If you work full-time:

sooosie

How do you handle the meals for the week?  I need some ideas for what works, because trying to figure things out after I get home from work isn't cutting it.  Do you cook for the week on one day and freeze meals?  Do you just make easy things when you get home?  Or do you have lots of cereal, fish sticks and mac and cheese like we do around here? 

I just need some idea of how to be more organized in this.  I should also add that I work Sun-Thur and H works M-F so we really only have one day all together as a family (Saturday).

DandelionMom

I really liked the book Once a Month Cooking -- but it was too hard to keep up with.  I still use a lot of those ideas though.

AnnapolisLari

I'm not a WOHM, but I am often lazy about meals. I love to bake, but the day to day crap? Ugh.

I make lots of soups and stews in large quantities and then freeze family sized or individual portions.

Soups: chicken rice or chicken noodle, beef veggie, 15 bean, split pea

Stews: beef stew, Irish stew, tuscan chicken and white bean, chili (rarely, as it gives me heartburn)

The crock pot is your friend. I make that crock pot salsa chicken fairly often. Beef stroganoff. Pulled pork or chicken.

I am also not opposed to Stouffer's meals on occasion. I know that the Bump women are DEATH on them, but aside from being kind of high in sodium, the ingredients are not anything that I wouldn't put into my own lasagne or whatever. I've sat down and read the labels. It's not as if they are getting it every night or even once a week.

criticalmass

Ditto to the crock pot, some weeks I will cook a whole chicken and that will get us through a couple of days. One day will be chicken soup made with the broth, the next could be a pasta dish with chicken or a casserole, then you could do chicken salad sandwiches with the rest. Throw in some frozen veggies and you have pretty good meals in my opinion.

Just get a crock pot cook book and you can plan meals ahead and put them together the night before then start the crock pot before you leave in the morning.

GettinNervous

I used to stress about it, but now I don't even plan ahead. We get home and I say, "What are you in the mood for?" It's usually grilled cheese, soup, leftovers, macaroni, Kid Cuisine . . .

They eat really good lunches at daycare, and they eat good meals a few nights a week at their grandparents' house. So I don't worry much.

Cbidt's girl

I cook a good meal ahead for 1-2 nights, do breakfast (pancakes, eggs, bacon in some combo) one night, something quick but nutitious on other nights such as rotisserie chicken with frozen veggies & fresh bread; bean burritos, boboli pizza loaded with veggies...

true_norskie

Organization and planning are KEY!  I plan and shop over the weekend for the week ahead. 

For our family of four, I try to prepare something on Sunday afternoon that stretches for two meals. That way, Monday and Tuesday dinners just need to be heated up when we get home.  I keep it simple...spaghetti (I just brown the meat on Sunday and do sauce, noodles and veggies after we get home), tacos and a lot of one-dish casseroles.  I shop once per week and get veggies to steam and keep frozen on hand.

Wednesdays we have church activities so that is often a fast food night...Thursdays we do a lot of grilled cheese/panini sandwiches, chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese--quick things to throw together. The other "fast food" we do is picking up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.  Add veggies and bread, it's a good meal.  Then I make soup from the rest of the chicken.  But the chicken can make quick tacos (add salsa and cheese to a tortilla), sandwiches, etc.

Nothing I make is gourmet--far from it, but I do take pride in the fact that DH and I both have demanding careers with full-time jobs and my kids get home-prepared meals most nights of the week.

ak1234

Menu planning and some quick stand-ins for night where there is nothing planned.  On Saturday or Sunday, I decide what we will eat for the week, and grocery shop with a list.  I can tell you that winging it doesn't get you healthy food, it ends up being Pizza Hut ($10, anyone?), take out, etc.

