Comments on: More on meals and meal prep

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 20:11:48 +0000

In reply to Naomi. @naomi I like the forkless Friday idea. We do Finger Food Friday for our movie nights, where we put many things on sheet pans for the oven or the air fryer. This consists of pizza rolls, chicken nuggets, potstickers, taquitos, meatballs, jalepeno poppers, etc. Paper plates and toothpicks are even better because, no dishes! With 6 kids, it's a nice break on all fronts.

By: Kristin W

Kristin W — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 18:50:24 +0000

I came to share my warm weather lunches: Mason Jar Salads! You build a salad upside down in a wide-mouth quart jar. You start with dressing, add your sturdy ingredients like carrots and beans, then other veggies/protein and then finish with your lettuce. When ready to eat, I shake and dump! I use romaine and have had no issues with making them Sunday and still delicious Friday. I do store anything crunchy like nuts separately. The other advantage of this is that you can use an entire pepper, cucumber or can of beans etc without having leftovers. In the morning I add a jar to my lunchbox and I’m done. I’ve done this for at least 5 years May thru September (I like warm lunches in the colder months). There are lots of recipes online if you want to get creative but I basically use the same ingredients and switch up the dressing. It takes 45-60 minutes on a Sunday or Monday morning, but I have healthy, filling lunches for the week. I’ve recently seen some videos popping up of oven meals prepared directly in meal prep containers so I’m excited to try some of those as my salad season winds down!

By: Vicky

Vicky — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 12:57:05 +0000

I prep meal components so that it saves weeknight time, which is in short supply. We buy ground beef and sausage in 5 pound chunks, brown it all at once, and freeze it in 1 pound containers. If I do the browning when I’m already in the cooking dinner or washing dishes, then I am actually saving a little time. Now, instead of cooking beef for nachos, we just thaw it in the microwave and dinner is ready in 10 minutes.

By: AW

AW — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 19:41:47 +0000

For me, the planning is more important that the prep. I have a 3.5 year old and 9 month old who get home from daycare around 5, and we try to eat at 6 to allow for early bedtimes. If I get my shit together and think a little bit before 4 p.m. when my brain is fried, then we’re good – I’ll put the rice in the slow cooker or pull out the chicken or whatever and it flows fairly well. We’re not picky and are definitely in a season of “spaghetti and frozen meatballs is a meal”. If I’m slammed with meetings until 5 and basically get up because the kids get back home (husband picks them up), then chaos ensues.

Also, I heard this on a podcast and fully agree – breakfast for dinner is not an easy meal at my life stage. It sounds like you and your family have a great system going, but for me – it ends up being a bunch of small prep that often needs to be timed well to feed various family members. I made eggs, bacon, hashbrowns and sweet potatoe fries yesterday. I probably could have left out one of those things (and one of my children just ate the white part of the egg…) but it was more work than I remembered. I am very pro-pasta and dump-a-sauce.

By: Cathy Green

Cathy Green — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 10:13:25 +0000

I like to plan and I like variety, I also like cooking but don’t have a lot of time for it most evenings – so I plan a month of meals at a time and then rotate that menu for a few months before adding in some new dishes and retiring any that haven’t gone down well with the fussy teen. I also have some freezer food, eggs and canned baked beans available for evenings when he rejects a meal (normally that he ate quite happily a few weeks before!) and then he cooks an alternative for himself. I kept thinking he’d grow out of being so fussy when he was older – but am still waiting for this to happen and he’s now 16!
I don’t precook at all but if we have left overs I put them in the freezer as individual portions and will then have them for lunches when working from home. If it fits when I am preparing veg for roast dinner on Sunday, I will also precut veggies to use Mon – Thur – we are far more likely to eat more nutriously if I do this and less likely to order takeout – but it doesn’t always fit in…

By: KC

KC — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 16:32:41 +0000

I know the prep I do Sunday doesn’t always save time, however it makes my life easier during the week. The time I put in Sunday is worth it to me

By: Lori

Lori — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 00:38:43 +0000

In reply to Lori C. *wanted

By: Lori C

Lori C — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 00:19:48 +0000

In reply to Kat. Why have I never thought of this?? Genius.

By: Lori C

Lori C — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 00:18:42 +0000

In reply to Laura Vanderkam. I'm reading through the comments and I'm in a similar position to Amanda. Washers to add that your tips to plan one night of delivery, omelette night, and the sheet pan during zoom call are all helpful!

By: Naomi

Naomi — Sat, 23 Sep 2023 20:14:59 +0000

We have settled on a pattern in our house for five of the seven nights: Sunday is a roast, mince Mondays, boy night Tuesday because I am not here they can do what they want, Thursday is Asian, and forkless Friday (chopsticks and spoons allowed), We have had a lot of fun with deciding what to do on Friday.