How do you do it ??

ALP514 · July 2013

After reading the dinner post I realize I need to get my act together. I find it so difficult to find enough time to prep/cook dinner. How do you ladies do it ? I used to be so on point with dinner but I just cant get it together. LO loves napping on me and the second I put her down her eyes spring open and she can only self entertain for a matter of 10 min which clearly leaves no time for cooking.

Ugh.. my poor DH

Anyone have any favorite quick recipes theyd like to share or tips on time management lol Im hopeless !

abstar24 · July 2013

This is exactly how I feel after reading that post! And my LO doesn't even nap on me, so I don't even have that excuse! Haha

JenJen2209 · July 2013

If you have a Crock Pot, that would be ideal. Put something in and forget it for a few hours. Ive made a few things in there since LO was born and its been so easy.

TundraGirl · July 2013

I've been making simple meals (protein, vegetable, starch), so I don't have any recipes for you, just some time saving ideas I use. I try to take out whatever meat or fish I plan to make the night before or in the morning before W wakes up. I use steamer vegetable bags and often make baked potatoes or brown rice as a side dish. I'm not the most creative, but at least it's something!

abstar24 · July 2013

cesmiley said:
I do my best to get dinner on the table every night but it's nothing fancy like some of the things I saw being posted. Lol...V usually ends up wanting to nurse around the time I'm making dinner (7ish) so I've figured out how to hold her one armed while trying to cook. I'm usually doing easy stuff like baked chicken with rice or making up a meatloaf. Those are easier things to put together when you don't have much time.

You nurse and cook at the same time? Wow...I really have no excuse! You go girl!

kmcd23 · July 2013

I feel the same way OP. LO's afternoon nap only happens in my arms or in the car, so cooking just doesn't happen. After that, he cluster feeds so I'm just happy to eat before 9!

ALP514 · July 2013

JenJen2209 said:

If you have a Crock Pot, that would be ideal. Put something in and forget it for a few hours. Ive made a few things in there since LO was born and its been so easy.

I do have a crockpot that i should put to work..never used it before but i got to start somewhere! good thinking!!

Oohgurl · July 2013

Well here is one I made tonight. So easy.. Kielbasa or smoked sausage cut up in slices, 2 cans of green beans, 6 red potatoes quarter, half of onion quartered, one can of chicken stock, some garlic salt, all thrown in one pot and boiled covered for about 45 minutes. Serve with bread or biscuits. Prep was maybe 5 minutes and no maintenance while it is boiling for 45 minutes. DH loves it.

Or Weber makes great marinades for chicken, just add lemon juice to the seasoning packet. I will get the chicken marinating at night when LO goes to bed. 1 minute, literally. Next day, DH will grill the chicken, I throw some carrots in the microwave and make a Suddenly Salad pasta salad. Very easy.

B27 · July 2013

Crock pothas saved my life! My new fave: 2-4 chicken breasts, canof black beans, bag (16 ounce) corn, bunch of cilantro, juice from two limes, onion chopped (I used red) toss in crock low 8 ours, shred chicken and put on tortillas, or in a salad. Another one: chicken breasts, 1/3 cup each balsamic vinegar, honey, olive oil, 2 tablespoons rosemary low 6-8 hours

helenkayj · July 2013

We've started doing a grilled meat and a bagged salad. So simple.

blush64 · July 2013

I prepare what I can earlier in the day or the night before. I plan out the week's dinner on the weekend and try to stick to easy dinners. The slow cooker is great and so is the barbeque. To be honest my baby sleeps on me most of the time and somehow senses if I am trying to get anything done so it's been hard.

Sometimes I just order in or let my husband finish dinner when he gets home. Before the baby was born I worked full time and made dinner so I don't see it as a problem to have him help when I need it even though he works full time

kmcd23 · July 2013

Reading these responses, I think I'll pull out the crock pot and make a grocery list!

PumpkinAndThePeanut · July 2013

linegirl313 said:
I thaw a meat for my husband to grill. We usually have a baked potato or some simple starch. I make salads during the day or shuck the corn. The twins are at v their most obnoxious during that pre dinner stretch, so I do what I can well ahead of time. I'll usually man the kiddos and set the table while hubs is grilling. I'm no Rachel Rae, but we do get some healthy meals prepared 4 or 5 days a week, which is good enough for me. And sometimes we just order pizza!

Wow, I am seriously impressed. We used to eat home-cooked, healthy meals but since the girls were born we have been eating microwaved frozen meals. Every.single.night for 3 months and counting, Unless we order in or get my sister's boyfriend to come over and grill for us, that is.

MrsM1111 · July 2013

I plan out meals on Sunday with a grocery list. Shop Monday. Tuesday is a meal prep day (chop veg, start marinating, brown ground beef, etc). If she doesn't want to be put down when I'm in the kitchen (usually she's in a bouncer on the island), I put her in a carrier. The prep for meals usually is the longest for me so getting that done all on one day helps a lot. If I'm making a meal that can be frozen easily, I make it in bulk (we eat at least one freezer meal a week - usually Mondays since it's an errand day and takes a lot out of us). The crock pot is your friend. I made pot roast tonight and it took all of 2 minutes to throw it into the crock pot this morning with some salt, pepper and garlic. For the few meals I make that take a bit more time, I cook them on weekends when I know husband can give her as much attention as she needs while I'm working. Biggest part is planning in my eyes...

megpeg · July 2013

I put DD in the sling. She either "talks" to me, stares at me, or goes to sleep. We get great food, I get a litlle exercise, and she gets to be cuddled. Win win.

