Feeding a family with limited time

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jonilynn70
jonilynn70 Posts: 145 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am a business owner, wife, mother, grandmother, and everything that comes along with those titles. I am looking for dinner ideas to feed 2 adults and 3 older teenagers (baby still has formula for the moment ;) ) that I can either prepare in advance or prepare fairly easily after a long day of working. Appreciate all advice!!!!

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  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,671 Member
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    A slow cooker will be your best friend.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I started a new project at work last week which meant longer hours every day. All of a sudden, I had to get all my errands done with two hours less per day.

    Out came the slow cooker.

    I have a stay-at-home husband that can handle most jobs, but cooking is not one of them. I can put out a frozen dinner however, with plain instructions on when to put it in the oven.

    I went on a cooking blitz this weekend, partially a reaction to my crazy week. Even though I am cooking for two, I am betting most of these recipes will work well for you, too. I routinely cook up all my meat at once, and divide the spare meat for future meals.

    Dinner would be ready when I got home, then I would prep all the meals for the next day or two in the evening.

    - Whole chicken on a bed of baby potatoes in the slow cooker.
    - Chicken and potatoes repackaged as a frozen dinner (chicken pot pie) covered with puff pastry and put in the freezer.
    - Chickpeas (cooked in the slow cooker), blended the next morning in to hummus.
    - Pinto beans (cooked in the slow cooker) then refried.
    - Marinated pork cutlets prepared on the George Foreman and served with Rice-a-Roni and coleslaw.
    - Marinated tofu baked crisp in the oven with baked cabbage, baked rice (the easiest rice I've ever made), and teriyaki sauce.
    - Black eyed peas (baked in the oven, 6 hours), to make Boston Baked Beans. This we are having tonight with hot-dogs.

    Here's a ziplock hack for repackaging and freezing bulk meals like the beans, hummus described above:

    284_ziploc_recipe_hacks_to_make_memorial_day_a_breeze_body_5_2x.jpg?w=770

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I forgot one! Turkey meatballs, also baked in the oven. The evening I made the meatballs I served them with spaghetti sauce and fettucini noodles. The spare meatballs went in to the freezer.
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,671 Member
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    That Ziplock hack is brilliant. Stealing :)
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    I started a new project at work last week which meant longer hours every day. All of a sudden, I had to get all my errands done with two hours less per day.

    Out came the slow cooker.

    I have a stay-at-home husband that can handle most jobs, but cooking is not one of them. I can put out a frozen dinner however, with plain instructions on when to put it in the oven.

    I went on a cooking blitz this weekend, partially a reaction to my crazy week. Even though I am cooking for two, I am betting most of these recipes will work well for you, too. I routinely cook up all my meat at once, and divide the spare meat for future meals.

    Dinner would be ready when I got home, then I would prep all the meals for the next day or two in the evening.

    - Whole chicken on a bed of baby potatoes in the slow cooker.
    - Chicken and potatoes repackaged as a frozen dinner (chicken pot pie) covered with puff pastry and put in the freezer.
    - Chickpeas (cooked in the slow cooker), blended the next morning in to hummus.
    - Pinto beans (cooked in the slow cooker) then refried.
    - Marinated pork cutlets prepared on the George Foreman and served with Rice-a-Roni and coleslaw.
    - Marinated tofu baked crisp in the oven with baked cabbage, baked rice (the easiest rice I've ever made), and teriyaki sauce.
    - Black eyed peas (baked in the oven, 6 hours), to make Boston Baked Beans. This we are having tonight with hot-dogs.

    Here's a ziplock hack for repackaging and freezing bulk meals like the beans, hummus described above:

    284_ziploc_recipe_hacks_to_make_memorial_day_a_breeze_body_5_2x.jpg?w=770

    All of this sounds incredible-right down to the ziploc hack!

    Do you have a recipe for the tofu?? <3
  • annaheyoolay
    annaheyoolay Posts: 100 Member
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    Breakfast for dinner is super easy, we do it about once a week. Eggs, bacon or sausage, toast and fruit. 20 min.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Here's the tofu recipe. Good enough to make my "proven" list.

    https://www.pinterest.com/pin/361132463848164122/
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
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    Thank you!!!
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    edited July 2015
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    I buy my ground beef bulk at Costco. I cook some of it up right when I get it home, let it cool and then freeze in quart size freezer bags in 12 ounce portions (4 ounces of beef cooks down to 3 ounces, times 4 servings). I can then use it in many different recipes.

