need quick tips for week night dinners

[Anonymous]

for the next 6 weeks or so we've got various after school activities that require us to eat a dinner on the fly. looking for tips on what you do when you pick up the kids from after school care and then are off to practice. we usually won't get home until 7:00 or so and if I don't have anything prepared that means we are not eating until 7:30 or so - which is too late.. kids go to bed by 8-8:30.

all ideas are welcome!

[Anonymous]

Since it's feeling fall-like outside, I will often make a big batch of chili (packed with carrots, onions, zucchini and other vegetables) and then serve it a variety of days over a few days.

Chili with cornbread
Chili over half a baked potato
Chili and eggs (personal favorite)

Not perfect and not for every week, but it works.

I also like this recipe for a really easy dinner. http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/07/creamy-tomato-spinach-pasta/
or
http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/04/one-pot-sausage-mushroom-pasta/
I make this with Italian/Mexican/other flavors and different vegetables/meat depending on how I'm feeling.

[Anonymous]

Slow cooker is your friend. Chili, stew, soup, pot roast, BBQ pulled chicken or pork.

the other option is if DH is already home, he can throw brats or something similar on the grill as we leave practice, and it is pretty much ready to serve when we walk in the door.

Consider rotating driving duties with another family or two, if they live close by. That way at least some nights you could be home getting dinner ready (and out of office clothes) while your kid is at practice.

[Anonymous]

Pot of soup left on stove or in crockpot.
Crockpot meals that will be done when you step in the door.
Or if you are home for a bit before heading out, put a lasagna or casserole into the oven (something that won't suffer too much if you get held up and come home a few minutes late) and set oven timer for it to be done when you get home.
Or with leftover vegetables/meat....throw them on a tortilla with some shredded cheese and make a quesadilla--takes only a couple minutes.

[Anonymous]

My best strategy is to cook over the weekend and reheat food when we get home. Yes, this means sacrificing the time on the weekend but for me it is worth it so we aren't eating junk.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for the slow cooker. I've gotten some good ideas from the Year of Slow Cooking blog (http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/).

[Anonymous]

I am in love with this gadget, which I just received from Amazon on Saturday: http://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-IP-DUO60-Programmable-Generation/dp/B00FLYWNYQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1410968012&sr=1-1&keywords=instant+pot

It has both a slow-cooker and a pressure cooker function, and also can be used to make yogurt and cook rice. I've used a stove top pressure cooker for years, and really like it for cranking out a quick stew or cooking beans, but you have to be around to monitor it. This one is electric and has a timer and a keep warm mode, so you can do other things while it's cooking.

So far I've only tried the slow-cook and pressure cooking functions, but both worked very well. I used it to make chili last night--started cutting up beef, onions, and garlic at around 6:45 last night and had dinner on the table by 7:30 after a 20 minute pressure cooking session (it takes about 5 minutes to get up to pressure, and I waited about 5 minutes after the cook time was done before doing a manual steam release). The meat (chuck) was really tender, and the chili got very good reviews from my somewhat picky family.

[Anonymous]

I do meal prep on the weekends or the night before. For instance, if I'm going to serve tacos I might make the meat mixture over the weekend so I can just heat and serve. Or for shepherd's pie make the filling and mashed potatoes, put it in the pan, and then it's ready to go in the oven.

I also use the slow cooker a lot.

[Anonymous]

Get out your crock pot. Soups, chili, roasts. Microwavable rice packets/steam vegetables. You can saute chicken breasts, broil fish or sear steaks in minutes. Store bought rotisserie chicken and salad mixes are your friends. Just follow the old protein/whole grain/vegetable rule and it is easy. Dinner for a busy family is about getting bellies fed. Leave the gourmet cooking for the weekends or special occasions.

[Anonymous]

+1 for slow cooker. Some folks are equally successful with their pressure cooker, but I admit I'm not. My slow cooker and is are good friends thought the winter, though.

Make soup your friend. I find home made soup one of the best and easiest things to sustain us. Soup and crusty bread with salad is a full and healthy meal.

Another thing I do I chop a whole bunch of veggies on Sunday- peppers, cucumber and tomatoes, onions, broccoli, herbs, etc. I keep in a few Tupperware. With these I can add chicken, tofu, or beef (usually cooked on Sunday / Wednesday) and make wraps one night, pho bowls or stir fry another, pizza toppings, or omlettes on another.

I find people need to get off the idea of the typical "portion" plate idea of dinner (ie. meat, potato, green beans) to come up with easy dinners. If you eat like that, you won't be successful in dinner, fast. Eat breakfast for dinner sometimes ( a staple here, too). incorporate Ingredients you can use a few times. Cook ahead as much as you can. Sandwiches are healthy and filling, and you are not cheating your family eating lighter fare for dinner. And then when the weekend comes, make the special meals that need work.