Yup breakfast and lunch is every person for themselves.

Every few months I slice up a dozen onions, cover them in melted butter, and microwave them for about 10 minutes. Once they are cool I portion them out into silicone ice tray that I wrap with plastic wrap and freeze. Then I just pop out what I need when I’m cooking, without the hassle of caramelizing onions in the moment. They aren’t super brown straight from the microwave but they get there when you use them.

I hate washing and chopping veggies in the winter, it makes my hands raw. I rely heavily on frozen green vegetables, which can actually have better nutritional value, since the "fresh" isn't usually that fresh. But I haven't found a good frozen option for root veggies, so still have to do that. The rest is pretty easy, my recipes aren't complicated.

I try not to have too many active pieces. So if I am cooking a protein that requires attention, I cook rice and roast veggies.

Some days you just have to phone it in. Sometimes dinner has to be ground meat (turkey/beef/sausage/etc), jarred sauce, and pasta with a bagged salad. Or takeout. Or something like Sunday Sauce from Wegmans.

I do a lot of shortcuts. Jarred garlic. Pre-cut bagged veggies so they just need to be seasoned and roasted/steamed/whatever.

Anything that freezes well, I split and freeze. So for something like ziti, I split the recipe and freeze half. If I cook a bag of beans or peas, I freeze half. Same with soups or stews.

Anonymous wrote:I made waffles and eggs for breakfast.
I grilled burgers for lunch.
Now I have to make dinner and the process is getting to me.

Thats a lot. I dont make 3 meals a day. If dh is around be does ar least one. Usually weekend breakfasts. We scavenge or leftovers/sandwiches for lunch. Then i have energy to make a nice dinner.

I buy frozen breaded chicken to make chicken parm. I buy frozen cooked shrimp to make shrimp sautéed in garlic and butter over pasta.

Also, how old are your kids? Are you a single parent? If your kids are 4 or older, they can make their own sandwich. If there's another adult, they can make a meal.

Rice cooker. Vegetable steamer. Insta pot.
Also I take 3 lbs hamburger onions red pepper cook it seasoned etc and put into 1/2lb servings and freeze. It’s a chore but makes a great base for chili or spaghetti.
Helps to have the same meal in the same day each week. Saves thinking.

Lunch and breakfast are on your own - keep lots of fruit and yogurt and eggs around. And make extra at dinner dir lunch leftovers

Anonymous wrote:I made waffles and eggs for breakfast.
I grilled burgers for lunch.
Now I have to make dinner and the process is getting to me.

No more cooked lunches. At least one meal a day should be a sandwich.

We do a lot of pastas. Today I did a pound of Italian sausage with onions and peppers and added a jar of good sauce, bio water at the same time. Done.

Use frozen vegetables, canned beans, quickie grains. I can usually get (a) dinner on the table in 15 minutes.

If I make one good thing, I feel like I can phone in the rest. Tonight, I’m making marinated salmon, rice…and frozen vegetables.

Be your own sous chef, or have DH be your sous chef: prep what you can the night before (especially on weekends) to set yourself up for things to go fast on weeknights.

Don’t overdo it, generally. Every few nights, do something brainless like grilled cheese and tomato soup, and order out every now and then. I have a feeling restaurants are starting to lose business again, so I’m going to do takeout more often.

I made waffles and eggs for breakfast.
I grilled burgers for lunch.
Now I have to make dinner and the process is getting to me.

What is taking the longest? Chopping?
I reqd all recipes first and do more than one thing at a time. So oven heating while I'm putting rice to cook or chopping onions etc. i also prechop things after dinner for next day.
Simplify weekday cooking to a protein, starch/carb and hot veg and cold veg. Roast enough vegetables tor multiple times. If I'm browning ground beef or turkey i use it for two recipes in a week. Etc.

I am spending a lot of time cooking for the family.
Help!