This blog post was inspired as I spoke with my niece about our very busy lives. She's very busy, I'm very busy, and it seems like everyone around me is way too busy. Our “to-do” lists might be endless, the pressure we feel to get it all done in a day is incredible sometimes.  We concluded that a stock of savory and sweet tamales in the freezer was a worthy investment for some quality dinner time.

She is raising three boys, who are growing up way too quickly in my opinion. Now she’s driving to school drop off, now she's in a teacher meeting. Then she’s back home with her toddler and all his needs. The house needs cleaning, the baby needs lunch, the laundry is piled high. There’s errands to run and back to school again to pick up her sons.  At this point in life much of her friendships and social interaction is done via texting since she’s always too busy. Eventually in her day the question pops up in her head  “What am I going to make for dinner?”  I could hear the frustration in her voice. She loves to cook, and absolutely picked up her mothers knack for good cooking. She loves to try new things and present them at dinner time, but is disappointed many times because she doesn’t have the time to give them that ambiance of nice hot homemade meals. Dinner time is a great time to sit down with her boys and catch up on the day. As we talked about our busy lives, we realized the convenience of pre-made food. A simple but yummy dinner can be served up for your family when you have your arsenal of premade Frijoles de la olla  in the fridge and authentic tamales in the freezer. These can transform those stressful busy days into a nice family evening at the dinner table. She said she’d be so relieved to be able to whip up a nice meal in 30 minutes. The "convenience" of drive through dinner is overrated in her opinion and I agree. It is expensive and most times not very good. Dinner time at home can be a delicious and refreshing time.

Getting through and over a busy week with some semblance of order and calm does take some planning. Giving your family delicious meals and having a “sit down at the table” dinner doesn’t have to be a family tradition of the past. Crock pots, and Insta-pots are time savers and very useful in your busy schedule, I highly recommend these kitchen appliances. Technology has brought our busy lives to a place where we can have the best of both worlds; hard work, study and hobbies outside of your home and the cozy family traditions at home. Use the ease of ordering tasty premade frozen foods, like delicious tamales and prepare yourself for nice family dinners. These preparations are not only smart for dinners but great for snack time and even unexpected company. 

A busy life doesn’t have to overwhelm you, nor does your family time have to be dull and harried. Savory and sweet tamales in your “stock barrel” is a good plan. They preheat easily and topped with fresh salsa and sour cream, they make a satisfying quick lunch. Now, when you serve tamales for dinner, accompanied by savory flavorful sides be sure to relax with your family at the dinner table and engage in good conversation. Then complete the experience with a sweet tamale for dessert.