Mornings are a rush, after school is a mad dash and bedtime is a marathon – daily life for busy parents is tough! We struggle to fit in all of the ‘have to do’ items, much less squeeze in some ‘nice to do’ ones. That leaves little time for relaxing, breathing or just spending quality time. This is why leftovers are a busy mom’s best friend – they’re easy, offer variety, avoid waste & really save on much-needed time!

In our family, the kids can pretty much expect that we have leftovers 2-3 nights a week. We usually arrange it to be during our busiest nights (usually dance days, since class goes from right after school until late) to be the most helpful. It’s written right into our weekly menu, so there’s no surprises – because we all know how kids can have a meltdown over one simple plan change! When we first started this years ago, I was against it and tried to stick to the ‘new meal every single night’ method – and it sucked. Luckily I learned to appreciate leftovers for our busy family, because it’s sure saved my sanity on numerous occasions!

Here’s some reasons leftovers can be a busy mom’s best friend

Cook Once, Eat Twice: cooking takes time – the meal prep, baking time, etc. If you make bigger batches, then you’re only spending that time once but getting maybe two meals out of it. It’s especially nice if you like more complex or time-consuming meals, because it averages out nicely when you spread it for more than just one dinner.

Less Waste: I know us parents hate it when food gets wasted because our kids don’t finish their plates, but what about the waste of leftovers if you don’t use it later? It may just sit in the fridge with good intentions, but then it goes bad and into the garbage before being enjoyed again. By planning for leftovers, it gives you a very real, specific time for you to pull those out and get the finished.

Quicker Meals on Busy Nights: Whether you’re like us and have some late nights because of the kids’ activities, or just have so many errands and such to do, not having to spend a ton of time preparing a whole new meal is a big relief. When we’re on our way home from dance class and I’m just thinking how tired I am, and how ready to go to sleep the kids are, it’s nice knowing that hubby’s just warming up some leftovers and we can all just sit, eat and get ready for bed.

If you’re looking for quicker, budget-friendly meals – be sure to check out our Meal Plan Ebook!

More Variety: I have some super picky eaters in my family, and it seems they’re all picky about different things – which makes for a big headache trying to whip up a meal that everyone will enjoy! On leftover nights it’s nice because we can heat up the remains of two or three different meals, meaning a wider range of things the kids can choose from. Those that liked that sticky finger casserole from the other night can have more of that, while the kids that preferred the mango chicken tacos can pick that. Hubby wants more of the spicy noodle soup? No problem!

Easy Meals to Take-Along: Not having to make something new for packing in your work lunch is really nice, especially if your morning prep is already rushed. I work from home, and since I have to squeeze in tons of work into just the school hours, it’s great to just pull something out of the fridge and heat it up really quick for my lunch. If it was something that took longer, I may make the excuse that I don’t have time and not eat – which I know isn’t healthy for me.

There’s so many ways leftovers can be a huge help for busy families – I know it’s been wonderful to plan on that regularly in my own household! Plus, I don’t have to decide on SEVEN different dinners each week. Instead, it’s just four or five plus two to three nights of leftovers – yay for more time and hassle saved!

If you want more help with your weekly meal planning, don’t miss out on our Meal Plan Ebook – it’s a whole YEAR of weekly meal plans already done for you, plus all the recipes in one handy pdf book. Plus, we kept the meals cost-effective, so the grocery cost averages to less than $5 per person per day!

Does your household do leftover nights?

Guys, parenting is EXHAUSTING. I never knew how tired and just completely burned out I could feel until I became a parent. I love my kids, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes I just don’t want to be MOM. And guess what? That’s perfectly okay!

It’s okay to want a break sometimes, or to sometimes wonder why the heck you signed up for this whole motherhood thing. Those are completely normal things to think on occasion – just ask practically any other parent! I use to feel like I was a HORRIBLE mom whenever I thought ‘oh, I miss being able to do this’ or ‘wow, if I didn’t have the kids to worry about then I’d have more energy’ or a number of other things.

Does that mean I don’t EVER want to be mom? Absolutely not! Does it mean we love our kiddos any less, even at the second we’re having those thoughts? Nope! It just means we get tired, and sometimes it’s nice to think about a break, or what we’d do if we weren’t busy parenting.

The good news? We can still be great parents and take ‘breaks’ from being a mom. For example, on date night – focus on being a WIFE/GIRLFRIEND. Focus on each other, take a rest from being the parents. At work you can be BOSS or BUTT-KICKING CONSULTANT or whatever you do.

And at the same time – you’re an awesome mom. I think one reason I use to feel guilty about thinking of things other than that particular role in my life was because we’re sometimes led to believe that should be IT. While motherhood is SUPER important – I can’t stress how much, because it’s one of the absolutely most important things there is – it doesn’t have to be our ONLY calling.

Plus, we’re perfectly capable of being a mom, wife, worker, volunteer, leader – whatever we need or want to be at that time. Sometimes we do multiple roles at once, other times one role goes to the background while we focus on another. AND THAT’S TOTALLY FINE – even ENCOURAGED! I’m a much better mom and wife when I get a break sometimes, and I’m sure many of you are the same way. When I finally realized how the occasional travel or get-away made me feel more refreshed, and therefore better able to care for my family, I stopped feeling so guilty about it.

We need to give ourselves – and other parents – a break. Just because you hear someone say ‘wouldn’t it be nice to XYZ, but I can’t because the kids’ – that doesn’t mean they don’t love their kids. It doesn’t mean they want out, or even that they regret being a parent. It just means we have other dreams sometimes – real or not – and are often really tired from that role. It’s NORMAL.

So cut yourself some slack. Go on a date or girl friend lunch instead of cleaning those dishes. They’ll still be there later (whether we want them to be or not). Let yourself have an identity that may include mom, dad or parent – but can also include a number of other titles.

What are some of YOUR current life roles?