Working Mum and still feeding the family healthily

I know it's been ages since I've written a blog, but with my supermarket handbook and my additive free cookbook both coming out at the end of last year it's been hectic.

Until recently, I genuinely believed that I was probably busier than most people and if I could make healthy food for the family a priority, anyone could.

However.......I maybe a mother of 4 and a busy author, but most of my writing occurs after hours, when kids are asleep and most of my cooking occurs while the kids are at school.

So I have had to conceed that I might have had more time available then working mums and trying to do both is challenging.

I recently became a single mother and needed a reliable income, so I decided to go back to school teaching. This is where my rude awakening has occurred....

I now have 4 children to have ready and out the door by 7:30am and have 2 different school and a daycare to drop off to before getting to work at 8:20am. Then after a busy day, I get to do the triple pick up again and make it home at around 4:15pm.

Naturally, this routine is exhausting, but I am still determined not to let our nutrition standards drop. So I had to figure out a solution that incoporated the quick, easy, cost effective and nutritious.

Here's what I came up with.

For breakfast, rather than serving 4 different breakfasts, I had to settle on something that everyone likes and save time. I'm now serving chia pudding with raw cacao. It is highly nutritious and can be pre-made the night before and served quickly in the morning.

I had been used to making myself a delicious chopped salad for my lunch....no time for that, I'll enjoy that on the weekends and on the school holidays. I now make a big batch of soup, taken in a thermos - too easy.

My kids now need all of their recess and afternoon teas made in bulk on a Sunday. So I make 3 cakes and a double batch of biscuits - the cakes can be frozen and the biscuits keep well. I still mill my own flour as well.
I mix it up between sandwiches and homemade crackers and homemade dip. The bread I bake in the breadmachine with the timer set each night before bed. The crackers and dip I make on a Sunday also.

The main committment is I have to put in half a day of cooking every weekend and be super organised. At the moment I still do all of my own cleaning, which takes another half day.

My point to writing this blog is to assert that working full time, cooking from scratch and having a bit of a life CAN be done, it just requires some planning and innovation.

I still manage to get to the gym a few nights during the week and on weekends and my kids still have their sporting activities.

It is hectic and I'm often tired, daily meditatation early in the morning helps with this, but this is living!!! Life won't always be this intense. Takeaways and pre-packaged foood are very tempting, I know but don't tell yourself you dont have time - re-prioritize and find a solution.

If you're a working mother, I send my respect and encouragement to you, hang in there. One day the kids will be gone and you'll look back on these days as the best years of your life......at least I hope!

Here's my new soup creation I'm in love with.

Eggplant, Zucchini and Lentil Soup

1 Large zucchini or 2 medium ones
2 large eggplants
2 onions
1/2 pkt of red lentils (375g pkt)
2L filtered water
4 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons tumeric
salt
1/3 cup grapeseed oil

peel and chop veggies and gently sautee in oil and salt in a large stock pot for 5 minutes. Add water, lentils and spices. Simmer for about an hour. Blend with a stick blender until smooth.

I will still maintain my facebook page The Undeniable Truth About FOOD, my website www.asnatureintended.biz  and do radio interviews, but my writing will take a back seat. I plan to start working on my revised and updated supermarket handbook in october, finish in xmas holidays for release early next year.

Keep smiling and living life as nature intended!
Kylie Floate x