:
- Create a weekly meal plan – Map out your meals for the week, considering the balance of proteins, vegetables, grains, and other food groups.
- Take inventory of ingredients – Check your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer to see what ingredients you already have on hand and incorporate them into your menu.
- Consider your schedule – Take into account busy days when you may have less time to cook, and plan easy and quick recipes for those days (or cook once and eat twice by batch cooking and utilizing https://homesteadingfamily.com/easy-freezer-meal-cooking-tips/">freezer meals).
- Plan for leftovers – Make larger portions of certain dishes to have leftovers that can be repurposed into new meals.

Is it Really Cheaper to Cook From Scratch?

Cooking from scratch can be a cost-effective way of preparing meals that save you money and support a healthier lifestyle. While there may be an initial investment in https://homesteadingfamily.com/7-pantry-staples-to-always-have/">stocking up your pantry with essential ingredients, the long-term savings are significant.

Here are a few tips to stretch your food budget:

Buy ingredients in bulk – https://homesteadingfamily.com/azure-standard-a-homesteading-family-review/">Purchasing ingredients in bulk can be more economical in the long run. Buying larger quantities of grains, beans, and spices allows for a lower cost per unit.

Meal planning – Plan your meals for the week, taking into account ingredients you already have and incorporating them into your recipes. This helps eliminate the need for last-minute grocery shopping and reduces the chances of unused ingredients going to waste.

Get creative with leftovers – https://homesteadingfamily.com/tips-for-a-zero-waste-home/">Reduce food waste by transforming leftover ingredients into new meals or repurposing them for future dishes. For example, https://homesteadingfamily.com/whole-roasted-chicken-recipe/">whole roasted chicken can be used in sandwiches, stir-fries, or salads the next day. Or, combine whatever staples and odds and ends you have to make https://homesteadingfamily.com/hoover-stew-recipe/">budget-friendly Hoover stew.

Create a Backup Plan – It is said, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” I take that one step further to recognize that in the busy times when we can most benefit from meal planning, these tend to be the hardest times to fit time in to get a meal plan made. If you have little ones or animals on your homestead, you know there are days when things just don’t go as you planned. Expecting failures and creating a backup plan will give you the flexibility to recover and keep things running smoothly. Instead of throwing in the towel and ordering pizza for the night, https://homesteadingfamily.com/building-up-your-long-term-food-storage-supply/">keep your pantry stocked with https://classes.homesteadingfamily.com/abundant-pantry-canning">canned convenience meals like https://homesteadingfamily.com/easy-canned-chicken-and-gravy-recipe/">canned chicken and gravy or https://homesteadingfamily.com/how-to-can-white-bean-chicken-chili/">white bean chicken chili or fill your freezer with some https://homesteadingfamily.com/easy-freezer-meal-cooking-tips/">make-ahead freezer meals like this https://homesteadingfamily.com/easy-meatloaf-recipe/">easy meatloaf recipe, https://homesteadingfamily.com/freeze-dried-or-frozen-chicken-pot-pie/">from-scratch chicken pot pie, https://homesteadingfamily.com/pot-roast-cottage-pie-recipe/">pot roast cottage pie, https://homesteadingfamily.com/chicken-masala-recipe/">chicken masala, and https://homesteadingfamily.com/easy-chicken-casserole-recipe/">easy chicken casserole.

Utilize the Slow Cooker and Instant Pot

When it comes to cooking from scratch, time is often a major factor. That’s where slow cookers and Instant Pots come in to save the day. These time-saving appliances can transform your cooking experience, allowing you to create delicious meals with minimal effort.

Let’s explore how slow cookers and Instant Pots can take your cooking from scratch to the next level.

The Magic of Slow Cookers

Slow cookers are the unsung heroes of the kitchen. With their low and slow cooking method, they transform tough cuts of meat into melt-in-your-mouth masterpieces.

Imagine coming home after a long day to the aroma of a tender https://homesteadingfamily.com/how-to-make-corned-beef-in-a-crock-pot/">corned beef from scratch or a savory slow-cooked stew. With a slow cooker, you can have these satisfying meals ready and waiting for you.

Slow cookers also excel at creating hearty soups, flavorful chilis, and aromatic sauces. The long, gentle cooking process allows flavors to meld together, resulting in rich and complex tastes. Plus, slow cookers are incredibly versatile; you can easily adjust the cooking time and temperature to suit your needs.

