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papagena
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XP: Tips on getting dinner on the table
papagena
member
FWIW, DH hates leftovers, and while I'm planning on trying some freezer meals, I don't know that they'll work for us... so...
As you know, I work, and usually don't get home until 5:30 - 6ish, at which point, I take a few quiet moments with DS before I start his meal time, and from there we pretty much start his bedtime routine. DH and I often don't eat until 9ish, which has got to change. I'm going to try the crock pot route, but other than that, any suggestions?
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Re: XP: Tips on getting dinner on the table
In general I'll meal plan and do some prep (like buy a rotisserie chicken and cut it up into pieces (meal 1), shredded for chicken salad (2) and quesadillas (3), and parts to make stock for chicken soup (4)) for multiple different meals.
You might like some of the suggestions on Robin Miller's cooking show where she does meal prep for the week all at once (on the weekend I would guess) and then turns those base ingredients into multiple totally different meals in 20 minutes or less on weeknights.
I'll be watching this thread eagerly for new ideas. At our house right now DH actually does most of the dinner cooking which is great. We fell into this routine after I first went back to work because DS would pretty much be attached to my boob for 3 hours straight each evening - that or crying. Now it works well because after I get home I nurse DS and unpack and repack his daycare bag while DH makes dinner. Then the three of us eat together. After that we have a few minutes of quiet play and then DS goes to bed.
In general my best tips are easy, easy meals during the week. We grill a ton in the summer and nothing fancy - burgers, chicken breasts, sausages, pork plus potatos in foil or another grilled veggie or a salad. If it's something more complex I'll make preparations the night before or plan it for a day I get home early. The crockpot is my friend as well though I need to expand my recipe reportoire.
Sorry nothing earthshattering here though I do really like that we eat as a family most nights. It's not as relaxing because DS has a limited attention span but I feel like it's something that will carry over and become more fun as he gets older.
Yeah, he SAH.... *shrugs* I like to cook, and when I leave it up to him, we either have spaghetti with jarred sauce or pizza (which don't get me wrong, I like, but not every time he cooks...). I'm afraid the morning is out, but I probably could do something the night before for him to chuck in....
Lotte - it sounds like you have a great thing going. FYI, though, I also posted over on 12-24. Biggest suggestion seems to be prep ahead, etc, but check it out if you want a few more responces. I'd love to be able to eat togehter.
I have been thinking about trying the good ol' rotissare chicken... perhaps I will tonight....
Thanks. I'll run over and look (but then I'm leaving because I refuse to acknowledge the fact that DS is on his way to 1!).
I definitely am lucky that DH doesn't mind cooking and does a decent job though, like you, I really like to cook and miss it. Pre-child I would make gourmet-ish meals a couple times a week and I do miss standing over the stove with a glass of wine in hand and something delicious smelling cooking away. Oh well - another year or two and then DS can amuse himself while I cook, right???
I also suggest sitting down with him and looking at EASY recipes you can try together... that he can cook. I absolutely understand that you want to (I love cooking), but it sounds like you could use some help occaisionally- besides pizza and spaghetti. And there really are things out there that are just as easy.
Here are some of my favorites (all from Men's Health Magazine's Short Order Cook section):
https://www.menshealth.com/shortordercook/recipes/chili_glazed_pork_chops.html
https://www.menshealth.com/shortordercook/recipes/chicken_spinach_parm.html
https://www.menshealth.com/shortordercook/recipes/moroccan_stewed_chicken.html
That last one is my favorite! (There is also one for grilled pork and peaches that I LOVE)
You know what? Here's the link to the Short Order Cook recipes...
https://www.menshealth.com/shortordercook/recipes/seeall.html
Some freezer meals might be good - then DH could just heat them up and you could all eat together. Even my DH can/will do that
And plus then since the same meals are spread out more it's not "leftovers".
