Caution - long entry ahead!
When I'm working these long ten hour days, not even getting home until around 6pm I have to know in advance what I'm making for dinner and even then it needs to be something quick and easy. All though the school year I prefer to have my meals planned in advance, it's one less thing to worry about during those busy weeks.
Yesterday I did an inventory of my fridge, freezer and pantry to create a grocery list and meal plan for the rest of the month - since this is going to be one hectic month! I went a step further with stretching out what I have on hand along with one meat bulk shopping day and a cook and freeze day at the end of the month in order to have the main dish of each meal ready to go all the way through the month of September too! Am I good or what? ;-)
It's really pretty easy if you take just a little time to think things though. I usually do the majority of my cooking on Sundays - maybe once a month for a cook and freeze day, and the other times just making the main dish of the meal large enough to create different meals for my family for the following two evenings - that's where being creative comes in. Nobody wants the same dinner reheated three nights in a row, yuck! With just a little creativity three totally different meals can be made with no whining about eating leftovers. With a little planning ahead they'll never even know it's leftovers!
Cooked food is fine in the fridge for three days, so anything made in large amounts on Sunday can be safely used through Wednesday - I prefer to play it safe and use it or freeze it by Tuesday evening. Anything that goes in the freezer that late is labeled to use immediately when defrosted.
I don't waste anything! Even teeny tiny bits of leftovers can be put in little baggies in the freezer to use in homemade soups. Small amounts of leftover sauces, gravies or pan drippings can add lots of flavor to soups too. The trick is having a gallon baggie labeled "Soup" in the freezer to keep all the little bags in or they'll get lost in the freezer. I'm careful to label the small baggies too.
On Sundays I try to do any other prep work for the week (cutting up, slicing, chopping, dicing - anything that can be done ahead) and while all the other cooking and prep work is being done I usually have fresh breads baking in the bread machine, Mmmmm! Sunday is also the only day I will usually make a dessert for the guys - although it's usually from a mix, I'm not much of a dessert baker unfortunately.
Last but not least on Sunday I make hummus and tabbouleh or a big batch of Mediterranean salad which is what I take to work for my lunches every day - I am so hooked on all three! I take fresh fruit for breakfast - if it's a fruit that needs to be cut up I do that ahead on Sunday as well.
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The weekly list below is the basic guideline I use to organize and plan out my weekly dinner menus, and to keep things really simple...
Sunday - Cooking day, think big old fashion Sunday dinners! (double or triple the main dish)
Monday and Tuesday - Creative meals from Sunday leftovers
Wednesday - Always cheap pizza night when I'm working - we have a pizza place that has large pizza's on Wednesdays for $4.99 each, can't beat it! I usually serve with a salad.
Thursday - Choice of a quick meal from the freezer from one of my cooking days, breakfast for dinner, main dish salad, subs or "fancy" sandwiches (examples - Chicken Caesar pitas, Philly Cheese steaks, Quesadillas, etc.) or some combo of soup, salad, sandwich night.
Friday - Appetizer night - I could live on appetizers, my favorites! I'm much more of a grazer than a sit down to a big meal kind of person. On Fridays I generally make one homemade appetizer, and then alternate things like a veggie tray with dip, nachos with salsa or queso, or other things that weren't enough for a full dinner like leftover chicken wings, ribs, etc. from the freezer. If there is a teeny tiny amount of something leftover stored in the freezer that would make a good pizza topping it might be a homemade pizza night.
Saturday - This is hubby and/or kids cook night. I know everyone who has read any of my menu plans has probably been wondering how that possibly works! It doesn't always, believe me. Once in a while hubby will throw something on the grill while I do the work to make sides, watch the grill and clean up the mess ::rolling eyes:: The kids are a bit better. They will make things like waffles with bacon, hot dogs on our little roller grill, scrambled eggs in the nuker or I'll "help" them make what they have in mind for that night, and they even do the clean up themselves! When all else fails it's a fend for yourself or cereal night.
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Planning my menus along these lines I really only do any major cooking on Sundays. I love to cook and would love to spend hours in the kitchen creating wonderful meals from scratch every day, but unfortunately time just doesn't allow for that. My weekday meals need to be on the table within 30 minutes at most. I have three hours from the time I walk in the door until I have to get to bed - I have to squeeze in cooking, clean up, workout, shower and getting my things ready to go for the next day. I have no choice but to stay organized and stay on schedule.
I will be posting my menu plans for the rest of the month along with my cook and freeze day at the end of the month a little later this evening.
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I would love to have your hints, tips, shortcuts, and ideas about what you do during busy times to make things easier! I've decided to post this as a one time (or maybe occasional) meme. I'd love for you to play along - I need all the help I can get!
17 comments:
I used to do the same while I was working and even now I am retired, it has to be quick and healthy. Tomatoe sauce or others I make huge pot and deepfreeze in portions, it's the same work !
