85: Quick and Healthy Meals for Busy Families (Erin Chase)

As a busy mom of 4 boys, Erin Chase has mastered the art of being one step ahead in the kitchen so it’s easier to prep a quick and healthy meal. Erin not only shares great meal tips, but she explains her philosophy of being fully present for everything she’s doing instead of constantly focusing on the things she still needs to do.

Nuggets of Wisdom from Erin:

“What you don’t track or measure, you’re not going to improve. I track my fitness with 2 different apps… Map My Run for running and Orange Theory.”

“Walking through life with grace, with joy, with contentment, with happiness, and I’ll catch myself. You have a choice. It’s not going to help anybody if you yell. Try not to. That’s where the grind happens – just making that choice and choosing the positive, not discounting all the negative emotions. You still have to feel those things, right? Process through them and work through them and start making that choice. That’s what’s beneficial to me and my family now.”

“If I want to feel better, I need to be at my best to serve my family and to serve those in our online community and my business, right? And if I’m not at my best, I can’t go day to day like that. It has been a journey.”

“One of my biggest goals and strategies, both for myself and for what we teach ourselves (family) is being one step ahead of your hungry family. Like, what can you be doing for the next meal? I would be thinking for the next day, getting into the habit of doing one thing and that mentally checks off things on your list. I’m always doing something for the next meal.”

Some of Erin's Favorite Things:

Morning Routine: “Generally, get the children to school. Number one priority, right? My morning routine really doesn’t happen after that. I feel like my morning routine is flipped backwards. I have my coffee every day, I take my vitamins and supplements, which helps with my arthritis. Really, my morning routine is driving my kids to school or we have a carpool every other week. When I get to the office, I’m not a believer in the ‘eat that frog' concept and have a very, very blocked out calendar. If anything needs my attention right away, then I’ll do that. It’s making sure that I have the big tasks for the day in the right order and then I start plowing through everything. My morning routine isn’t that much of a morning routine. I do exercise a couple mornings a week.”

Favorite Book: “Ken Follett books – series… 3rd one” and I also love personal development books and small business books.

What does it mean to be a Vibrant Happy Woman?:

“Being present where I am. Being present with my husband, with my boys – and not do more than I should be doing – being present in my business and helping the people in our communities.”

“It’s so easy to be a multi-tasker, but I've found out that to be present in that one moment, doing that one thing, then I just exude that happiness, that grace, that joy that we want. When I do more than I should be doing, that’s where it all dissipates. For me, I think, the thing that I work hard at is just being present and that helps me to be at my best. And therefore, that’s when I feel happiest in that moment.”

A Challenge from Erin:

“Be one step ahead so you can be more present where you’re at. Understanding and feeling how that’s different and feeling how that’s easier. It’s not going to be perfect every day. Make progress and [take] small steps forward.”

Resources

www.5dollardinners.com

www.5dollarmealplan.com

www.grocerybudgetmakeover.com

www.myfreezeasy.com

Ken Follett books – series

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom

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