The Instant Pot Revolution

If slow cookers are the unsung heroes, then the Instant Pot is the superstar of kitchen appliances.

This multi-functional wonder can almost do it all! You can make tender roasts, https://homesteadingfamily.com/instant-pot-yogurt-recipe/">homemade yogurt, perfectly cooked grains, https://homesteadingfamily.com/tomato-soup-recipe/">quick and hearty soups, and https://homesteadingfamily.com/instant-pot-chicken-bone-broth/">bone broth that gels. The Instant Pot is like having multiple appliances in one, saving you time, money, and counter space.

For all it can do, it’s worth mentioning that I do not recommend https://homesteadingfamily.com/pressure-can-in-the-instant-pot/">pressure canning in an Instant Pot. Despite that limitation, the Instant Pot is a game-changer for cooks who want flavorful meals in a fraction of the time.

Free Canning Workshop

Now that you know how easy it is to start cooking from scratch, are you ready to fill your shelves with safe, healthy, home-canned convenience meals?

By the end of this https://classes.homesteadingfamily.com/meals_on_your_shelf_sign_up">FREE 4-day Video Workshop, you will have eight jars filled with convenience meals. (NO fancy equipment required!)

https://classes.homesteadingfamily.com/meals_on_your_shelf_sign_up">Sign up today for instant access and enjoy freedom from expensive and nutritionally inferior processed foods. You won’t believe how easy it is and how much better it tastes!

FAQ

What is cooking from scratch?

Cooking from scratch means preparing meals using fresh, whole ingredients instead of relying on pre-packaged or processed foods.

How do I start cooking from scratch?

To start cooking from scratch, learn basic cooking techniques, explore menu planning, and discover the benefits of meal planning.

Is it cheaper to cook from scratch?

Yes! Cooking from scratch helps you save money on groceries and reduces the need for expensive convenience foods.

What are the benefits of homemade baked goods?

Homemade baked goods taste better, and avoid questionable additives. Plus, you get to enjoy the delicious aroma that fills your kitchen!

What can I cook in a slow cooker or an Instant Pot?

Slow cookers and instant pots can be used to prepare tender meats, hearty soups, and flavorful stews with minimal effort.

Why should I cook from scratch?

Cooking from scratch allows you to create delicious and nutritious meals while saving money and eating real food.

Resources:

How to Put Three Homemade Meals on the Table Every Day

https://store.hardlotion.com/collections/homesteading-family-collection?rfsn=3358535.6f16bc&ref=ref" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">MadeOn skin care products (use code “homesteadingfamily” for 15% off your purchase)

https://classes.homesteadingfamily.com/meals_on_your_shelf_sign_up">Meals on Your Shelf/Roasted Tomato Soup

https://classes.homesteadingfamily.com/Carolyns-make-ahead-casseroles">Breakfast Casseroles

https://homesteadingfamily.com/how-to-pressure-can-black-beans/">Canned Beans

">Canning 15-Minute Pantry Meals

">20 Minute Meals (From Canned Food on the Shelf)

https://homesteadingfamily.com/how-to-can-beef-stew/">Canning Stew

">Homemade Bone Broth

Stop Buying Convenience Foods (Interview With Melissa K. Norris)

Where to Find Melissa:

https://melissaknorris.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Melissa K Norris Website

https://www.instagram.com/melissaknorris/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Instagram

https://www.facebook.com/melissaknorris/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Facebook

https://www.youtube.com/@MelissaKNorris" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">YouTube

Melissa’s Book: https://melissaknorris.com/books/hand-made/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Home and Handmade

Other Posts You May Enjoy

https://homesteadingfamily.com/how-to-beat-inflation-at-the-grocery-store/">How to Beat Inflation at the Grocery Store

https://homesteadingfamily.com/how-to-save-money-on-groceries/">How to Save Money on Groceries

https://homesteadingfamily.com/how-we-use-food-storage-barrels">How We Use Food Storage Barrels & Best Foods for Long-Term Storage

https://homesteadingfamily.com/7-pantry-staples-to-always-have/">7 Pantry Stables to Never Run Out Of

https://homesteadingfamily.com/building-up-your-long-term-food-storage-supply/">Building Up a Well-Stocked Pantry

            Transcript

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Josh: Hey, guys. This is Josh-

Carolyn: And Carolyn.

