As back-to-school season approaches and we’re faced with another year of determining what's for dinner, we're sharing a glimpse at how BHG readers gather for a meal. Welcome to our new series, Dinner Diaries, where we're asking readers to anonymously share how they get dinner on the table including grocery shopping, budgeting, cooking, and their favorite family recipes. Here, a working mom of two in Iowa relies on Costco meal kits and pantry shortcuts to get dinner on the table.
- Occupation: Editor
- Location: Rural Iowa
- Age: 37
- Cooking for: 4
Q: How often do you go grocery shopping?
I try to do a big grocery shopping trip once a week but will often shop a couple times throughout the week for things we need. My two daughters can easily go through a carton of strawberries in a day. We live about 40 minutes away from the large grocery stores so I try to maximize my trips into the nearest city. The town near us has a little market that’s surprisingly well stocked so I’ll stop by there if we absolutely need something. In the summer, there is a self-serve farm stand about 3 miles from our house so I will buy lots of fresh produce there. There’s nothing like a fresh-from-the-garden beefsteak tomato and Iowa sweet corn on the cob.
ILLUSTRATION BY GRACE CANAAN
Q: What's your average weekly grocery budget?
My hope is to spend about $200 per week on groceries but we often go over that. I rely on pre-packed snacks and meals throughout the week and those can add up quickly. If I spend more time planning, I usually have a better chance of sticking to our budget. But with work and our kid’s activities, I often don’t spend as much time planning our meals as I’d like to.
Q: Do you make a grocery list?
If I’ve taken the time to plan meals, yes. But often, no. I usually just head to the store with a few things in mind and go from there.
Q: What grocery stores do you shop at most frequently?
Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Costco.
Q: Who is going to cook dinner?
I usually do the cooking. I get home from work a lot earlier than my husband and will start cooking pretty soon after walking through the door. My kids are ravenous after daycare and summer camp. They have finally gotten old enough to help me in the kitchen and cooking dinner together is one of my favorite parts of the day. Often, they will sit at our kitchen island and I will give them each a cutting board and kid’s knife and they will cut strawberries or peaches to eat with dinner.
Q: What are things you always have in your fridge or pantry?
Right now, our pantry is fully stocked for having a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old home for the summer. That means we’ve got lots of fruit snacks, mini muffins, chips, and crackers they can grab without asking. For cooking, I always keep jasmine rice, lots of pasta, canned beans, broth, canned tuna, and salsa on hand. Our fridge always has at least one meal kit from Costco, cottage cheese, string cheese, milk (of all kinds), fresh fruit, veggies, and iced coffee in it. I love the Starbucks Unsweetened Iced Coffee with a splash of oat milk. I live out in the country so I rarely get coffee from a shop.
Q: How do you share the labor of cooking, cleaning, and grocery shopping?
I generally handle the grocery shopping and cooking and my husband takes care of the dishes (although we always disagree on how the dishwasher should be loaded ha)! He usually cleans up after dinner and he handles all of breakfast with the girls. I am not a morning person. We're trying to get our daughters to start being more involved in the clean up process after meals.
ILLUSTRATION BY GRACE CANAAN
Q: What are your go-to meals or family-favorite recipes?
We rely on a few go-to meals throughout the week. Often it’s quick, simple things like spaghetti with jarred Rao’s sauce (I always cringe at the price but we love the taste so much that it’s well worth it for us), ground beef tacos or taco salad, lettuce wraps, baked salmon, and stir fry's. My kids aren’t really into casseroles and I find I have the best luck if I make something that everyone can customize, like tacos. In the summer, we grill a lot. My husband and I will eat chicken, steak, or brats and the girls often have beef hot dogs with ketchup, mustard, and relish. We’ve recently been making citrus-marinated flank steak for tacos or sandwiches and it’s delicious off the grill. I’ve also been considering getting a Blackstone-type grill so we can try to cook more things outside. Most of the time, my girls will eat whatever my husband and I eat and we make it a point to eat dinner together most nights. My husband works a lot but always tries to make it home by 6:30 so we can catch up on our days.
Q: Do you cook daily or do you meal prep for the week?
I always have the best of intentions about meal prepping but the weekends totally get away from me. Especially in the summer, when I really just want to be outside. You’ve got to take advantage of nice weather when you can in Iowa! For the most part, I cook daily but will prep big batches of things like rice or pasta when I make them. I’ve also been trying to prepare some fruit (like berries, peaches, and pineapple) and vegetables (cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, carrots, and sliced bell peppers) ahead of time for my kids so they have something healthy to snack on.
Q: What was the last meal you cooked at home?
Last night! We made gyros using a kit from Costco. I've loved so many of their meal kits—the gyros, street tacos, and yakisoba kits are our favorites. To round out the meal, I sliced up some fresh cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and fruit. I also made some buttered noodles for my youngest daughter. Sometimes I’ll add in some dips from Trader Joe’s to eat with the pita bread. We love the vegan tzatziki, hummus, and garlic dip. I’ve also been buying labneh from Whole Foods and am always looking for an excuse to slather it on things. So far it’s been great on everything I’ve tried but especially cucumbers, flatbread, and as a dip for veggies. If I’m trying to make the meal a bit heartier, I’ll make some oven-roasted Greek potatoes with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and oregano. It’s one of my favorite side dishes. We also love Kalamata olives and mixed Greek olives so I’ll try to put out some of those too. Just depends on what I have on hand and how energetic I’m feeling about making more stuff.
Q: Would you make it again?
Yes! I love the flavor of the gyro meat that comes in the kit and it’s so easy to just heat in a pan on the stove. I don’t think the kit comes with enough feta cheese so next time I buy it, I’ll be sure we have some on hand. I’ve found the pitas can dry out a bit but I’ve had luck sprinkling them with a little water, wrapping them in foil, and heating them in the oven.
ILLUSTRATION BY GRACE CANAAN
Q: Do you often have dessert with dinner?
Yes, I am firmly in the camp of needing something sweet after eating. For me, it might be whipped cream and berries in the summer or a few pieces of gummy candy. JujyFruits are my all-time favorite and always bring a bit of nostalgia for me. They remind me of eating them with my dad when I was little. He would always take all the black licorice ones, just like I do now with my daughters. An acquired taste! My husband and daughters love ice cream, cookies, and chocolate. I love the mini cones from Trader Joes. They’re the perfect size for kids.
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