For weekends, could you do salads and some kind of fresh bread? Maybe bake some bread in the morning so you're excited to eat it? Throw some baby spinach in a bowl along with some cut mango or whatever's on sale, some chicken (which you've had in the crock pot all morning (or open a can of kidney or black beans), add some cucumber, maybe some beets, halved cherry tomatoes, a little cheese if you want, add some balsamic vinegar and olive oil, maybe some salt an pepper, and voila you have salad and bread.

The crock pot is your friend. Make a roast or a chicken and it can last at least a couple of days. Also, freezing stuff is a big help. Premake things like kafta pattes, stuffed peppers, lasagna, precut veg for soups etc and that the night before, pop in the oven or microwave when you get home and you'll have dinner w/o the fuss. It does take preplanning and a big effort at least once a month. I do a lot of cooking every sunday. I steam beets for the week, roast carrots etc then reheat during the week. Eat a lot of fresh veg like cut cucumbers, baby carrots as well and that helps fill in the lunch boxes. Also, pinto beans cook well in the crock pot and are cheap and healthy.

I'm a 24/7 single mom to three kids. I try to plan and cook all meals. I prefer that we eat whole, healthy foods. Sometimes life just exhausts me and I find we're eating out more than I can afford. It's hard when the one who has to have the will power is also the one who will have to do the work of feeding everyone.

Anonymous wrote:OP, when my wife was unwell I took over the cooking for almost four months. Hardly ever ate out. I cooked a variety of foods and different cuisines.

It took me on average about one hour from prepping to cooking to serving the food. It takes planning - as another PP said - and does not require any unique skills. While the food was cooking, I'd wash the dishes and clean up.

BTW, I am not talking about cooking simple fare but making fairly elaborate dishes: Italian, French, Thai, Chinese, Middle Eastern, etc. I was quite surprised by my acumen in doing it and also how it really does not take a lot of time.

I agree with this poster. Deligate cooking to your DH. My DH loves to cook! He also finds it really relaxing. He has cooked most of the meals since we started dating.

We just did blue apron this past weekend. It was good! It gave us a chance to try out some new foods without having to go out and get all the spices and such. We probably will do it every few weeks. It was a nice change from our usual meals.

OP here....

Thanks so much everyone. So many good ideas!

I really like the suggestion of getting some pre-made dinners in for the weekend.Checking out Blue Apron. Are there other sites like this that are good? I've tried doing Let's Dish and it was ok...nothing special.

We were talking about this last night and I think we can also eat out/take out less expensively on Friday and Saturday nights. Like a pizza or some other less expensive place.

I think we need to get better at weekend lunch ideas. We both bring our lunch to work during the week - so when the weekend comes we are looking to have something different.

It really is about planning better and getting the right things to have in the house. I've focused a lot on shopping for M-Th dinner food, along with weekday breakfast and lunch and I haven't planned well enough to have good things in for the weekend.

not me....

Anonymous wrote:OP, when my wife was unwell I took over the cooking for almost four months. Hardly ever ate out. I cooked a variety of foods and different cuisines.

It took me on average about one hour from prepping to cooking to serving the food. It takes planning - as another PP said - and does not require any unique skills. While the food was cooking, I'd wash the dishes and clean up.

BTW, I am not talking about cooking simple fare but making fairly elaborate dishes: Italian, French, Thai, Chinese, Middle Eastern, etc. I was quite surprised by my acumen in doing it and also how it really does not take a lot of time.

Who has a hour from the time they walk in the door after work to the family needing to eat?

OP, why not commit to eating out one or two times/week, say, on Friday night and Saturday. And make that meal out be only dinner.

The way the rest of us do it is that I think we all just plan. For example, I had a PTA meeting last month. I knew there would be pizza served for the kids, but no veggie. So I pre-cut peppers and cucumbers and made sure they got their veggies in BEFORE the meeting. I keep a flat of water in the back of my car along with a box of juice pouches.

As for the other meals on nights when they have after school activities... I just plan ahead. It would be mayhem if I didn't. You have to plan accordingly.

Yesterday: I knew we'd be home by 5:30pm, so that was a good night to make the chicken I marinated the night before.

Tonight: we won't get home until 6:30. I have a quick frozen Trader Joe's Pasta (spinach and farfalle) and mini-pizzas in the fridge. The kids can pick what they want and they'll have salads with fresh grated parm and fruit for dessert.

Tomorrow: We'll be home by 5:30. I have white fish thawing in the fridge now, I'll marinate it tonight and tomorrow, I'll sauté it for dinner. We'll have some couscous with it along with steamed broccoli.

Friday night: We don't eat out on this night, and I'm usually spent, so it's a simple meal night. Soup and Sandwiches all the way with a veg on the side! My youngest won't eat soup and sandwiches though, so he'll get a "snack plate," which usually consists of a fruit and/or veggie, crackers and cheese or yogurt.
See, OP? just plan ahead. You can do it, no matter how busy you are!

Also, keep in mind, there are always easy go-to meals that anyone can do. Grilled chicken, tacos, burgers, spaghetti.

Just plan, OP. Plan, plan, plan. Good luck!

Anonymous wrote:

I currently make all our pasta sauce from scratch in big batches and freeze it so we always have that on hand. I also make chili in big batches and freeze that as well. What other things would be good like this?

I use the "Best Make Ahead" Cookbook from Cook's Illustrated a lot when cooking ahead. For example: Tamale pie (they have several variations) freezes really well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would also recommend to stock up for weekends at a Farmer's Market for good crusty bread, fresh fruit, cheeses, spreads. and meats (or maybe smoked fish too) that you can put out on a board for a late afternoon treat as you prepare dinner. Get some other treats occasionally like a nice dessert from a bakery. While both of these are spends, you will spend less than eating out and you won't feel deprived.

Like on PP, I do a big weekend cook, usually every other weekend, but I do one or two dishes to keep for the week and something more special for whatever is the big weekend anchor meal. Now that the weather is getting better, this will involve the grill.

Yes! And one year DH bought me these cute little cutting boards that I use as serving plates for the kids. When the kids come home from school, I try to have out an assortment of cut up fruit, veggies, crackers, and meat or cheese. Some days that dinner for them---and that's okay.

+1

I do this on the weekend for lunch sometimes... grapes, apples, oranges, salami, good smoked cheese, cheddar cheese pre-cut squares, crackers... sometimes I'll do chips, salsa and guac with fresh meats and cheeses and veggies. whatever works! I

I'm the PP who mentioned that I liked to be served, which is one of the reasons that I go out to eat, but I do like these ideas. Wondering if I put a nice white tablecloth on table, with fresh cut flowers, with the crusty bread with olive oil for dipping, if it would give me the same restaurant "feel". While no one is serving me, if I have all that on the table with nice goblets for water, it may just be enough. Great suggestions with the cheese and fruit. DD is always starving when she returns from her after school activities and dinner is normally 15mins away from being done.