Josh: ... with Homesteading Family, and welcome to this week's episode of The Pantry Chat: Food for Thought.

Carolyn: So I'm going to talk about my techniques to be putting three homemade meals on the table every single day.

This episode of The Pantry Chat podcast is sponsored by MadeOn Skincare. MadeOn Specializes in skincare, specifically for dry skin, and they use as few ingredients as possible to get the job done. You guys, this is the type of skincare I would make myself if I had time to make it in my own home. The great thing is, Renee even shares her exact recipes with you. The Beesilk lotion bar is my go-to lotion when my hands get dry and cracked, and it's only made with three ingredients. Renee created it when she needed something to fix the splits in her fingers, cracks in her feet and then she found out that it also worked great on her son's seasonal eczema. Go to hardlotion.com/homesteadingfamily to find out what Josh's favorite MadeOn products are, and also, use the code, "homesteading family," for 15% off today's purchase.

Sp I said I would take this moment and jump right in and talk about something that I have been getting a lot of questions on, and that is how to keep healthy food on the table for a large family or for any family during a really busy time. And of course, I think for all of us, every time it is a busy time. So I'm going to talk about my techniques to be putting three homemade meals on the table every single day that might bring a little bit of sanity to your life. But I don't know, it'd be a little odd to do chit-chat without Josh to chit-chat with. So how are you guys doing? I hope you're doing well. If you are a new follower, we usually do some chit-chat at the beginning, talk about what's going on here on the homestead, but if you want to skip right ahead to the main topic, we always get that time stamped for you so you know exactly when to jump ahead too.

So hey, it is definitely fall here. I don't know if you guys have seen the pictures over on Instagram and Facebook, but the wood cook stove is up and running and we've been making meals on the wood cook stove. So that is a lot of fun here, really exciting, and that smell of wood smoke, just a little tinge of it in the kitchen just makes everything so cozy and so amazing. So we're absolutely loving. Aside from that, around here, all of a sudden, everybody got the sewing bug. So I've been busy giving some of the older girls some lessons on sewing, teaching them how to use their machines really well so that they can take off. They're now just kind of getting independent and really starting to.

Now, one of my personal goals this winter is to really move up in terms of our getting away from disposable items. I really want to move further and further towards that zero waste mark. We've been working on this for years, Josh and I, but this year I'm ready to take a whole nother leap. There's all sorts of household items that I would like to stop buying. There's a lot of things we already don't buy. We don't buy paper towels. We don't generally buy paper napkins unless there's some sort of a big event that a lot of people are coming over, but I know we could be doing better. Some of the toiletry items, some of the cleaning items, things like that, we could be doing a lot better on. So that's going to be one of my goals, and breaking out those sewing machines and having people in the house who want to sell is a huge benefit for that.

So I'm glad to be getting them going. So I'll have a little bit of extra help when it comes to getting their stuff done. They can jump right in and help with their own items that we want to stop buying disposable versions of. So anyways, that's some of the stuff going on here at our homestead. Hey, we'd love to hear what's going on with you. So leave a comment below and let us know what's going on. All right. So let's get to a question from a follower. This one is from Bethany. She actually sent this in by email. So thank you, Bethany. That's great. I just have such a soft spot for this in my heart, and I'll read it to you. You'll know why.

She says that she'd love to have more insight into the life of such a large family like ours. She grew up with only three kids in the household and she and her husband now have five, five years old and under. She just had twins in May. Already, she feels like she's outgrown the conventionally sized pots, pans, casserole dishes, et cetera for the cooking and knows that she's going to be feeding teenagers one day. "I know that you've done some Q and A's on time management, so I'm not asking about that, but I think your kids might've been closer in age like mine. I'm wondering if you have any advice or encouragement on getting through these early years with so many youngsters and how you lead the lifestyle you lead before you had the older kids that can help so much."

That is such a great question. To that, I just say, you know what? We didn't do nearly what we do now when all of our kids were little. What we did do though, was made a real point to slow down and include them in the things we did and hopefully, make it joyful. Maybe not even a fun occasion, but a joyful time together. Sometimes life just isn't fun. Chores aren't fun, but you can still feel really good about your contribution in it and have a joyful heart in it. So we really try to encourage them to have that joyful attitude and to demonstrate that while we slowed down enough to be able to get them involved, which a lot of times when they're little five, five years and under, that means they're not really helping honestly. They are actually making big messes. They're causing probably more work than they are worth in the kitchen in terms of their input in their help.

