Reply to Suggestions for make-at-home dinner for family with two young children?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]On a related topics, for folks with both parents WOHP and cooking semi-home cooked meals for every meal (no take-out, no packaged/frozen meals -- cutting your own veggies, some meats, tofu, or the like), do you end up with the kitchen a disaster E.V.E.R.Y night?  And how do you manage to clean it up and get kids to bed and do all the other chores around the house.

By the time we have kids in bed, cleaning the kitchen disaster is all I have energy for, and thus cleaning the rest of the house and laundry gets lumped into the weekend, which I had hoped would be family quality time not WEEKEND OF CHORES.

Yes, we've looked at a cleaning service, but not in our budget or logistics right now. And we deal with the "clean before the cleaners" problem so common, where they can't really get started until we address the chaos.

We are trying to enlist the kids, but I feel between the homework, language study, practicing piano, and computer homework we are always directing them to work, and never give *them* anytime to be kids...[/quote]

Go really simple on weeknights- baked chicken thighs, baked fish. Simple sides like green beans, and packaged baguette that can be baked. Prepare few sides or a dish on Sunday that provides leftovers for Monday. This way you use fewer dishes and can get some clean up done while the food is baking. A lot of skillet food, dredging, slicing, etc. makes more mess and dishes. I keep warm, soapy water in the sink and wash/rinse dishes and pots and pans as I go.

[/quote]

We both WOHP and have 3 under 5.  Also suggest pre-cutting veggies on the weekend, and then throwing into a gallon ziploc with some holes poked into it.  It'll keep all week until your'e ready to cook.  We usually pre-cut some broccoli and a head of cauliflower, maybe a zucchini, and store each separately.  Cauliflower tossed with oil and salt and pepper is great roasted at 450 for 25 minutes.  Broccoli is quick and easy steamed.  (My kids like a touch of Lowrey's on it, with butter.)  Zucchini sautees really quickly, and delicious with salt and pepper.  I serve a veggie with every dinner.

We also pre-make a big thing of quinoa for the week, and throw it in all kinds of stuff.  A half cup cooked quinoa mixed in with the cheese makes quesadillas a more substantial meal.

We make real meals (quickly) 3-4 times/week, and then do leftovers or even easier stuff (breakfast for dinner) the other nights.  Pizza a couple times a month.[/quote]

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