Ideas for that:
- osso bucco, then DH can put it in a pot with some carrots/potatos to heat up and cook the veggies. Serve with bread/polenta/noodles
- homemade frozen pasta sauce filled with veggies - just defrost and cook some pasta
- homemade soup, just heat up and serve with some french bread or quick grilled cheese
- panini's made on a george foreman grill (could even assemble the night before to grill the next day)
- omelets or frittata (quick to cook if you have the veggies etc cut up ahead - I do this with morningstar sausage patties because I can heat them up in 20 seconds in the micro, chop up, and mix in, instead of some other meat that I have to cook separately. Ham might be good too if you had leftovers or had bought it for sandwiches. Great way to use up any other leftover ingrediants from the week, but in a totally new way.
*chuckle* I'm with you there. I've so far refused to change my ticker and refused to PIP any 'he's one' pictures. I am officially in denial....
LOL - that reminds me, did you ever post the cake smashing pics?
I made a big batch of enchiladas and then froze them uncooked (except the meat, of course) in trays that would fit 4... then when DH gets home he puts them in the oven - they're ready in about an hour.
The other thing DH can do is make bean & cheese burritos. We stash taco bell sauce packets, do beans & cheese inside freshly cooked tortillas (from costco). Sometimes I add avocado & sourcream to mine.
How about stir-fry?
you could prep rice ahead of time to be reheated.
And then you could prep the veggies/meat/etc so that they are ready to just be tossed in the pan. For example, we did broccoli and fake meat last night.
Here is a recipe we really like - and it would be really easy to prep ahead-
https://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Japanese-Zucchini-and-Onions/Detail.aspx
You can always make salad ahead of time and then do pasta, but prep any sauces/toppings ahead of time, so that you are basically boiling the water for the pasta. Like pesto, or primavera, or meatballs or whatnot. In fact we have meatballs frozen so then you can just heat thenm up when it's time to pour over pasta. Obv something like mac n cheese would not work well in this situation since you can't do the cheese sauce ahed of time.
Or how about something you can just pop in the oven - eggplant parm, lasagna, that kind of thing?
I hear you tho- I am running around like a maniac trying to get dinner on the table. DH is usually busy, DD is hollering about something, and I am all kinds of frazzled!
Nest Bio ~ ~ Baby Food Blog
Papagena,
I posted a similar post after I first got home with the baby and wondered how I would ever manage to cook again. It was killing me to eat out so much (it just gets so old, and it's not as healthy) and to not spend the time cooking as I find it so enjoyable. I felt like I wasn't myself.
First I started using the crock pot. These are meals I make while DD is napping late morning/early afternoon. My favorite so far is Chicken Paprikash from epicurious.com. It's really good. I whip up some buttermilk biscuits and wah-la, there's dinner (minus veggies--I love the biscuits so much that I decided who cares about veggies!). Or you could do egg noodles.
But I've started carving out cooking time in the evenings. I feed DD and then flee to the kitchen. I make a bunch of different 30 minute meals--not because I love Rachel Ray, but because there are a number of things I can make quickly in a half hour. But it's not a solid half hour--I spread the time out a little. Usually I do it in 2 chunks.
Schnitzel, with pounded chicken breasts, is super fast. I spend under ten minutes cutting up potatoes, garlic, and shallots and putting that into the oven to roast for an hour (with olive oil, salt, and pepper). Then with about 15 minutes left in the roasting process, I go back in the kitchen and pound out the chicken breasts, salt and pepper, then flour, egg, and bread crumb the breasts. I throw them in a hot pan filled with about a 1/4 inch of oil, and they cook in 7 minutes. While they're cooking, I make a salad with bagged organic lettuce and whatever else we have on hand, including fresh vinaigrette.
Meatloaf also, I put into the oven, go back to the baby, and then a little while later come back and finish the meal.
I also want to apologize in advance for future posts of mine about getting my cooking mojo back. I hope it's not painful for you in any way. Know that I completely understand your position. In fact, I support whatever you end up doing, whether it's freezer meals, picking up a rotisserie chicken, prepping ahead, inspiring your DH, or getting your own mojo back. You have to figure out what works for you.