Suggestions Help Please

[Imogen]

I have recently started full-time work and need suggestions for evening meals. At the moment, I'm coming home, going straight into the kitchen, preparing a meal, washing dishes, putting away, cleaning kitchen, mopping floors, tidying living room, bathing son, putting son to bed, coming down and finishing the laundry.

Tonight I noticed that I didn't get one chance to actually sit down with my son and spend anytime with him of value. What I preferably want to do is to prepare my weekly meals at the weekend in bulk and store them in the freezer. Apart from Spag Bol, I have NO ideas

Can anyone help me with simple and healthy meals for my son that can be frozen at the weekend in preparation for the week ahead? We don't have a microwave, so the food would have to be removed from the freezer by Nana before she drops my son at the Nursery in the afternoon.

Please, I would be so grateful for suggestions, even via private messages

Blessings

[texaspeach]

google once a month cooking (OAMC) and you'll get lots of ideas. A lot of crock pot recipes can be frozen too. If you have dietary restrictions you can always modify the recipes. Most of the meals you normally eat can probably be frozen, just make them in bigger batches and save half.

[Justmee]

Try some of your favorites and see how they freeze. Also a lot of stuff can be thrown in the crock pot in the morning on "low" and left all day. Or depending on how long between when Nana drops of your ds and when you eat, you can leave the food in the crock pot in the fridge and she can take the crock out, put it in the unit on high, and it will usually be ready in 3 - 4 hours in a newer pot.

Many people freeze casaroles in the dish lined with someing (foil, baking paper, etc) and then just lift out the paper, label, and put back in the same dish to warm it up.

Things like meatballs freeze easily and can be made into a few different meals. I also do large batches of pancakes, fried fish / chicken and freeze in indivdual (or family sized) portians. It's easy to take a couple out and warm in the oven.

HTH

Rach

[Imogen]

Thanks for the suggestions, much appreciated.

[Benji'sMom]

We do a lot of slow cooker meals. And I usually spend early Saturday morning cooking at least 2 meals (lunch and dinner) and we eat those leftovers Monday and Tuesday, so we don't really have to cook dinner Mon. or Tues.

[Ellien C]

working mothers forum has a thread on this subject:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=538022

[Malva]

You may want to do all the prep for dinner the night before after your son is in bed. This way you just have to cook/assemble dinner, reducing the time it takes you to make dinner.

Prepping the night before doesn't require lots of planning or organization, it just requires you to know the night before what you'll be eating tomorrow. It may be a stepping stone to cooking on Sundays and freezing, which requires more planning and being able to follow through with the plan.

[violet29]

Prepping the night before is an excellent idea. We've started a routine where husband holds baby while I prep dinner and then I hold her while he finishes the cooking. We all eat together (she's just started solids) and then she goes for her bath/bedtime routine. BUT - I also don't want to spend the entire time away from her. Since I like to eat fresh whenever possible, I've been searching for recipes that take 30 minutes or less. I just signed up for modern menus (it's at www.modernmenus.com) and so far this first week went pretty well. The service suggests meals that take less than 30 minutes to make.

Otherwise I use my crockpot a lot and I have no problem doing pasta once a week. I've tried freezing a month's worth before, but honestly - where do people find the space in their freezers? Between baby food (I make my own), breastmilk, ice cream (I can't give that up!), and tupperware, I can't FIND the meals I made let alone use them. Frustrating.