Monday, April 29, 2013

A Typical Day...

The life of a busy mom isn't the same as a typical day for everyone else.  Not only do we have to get ourselves up and out the door, but we also have to get our brood ready.

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about knowing your numbers.  Now I want to show you two different scenarios.  One will focus on the mom who eats the typical diet and the other will focus on the mom who has taken the initiative to eat healthier.  Ready?

Mom A gets up early, gets herself ready for work and then gets the kids moving.  While the kids are eating breakfast, she's making sure lunches are packed, backpacks have all the necessary papers and little Johnny has both his shoes.  Five minutes before heading out the door, she realizes that she hasn't even had her coffee yet...  No problem, she'll just stop and grab something on the way to work.

Kids get dropped off and mom heads to the coffee shop drive through to grab some coffee and a scone.  Doesn't sound too bad, does it?  But wait, let's look at those numbers!

A 12oz latte can run upwards of 300 calories.  And that scone?  That can check in at almost 500!  Just in breakfast, Mom A was eaten 820 calories!

Mom A gets to work and gets caught up in meetings.  Lunch time rolls around and she heads out with a couple co- workers to grab something quick.  Mexican sound good, so they head to the corner shop.  One fajita bowl and 20oz unsweet ice tea later, Mom A has eaten an additional 840 calories.

Mid- afternoon rolls around, and Mom A starts feeling the slump.  She heads to the vending machine to grab a pick- me- up snack.  The trail mix looks pretty healthy so she picks that for 150 calories.

Mom A leaves work, heads to get the kids to practice and decides to stop for supper somewhere because the kids are starved and they won't be home until late.  Drive thru is the easiest, so down to the local burger joint.  Mom A starts thinking that she wants something a bit lighter, so decides to order a salad- because a salad is healthy, right?  Usually it is, but this time it adds up to another 560 calories. 

Total calories for the day are 2370.  Doesn't seem too bad.  After all, I eat about 2000 calories a day.  But, did you know that just 100 extra calories a day can lead to a 10lb weight gain in a year?

Mom B's day actually starts the night before with a little planning.  She gets the coffee pot ready to go and sets the timer.  Coffee will be ready when she wakes up!  She pulls a roast out of the freezer and puts it in the crock pot with some diced onions, carrots and potatoes.  The crock pot goes in the fridge until morning when she'll set it to cook on low all day.  Lunches get packed and set in the fridge.  Backpacks are organized and set by the door along with Little Johnny's shoes.

Morning rolls around, things aren't quite as hectic.  Coffee is ready and Mom B adds some creamer (80 calories).  Then she toasts a piece of bread and adds some peanut butter (250 calories) and as she's walking out the door, she grabs an apple (77 calories).  

Lunchtime rolls around at work, and Mom B heads to the break room to heat up leftovers from last night.  Moroccan lentil soup checks in with about 480 calories.  Mid- afternoon slump and the trail mix comes out (150 calories).

It's a busy night, but Mom B knows there's supper waiting when they walk in the door.  Slow cooked roast with potatoes and carrots come in at 680 calories.

Mom B's today for the day totals up to 1717 calories.  There's even enough wiggle room if she wants to enjoy a piece of dark chocolate =)

Before you get all up in arms and tell me it can't be done, I've been both Mom A and Mom B.  I've worked the long hours and then had to get supper on the table.  With a little planning and time management, it's easy to eat healthy (and cheaper!).  

If you're looking for weekly meal plans that are easy and healthy, contact Mom 4ce.  We have customized meal plans available for the busy mom and her family!

2 comments:

  1. Mom 4ce. I usually try to be MomB and am doing well. Until, flu season, sinus infection, pink eye, and strep hit the 5 of us. Please, contact me at my email or phone regarding customized meal plans for this busy mom and her family. I would love to have more time photographing instead of slaving over the stove or heating up a bad meal from the beloved Stouffer's family. I just never learned how. My mom was single and left for work at 5 am and got home around 6 pm all my life. I have my 3 beautiful boys and don't really know how to cook. If I try to I'm great at it. I just don't have good recipes or know works for the kids or don't know how to make a meal without spending 4 hours in it. My email is kinneystudios@gmail.com or phone is 817 915-2574.

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