How do you cook meals with crazy work schedule?

kmumansky

I will eat the same breakfast, snacks & lunch almost every day for an entire week. This way I only have to worry about dinner. It might be boring, but as long as its stuff I like I don't mind it. This week it's my shakes for breakfast, turkey sandwiches for lunch with quinoa salad, snacks are grapes yogurt or baby carrots. I also plan out a week's worth of dinners and write out a menu to put on the fridge

tigertrax3

I freezer cook. One weekend every 2 months i prepackage my food and freeze it. Maybe that just means marinating chicken breasts and then throwing them in the freezer, but thats a meal done. You just have to remember to thaw, cook and make a side salad. There a practically a million site online dedicated to freezer meals. I would go nuts without this way of cooking.

charlena48

I cook homemade soups or other dishes on the weekend and have them for lunch and dinner for the week. I also freeze things that can be taken out and cooked relatively quickly.

Whoppi

My Freezer is always full of Lean dinners also, for those days/evenings my dishes don't come together as planned. I tend to do alot of putting evening meals together on the weekend and freeze to take out in the morning to refrigerater. I use the crockpot alot too. Days I have energy left from my 8 hours at work, I get onions, green onions, carrots & celery cut up to be tossed in the crockpot recipe in the morning before I leave for work. My meat to use in the crockpot gets diced up also.The smell is wonderful to greet me at 5:30
I hope this is helpful. Good luck in your wt.loss.
Kindly, Whoopi

rachellosesitall85

Cook your meals for the week on your day off. Sunday is usually good. Then Tupperware them and put them in the freezer. When you get home and want to rest and are starving, pop those bad boys in the microwave. Home cooked meal without the fuss

Capt_Apollo

i have one day a week that is a cooking day. i'll make like, 4-6 pounds of grilled chicken breast, a whole pot of rice, a big pot of pasta and meat sauce, and whatever else i feel like. it makes meals during the week a lot easier.

k8blujay2

Just about everyone said what I was about to... but I am going to suggest that if you do start slowcooking (with a crockpot/slow cooker).. to buy those slow cooker liners... at Target they are about $2 for a package of five... that way you don't have to actually wash out your crock pot every time... at least not the soaking and scrubbing variety that always takes me forever.

lovinmamaxo

Sorry but working 20+ hours a week is not a 'crazy' or 'hectic' work pattern. You are too tired after 7 hours to cook meals? I understand that you have children so this is tiring as well but it is not too much at all.

I work from 8:30am until 6:00pm all week - I then take my puppy out for an hour and a half so usually don't get home until 7:30 / 8:00pm depending on where I take him.

I still manage to have decent breakfast before I leave, decent lunch and make myself a tea. Sometimes when I'm tired I do just do a ready meal but I always make veg and stuff for with it...

You aren't that busy. Life is never too busy that you can't sort out a healthy diet.

Umm yeah it is when you are not working a steady shift. One day could be 8-3:30 and the next 2:45-10 i don't really think you have room to judge how busy my life is. I asked what people do when they have busy schedules for meals. I didn't ask what your opinion was of a "busy schedule vs a "non busy schedule" I work retail i am tired! I have medical problems too that make me even more tired but i don't feel the need to get into my medical business with you because you think i have a "non-hectic schedule" Try sleeping 8 hours a night but REALLY only sleeping 4-5 then talk to me. Suggestions are appreciated not negative opinions thanks

shoniej

Just like everyone else has suggested: you have to plan!

I work 40+ hours every week, full time college student - attend night classes 2 days a week along with another day class on my lunch break and an online class (12 credit hours total), full time wife and mom to a 15 month old, 2 yellow labs that like their walks and I manage 4 days of 30 minute boot camp sessions.

Sunday is my main prep day! I will make all my salads and grab snacks for the week. I also prepare one dinner that lasts 3 nights (Monday-Wednesday). Wednesday night or Thursday morning I will throw something in the crock pot for the next 3 nights. Breakfast usually consists of yogurt, oatmeal and toast plus fresh fruit. We try to keep it very simple.

It's all about finding the balance that is right for you all.

lovinmamaxo

Hang on. A 7 hour day or 20 hours week is hectic? When did that happen?

add in sleep apnea, vitamin d deficiency, hypothyroidism, RETAIL JOB where my hours are never the same and yeah i am tired and consider my life hectic. Plus hubby works 3rd shift 5 nights/week and i have a 7 and 5 year old. Wish people would be less judgemental about what i consider "hectic" and just offer me some suggestions geez. And i said 20+ hours doesn't mean it's 20 every week! This week is 32. Wait why should i have to explain myself?

gaboudreau

Just remember the old saying "never put off until tomorrow what you can do today"..whenever you aren't working use part of that time to prep food for the times you won't have time or are rushed. If your husband can find some time to make some meals I think you should be able to find the time too..check out some of the websites for freezer meals-they even have recipes for light freezer meals and get organized for a healthier family and you..

shelbyfrootcake

Sorry but working 20+ hours a week is not a 'crazy' or 'hectic' work pattern. You are too tired after 7 hours to cook meals? I understand that you have children so this is tiring as well but it is not too much at all.

I work from 8:30am until 6:00pm all week - I then take my puppy out for an hour and a half so usually don't get home until 7:30 / 8:00pm depending on where I take him.

I still manage to have decent breakfast before I leave, decent lunch and make myself a tea. Sometimes when I'm tired I do just do a ready meal but I always make veg and stuff for with it...

You aren't that busy. Life is never too busy that you can't sort out a healthy diet.

