Dinner strategies

[gldnbearz]

Last night I actually managed to have dinner ready in about an hour. Soooo rare. Menu was a variant of a ground beef/tofu/veggie stir fry.

After I walked through the door at home, I started rice in the rice cooker (takes about 45 minutes) and pulled ingredients from the fridge. I put away the day's pumped BM, changed out of work clothes, and went to greet MH, the kiddo, and our dog.

I made use of dried onions and frozen veggies to get the meal ready with minimal preparation time.

What are your time savers for dinner?

[zengal]

Have H cook it.

Ha! Last night we did a salmon salad. I got the salmon cooking and went to feed baby. H washed the veggies and put them in a bowl, and when I was done with baby I added the salmon and toppings and we ate!

Tonight is stuffed peppers. H will do all the sous chef work, then I'll put it together. While it's in the oven I can feed baby and do all my other stuff. Hopefully the timing works out again-

[jjh1119]

For now, bottle feeding helps to free me to cook. I'm a pretty speed demon when it comes to cooking. I think working in restaurants for years has helped with timing everything to be done at the same time.

We mainly do a protein, roasted veggies and side salad. Or giant salad with roasted veggies and a protein (same thing but plated differently! lol) I don't ever make rice because it takes 45 minutes lol. Our carbs are usually starchy vegetables, like sweet potatoes or potato potatoes

I am constantly wondering how bfing moms cook. Liam was a HOUND around dinner time and I couldn't cook. I think we will deal with that when the time comes.

[ninergirl52]

I do not take for granted the fact that I wfh which helps tremendously with dinner prep. However, DH and I still manage to find things that keep us busy and scrambling for dinner on a regular basis. One of the key things we've started doing is cooking a bigger dinner on Sunday nights so that we have leftovers throughout the week. Then once or twice a week I make dinner that can be made into something else. Example Chicken one night can mean chicken tacos a day later.

[jjh1119]

ninergirl52, H and I just had this discussion this past Sunday! I am going to make that a goal this week. To make bigger meals that can be used for others or have leftovers.

I made a mushroom and leek quiche and there was enough for 2. One with a crust and the other without the crust. We are currently eating the one with the crust, the other is in the freezer.

I made Chicken parm the other day that made for lunch another day plus lunch for myself today as well.

What are some Sunday meals you make?

[pixie523]

I usually make a protein or two ahead of time on Sundays or on my WFH days and dinner is that protein plus a veg of some sort. Or that protein on a salad. Or that protein on a sandwich, etc. etc. etc.

One of us warms up protein, cooks veg while the other one watches LO throw all her food over the edge or eat her avocado.

[zengal]

I have reflected fondly in the days I used to do the fresh 20. You buy 20 fresh ingredients for the week, the meals are all planned out so you can do a bunch of prep work on Sunday, and some of the things you cook earlier in the week are used for later recipes. It was so nice not to have to generate my own meal ideas for awhile!

[jjh1119]

My biggest problem with meal planning is by wednesday I don't feel like eating anything I bought food for. Lol

[pixie523]

Sept 15, 2015 17:14:35 GMT -5 jjh1119 said:

My biggest problem with meal planning is by wednesday I don't feel like eating anything I bought food for. Lol

Yessssssss

[gldnbearz]

Sept 15, 2015 20:00:34 GMT -5 pixie523 said:

Sept 15, 2015 17:14:35 GMT -5 jjh1119 said:

My biggest problem with meal planning is by wednesday I don't feel like eating anything I bought food for. Lol

Yessssssss

What she said.

[gldnbearz]

I have a big challenge with proteins. I buy ahead during sales and freeze the meat. By the time it takes to defrost in the fridge two days later, plans have changed or I'm just way too tired to cook itm

[MsNicole06]

Crock pot options whenever possible. By not doing dinner cooking every night, I don't get tired of cooking. It also helps the I'm vary rarely home later than 5 and DH is home between 3:30-4:30. Being teachers means we can cook and prep fairly easily.

[gldnbearz]

I'm out of the house from 8:30-6:30 most nights and only WFH on Fridays. Those WFH days are usually packed with conference calls in which I can't use the time for prep. And by Friday, it's too late anyway.

[ninergirl52]

Some of our larger Sunday meals are:
Turkey with roasted vegetables - we love to cook a whole Turkey on the weekends
Meatballs - I make a huge batch of meatballs and we use them for sandwiches or I make spaghetti squash and meatballs (a staple at our house)
Whole Chicken
Salmon
DH has a big green egg and will cook up a pork shoulder or brisket that can end up making a number of meals. Last weekend he cooked a 17 lb brisket over a 12 hour span. Some of it we froze, the rest has been used for 3 meals now.

[nerdalert]

When I was bfing all the time, cooking was near impossible... We basically ate a lot of frozen pizzas back then in the Survival Mode days. Now that she only nurses 6x a day, it's much easier. I nurse her around 4pm and then not again until 7. She eats baby food at dinner with us. So that's how the timing works.

I pretty much only make meals that take 30 minutes to cook. We eat a lot of chili, soups, sloppy joes, tacos. I keep the same things in rotation until DH tells me he's tired of them lol! But now that he's in basic training, he's eating their food and MREs all the time, and he wrote me in a letter that he "misses my cooking with every fiber of his being." So that was nice to hear, haha.

I would like to get into crockpot cooking more in the future. Now that LO naps well in the mornings I would have time to get a meal going. I'll have to hit up Pinterest for some recipes.

[gldnbearz]

Anyone open to sharing 30 minutes meal ideas?

[nerdalert]

gldnbearz Sure! When I finally get LO down for her nap, I'll pull out my recipe book.

[catlady22]

Seeing as how I leave at 6am and don't get home until 6pm (and DH not home until at least 9pm) - I usually get take out. Saves a lot of time . I wish I had time to cook dinner. I love cooking

[nerdalert]

Creamy Wild Rice Soup

1 pkg Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice Ready Rice
3T chopped green onions
1/4 cup shredded carrot
3T sliced almonds
4T butter
1/3 cup flour
2 10.5 oz cans of chicken broth
1/2 cup diced fully cooked ham
1/4 t pepper
1 cup half and half

Cook rice as directed on package and set aside.
In large saucepan, saute the onions, carrots, and almonds in butter for 1-2 mins. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually add broth. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 mins until thickened. Reduce heat. Add ham, pepper, and rice. Cover and simmer for 5 mins or until carrots are tender.
Reduce heat. Add half and half and heat through (do not boil)

Takes about 30 minutes, and you can save time by getting the veggies ready ahead of time.

[zengal]

I did panko chicken with roasted veggies tonight. Two trays in the oven at the same time, and done in thirty minutes!

[jjh1119]

Sept 17, 2015 19:48:55 GMT -5 zengal said:

I did panko chicken with roasted veggies tonight. Two trays in the oven at the same time, and done in thirty minutes!

This is basically how I cook. Just varying proteins and veggies lol.

It's a bonus if I marinate/glaze something

[MsNicole06]

I feel like most of my meals are 40 minute meals with prep and cooking. It amazes me how I can't ever do a 30 minute meal.

[jax1182014]

Get a bag of green beans that you heat up in the microwave. Put parm cheese and butter, salt and pepper on it after you heat. For the main course- 1 lb haddock with the skin off. Beat 2 eggs and a little milk on 1 plate, put bread crumbs and parm cheese on the other plate. Dip the haddock in the egg then breadcrumbs. Put on a baking dish and bake at 400 for 20 mins. We get the haddock skinned and put into 4 pieces. Easy and husband approved. You can also flavor the fish with magic seafood seasoning before dipping. Enjoy!