Some Cooking Tips For Homeschooling Family
http://www.foodndrinks.net/articles/5509/1/Some-Cooking-Tips-For-Homeschooling-Family/Page1.html
Ryan Round
Ryan also runs a site for internet marketers providing new private label rights products, master resell rights products, articles, training and much more. By Ryan Round
Published on 02/21/2010
Many will happily admit that the last thing on their minds after a busy and stressful day is cooking! Preferring the convenience of takeaways or ready meals instead. Cheap though it may seem to begin with, it can quickly become an expensive alternative to making a meal and as homeschooling mothers, one of our duties is to pass on the skill of cooking and healthy eating to the next generation.
Many will happily admit that the last thing on their minds after a busy and stressful day is cooking! Preferring the convenience of takeaways or ready meals instead. Cheap though it may seem to begin with, it can quickly become an expensive alternative to making a meal and as homeschooling mothers, one of our duties is to pass on the skill of cooking and healthy eating to the next generation.
Finding the time for this important skill along with all the other things we need to slot into our daily lives is not easy, however we can find the time once we become aware of some of the tricks of the trade.
See below some tried and tested tips that will work for any busy family whether you are homeschooling or not.
1)It all begins with planning; first plan a menu of what to cook. This is essential for three reasons.
One - It will stop your from impulse buying thus saving your money.
Two - It saves time as you will ensure that you have all your ingredients together and enough of them.
Three - By planning a menu you will actually be thinking about what you will be eating and so will be more inclined towards healthier eating.
Why don't you plan some of your meals around the special offers at your local supermarket? At the moment there seems to be a drive towards offering the basics like bread, milk, vegetables and fruit for around a £1.00 or less. This means you can buy in bulk therefore saving your more money.
2)Keep staples like bread, rice, potatoes and pasta in the cupboard, as they are great fillers and inexpensive to use.
3)For all your planning they will be times when you will run out of that essential ingredient whilst cooking. Don't panic! There are many substitutes that you can use which won't mar the flavour of your meal. You may not even notice the difference and the temporary ingredient may even be healthier for you.
For example run out of wine? Use cranberry juice and white grape juice for red and white wine. Run out of butter, use margarine. Need to make a gravy or sauce, use condensed soup and add your own flavourings. No pasta? use noodles or spaghetti. No self raising flour? Use plain flour and baking powder mixed together.
4)Get the family involved in making complete meals for the week, which you can freeze and eat as and when. The benefits of this are two fold: First kids learn how to cook and you can also combine parts of the curriculum into their cooking sessions.
5)Invest in a slow cooker and become excited about one pot recipes and slow cooking. Here you can throw everything in and leave to cook throughout the day. Great if you are busy and of course less washing up!
6)Use up leftovers by freezing and making another meal from them. You can use the leftovers in sandwiches or turn it into a tasty lunch by adding a salad or a bake potato.
7)This is a great idea if you know other homeschooling mums. Why not get together and take it in turns to cook a main meal, for the other homeschooling mums and their children once a week. You can plan and contribute to the ingredients. Another variation is to have a group of homeschooling mums cook complete meals for the week for their homeschooling group.
You'll be surprised just how much time you can save by doing all or some of the above and in doing so allowing yourself more time to carry out two important lifeskills in a child's life, that of education and health eating.
Finding the time for this important skill along with all the other things we need to slot into our daily lives is not easy, however we can find the time once we become aware of some of the tricks of the trade.
See below some tried and tested tips that will work for any busy family whether you are homeschooling or not.
1)It all begins with planning; first plan a menu of what to cook. This is essential for three reasons.
One - It will stop your from impulse buying thus saving your money.
Two - It saves time as you will ensure that you have all your ingredients together and enough of them.
Three - By planning a menu you will actually be thinking about what you will be eating and so will be more inclined towards healthier eating.
Why don't you plan some of your meals around the special offers at your local supermarket? At the moment there seems to be a drive towards offering the basics like bread, milk, vegetables and fruit for around a £1.00 or less. This means you can buy in bulk therefore saving your more money.
2)Keep staples like bread, rice, potatoes and pasta in the cupboard, as they are great fillers and inexpensive to use.
3)For all your planning they will be times when you will run out of that essential ingredient whilst cooking. Don't panic! There are many substitutes that you can use which won't mar the flavour of your meal. You may not even notice the difference and the temporary ingredient may even be healthier for you.
For example run out of wine? Use cranberry juice and white grape juice for red and white wine. Run out of butter, use margarine. Need to make a gravy or sauce, use condensed soup and add your own flavourings. No pasta? use noodles or spaghetti. No self raising flour? Use plain flour and baking powder mixed together.
4)Get the family involved in making complete meals for the week, which you can freeze and eat as and when. The benefits of this are two fold: First kids learn how to cook and you can also combine parts of the curriculum into their cooking sessions.
5)Invest in a slow cooker and become excited about one pot recipes and slow cooking. Here you can throw everything in and leave to cook throughout the day. Great if you are busy and of course less washing up!
6)Use up leftovers by freezing and making another meal from them. You can use the leftovers in sandwiches or turn it into a tasty lunch by adding a salad or a bake potato.
7)This is a great idea if you know other homeschooling mums. Why not get together and take it in turns to cook a main meal, for the other homeschooling mums and their children once a week. You can plan and contribute to the ingredients. Another variation is to have a group of homeschooling mums cook complete meals for the week for their homeschooling group.
You'll be surprised just how much time you can save by doing all or some of the above and in doing so allowing yourself more time to carry out two important lifeskills in a child's life, that of education and health eating.