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Practical Mama

Practical wisdom and balanced lifestyle for parents

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Practical Cooking

20 Thermos school lunch ideas

By Practical Mama |
This post may contain affiliate links

Since Chicago Public schools changed their food provider to Aramark about 4 years ago, I've been packing school lunch for my kids at home every single school day. Their school food is not only unhealthy but also unappetizing due to the fact that their school doesn't have its own kitchen so the food is prepared and heated up at another school's … [Read more...]

Practical Cooking

How to cook and freeze dried beans in bulk

By Practical Mama |
This post may contain affiliate links

I cook with beans and legumes a lot. I use them in hot dishes as well as appetizers and salads. I prefer to avoid buying canned beans. Cooking with dried beans is healthier, however, it takes longer. You have to plan ahead, soak overnight and cooking takes a long time. Instead, I cook the beans I commonly use in bulk and then freeze them in small … [Read more...]

Practical Cooking, Working Mother

10 steps to prepare and cook weekly meals in advance

By Practical Mama |
This post may contain affiliate links

For the last 6 weeks before I quit my previous job, I had to travel for business. Half of these trips were from Monday through Friday where my husband had to care of the household by himself. In two of these trips, schools were closed due to Polar Vortex. I wanted to at least take cooking/meal preparation out of his hectic schedule. I spent my … [Read more...]

Practical Cooking

Frozen Vegetable and Fruit Cubes for Babies

By Practical Mama |
This post may contain affiliate links

Frozen vegetable cubes for babies

The practice of freezing food cubes is from the book called Super Baby Foods. When your baby starts eating solid foods, if you don’t have time to prepare fresh veggies and purees every single day, with this method, you can prepare batches of vegetables and fruits all at once, freeze it and thaw it out as you need it.  This way you can have a … [Read more...]

Practical Cooking, Recipes

Cooked ground beef for 5-minute recipes

By Practical Mama |
This post may contain affiliate links

With my schedule as a working mother and my desire to eat home cooked meal, preparing batches of meal-sized, cooked ground beef is my life saver. We call this "base dish" in Turkish. You can cook any type of vegetables and prepare pasta, wraps, taco or burrito with it.Ingredients:Lean ground beef Yellow Onions Tomato or Red Pepper … [Read more...]

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I am a mother of two and a type of person who you would call “Jack of all trades, master of none”. As you might guess from categories, I love my children, reading, sewing, gardening, traveling and cooking. I also work full time so I have to be practical to do all the things I want to do in a 24-hr-day. More About Me


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