"I help busy mums go from stressed & overwhelmed with feeding their families, to well-prepared and inspired, with more time for themselves and their loved ones outside of the kitchen"
HI! I'M NAKITA
I’m on a mission to make family dinners stress-free, easy, and doable, for busy mamas like you.
Life as a mama is a whirlwind, isn’t it? Between juggling work, home, kids, and countless other responsibilities, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
But here’s the thing—I’m here to show you that meal planning doesn’t have to be another item on your never-ending to-do list. In fact, it can be the key to reclaiming your sanity and time, allowing you to focus on the other things that matter to you.
You see, I’ve traded in the chaos for calm, and the frantic daily mealtime scramble for easy dinners. And now, I’m passionate about sharing my tried-and-true strategies with fellow mums who are ready to transform their mealtime routines.
But I wasn’t born this way…
Here’s how I went from stressed & scrambling to wing dinner daily, to being well-prepared and organised - and helping thousands of other mums do the same.
Before there was a bestselling book, a top-ranked blog, online courses and a membership, and a loyal 32,000+ community…there was an overworked, unmotivated, guilt-ridden mama.
Trying to do it all.
Yet feeling like a failure. Every. Single. Day.
Aspiring for a better life yet waking up everyday to repeat the same old, clearly-not-working routine.
about me
DISORGANISED DAYS, MAYHEM AT HOME, AND A THOUSAND SLIP-UPS LATER...
I didn’t have a smooth ride into motherhood, homemaking, or finding the balance in between work, family, and myself.
Becoming a mum at the tender age of 19 had me anything but ready.
Throw in post-natal depression, a failed relationship, and no desire to pick myself up…and it was a sure recipe for disaster.
Mothering and trying to stand on my own two feet was challenging, to say the least. Yet I fought, I cried, I struggled, and when postpartum wore off, I started to learn to love myself again.
When I met my husband, and he moved in, my life was nothing short of MESSY. I myself had dragged a whole lot of clutter into my home, and to my horror, he was almost as bad as I was.
We had a chaotic house, a disorganised life, and no structure or routines whatsoever.
And when life started to get busier, I started to realise: “Something has to change.”
IN THE BEGINNING, IT WAS ROUGH
About me
With three people under one roof, including an active three year old, and two adults who worked full-time, staying on top of things was brutal.
I didn’t meet my husband, have him move in, and lived happier ever after.
We struggled with balancing work and play (um…play? what play?).
And, when we finally made it home after a long day we were both too exhausted to try to do anything about it.
THIS IS WHAT LIFE LOOKED LIKE
Exhausting weekdays spent with long hours at work. Short hours at home. Wasted chasing our own tails.
I’d try and decide what to make for dinner on my way to pick up my kid, make a mental shopping list, drag him to the stores, and then get home past-dinnertime, exhausted child in tow.
I’d be horrified by the mess that greeted me at home, and would rush to clean the kitchen the best I could to be able to cook.
My child would be hanging onto my leg, trying to get my attention. I’d be feeling guilty, stressed out, and completely drained.
Late dinner, late bedtime, dishes in the sink, and we’re done for the day.
You get the picture.
The weekends we painful: trying to catch up on errands and housework instead of spending quality time together.
Or else…we’d be so exhausted we’d lie in bed or on the couch like couch potatoes, unable to move, yet feeling so guilty for doing so.
All in all, we were going through desperate days feeling too tired and completely unmotivated to tackle the mess that our home had become.
We were burning ourselves out trying to do it all, yet accomplishing nothing at all.
THE DAY WE DISCOVERED BATCH COOKING, WAS THE DAY WE STARTED TO SEE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL.
We stumbled upon batch cooking purely by accident.
A last-minute invitation and two lunches which had already been prepared led to a lightbulb moment…
“What if we were to freeze this?”
And so we did.
The result was 2 happy people feeling on top of the world because on Monday morning all they had to do was pull out their lunch out of the freezer…
…and 2 soggy burrito wraps which despite their sad state….tasted like the most wonderful thing in the world.
This gave us hope, and energy, and I took it upon myself to learn how to get better at freezing food so we could experience more of this triumph and freedom.
And so I did. Within a few months we were batching 2 weeks’ worth of delicious lunches.
I started to learn that working harder does not always NOT equal success. There was another, better way.
Working less, but working smarter, gave me the one thing I craved so badly: TIME.
I started my journey to living a life with less, getting myself organised, and living the life I wanted.
Here is what I learnt along the way:
- How to make simple yet effective adjustments to my routine and schedule to free up a significant chunk of time every single day
- How to prioritise, automate, outsource, delegate and say NO to allow myself some breathing space.
- How to meal plan, batch cook, freeze and simplify the food process, so cooking everyday became a thing of the past (and yes – we still eat delicious home-cooked meals almost every night of the week!)
And after all that was in place (PS: this took years – I did it alone – there were no resources online and i had no one to turn to)…
I discovered that all of a sudden, the extreme daily guilt and feeling of failure was gone. I had my life back. The life I never had, yet dreamt about over and over.
And best of all…
I had time to spend with my family. And time, as well as want, to spend with myself. My life slowed down to a pace I could dance to.
If I did this, you can too. I’m here to be that friend I so needed myself, for you.
I’d love to teach you what I know. I’ve spent over 15 years perfecting my methods.
