Well, I'm cooking but when will I have time to make anything new? Can I even continue to get dinner on the table everynight? Last night I was supposed to do my shopping list and plan my menu and I didn't work on it at all.
Monday we had meatballs that I made on Sunday night, with pasta and jarred sauce, and salad. Tuesday we had BBQ chicken the I cooked the night before, with a brown rice pilaf made with rice I had cooked last week and froze, and salad. Last night we had grilled ham slices and potatoes au gratin (which I made the night before - freestyled, using unpeeled potatoes - who has time to peel potatoes??) and canned green beans (my son's favorite). Tonight will be burgers and frozen french fries and salad. Friday will be pizza and subs from the local pizzaria I think.
I'm trying to think of some recipes I've already made that can be prepared ahead of time.
Maybe Salisbury Steak Deluxe:
Or Everyone's Favorite Lasagna:
Or Picadillo a la Marlen:
Or Sweet-Sour Meatballs (I actually prefer these made ahead of time):
Or Jumbo Stuffed Shells:
Or Porcupines:
I'm actually feeling a little better now. With some planning I can continue to keep getting dinner on the table. The challenge will be new recipes but if I devote some time to finding them on the weekends, I should be okay. Gone are the days when I can do my menu and shopping list mid-week.
Question of the Day: Any cook-ahead entrees you can suggest (especially something that freezes well)?
I don't do it as often as I should, but I am also a big fan of make-ahead meals. My frozen meals tend to be pretty basic --meatballs, sauce, turkey chili, lasagna. Since it's still grilling season, I'll often marinate meat and then freeze it for a later time to pop on the grill. Usually chicken or steak tips. In general I also like to cook a double batch of whatever I'm making so I only cook every other day, usually Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. We'll often do takeout on Saturdays. As a working mom, I feel your pain, my dear. It sounds like you're doing an amazing job. You're doing way better than me and I only have one toddler at this point!
ReplyDeleteI put a freezer-friendly recipe from my SIL on my blog:
ReplyDeletehere
I am going to make a pot of chili this weekend and possibly some burritos. I love this time of year, but I am busy as ever and I don't have kids!
ReplyDeleteI can't find your email in my stack, I was wondering what kind of bread machine you have and if you like it. I really want to get one and have wanted to for a long time. Can you recommend a machine and possibly a good bread machine cookbook?
ReplyDeleteHeather,
ReplyDeleteI have a Breadman Double Loaf maker (model TR2828 I think). I got it for a steal at Ollie's Bargain Outlet a few years ago ($39.99 and DH bought it for me). I like it but I'm not sure if that model is made anymore. I've used it consistently to make pizza once a week and I've made several breads here and there but I don't use it daily. Still I'm almost surprised it's still working since appliances are made so poorly anymore.
It makes 2 one pound loaves which can means it can't handle a lot of recipes yet we can't eat huge loaves of bread so it does work out. I've found several cookbooks that give amounts for one pound loaves.
It's perfect for making dough for two large pizzas and if I'm making rolls, I can try two different recipes at once.
Electric Bread is a good book. I have a couple others, Great Bread Machine Recipes and Easy Bread Machine recipes that I love too. The All-New Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook really doesn't really work for my size machine.