The Dinner Chaos
Like many working professional mommas, especially since the return to offices have rolled out, dinner is one of the household tasks that is on my plate at the moment (see what I did there? Dinner-plate…more laughs incoming!) Anyhow, let’s talk for a minute about the weeknight chaos that is DINNER.
Sound familiar?
Since our kids are in elementary school and the powers that be have decided that 3:00pm is a good time for dismissal (checks notes: yes, still in the middle of the afternoon work time frame, very cool), let me lay out a little of our chaos for you. After picking up the Youngest from the bus and getting both kids settled at home, I jump right back into work for a couple of more meetings and/or Actual Work Time. People and project leaders, you know exactly what I mean when I say that Actual Work Time is so, so precious!! Usually, I try to organize my day to have minimal afternoon meetings, but inevitably a call comes up and here we go. Thankfully, I have an incredibly supportive team who do not mind the occasional cameo from the kids!
When I pop out of my office at 5:00pm, one of two scenes greet me:
A veritable plethora of snack wrappers and/or fruit detritus on the counter from the approximately 137 snacks the Youngest has decided to sample. These will, of course, be in various stages of finished or a teeny, tiny baby bite consumed. There is no in between. Just make your peace with it and move on, Parents. I’m still working on implementing that strategy myself, for the record. The child who has gotten out the 237 snacks is absolutely nowhere to be found, which also tracks. (I do know where she is, but you get what I’m saying. We have systems for safety, people, it’s not the complete Wild West over here!)
There is zero evidence of snacks being eaten which is somehow MORE concerning because now you are dealing with hangry, Where the Wild Things Are children. Send help immediately.
After establishing that the kids are where they’re supposed to be and chores have been attempted, I set my eyes towards dinner prep. Some weeks The Husband and I are fantastic about cooking and eating at home. Some weeks, we are not. And that’s okay. I’m learning to lean into grace more and try to go with the flow a little easier. With that said, since part of the whole blog thing is to share strategies that work for me in managing the chaos of life, here’s a few ideas that have really come in clutch for me the last 6 months, specifically.
How to Plan for “What’s For Dinner?”
I am a 100% Type A Planner, including planning out dinners for the week. The Husband? Not so much. We’ve learned that we both have to have some give and take for this not to become a sticking point in our relationship. That looks like me learning to be a bit more flexible and buy dinner groceries that can last a whole week or be frozen and for The Husband this looks like him understanding that cooking is very therapeutic for me (most of the time) and he prioritizes that over wanting to just go out and grab dinner. There’s not a whole lot in my professional or parenting life where I can look and say, “WOW! That is an amazing complete (fill in the blank)!” so I’ve learned I have to find that in other areas of my life. Like cooking!
Okay. Here’s the practical and tactical things that have worked for me:
Pick 3-4 meals that we can easily make and eat at home.
I am the Leftover Queen so cooking 3-4 times a week pulls double duty because it’s hard to cook for just 4 people. This also knocks out a lot of lunch prep for me!
I was getting bored with cooking the same things so I busted out the cookbooks that my sweet parents have gifted me over the years and have learned to mix it up. My favorite one is currently “Feed These People” by Jen Hatmaker. SUPER easy recipes that are delicious!!
Sidenote: Your public library is also a fantastic place to find new cookbooks and get ideas of what to cook. Highly recommend! And free.
Since we live in 2025 and have the power of the interwebs right at our fingertips, I also want to say that I get great recipes from Coco & Ash (Mindy’s banana bread is LEGIT) and my Mom loves Natasha’s Kitchen recipes! She’s cooked several of them when visiting and they’re easy and great.
Depending on what is going on that weekend, I either run to the greatest grocery store of all time, HEB, or put in a pick up order. I cannot tell you the time (and money because there’s less impulse buying!) that picking up groceries has saved me. I also know that sometimes I enjoy getting to the grocery store because it will spark new ideas for meals or snacks for the kids. You do you!
As soon as it is feasible, I cook as much outside on the grill and smoker as possible. We have a Traeger model smoker that is super easy for me to use. I also LOVE the Traeger app because it has recipes that are easy to follow. Plus, it gets me outside! Sunshine! Vitamin D! Non-screen based dopamine, yay!
Involve the kids. Full disclosure: this is something I have more capacity for on the weekends because we are all Work Tired and School Tired by 5:30pm. I also want my kids to enjoy cooking at some point in their lives, while recognizing we are in a marathon, not a sprint season of parenting with that idea.
Can’t go wrong with Jen Hatmaker’s “Friday’s Roasted Chicken on a Thursday” recipe!
What If You Don’t Know What to Eat?
This legitimately happens too and it’s okay! I am not a nutritionist, you’ll learn that I am fit-ish, and one of our kids has some very, very strong feelings around food preferences. Be flexible. Be patient. Be okay with ordering Taco Bell on some nights. As long as your blood pressure is down and the roar of the chaos around you is at a minimum, you’ll get through another weeknight dinner. Some way, some how. And then maybe have a little treat after the kids are in bed!
Because parents get to enjoy treats, too.
With you in the chaos,
JoEllen