I also make sure that the meals I plan are 30 minutes or less...spaghetti, burgers, stir fry, some type of seafood, etc.

peekaboo716

We have a basic list of meals that we eat and have shopped.for them the Sunday before. Some of the meals we make are quesadillas, breakfasts for dinner (eggs, breakfast burritos, etc.), pasta with chicken and veggie, etc. Friday is pizza night. I love to have whatever I make on Sunday be dinner on Monday. Really, I have no good tricks, but just make things that take about 30 or so minutes to make. DH helps a lot too since he is home before I am most nights.

shopgirl78

In a week we have at least 4-5 homemade meals.  

A few things I do:

1.  I bake a couple of chickens (the sticky chicken recipe) and shred and freeze the chicken.  I unfreeze and use that to make chicken pot pie, enchiliadias, pasta sauce, chicken lo mein, etc.  Its pretty fast to put together when the chicken is already cooked.  I do the same with ham and turkey.  I use the ham to make homemade mac n cheese and ham.  The night I bake the sticky chicken we eat it with a couple of veggies.

2.   I put meals together to bake the night before (or sometimes at lunch). And then just put them in the oven when I get home.  I also come home from lunch and clean or do grocery shopping.   I have NO commute tho.  

3.  Crockpot recipes.  We are having beef stew tonights.  It's cooking now.  I also do chili, chicken n dumplings, chicken catatorie, chicken fajitas, etc 

4.  We also do fast meals sometimes.  The kids fav is sausage, mac n cheese (box) and apple sauce.   We do sandwiches sometimes (usually only if I need to get rid of something).   We have done hamburger helper too (MH loves it).  

5.  Mondays are our horrible night (dance night).  I can't even imagine when I have DS1 in activities, let alone both boys!  I try to do leftovers.  (My plan for this Monday night).  I try to get off early (not happening this month after the snow) to cook.  I work flex too.  Sometimes we eat out (okay, this is our main eat out night : )  We also like to eat out on Friday too.

6.  If things just go to hell (stress at work, someone is sick)...we do take out.   

7.  Sometimes (rarely) I do the over bake thing and freeze.   

I don't meal plan but I keep a lose idea of what I want to do...and make sure I have the supplies on board.  

grja

I'm a big fan of cooking/buying in bulk and freezing it or getting 2-3 meals out of it. For example, i'll make a big batch of meatballs on sunday and have it with spaghetti and sauce one night, the next night i'll turn it into sweedish meatballs with egg noodles and veggies. I freeze the rest in family size portions to use the next week. THen the next week i'll make a big batch of chicken cutlets and do the same. We'll have them with potatoes and veggies one night, chicken parm the next, cut it up for salads, etc.

Buying in bulk is also a go-to. When the giant packs of chicken are on sale, i freeze enough for a meal together and season them before i freeze. I use all sorts of seasonings and label them. When you get home - pop them in the oven for 30-40 mins or so and serve over rice or noodles or with sides. Its great because the bags can lay flat in the freezer and you grab whatever you're in the mood for (sesame, orange, bbq, garlic lime, ginger, cajun, teriyaki, lemon, etc).

I also try to prep the night before. So after the kids are in bed, i figure out what we're having the next night and do any chopping, washing, defrosting, etc to save time the next night. Or i'll make a soup right after dinner and let it simmer for a few hours before bed so the next night i just have to reheat.

BubblyToes

We plan our meals for the week on Sunday, then H does the grocery shopping. Most days I get off at 4:30, so I start dinner when I get home. Fridays and Saturdays are take out nights.

shouldbworkin

I menu plan for two weeks at a time.  I play 2 easy meals a week that don't take me long to prepare, the kids like and I can switch around if we are busy or something unexpected comes up. 

I cook on Sunday and sometimes make 2 dishes or make part of what we're eating the next night.  I try to have Mon and Wed be reheat nights of something in the freezer or leftovers or I will do a CP meal one of those nights.  Sunday I cook something that takes a bit longer since I have more time (and help).  Friday I WAH so I make dinner that night, usually not something that has a long prep time, though.  Sat we eat out.

cooker71

Once you learn, please tell me.