However, what you're doing is you're creating an environment where that kind of work is just what you do. It just standard. It's your work and your play. It's how you spend time together and it's a very normal as our children have aged, we now have... Our oldest is about 14 and then we have a 13 year old and then we have 12 year old and then we have a 10 year old, 10 and a half, right on down to the baby who's just two. So we've really seen this already come to fruition. I can't imagine what it's going to be like in another five years when we have a large number of older ones because already, we can get done so much in a day if we need to. The kids are jumping in with their own ideas, their own things that they want to do. They're jumping in with their own angles and really owning a lot of the projects. So I think that just that idea, slow down and don't do more than you can do while including the kids and doing it joyfully.

At five children, five and under, you might just be getting through laundry and getting good meals on the table, but include them in making good meals. Take the time to make homemade pasta or homemade bread with them in the kitchen. Yeah, that means you might have babies on your back, and a baby in the crib, and a baby... People close by, but keep them close. Let them get involved, even if it means just sticking their hands in a bowl of flour or something like that because they will love it and they'll just have great memories of it. Before long, they'll be saying, "Hey mom, you want me to make the pasta for dinner tonight?" And that'll be the moment where you feel like you've arrived. So stick with it. You're doing a great job. Give yourself a break, a cup of tea and make sure you get yourself a midday break every day. Take a few deep breaths, have a little bit of planning time at desk, have a little bit of quiet time. Those are really important things for moms when they're so many littles around. So thank you, Bethany.

That was such a great question. Thanks for asking. Okay. So today. We are talking about keeping meals on the table. Wow. This is a big topic. If you grew up in a home where eating home cooked food was the standard, this might not be such a challenge for you. But if you grew up in a fast paced world where you're grabbing food out, maybe at school lunches where the whole family's busy and going in different directions, and then all of a sudden, you're trying to put three meals a day on the table, that can be a little daunting. It can be a little challenging. So I'm going to share with you some of what I've learned through my years of keeping food on my family's table, some tricks that I've learned and just the systems that I've put into place.

Okay. So first of all, I want to tell you how our daily eating pattern usually goes. So my trick number one is for breakfast. I have a family who wants a hot breakfast every morning. That's a really important... Health-wise, I believe that's really important, but here's the thing. I'm not a morning person and I don't really like breakfast. So while I agree it's a really important thing and I really want to see my children eat a hot, healthy breakfast with protein in it, not a muffin or some just quick grab and go thing, I want a real breakfast on the table, I don't want to make it in the morning. So I have a super, super important secret weapon, which is my breakfast casseroles. We make breakfast casseroles during the week throughout the week, so that every single morning of the week, we can just pull something out of the refrigerator, stick it in the oven and between 45 minutes and an hour later, we have a hot, healthy breakfast on the table.

Now, I know I've talked about this before, and I also have a download for you guys. You guys can grab my... I think it's my top four favorite breakfast casserole recipes. I'll put the link in the description. So you guys can try those out too if you want. You can see some of our favorites that we eat. So we'll talk about making those a little bit later, but just know that it is part of our weekly routine to get those made, get those in the refrigerator and then the breakfast person, the person who's first up in the kitchen, that's a designated job. It's not just who happens to be there, the person who's in the kitchen first in the morning just turns the oven on. They slide them in cold. They don't even wait for the oven to preheat and they turn out great time. So that is really, really important to me is to get those breakfast, get that first meal of the day off to a great start.

Now, lunches, while they're homemade, they're also really, really simple because I try to make big dinners and I try to make enough to make sure that I have leftovers for the next day, sometimes leftovers for a few days. This is so important because it allows us just to heat something up really quickly and have it still be a really nutritious, really delicious meal, not just a quick throw together. That makes it really fast and easy. Okay, but there are those days when everybody ate all of the dinner, or maybe we did something like a quick convenience food, one of my home canned convenience foods. We'll talk about that in a few minutes. Maybe we did that instead and we don't have leftovers. So what do we do?