Wow, you are one organized and efficient lady!! I hate to say I wing it, but I pretty much do. Now that I'm watching what I put into my mouth, if I don't take the time to fix something healthy for my work lunch, then I don't eat at all - or I'll run to the Walmart and get some fruit for that day.
Cereal night -- that brought back some memories! I remember when my mom would go to the grocery store; if she let us pick out a special sugar coated cereal, then we got home it would be cereal night! Us kids loved cereal night. In retrospect, I now realize she probably loved it too, lol. I occasionally will have cereal for dinner, but not as much as I used to. And if I do, it's usually something a lil more healthy, a wholegrain. :)
Girl, you are the Almighty. It's usually 5:00 and I'm standing in front of the freezer with a blank look on my face over here...
Love the entry and the Collage is great!! Gotta get my own cooking plans into gear. Summer is over and school is back in session for us all. Greap plan you have overall.
That should say "Great" plan, not Greap!! LOL
when I was still living at home, Saturdays were always either take-out (usually pizza or KFC) OR breakfast for dinner night as that's the day mom did the shopping and errand running. Once a month the added treat of rental movies came home too.
Our busy day these days is Thursdays as I have a dr appt for my allergy shot and other errands to run. We usually end up eating out before we go (I seem to need a full belly for those shots..no clue why)and by the time we get home, we're still kinda full so we pretty much fend for ourselves.
Tonights your big dinner night...we will be right over!
This is my main blog.
Martha, you are a Superwoman, or even better than SuperWoman! You have so much creativity and good tips to run a household, and yet be able to blog and visit. Kudos to you. More power!
I've said this before and I'll say it again, you really need to write a book Martha! you have great ideas on cooking and stretching the food budget and come up with the most delicious and creative recipes I have ever seen!
I like your system of cooking, shopping, freezing, etc. That is awesome!! I know it helps you so much to be organized in your busy life.
ashamed to say, but when things get busy, can you say "fast food" or "pizza delivery"?? that's what usually happens here......
have a good week ahead!!!
betty
Martha, this is great! I can live with these food.
I'm quite impressed by all your planning. I need to do more of it myself... but I have to say that I absolutely LOVE the crock pot for its minimal prep work, yumminess from cheap cuts of meat and oh yeah, the lack of work and cleanup :)
I did supper swapping with soem friends for awhile, and we all loved it. That was great, and I need to try to get that started up again!
I wish I was as organized and motivated as you are. I usually don't know what I'm cooking until that morning after I think about it for awhile. I love my crockpot so that makes it easier once I do decide. I'm thinking hard on starting to eat just fruits and veggies all day with a meat and more veggies for dinner. I love all vegetables except for beets, so I really don't know why I don't eat more than I do in a days time.
I was trigger happy again and forgot to add this:
I have an award for you HERE
Like others, I did this sort of thing before I retired ... but these days I'm more 'spontaneous' about my meals because I can be. This 'foodie' mosaic would 'work' for Mosaic Monday too.
Hugs and blessings,
If I hang around here very long I will gain ten pounds.
Great post. And, thank you for the visit to my site earlier.
What a great post with wonderful tips. Thank you.
My best tip is that I quit my job. I'm not saying that sarcastically, and I know it's hard to bend our minds around it, but we have more money to keep with one income than with two after taxes and expenses (after-school daycare, summer camp/daycare, work wardrobe/hair/etc., commuting car insurance, gas, new status "you-can-trust-me-I'm-successful" car, etc.), and our whole family is MUCH HAPPIER and LESS STRESSED.
But until that day comes for you, too, here's a few things I did for fast and easy dinners:
Use several crockpots, (1 for meal, like stew; or 1 for soup, 1 for dessert; or 1 for veggies, 1 for tomorrow's chili; etc.)
Cook enough food for two (or more) family meals. One for dinner, the other(s) for the freezer for another busy night, or even taken to work.
Costco chickens are lifesavers. Cheap, easy, same-night dinner or pull apart to put in green salads, or for chicken salads, sandwiches, soups, etc.
Learn to cook with a microwave, not just reheat.
Pressure cookers also drastically cut down cooking times.
Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas mean lots of extras for easy dinners and lunches to be kept in the freezer.
Omelettes/eggs aren't just for breakfast.
Always serve dessert. Research shows it helps brain/stomach feel full sooner (eat less/cook less), and it brings a little bit of comfort/happiness to our busy, stressful days, too. Can be as easy as fresh fruit or bought with the rest of the groceries, but can also bake in the oven while you are cooking a meal or while watching TV (use timer if you forget or can't smell it's ready from where you are.) Can even be made in a crockpot.
Cereal night, hot chocolate and toast/pastry night (my favorite when I was a child :-)!), cheap pizza night, build-your-own taco night (my mother-in-law's fave), are all sanity-savers too.
Planning is not allowed in our house so I really am no help at all. We never know what's for dinner until about an hour before we eat it.
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