I have a whole new appreciation for working moms. I’ve often thought it’s pretty simple to throw in a few ingredients in the crockpot in the morning so dinner is ready when you come home and I didn’t get why more working moms don’t do that. 

I get it now. 

Not only did I not have 3 extra minutes last week (my first week as a working, homeschooling mama) to toss anything in the crockpot but the times I did make an effort, I realized later I either forgot to turn it on or turned it on but left the lid off.

Not good!

Our new normal was set on breakneck speed last week so there wasn’t much time left for meal planning. I prefer written meal plans because I usually stick to them. If I’ve run out of time to make one, my life is a little more hectic and chaotic so I organize what I can and follow the meal plan. Last week was an exception! If you remember, our poor children lived on chips and store-bought granola bars for the week. 

I missed tinkering around in the kitchen whipping up a good meal for the fam. My dad arrived in town last week and when I came home from a long day’s work, he asked me at 7:30pm if I was going to make dinner for my family.

My response? Eh, they can make themselves a bowl of oatmeal or something. At his raised eyebrows and obvious disapproval, I jumped up and searched the freezer for a quick dinner idea.

Sometimes, I’m not so shabby at flying by the seat of my pants. At least in the kitchen. Here are some tips to throw a meal together on the fly:

• Always keep pre-cooked meat in the freezer. My favorites are ground venison, ground sausage, and shredded chicken. 
• Always have butter and some sort of cheese on hand (or nutritional yeast if you’re dairy-free).
• Keep your pantry stocked with whole grain noodles, quinoa and rolled oats.
• Heavy whipping cream is a great staple!
• Frozen veggies are a MUST!

You ladies have been bombarding my email with recipe requests. I love cooking but I have to share a secret with you…I rarely measure anything so it’s difficult to share but I’ll do my best! 

With the ingredients listed above, I was able to get a quick meal on the table for my family in under 20 minutes (faster if you have frozen, pre-cooked meat on hand!).

The Farm Wyfe’s Rustic Sausage and Penne

1 lb browned, ground sausage 

1 box whole wheat penne noodles          (THM–use Dreamfield noodles)

1 c. Cheese (any kind! I preferred cheddar but since we were out, I used cream cheese and mozzarella)

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Garlic

Salt, pepper 

Directions: 

If you’ve got frozen cooked sausage in the freezer, pull it out now and heat it up in a skillet. If not, brown the fresh meat but it will take a few minutes longer. While it’s cooking (or heating up), boil the water for the noodles in a separate pot. Cool noodles according to directions on the box. 

Continue stirring meat, adding any spices you like (stick with just garlic or experiment! My faves are sage, thyme, turmeric, pink Himalayan sea salt and cracked black pepper, and nutritional yeast). 

Drain noodles and sausage separately and dump them both in the bigger pot if they fit. Use the smaller pan/skillet to heat your heavy cream and cheese. OR you can dump everything in the bigger pot and stir until it’s melted and heated through.

That’s it! Serve immediately. Great with a side salad or steamed veggies. (I LOVE spicy buttered broccoli!)

What’s your favorite family recipe?

Until next time,

The Farm Wyfe