    The crockpot is great for things like chili and stew. I make double batches and the leftovers get eaten for lunches (and usually fought over).

    Mix up a double batch of meatloaf the night before and shape into loafs. When you get home pop them in the oven (or have one of the kids do it at a certain time before you get home). You can either do large loaves or individual loaves which take less time to cook.

    I buy rotisserie chicken at Costco. First night it's the main course then the leftovers are either lunches or get made into soup, casseroles or put on a salad later in the week.

    Stir fry is super easy. Buy the bag of frozen stir fry vegetables. Use left over meat or pre-cook it and then just heat it up at dinner time. Add soy sauce, ginger, garlic, etc. to taste then add the veggies and heat through. Make a pot of rice or add pre-cooked spaghetti noodles in with the meat and veggies.

    I make chicken parmesan using frozen chicken patties. Cook according to directions and 5 minutes before they are done top each with a couple of tablespoons of spaghetti sauce and then a slice of mozzarella or provolone cheese. I've also topped the chicken patties with a large slice of tomato and a slice of havarti or cheddar cheese.
  • rjan91
    rjan91 Posts: 194 Member
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    I have also just purchased an electric pressure cooker. I can make a meal once a get home in 30-45 min. They are not as scary as the ones that go on the stove in my opinion.
  • Jennloella
    Jennloella Posts: 2,287 Member
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    You guys must have gigantic slow cookers. I cannot fit a meal for 6 in one, just side dishes. I make pasta sauces and freeze, make rice and freeze, chop up meat, season, add sauce for stir fry and freeze. Meatballs, turkey burger patties. We grab something from the freezer and heat it in a skillet. Sometimes I freeze lasagna or enchiladas in trays. Burritos freeze well individually in plastic wrap then put in a freezer bag.
  • jonilynn70
    jonilynn70 Posts: 145 Member
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    Thank you everyone. It's a good start. Now to get to the grocery store.
  • katieshaheen66
    katieshaheen66 Posts: 16 Member
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    If you google "New Leaf Wellness", she has different lists of crockpot recipes - enough to last you for a week (sometimes longer)! Prep time varies between 15 to 30 minutes (for all of the meals) and she even includes the grocery list. The meals are very good and for the most part, once you enter the recipes into MFP, work out between 250-400 calories a serving which is great as well!
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
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    slow cooker is a good idea. Stir fry is quick and easy. Roasted vegetables with baked chicken or fish is easy.

    Teaching older teenagers to cook will help you and give them a good skill for when they are on their own.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    Jennloella wrote: »
    You guys must have gigantic slow cookers. I cannot fit a meal for 6 in one, just side dishes. I make pasta sauces and freeze, make rice and freeze, chop up meat, season, add sauce for stir fry and freeze. Meatballs, turkey burger patties. We grab something from the freezer and heat it in a skillet. Sometimes I freeze lasagna or enchiladas in trays. Burritos freeze well individually in plastic wrap then put in a freezer bag.
    I have a couple of different sizes but the 5 quart is what I use when I'm making double batches for my family of 3. They sell them in sizes up to 7 quarts.
  • HillOE
    HillOE Posts: 61 Member
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    I love our slow cooker, and was very anti slow cooker up until about 2 years ago (I'm 44 and my mother wasn't a slow cooker fan). Ours is a rice maker (10 minutes) and pressure cooker (dried beans cooked in 20 minutes) and slow cooker (4 to 8 hour slow cook options). Under $100, maybe even $50.

    The key is to plan plan plan. We sit down on Sunday and make our shopping list around what we will eat that week. If you can have the teens or husband prep before you get home that's great (chop and dice and clean up that mess) it will cut down on your time. You can do it on the weekend after the food shopping too. why should you carry the entire load if they are going to eat it?

    We slow cook 1x a week, use the rice cooker a couple of times and make dinner once home from work the remainder, usually under 1/2 hour.
  • HillOE
    HillOE Posts: 61 Member
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    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    slow cooker is a good idea. Stir fry is quick and easy. Roasted vegetables with baked chicken or fish is easy.

    Teaching older teenagers to cook will help you and give them a good skill for when they are on their own.

    Yes!!!! Our 12 year old gets to pick a meal a week he can help with or shop for or "create". He's picky on what he eats but very creative in his selection of foods...and will eat what others (not his parents) suggest. His new obsession is watercress (and he HATES green veg other than peas).

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