As busy moms,  I know that is hard to find time to nourish yourself well.  You want to eat healthy, but there is always so much to do that its hard to take the time to make yourself healthy food. 

 That's why I'm always on the look out for idea for healthy food you can make quickly.  Like this blog post   about my recipe for a great, quick breakfast smoothie.  Or this blog post   about the quick wraps I often eat for lunch. Well, now I've found a great, quick dinner solution.  It requires prep once a week, like on a sunday -- but isn't too complicated.

This idea is from one of my favorite parenting books called:

I love this book because it is one of the few books I have found that give really practical advice on how to care for yourself while mothering small children.

Anyway, in this book, the authors have one recipe that I LOVE, and they have allowed me to share it with you. Here it is, straight from the book:

Mother Nurture Stew: Cook Once a Week and Eat Well Every Night

The plan is to make a giant stew - about ten to twelve quarts - that will last for most of a week. It will include tons of vegetables, lots of mean or other high protien foods, and other goodies.  When it's all cooked, put half of it in one or two containers in the freezer. The five or so quarts left will last your family about half of the week, depending of everyone's appetites.  Then you can unfreeze a different batch of stew from another week to get you through the rest of this week. This way, your family won't get sick of eating the same thing each dinner. 

Each stew is unique, depending on the particular ingediants on hand when it's made, but they all follow this basic framework.

In a big soup kettle, saute in olive oil,

a couple of onions
and/or some peeled cloves of garlic
and/or some peeled & diced fresh ginger
and/or some spices your like, such as basil, oregano, cumin or rosemary

Add and saute 2-6 pounds of protien

either cubes of skinless chicken
or: very lean beef
or: cubes of tofu (premarinated and/or baked or herbed if you like)


When the Protien is browned, add liquid up to about two-thirds of the pot:

broth (chicken, beef, or vegetable) and/or tomato sauce. Alternatively, you could add coconut milk, plus lime and cilantro. YOu may also add dry red or white wine if you like, cooking evaporates the alcohol.

If you've used stewing beef, you may want to simmer it a couple of hours, until the meat is tender.  Then starting with the ones that take longer to cook, add many cups of chopped veggies such as carrots, beets, squash, broccoli, green beans, peas, potatoes, whatever!  Since you are only cooking dinner once a week, it might be worth it to get the food processor out! Include several cups of diced dark leafy greens, like kale, and try adding some seaweek like kombu, arame, or nori for extra mineral nourishment.

Grains & beans: You could put grains (rice, barley, quinoa, pasta or beans in the stew, or serve it over or alongside these foods.  If you want to put them in, precook them or have enough extra liquid to allow for absorption.  Check a cookbook for the beans you want to use since many must be precooked or presoaked; or you could use organic canned beans.

Regarding the Kids: If there's no way in the world that they'll touch this stew, then you might as well have great meals for yourself and your husband while they eat mac & cheese or whatever, every night.  However, if there is a chance  they can be wooed into it, you can make the meat & veg in bite size chunks & they can select the ones they want; many kids like broth and a lot of nutrient

Now You've got a quick meal waiting for you at the end of a long day!

Do you have any quick,easy, nourishing meal solutions you'd like to share? Please leave a comment below & help a fellow busy mom out there!