How to Maintain Basic Meals in a Single Parent Kitchen

As a busy single parent, keeping the right food in the cupboard without having to go to the grocery store every day is a must. A good selection of the right food can give you options that are healthy and easy to make.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Potatoes
• Milk
• Cheese
• Butter or oleo
• Macaroni noodles
• Rice
• Garlic salt
• Bread
• Bacon bits
• Black pepper
• Parsley
• Sugar
• Ground meat
• Canned corn
• Cream of mushroom soup
• Peanut butter
• Writing utensil
• Paper

1. Stock your kitchen with the items listed. List any items you run out of and pick them up on your next trip to the store. Write down the different variety of meals you can create with the items you have collected. This will be your personal menu ledger.
2. Look at your list whenever you need to make a quick meal for your family. Update your list whenever a new idea comes to mind, and post the list for your children to see. This gives them easy cooking choices when you are not able to cook something for them.
3. Meet with your family to discuss what meals they can create with the items listed. Add to the list if necessary. No idea is too ridiculous if you like to eat it. Make the meals with complete food groups. Use one from the dairy group, one from the vegetable group, one from the grains group and one from the protein group.
4. Potatoes are a versatile food. They can be quick cooked in a microwave for baked potatoes. You can be creative by melting cheese on top of them and adding bacon bits. You also can cut the baked potato in half, scoop out the potato and add butter, cheese and bacon bits to the skins for a quick snack. The potato meat can be turned into mashed potatoes with a fork, butter and a little milk. Sliced, fried potatoes combined with sauteed meat and canned corn is a favorite of my children.
5. Rice is one of my favorites because I love oriental cooking. My favorite dishes include egg-fried rice, hamburger rice hot dish, rice pudding, cheesy rice or just plain rice.
6. For an easy dish, cook macaroni noodles, drain, add two tablespoons butter, one teaspoon garlic salt and one teaspoon parsley. If you like cheesy noodles, add a little of your favorite cheese. For something a heartier, add some sauteed ground meat.
7. Egg choices are almost limitless. You can make scrambled eggs with cheese and toast, cheese omelets, boiled eggs, basted eggs and poached eggs.
8. Don't forget the nutrional value of peanut butter. A peanut butter sandwich gives your protein, carbohydrate and healthy fats in one fast meal.
9. Bread not only makes toast. You can make grilled cheese or mix cooked hamburger with soup mix and broil it on the bread. My children call it chipped beef on toast.