Working Parents - What the heck for dinner

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Me again. We also do burgers and tacos.

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[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do as much prep on the weekend as you can. All of the following has helped me cut way down on the time I spend standing in the kitchen nightly:

- Make a big batch of stir fry (or paella, or wherever recipe you want) and eat it twice that week.

- Wash and chop all your veggies for the week.

- Plan some sheet pan dinners and prep the ingredients so all you need to do is dump them on the pan and bake.

- Cook a ton of brown rice at once. I use my Instant Pot for this. Portion out what you’ll use during the week. Freeze the rest in bags and pull out to thaw the morning you’ll need it.

+1. We are vegetarian so I make black beans in the instant pot on the weekend and use that for tacos, etc.

In the winter I make a bunch of soups. Dump all the ingredients in the instant pot, set the time, and walk away. Dinner cooks while I am helping kids with homework, giving them baths, etc.

[Anonymous]

I cook dinner days a week and it's 30 min or less. Takes planning and making multiple things at the same time. I put on rice or the longest thing first. Then do everything else. We usually have a protein, hot vegetable, salad and starchy side. Hot vegetables are broccoli, green beans, peas, cauliflower (if I have more time to roast it). Everythibg else is steamed in microwave. Fish in the oven, chicken shawarma (marinated the night before) takes 20 min in oven max. From scratch panko crusted chicken tenders take the longest so dh makes other things while I do that.
Tacos are as above, lots of things done at the same time. I move fast in the kitchen and have two cutting boards going at the same time.
Lasagna and soup is made on Sundays for an easy Monday/Tuesday dinner.

[Anonymous]

If you're struggling OP, there are TONS of recipes online for one pot meals, one tray oven meals, 30 min or less meals, etc and all use fresh ingredients.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any recipe for Japanese curry meal?

Tonight we had pan-roasted chicken thighs and TJ chicken fried rice, adding extra veggies and eggs. 30 min max and kids liked it.

Get golden curry packets that come in a box
Cut in large chunks (not slices) -
Carrots
Sweet potato
White potato
Onion
*I add thinly sliced seitan but that’s optional

Put all in instant pot with 1/3 c water and put golden curry packet on top. Cook on STEW for 12-15 mins.

Serve over white rice

I'm the person who mentioned japan curry and we also use golden curry but we do it with meat (chicken or sirloin tips), potato, and carrots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So no one is using fresh vegetables at all? Just frozen or CANNED??

We can't have frozen dinners or even much take out because of my DH low sodium diet restrictions.

I mean, yeah, we make mac and cheese but that's like my last choice since its nutritionally bereft.

We don't want just pasta and can of jarred sauce -- my side of family has history of diabetes, thats why something like whole grain rice with vegetables in a paella is better than rice cooker white rice or frozen fried rice.

Rao's is low sugar. Pasta with meat sauce is no worse than paella.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Me again. We also do burgers and tacos.

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Um, what?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So no one is using fresh vegetables at all? Just frozen or CANNED??

We can't have frozen dinners or even much take out because of my DH low sodium diet restrictions.

I mean, yeah, we make mac and cheese but that's like my last choice since its nutritionally bereft.

We don't want just pasta and can of jarred sauce -- my side of family has history of diabetes, thats why something like whole grain rice with vegetables in a paella is better than rice cooker white rice or frozen fried rice.

I just buy those salad bags. I'm not cutting and washing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So no one is using fresh vegetables at all? Just frozen or CANNED??

We can't have frozen dinners or even much take out because of my DH low sodium diet restrictions.

I mean, yeah, we make mac and cheese but that's like my last choice since its nutritionally bereft.

We don't want just pasta and can of jarred sauce -- my side of family has history of diabetes, thats why something like whole grain rice with vegetables in a paella is better than rice cooker white rice or frozen fried rice.

DH and I are eating fresh vegetables, but honestly my DCs love canned veggies. The only fresh vegetable they like is roasted broccoli. But they will gobble up canned green beans or lima beans or peas. They won't eat any of those fresh. I don't understand it but I'm also not fighting it. Then again, I grew up eating my grandma's canned vegetables so I suppose it's the same thing.

[Anonymous]

I love me some Japanese curry but it is definitely not a good suggestion for anyone watching their sodium intake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, we are at wits end. I get home early since I wake up at 5, but it’s killing me. So I would like to shift to a more normal 8-4 schedule, but how do you dinner.

Even a simple dinner takes a while:
Oven roasted chicken shawarma. - 15 min prep

Salad - wash romaine leaves and dice, slice onions, tomatoes, carrots and mix dressing - 15 min

Simple paella - dice onions, garlic, peppers, toss in rice and shrimp, and water and simmer for 45 min.

If im a rock star I can get that out in an hour, maybe.

And that’s a dead simple meal unless we eat frozen or take out. What are other people doing — I do wished my parents had encouraged me to SAH, this juggle sucks.

Why on earth would your "parents" be the ones to encourage you to SAH?!?! That's a discussion for you and your spouse

Because they drilled into me to focus on career, and discouraged me from dating until I was out of college. By then all the high earning breadwinners were snapped up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, we are at wits end. I get home early since I wake up at 5, but it’s killing me. So I would like to shift to a more normal 8-4 schedule, but how do you dinner.

Even a simple dinner takes a while:
Oven roasted chicken shawarma. - 15 min prep

Salad - wash romaine leaves and dice, slice onions, tomatoes, carrots and mix dressing - 15 min

Simple paella - dice onions, garlic, peppers, toss in rice and shrimp, and water and simmer for 45 min.

If im a rock star I can get that out in an hour, maybe.

And that’s a dead simple meal unless we eat frozen or take out. What are other people doing — I do wished my parents had encouraged me to SAH, this juggle sucks.

So if you insist on fresh veggie salad every day, you can do some organizing to be more efficient.

1) You can pre-wash your lettuce or buy it prewashed if you trust them. Spin it dry, chop it and store with paper towels. You can do 2-3 days worth at a time.

2) Dice your onions, peppers, tomatoes and carrots and any other vegetables you use and keep them for 3-5 days in a ziplock (separate bags).

3) Mix dressing - you are making dressing from scratch each day? Make it for the week instead.

Now it is a lot quicker to put a salad together. And to cook the simple paella!

We tried pre washing vegetables but they went bad fast. But never considered getting a spinner and drying them out that way. That seems like a key step.

[Anonymous]

What’s wrong with frozen veggies??

[Anonymous]

Instant pot meals on weeknights or sheet pan meals.

[Anonymous]

Sheet pan meals
Assemble things on the weekend to pop in the oven during the week: enchiladas, lasagna, etc.
I batch cook on the weekends too: pulled pork, grilled chicken breasts, make a lettuce salad, maybe potato salad, boil some eggs, brown some turkey or ground beef--lots of prep work saved for week nights.