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Creative & Healthy meal planning for the Sandwich Generation (Don’t worry, it’s not sandwiches)

By Rachel Sommer ^. March 1st, 2021

The Sandwich generation is a group of people, typically in their thirties or forties, responsible for bringing up their own children and for the care of their aging parents. Members of this generation cope with a variety of unique responsibilities daily. Some statistics suggest that 15% of middle age adults find themselves financially supporting their children and their parents.

During these increasingly difficult times; Add remote learning and school shutdowns to the mix, and it becomes easy to see the levels of stress mid-aged adults are currently experiencing, not to mention after a death in the family, next of kin in this demographic are having to do all of these things while grieving. 

Needless to say, these hectic schedules can make it difficult for self-care and healthy eating. However, there are some simple ways to make cooking and meal planning much easier. After a long day of work, online learning, housekeeping, running after toddlers and telling the kids to keep it down the last thing anyone wants to do is chop vegetables and stand over a steaming hot stove. Insteading of another night of ordering in, prepare ahead of time to set yourself up for success.

We’ve all heard of meal prepping but for a large family, making healthy and individually portioned meals that satisfies multiple picky palates is not at all sustainable and by day three of eating the same meal you’ll wonder how bad those extra pounds really are after all. 

But let’s be real, at the end of the day, if it’s not prepped it’s not getting cooked. That’s why you need a Zen Fridge. 

A What?

A Zen Fridge is going to keep you sane and your food lasting longer. It’s all about prepping ingredients at once and organizing them in an appealing way.

The key is to have everything visible, How many times have you forgotten about that bag of salad in the drawer? Or the sad mushrooms molding behind the milk? Having ingredients chopped and stored separately helps you keep track of what you have and make it look enticing so when you’re tired you will be excited to prepare a dish.

Yeah but then I have to dump everything out of the original packaging and put it in a mason jar, I don’t want to bother..

Not necessarily. For any lettuce or salad mix in a bag or plastic container, simply add a paper towel on top of the leaves close and turn it over, this will help absorb the moisture and keep it fresh longer! Mushrooms and berries can be stored in their original container (or any container you have), make sure to wash them, lay them out until completely dry then place a paper towel at the bottom of the container and one on top. Did you know that 40% of food in america goes to waste? Keeping your food fresher longer means less trips to the grocery store and more money savings. 

Pro tip: you can also empty salad onto a layered tea towel and paper towel then wrap it loosely and store in the fridge for up to one week!

Keep food fresher with these hacks:

• Keep carrots stored in a container of water in the fridge and they can last up to a month! Celery stored in the same condition will last up to two weeks.
• Fresh dill and most other herbs can last for 3 weeks in a jar with an inch or so of water, store it in the fridge with a Ziplock bag placed over the opening so it creates a mini greenhouse.
• For potatoes and onions, keep them in a cool, dry, dark place like a cabinet.

All of these preparations not only keep your food fresher longer but organizing them in an accessible way makes meal preparation significantly easier -and dare I say even enjoyable? 

Burritos are your new BFF 

For a fast and nourishing meal, prep burritos with your favorite ingredients then just pop them in the freezer! They freeze well and are easy to make in batches, and that way when you’re short on time, tired, and would normally reach for take out or delivery you have something filling and healthy on hand that you can just pop in the microwave. Kids and teens love them plus they are so customizable you can even make them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Check out this recipe from Gimme Some Oven.

Smoothies for breakfast or ice cream alternative

One of the healthiest and fastest breakfasts you can possibly make is a smoothie! Pack in more vegetables by noon than most people have in a week, save time, an have a delicious treat first thing in the morning! To make things even faster set up a smoothie bag for your freezer. Any time you have fruit that’s getting old but hasn’t gone bad (i.e. pre-mold, rot, or anything smelly), slice it up for easier blending and stick it in the Smoothie Bag and pop it back in the freezer. Think wrinkly blueberries, browning bananas (pro tip: remove the peel first so it doesn’t freeze to the banana), overly soft peaches, you get the idea. Once it all gets blended up, the flavor will still be there and the wrinkles won’t matter. You can make big bags with all of the fruits or if you’re really on top of things, prep individual smoothie bags with different ingredients for an even faster prep time.

Check out this super easy recipe and find out how to make a green smoothie taste like a milkshake.

Pizza Night reimagined

The kids want pizza and you want a break? This flatbread pizza will change your life. You can make pizza for the whole family in 15 minutes! Simply get some flat bread wraps (or tortillas!), add pizza sauce, and all of your most favorite toppings and pop into a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes and viola! Simple and easy thin crust pizza that even the most picky eater will devour. The kids can even help with this one!

Pro tip: The kids want HotPockets? Turn this recipe into a healthy and fast alternative using this wrap hack!

Forgot it because you can’t see it?

Save the planet and make less trips to the store with an, “Eat me first,” sign. Place the produce that goes bad the quickest in a container with a sign reminding you to eat it before the rest. Remember to keep vegetables and fruits stored separately, as fruits produce a gas that makes veggies ripen faster.

Pro tip: grow your own herbs! Did you know you can grow green onions on your counter? Just sit them upright in a jar with water covering the white stems. Trim the tips and replace the water every few days, these will last months on the counter. 

Start doing a Sunday roast (on any day of the week). 

In many parts of the world a Sunday roast is a beloved weekend meal with roasted meat, potatoes, and other vegetables. But why wait until Sunday for this hearty and low maintenance meal, especially during the colder months. Go through the fridge and rescue all the vegetables that have been ignored throughout the week. In about 30 minutes or so, you’ll have a delicious, hearty, homecooked meal to eat right away.

Roast Any Vegetable To Keep It Longer (or use up those sad veggies you have left)

Whenever you’ve got a full fridge and a bit of time, consider doing a big veggie roast. It’s the perfect way to use up nearly any kind of vegetable and have a ton of good building blocks to make upcoming meals quickly and easily.

I like to go through my refrigerator every Sunday, paying special attention to the Eat Me First box. If any vegetables don’t look like they’ll last much longer, they go into the oven – basically every veggie except lettuce or other leafy greens.

Arrange the vegetables loosely on sheet pans (making sure not to pack them too tightly or they won’t have room to brown). Remember to separate them based on cooking time i.e. root vegetables should go on a separate pan than say bok choy. Make sure to evenly and generously coat with olive oil and spices of your choice, give them a good toss then roast at 400 degrees for about 15-30 minutes depending on the vegetable type. 

Once roasted you can eat right away or store into the fridge, there are infinite possibilities for roasted veggies! Add roasted squash or sweet potato to a green leafy salad or blend it into a hearty soup! Use roasted garlic when making a creamy dip or as an addition to any recipe. Get into the routine of roasting veggies whenever you’ve got time and you’ll both stop wasting your groceries and get future meals on the table faster.

Pro tip: roast an entire garlic bulb for easy homemade minced garlic. Roasted garlic can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.

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