I bet all of us would say that we both love and struggle with being a mom and trying to fulfill all that comes with this role! That’s basically why I started Mama Shark, to share what I’m learning about streamlining mom life. And while a lot of what I talk about on this blog is systems and processes, sometimes it’s fun to just find the little “Mom Hacks” to make the day to day easier.
So I’ve done some collecting of Mom Hacks and this is part 1 of a series with some ingenious, time-saving, and sanity-preserving tricks from myself and other moms. This first part will be the mom hacks I’ve collected related to food and meals! So much of our lives consists of meal prepping and menu planning and snack making- it’s time to make those things easier!
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Mom Hacks for Endless Snacks
We all know the snack requests never stop- so here are some ideas to make snack time a little less grating!
Hanging Shoe Organizer for snacks
If you’re looking for a creative way to store and display snacks, try using a hanging shoe organizer for snack organization in your pantry. This mom hack maximizes vertical space and provides a clear view of all available snacks! Simply hang the shoe organizer on the pantry door, (or wherever is convenient) and fill each pocket with different snacks. It provides a neat and organized way to store snacks, making them easily accessible for both kids and adults. Assign pockets to different people so they know what snacks are available to them and don’t have to ask you each time! And/or you can assign days of the week to each row so snacks for school or after school are a no-brainer!
Pre-Portioned Cookie Dough
Who doesn’t love cookies? One genius mom hack for baking is to freeze cookie dough for later use. By freezing cookie dough, you can have individual portions of dough readily available in the freezer for you or an older child to pop in the oven whenever you want!
Give Fun Names to Healthy Snacks
Giving healthy snacks fun names can make them more appealing and exciting for kids. Call dried pineapple pieces “pineapple treats” and dried mango slices “mango chips” and all of a sudden they’re more appealing! And anything blended with a little applesauce becomes that sauce- I’ve even heard of moms doing this with broccoli for “broccoli sauce”!
Mom Hacks for Meals
Keeping good meals on the table is….well, impossible. But while we’re giving it our best shot, here’s some simple mom hacks to make it a bit easier!
Make Food Cutting Easier
Pizza cutter – A pizza cutter can be a versatile tool for cutting various foods, including pancakes, sandwiches, spaghetti, and more. Instead of using traditional knives or scissors, try using a pizza cutter for these purposes. Just make sure to exercise caution and keep your hands clear of the blade while using the pizza cutter.
Scissors – Using scissors to cut kids’ food can be a convenient and practical method, especially for younger children who may struggle with using utensils or have difficulty chewing larger pieces of food. Just ensure the scissors are clean, choose appropriate foods, exercise caution while cutting, and serve the cut food in a safe and suitable manner.
Easy Lunch Trays
Here’s a fun mom hack: for an easy lunch (or dinner or snack) is to use party trays for serving veggies, meat, and cheese. It’s fun it’s easy and kids love it! And it allows for easy customization and encourages healthier eating by offering a variety of nutritious options. Plus, it simplifies the cleanup process as the tray keeps everything organized in one place!
Weekly Meal Planning
I’m a huge plan of meal planning ahead of time. I’m currently on a monthly meal planning kick, but what I’ve done the most of is weekly meal planning. It’s a GAME CHANGER! I actually even made a Master Your Menu course showing my process for weekly meal planning in 15 minutes a day in a way that will help you to save money, stay in budget (whatever your budget), and know exactly what to buy each grocery trip. This is one of my favorite mom hacks because it saves so much time each week!
Eating in the Car
All of us probably started out thinking we wouldn’t let our kids eat in the car…and then pretty much all of us chucked that out the window about the time the first one hit toddlerhood! So given that the kids are going to eat in the car, this one is a great mom hack to make it a little less messy- use Press and Seal! Using Press and Seal wrap as an instant bib or lap cover when eating in the car seat provides a quick and convenient solution to minimize messes and protect your child’s clothing. It acts as a barrier against spills, crumbs, and food stains, allowing for a more stress-free and tidy mealtime experience on the go- that’s always a win!
Bins in the Fridge/Freezer
I love freezer and fridge bins! It makes it so much easier for kids (and grown ups!) to see what is available and find it quickly. And, as a bonus, seeing more things more easily means less food gets forgotten and goes to waste! I have bins in the fridge door and in the freezer that are specifically designated for the kids’ snacks, too, so they know where they can go and grab options like fruit, hummus packs, and frozen treats.
Grocery Cart Return
Especially when the kids are little, it can be a chore to have to unpack the groceries and then walk all the way back to a cart return and then walk the kids all the way back to car. So this mom hack is to park next to the cart return (rather than closest to the door)!
Older Kids and Cooking
This mom hack only works once the kids are older, but getting the kids involved is a great way to lessen your meal time load! The “day of the week dinner plan” mom hack is a resounding success for many families! Assign bigger kids a specific day to plan and prepare dinner each week- it teaches them valuable life skills, gives them a sense of responsibility, and gives them ownership over their meals. And it’s fun to see what they come up with!
Genius Mom Hacks Round 1, Done!
I hope these busy mom hacks help make your day to day mom life easier and less stressful! Be sure and check out the rest of the Mom Hacks series for more mom hacks to streamline your mom life!