Well, I want the meal to be nutritious and I want it to be homemade, but I still need that to be really, really simple. So I've got a couple of different options that we go to in that case. One is we'll do a simple beans and rice. Just start some rice while I'm walking around the house late morning. Make sure that rice is done. Usually, it's a brown rice in our house and oftentimes, we'll have some leftover beans. If we don't have that, I have canned beans that I've home canned from dry. We make sure that we have a quick meal that everybody likes of just beans and rice and grab whatever condiments or vegetables I have in the refrigerator ready to go and let people add that. Sometimes it's cheese, sometimes it's a little cilantro or salsa on the top. It's just whatever I have on hand.

Now, some other options that I have that we'll make is maybe a quick cheese sandwich. Of course, we'll always have the option of grabbing another home canned convenience meal, which we have no problem doing. Something like a chili or anything like that at lunch is wonderful. Then dinners, I tend to try to go all out on the days that I have time. That's the meal that I really want to put my heart into. I want to make sure that we have a raw veggie, a cooked veggie, usually some sort of a starch or maybe a root vegetable on the side, and then a meat of some sort. Either that, or I'll do a dish like a homemade lasagna or something of that sort with a salad on the side, maybe some fresh bread. So I try to really kind of put my heart and my energy into that dinner, again, making sure that I make extras wherever I can so that we can have another meal or two to follow it up.

All right, getting your routine down. It may not look like mine, but understanding your needs is, I think, a first part of keeping meals on the shelf. For me, that really fell into place when I started realizing where the problems were. I did this because I went through this period where I wanted to get my household systems in order. I walked around for a week with a notebook, just a little notebook in my pocket in my hand. I noted the things that just weren't working or were causing me frustration or were not smooth running for me. One of the things I really found was that the meals needed to go smoothly in the morning and the lunchtime meal. That really helped me to step back and think about it. So maybe your solution is not to have a breakfast casserole. Maybe it's something different. Although, you should try those breakfast casseroles. They're really good. But maybe your solution is, your problem is more that your dinners aren't ready. Maybe it's that\ you're not remembering to defrost meat the day before.

Whatever it is, as soon as you start recognizing what that problem is, start coming up with a system, not just a one-time fix, but an actual system that gets into place that's going to help keep that running. For me, sometimes I have the problem of defrosting meat the night before. So I went to a system of meal planning, writing my meal plan up on a chalkboard wall and then it's one child's job at chore time to go look at that chalkboard, see what meat needs to be defrosted, go to the freezer, get it and get it in a defrosting pan for me. That just made things run so much more smoothly. So look at your systems and see where you are having a meal breakdown and look to fix that system. That's where you're going to start seeing your systems get smooth. You'll start figuring out what you need to do for breakfast, lunch and dinner to make your household run well. Okay.

So number two, I just mentioned it, and that's the meal planning. Now for years, I heard that old adage, "If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail." That really helped me in a lot of ways in that I started doing a meal plan and I would get it posted. It was really important to me to get it up, but to realize that I had flexibility so if I needed to change it, I could at the last minute. That's okay. It's there as a tool for me, but there was still something missing and that's it was always when life got so busy and hectic that I needed the meal plan most, then I wouldn't get the meal plan done. So I had to add to that, which is that not only if you plan to fail you're... No, no, no. If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail, but that you also need to plan failure because there are some days where it's just not going to work and that's okay. There's nothing wrong with that.

It doesn't actually have to be a failure on your part, but you have to be ready for a system failure. You have to realize, especially if you have a bunch of littl

Ask Mrs. Zombie

Why I Love Cooking From Scratch

A Typical Day of Home-Cooked Meals

How to Start Cooking From Scratch

Is it Really Cheaper to Cook From Scratch?

Utilize the Slow Cooker and Instant Pot

The Magic of Slow Cookers

The Instant Pot Revolution

Free Canning Workshop

FAQ

Resources:

How to Put Three Homemade Meals on the Table Every Day

Stop Buying Convenience Foods (Interview With Melissa K. Norris)

Other Posts You May Enjoy

Why I Love Cooking From Scratch

A Typical Day of Home-Cooked Meals

How to Start Cooking From Scratch

Is it Really Cheaper to Cook From Scratch?

Utilize the Slow Cooker and Instant Pot

The Magic of Slow Cookers

The Instant Pot Revolution

Free Canning Workshop

FAQ

Resources:

How to Put Three Homemade Meals on the Table Every Day

Stop Buying Convenience Foods (Interview With Melissa K. Norris)

Other Posts You May Enjoy

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