Umm yeah it is when you are not working a steady shift. One day could be 8-3:30 and the next 2:45-10 i don't really think you have room to judge how busy my life is. I asked what people do when they have busy schedules for meals. I didn't ask what your opinion was of a "busy schedule vs a "non busy schedule" I work retail i am tired! I have medical problems too that make me even more tired but i don't feel the need to get into my medical business with you because you think i have a "non-hectic schedule" Try sleeping 8 hours a night but REALLY only sleeping 4-5 then talk to me. Suggestions are appreciated not negative opinions thanks

You just need to organise better. A lot of people here are working shifts, long hours, plus studying, working out, dealing with kids/family, dealing with medical problems etc and every one of them has to find a system to work for them. For some that is living off of processed ready meals quite happily, so others its a weekend full of wall to wall batch cooking. Somewhere in all of these replies they'll be a combination of idea that you can make work for you.

shelbyfrootcake

Hang on. A 7 hour day or 20 hours week is hectic? When did that happen?

add in sleep apnea, vitamin d deficiency, hypothyroidism, RETAIL JOB where my hours are never the same and yeah i am tired and consider my life hectic. Plus hubby works 3rd shift 5 nights/week and i have a 7 and 5 year old. Wish people would be less judgemental about what i consider "hectic" and just offer me some suggestions geez. And i said 20+ hours doesn't mean it's 20 every week! This week is 32. Wait why should i have to explain myself?

Because you're the one whining about your life being too busy to knock together a salad or grill a bit of chicken.

elyelyse

A crockpot can be your new best friend! Super easy, done when you get home. Also, when you have a free day pr a few hours durin the week, cook things ahead of time so they are easy to grab. I usually take my sundays and get my food ready for the week. Make some grilled chicken, maybe a big pot of soup or chili, precutting some veggies and putting them in servings. I know with your schedule it may b tough, but if you could get a few hours to set aside for this, the rest of your week will be a breeze and you will have foods right at hand

exactly this. Im lucky and have time to prepare before I eat, but my sister works full time, is a mom, and even gets her *kitten* out of bed at 5:30 am to hit the gym! She takes a few hours on Sunday to precook some things, cut veggies, and make little snack bags that are already portioned out. When she leaves for work in the morning, she just grabs what she needs fast. I think she waits to cook her dinner proteins, but she plans what she will do with them ahead of time and prepares what she can so she doesn't have to think about it when she gets home from work. If you find you are so busy that every minute counts, you can even go so far as to portion out things like cereal, grains, etc, into baggies, so that you don't have to measure when you are pressed for time.

lovinmamaxo

Hang on. A 7 hour day or 20 hours week is hectic? When did that happen?

add in sleep apnea, vitamin d deficiency, hypothyroidism, RETAIL JOB where my hours are never the same and yeah i am tired and consider my life hectic. Plus hubby works 3rd shift 5 nights/week and i have a 7 and 5 year old. Wish people would be less judgemental about what i consider "hectic" and just offer me some suggestions geez. And i said 20+ hours doesn't mean it's 20 every week! This week is 32. Wait why should i have to explain myself?

Because you're the one whining about your life being too busy to knock together a salad or grill a bit of chicken.

Where in my post was i whining? I asked for suggestions for how people do it with families and busy schedules. What i didn't ask for is people's opinions about how many hours it should take before i can consider my schedule "hectic" some people are just plain RUDE.

BeautyFromPain

Hang on. A 7 hour day or 20 hours week is hectic? When did that happen?

add in sleep apnea, vitamin d deficiency, hypothyroidism, RETAIL JOB where my hours are never the same and yeah i am tired and consider my life hectic. Plus hubby works 3rd shift 5 nights/week and i have a 7 and 5 year old. Wish people would be less judgemental about what i consider "hectic" and just offer me some suggestions geez. And i said 20+ hours doesn't mean it's 20 every week! This week is 32. Wait why should i have to explain myself?

Because you're the one whining about your life being too busy to knock together a salad or grill a bit of chicken.

You probably could have cooked a few meals in the time you have spent on here complaining.. just saying..

shelbyfrootcake

Hang on. A 7 hour day or 20 hours week is hectic? When did that happen?

add in sleep apnea, vitamin d deficiency, hypothyroidism, RETAIL JOB where my hours are never the same and yeah i am tired and consider my life hectic. Plus hubby works 3rd shift 5 nights/week and i have a 7 and 5 year old. Wish people would be less judgemental about what i consider "hectic" and just offer me some suggestions geez. And i said 20+ hours doesn't mean it's 20 every week! This week is 32. Wait why should i have to explain myself?

Because you're the one whining about your life being too busy to knock together a salad or grill a bit of chicken.

Where in my post was i whining? I asked for suggestions for how people do it with families and busy schedules. What i didn't ask for is people's opinions about how many hours it should take before i can consider my schedule "hectic" some people are just plain RUDE.

You have to expect that when you're going on about having no time to cook to people working double the hours and dealing with all whatever they are dealing with too that you're going to get some criticism. People working 14 hour shifts are going to find it galling when someone complains complains about their 7 hour job. That's life.

Rubie81

I want to read this later. Bump.

cgarand

I love the crock-pot ideas. But, I also love to make some fresh fish (cooks up really quickly) and quinoa (about 20 minutes to cook) I serve it with spinach or broccoli (frozen cooks up so quickly too!) I also sometimes will make a whole family pack of chicken or roast a whole chicken then I have it in the fridge to whip up a quick dinner. I will take left over chicken and quinoa and put it into a lettuce wrap or low fat tortilla with a little shredded cheese and salsa. And, I always have sliced turkey breast, hummus and pepperige farm light multi grain bread (35 calories each slice) and that can make a healthy sandwich that has less than 200 calories!

WendyTerry420

The bad part about Lean Cuisine meals is that they are too tiny, and I have to eat two of them.

These are some great suggestions though.