Schell2013 · July 2013

I have small moveable rocking chair I put her in and I Rock it while I cook. Usually keeps her happy. Also her bumbo chair I find useful too. ;;)

ILoveSnacks · July 2013

Ditto the crock pot! I usually get stuff in there between 9:30 AM and 1:00 PM, depending on the baby's needs. Huge range of time but it works. I've heard people recommend prepping all ingredients days in advance and freezing them in a big bag so you can just dump them in that morning but I haven't been that organized.

Or I just plan side dishes and DH will grill. Yesterday I picked up this awesome potato salad from a local BBQ place and he grilled burgers. Not as healthy as the crock pot dinners but he was really excited.

snowgirl427 · July 2013

I give J to daddy for some father son time!

But if DH is busy I'll put LO in a bouncer on the island. He's usually fine in that for a while an then he gets to be I on the action. We typically eat early, by 6, so that we have the rest of the evening to play with J, get him ready for bed, etc.

jasherlove · July 2013

Ditto on the crock pot. Especially since I'm back at work it makes life so much easier. Even to just help speed things up. Like if you want chicken tacos, then put in some chicken breasts with salsa and in several hours it'll just shred up and be wonderfully seasoned. Yesterday we had a beef roast with Peperoncini. All you do is put the roast in the crock pot and pour in a jar of peperoncinis (with juice) over and let it cook all day. We served on buns with mozzarella. There are some winners for the crock pot if you have time to look for em. Good luck!

be888 · July 2013

We usually grill a meat with salad, or I throw vegetables in a foil packet on the BBQ at the same time as the meat. I also made a bunch of freezer meals before giving birth (Bolognese sauce, lasagna, soups, pies, etc.) But my now all time favorite is Freezer Slow-Cooker bags, where I just need to throw them in the slow-cooker in the early afternoon. Here is a link I found on Pinterest

https://pinterest.com/maureen_rowles/slow-cooker-meals-freezer-meals-meal-planning/

rebaann · July 2013

It helps that we don't eat dinner until 9:45. My weekly meal plan is honestly the best help. That way I don't have to think about what I'm going to make (it also cuts down on the random stuff jumping into the grocery cart). Most of my meals are simple prep, done in a half an hour (or into the oven) and after R eats at 8-ish, I can put her down and cook.

jayro10 · July 2013

Even before baby, I always made a meal plan for the upcoming week before going grocery shopping (we typically grocery shop on weekends.) That helps a lot. When DH gets home between 5 and 6, I'll either pass LO off to him to entertain while I make dinner, or he will make dinner if she wants to nurse or if it's a something to be grilled (I don't know how to work the grill!) DH and I have always meal planned and grocery shopped together and split the cooking duties, which helps a lot especially now with a baby.

JenJen2209 · July 2013

Ditto on the meal planning. I started that once B came and its definitely helped! We go to the store, get exactly what we need and then I make it. I try to make 2 meals that I know will have leftovers since I work 2 evening shifts at work and need to bring dinner myself. That way, I also know MH has a good meal to eat so he can focus on B.

sugarmamma · July 2013

I'll meal prep with both girls are in bed at night. If things need cutting, etc. I'll do it then.

If its something that will reheat nicely, I'll even cook it then so all thats required at dinner time is the microwave. I also crock pot and grill.

wcvsb3b5 · July 2013

LO was always nursing around the time dinner needed to be cooked so H was cooking dinner most of the time. Now that she gets a couple bottles each day, she has daddy time while I cook.

ILoveSnacks · July 2013

I forgot to add that I don't cook every night. DH and I both like leftovers so we'll eat one crock pot recipe for two nights and I will freeze whatever's left after that so we don't get sick of it. That has helped me stock the freezer too which I didn't get a chance to do before LO arrived.

TradeMama · July 2013

My family's favorite crock pot recipe is pulled pork... Throw ribs in with some water and wait. Pull out, shred, add sauce, and slap it on a bun.

starshineamator · July 2013

I have the same problem! It has been 12 weeks and I still can't get dinner together! Spouse is finally home from work (taking part of his leave) so I'm planning to cook for the first time since she was born tonight! My mom helped out while she was visiting and cooked for us + enough for leftovers, but we've been doing a lot of take out, mostly bowls from Flame Broiler and the Thai place down the street when I couldn't eat dairy.

ALP514 · July 2013

Wow ladies thanks so much for all the feed back. Crockpot and planning seem to be the key to a successful dinner experience. We grilled burgers, chicken and corn on the cob tonight, with a tomato, cucumber salad from our garden. It felt good to eat a good healthy meal for once!! DH came home early so we had dinner at a reasonable time and since we had some spare time ( My parents came to visit A for little bit). We prepared dinner for tomorrow, stuffed peppers. I feel accomplished for the first time , in a LONG time. Thanks for the support and motivation ladies!!!

Want a personalized experience?

How do you do it ??

Re: How do you do it ??

Choose Another Board

Search Boards