Quick family dinners

Bump (need ideas too! At work so will need to read through these tonight!)

I chop/slice a bunch of veggies on the weekend so I can have them for stir fry, fajitas, or quick side dishes throughout the week. It also encourages me to snack on them or take them for lunch, so win-win. Onion and pepper slices, carrot coins, broccoli/cauliflower florets.

I mainly use my crockpot for soups, stews, and chili (mainly in the fall/winter). I pre-assemble everything in the pot at night and refrigerate, then throw it in the warming part in the morning and let it heat on low all day. I don't do roasts because I find them to end up dry and overcooked also. I've heard this can be a problem with newer crockpots.

We also eat a lot of brinner (breakfast for dinner). There are a ton of make ahead breakfast casseroles. The one I use most often is to roll out a can of crescents, top with cooked sausage, whatever veggies you like, 6 eggs beaten with 1 cup milk, pour over top, cover with cheese, bake at 375 until set.

Shepherd's pie: Brown up some ground meat, add some frozen peas and carrots, a little flour whisked into some beef broth to thicken, a little milk, pour into a pie plate, cover with mashed potatoes (instant, leftover, made from scratch that night...doesn't matter) or mashed cauliflower (if you're carb-conscious), sprinkle with paprika and bake at 400 until top starts to brown.

Stuffed peppers can be made the night before, best if the peppers are blanched.

Homemade pizza: Either make a big pizza with Pillsbury pizza crust, jarred sauce, whatever I have on hand for quick toppings (Johnsonville makes frozen Italian sausage slices that are awesome) Or, you can do individual pizzas using tortillas. Lightly brush with oil, top with whatever, bake at 400 until cheese melts. We eat those more than I care to admit, mostly because no one complains because they pick their own toppings.

Most of all, meal planning! That way you don't have to think about it when you get home from work, you can just get dinner on the table.

Busy week, but want good food go to idea:

I like good food, healthful--but loathe coming home late to have to create a meal and clean up the mess. On Sunday of a busy week I will plan on cooking

choose 2 proteins (ex: chicken, and fish) ( think 2+lbs at a time)
--Sautee/Bake with onions garlic, herbs/seasoning of your taste
--Put enough for dinner aside, store the rest in separate containers in the fridge.

Choose 2 starches ( pasta, rice, or farro)
--Cook according to your taste ( I like to cook rice and farro in broth)
--Put enough for dinner aside, store the rest in separate containers in the fridge.

Choose 3-4 veggies
--Cut and clean(prep) all veggies
--Put enough for dinner aside, store the rest in separate containers in the fridge.

In one skillet add butter/olive oil, add your protein and veggies, and sautee until veggies are the desired texture...add starch into the sautee--add butter, or broth if you like sauce. Serve.

This can give you variations of 5 minute meals for 2-3 days. It's delicious, and everyone loves it!

Crockpot is perfect if out of the house 10-11 hours. It means you can put the meat in frozen and let'er rip. I tend to do chicken breasts/thighs this way, they come out tender and delicious. Also, whole pork or beef roasts, etc.

I agree with you on starting from frozen, and also that this is the perfect amount of time for pork and beef roasts. I haven't had luck with chicken breasts in the crockpot for that long, I usually find them dry when I return.

I am actually trying today frozen chicken breasts (like 8 of them), a bag of frozen corn kernels, taco seasoning, juice of two limes, can of rotel, and cilantro. I'm having the babysitter turn it to warm when she gets there with my son, so I think it will be about 7.5 hours on low, which I hope will be ok.

I'm going to shred that and serve it tonight over rice ala Chipotle bowls, but will use the leftovers for enchilada filling for some freezer meals I need to make for some families going through tough times. I also use this filling for tortilla soup quite often.

My dinner last night turned out really well - the 7 hours on Low for the frozen chicken in the crockpot wasn't too long, then it sat on Warm for another hour or so till I got home and was able to shred it all up.


The whole batch:



My serving last night:


Oh and since this is about family dinners - my kids did eat it, which I thought they would but you never know. I let them make their own bowls so they liked spooning in the rice, pulling the chicken apart with their fingers, and then sprinkling the cheese on top with some sour cream. I think we will do this kind of meal more often...

Crockpot is perfect if out of the house 10-11 hours. It means you can put the meat in frozen and let'er rip. I tend to do chicken breasts/thighs this way, they come out tender and delicious. Also, whole pork or beef roasts, etc.

I agree with you on starting from frozen, and also that this is the perfect amount of time for pork and beef roasts. I haven't had luck with chicken breasts in the crockpot for that long, I usually find them dry when I return.

I am actually trying today frozen chicken breasts (like 8 of them), a bag of frozen corn kernels, taco seasoning, juice of two limes, can of rotel, and cilantro. I'm having the babysitter turn it to warm when she gets there with my son, so I think it will be about 7.5 hours on low, which I hope will be ok.

I'm going to shred that and serve it tonight over rice ala Chipotle bowls, but will use the leftovers for enchilada filling for some freezer meals I need to make for some families going through tough times. I also use this filling for tortilla soup quite often.

My dinner last night turned out really well - the 7 hours on Low for the frozen chicken in the crockpot wasn't too long, then it sat on Warm for another hour or so till I got home and was able to shred it all up.


The whole batch:



My serving last night:


Oh and since this is about family dinners - my kids did eat it, which I thought they would but you never know. I let them make their own bowls so they liked spooning in the rice, pulling the chicken apart with their fingers, and then sprinkling the cheese on top with some sour cream. I think we will do this kind of meal more often...

This looks great! Throw in some black beans and this looks exactly like my burrito bowl from Chipotle!

So funny you say that - exactly what I intended to add last night but forgot to get more black beans at the store!

Stir fries with rice or noodles only take 15-20 minutes depending on how much you have to prep. Same with fried rice.

There are so many slow cooker meals out there that would work as well.

Breakfast for dinner (eggs, hashbrowns, and fruit or pancakes for example)

Pasta is always good, fast, and versatile. Change the protein, vegetables, and sauce to get a variety.

Homemade pizza is awesome.

Only do once a month cooking if you have the freezer space. I don't. I wish I could but I swear they put in the smallest freezers they could in this apartment.

I`m in the same boat I have a 3year old and don`t get in until 1815 and leave for work at 0715, LO doesn`t eat with us at night as she`s at nursery FT, however she doesn`t go to bed until 1900 so we don`t even start cooking until 1930.

I tend to do a lot of fish, easy put in over for about 15 mins, with cous cous, rice veg etc, also stir frys, I also marinate things overnight, Ie Thai Pork chops, Korean beef, etc, All quick to cook when I get in. Or I slow cook something sort it in the morning then come back and just eat once LO is in bed.