If you like what you’re reading, and want to get started with my free resources right away, click here to access my special how-to guides.
GRAB ONE OF MY POWER SHEETS TO MAXIMISE YOUR TIME & STOP THE 'WHAT'S FOR DINNER?' OVERWHELM
10 SMART MOVES TO SAVE YOU 2 HOURS A DAY
FREE 7 DAY MEAL PLAN SCHEDULE
A LITTLE ABOUT ME
I’m an early bird during the week, and a lie-in gal on weekends.
I love waking up before the sunrise so I can get a head-start on work on weekdays, which means I can easily fit in time for my daily walk and drop off and pick up my youngest daughter from school.
I have 2 kids, and I’m married to the man you read about in my story 🙂
We are from Malta, the island of 360 days of sunshine a year, and live in the centre of the island close to the countryside and the seaside because I won’t have it any other way.
Our modestly-sized home is my haven. I am such a homebody.
When I’m not working, there’s a good chance you will find me enjoying my family at home, reading, hanging out in our terrace, or entertaining (in-between our daily routine, of course).
I am a sucker for travelling and exploring the world and I am planning trips almost every weekend. Nature is my happy place. Hikes, camping, going to the beach, and boating in summer are all ways I enjoy the great outdoors.
Life is awesome, and I enjoy every minute of it.
Curious to know more? Here are 15 totally random facts you probably don’t know about me.
Up until 2019, the work I so passionately do today was a side hustle. I played the balance game for quite a while in between my full-time managing a prestigious brand and nurturing my ever-growing passion, along with the house, my hubby & kids, family, friends, and myself.
When my little side project was starting to demand too many hours from me, I took the plunge and started to do this full-time. And boy am I glad I did!
I dedicate a lot of my time to creating easy recipes and supporting our members inside The Dinner Plan – our meal planning membership. You’ll also find me podcasting and blogging, and preparing weekly emails with valuable lessons, or sharing life tidbits and hacks to inspire you on Instagram and Facebook.
Oh, just one moment. I think I need to take a few steps back here. Do you want to know how the Mama Manual came about?
It started with a book
Rewind (quite) a few years, when I was on my journey of self-discovery and teaching how to get myself organised, I came up with the idea of sharing my self-taught expertise on time management to help other mums who needed the help, like I did, by writing a book. This is how ‘the Mama Manual – How busy mums get organised’ was born.
From the book came the blog, and the social media pages; the community grew, and everything started to take off.
Slam on the brakes mama! This ride is ending but the fun is just beginning!
If you’re up for a wicked, once-a-week email where I take you behind the scenes and teach you how to make family mealtimes easy (and also do more, while doing less) – you have to join my special email list.
Every Friday, I send out an email packed with lessons, tips and hacks, and I’d love for you to be a part of it!
Want to join the list? You can do so here.
Want to get in touch?
When I became a mum to my boy Luca, and following 8 months of maternity leave, I returned back to work and was overwhelmed by this transition. I felt helpless. I wasn't coping with Luca, the houseworks, food, errands etc. That was until I discovered the The Mama Manual blog. I followed Nakita on Facebook and Instagram, and from there our lives started to improve. I started to pick up and implement her simple, straightforward, yet effective tips, ideas and strategies offered in her book, website and social media channels. I started to shop online, meal plan, write down every appointment in my calendar (shared with my husband), use a shared grocery list app, automate and plan ahead as much as I can and now started even to batch cook! By making tiny steps forward, I started to take care of myself, and our lives have changed for the better 🙂 I am forever grateful to Nakita, she's helping mums make this overwhelming journey a better one. Thanks Nakita!
I am Natalie, a mum of a 3 year old and I have been following Nakita's blog for around a year now. I was intrigued by the manner Nakita describes the stressful lives of a working mum in particular; whilst offering practical advice on how to overcome such struggles. Her brief, yet clear tips on how to get organised have been so valuable particularly where batch cooking is concerned. I was familiar with this topic however I never somehow took the plunge to start doing it. I thought it would lead to long hours of cooking followed by endless shopping lists and that perhaps the meal would change its texture once frozen among other concerns. However since following Nakita's ongoing tips especially her '100 recipes' that include easy meals and most are freezer friendly, I started batch cooking and YES so far I was successful. It was a sigh of relief on busy days just opening my freezer and not have to cook a meal from scratch! Thanks Nakita for your hands-on approach and for sharing your knowledge with us mummies!
Nakita keeps it real! Even though I’m half a world away, I find her advice completely applicable and all of her experiences relatable. It’s refreshing in the world of Instagram to find someone so willing to share a part of her life and all of the lessons learnt along the way. Particularly as mums, our experiences vary so much and Nakita makes us feel supported and supplies us with tools to lessen our load.
Thanks so much Nakita, you’re a breath of fresh air!
Lots of love from Melbourne, Australia.
Since I have been following Nakita I feel empowered to live a more easy, slow-paced life. She dishes out great advice which is simple, yet so impactful. I love the "one minute rule" found in her book! However, the very best help that Nakita offers is definitely about a positive cooking experience in a timely manner. I never used to batch cook bar the odd bolognese sauce and a few weaning meals when my kids were tiny.
With Nakita's help my husband and I have successfully managed to batch cook & freeze a variety of different foods and feel so incredibly happy that we've got a freezerful of good food to lighten the load on our busy days. Thank you Nakita!