Preparing Meals in Advance

[Audrey]

Do you prepare meals in advance? Do you make enough to have several nights of leftovers during the week?

How do you meet the needs of your hungry family, while also meeting the needs of working at home?

I tend to make more elaborate meals on the weekends. I love my crockpot. Weather you work at home or out of the home, crockpots are awesome. You can prep the night before and then in the morning throw everything in. Toss a salad, throw some bread in the oven to warm and you have a great meal.

[smbwallace]

LOL, I'm such a slacker in the kitchen!

I don't prepare meals in advance but I do try to make extra so we can have leftovers.

I love the crockpot too! It's been a lifesaver for us many times and it's hard to mess it up, even for me.

[Terri-Avon]

Ugh...I dont even wanna talk about meals.

My kids are so darn picky that it drives me up a wall. The only family meal I know that I can make that we ALL like is Chicken Cacciatore and Tacos.

I also LOVE, love love my crockpot. That's my fav kinda meal. Throw it all in one dish, turn it on and fuggedaboudit :D

[Audrey]

Terri,

Try browned hamburger meat...mix it with either bbq sauce or whatever the kids like and let it simmer. Throw it on buns or bread.

Cut up hot dogs and vegetables. Coat them with tempura coating and fry. Give the kids sauce to dip them in.

If the kids like tacos, try quesadillas and burritos too :)

Do your kids like mac and cheese? Add some cut up ham/chicken and some small cut up veggies.

I too had a very picky eater. When she left for college her tastes expanded. She now eats quite a few things, but I had to be creative when she was young.

[sarathy]

Instead of preparing meals for over a week and storing it, i feel its better to cook dishes that would consume less time. It is a healthy option. You can always have your children helping you. Its all about prioritising things.

[MaryAnn]

I'm also a crock pot user! I love throwing a whole chicken in with a little season salt and let it cook away LOL! We have it for dinner that night, left overs the next night and then I take the leftover broth (which I saved and skimmed the fat off) add in the left over chicken, potato, celery, carrots and onions (add water and s/p to taste) and have soup the third night (or freeze it).

I also make HUGE batches of very plain, basic pasta sauce and freeze it. Then, when I'm ready to use it, I add in meat or veggies. Sometimes I just want it plain so I can have it on chicken.

In the summer, we try to eat more fresh and light. I'll cook a bunch of chicken breasts on the grill and have them a couple of nights on a big salad. We also like veggie quiche with a salad.

Planning really is the key.

Great thread - I can't wait to see what other ideas I can gleen from here :p

[Lori]

Even when I cook LARGE amounts -- it doesn't seem to last long :)

This year my focus is on systems to keep my house cleaner... but pretty soon I need to start considering meal planning more.

It saves money to cook large quantities - that's for sure... but with a family of six -- they have to be REALLY big! :snort:

[WorkAtHomeSpace]

As someone mentioned, involve the kids. Each person can choose a dish for the week and help prepare it. It is known that kids will eat what they make. I prefer simple dishes that doesn't take a lot of time. Stir-frys, stew, pasta. Also mix it up with breakfast food for dinner. It brings variety.

:)

[Marlo Boux]

Oh man -meal prep and looming business deadlines are a hard combo sometimes. My toddler seems to eat non-stop whereas my 8 yr old can at least fix himself snacks.

My biggest goal is to make enough so there is leftovers for my husband to take to work - otherwise he nickels and dimes his cash on snacks at work (he is a manager in a grocery store lol).

He had to laugh at me the other night - I epitomized the work at home mom to a tee. I had my #1 mom apron on, had my headset on, my cordless phone in the apron front pocket (which barely fit because of my big pregnant belly) and I was stirring a pan of rice-a-roni - ALL while on a conference call to a colleague in NY LOL. He really should have taken a picture so I could put it on my blog. Maybe I will get him to do a re-enactment shot :D

[Audrey]

Marlo,

Now that's funny :)

[Terri-Avon]

:hee: that is funny Marlo!! Definately a re-enactment photo moment !!

[lstreat]

Oh man -meal prep and looming business deadlines are a hard combo sometimes. My toddler seems to eat non-stop whereas my 8 yr old can at least fix himself snacks.

My biggest goal is to make enough so there is leftovers for my husband to take to work - otherwise he nickels and dimes his cash on snacks at work (he is a manager in a grocery store lol).

He had to laugh at me the other night - I epitomized the work at home mom to a tee. I had my #1 mom apron on, had my headset on, my cordless phone in the apron front pocket (which barely fit because of my big pregnant belly) and I was stirring a pan of rice-a-roni - ALL while on a conference call to a colleague in NY LOL. He really should have taken a picture so I could put it on my blog. Maybe I will get him to do a re-enactment shot :D

OH my GOD that is so hilarious::hee: :hee: I could just picture it too! Now would a man be able to do this? I think not!
I spent a couple of hours Sunday mornings and cook away till at least Wed maybe into Thurs if I plan it correctly. Not so much now that it's summer time here in Toronto as we barbeque alot and it's so easy to just throw some meat on the bbq and have a quick meal. :)

[Lori]

I'd like to see the re-enactment shot too Marlo! :hee:

[Glamgurl36]

i started to do some grilled chicken..in the begining of the week and just save it for about 2 days it's still good and then just make pasta roni from the boxes its really quick and delicious. The frozen vegetables are fast too. They are steamed vegetables that you can throw in the microwave...look in your grocers freezer haha...thats what works in my house

[bizzymom3]

Sometimes I get sick of the fact that we have to eat - LOL. I do try to cook up extra chili and freeze leftovers for Chili Dogs. I make 2 pans of Lasagna and freeze the other in portions that can be heated up in the Micro - I also like to make meatballs - lots of meatballs - cook and freeze in quart bags so that we can have them with cream of mushroom soup and rice, BBQ, Sweet & Sour - etc... These are really cheap eats - I love the cheap and the ease of pulling it out of the freezer.

Cassandra

www.tcbathbodyandhome.com

[Lori]

Sometimes I get sick of the fact that we have to eat - LOL.

:good1: Me too! Thank goodness I married a chef!

[Audrey]

Lori,

You should send me a few recipes to put on my site. I always include a link back to the recipe senders site :) (hows that for a shameless plug LOL)