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mom2mpr
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| Posted: May 11 2012 at 11:56am | IP Logged
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I am burnt. Totally.
Next week is one of those "transtion" weeks with spring activities ending and summer starting. Throw in ds's confirmation and prepping for out of town guests and I am burnt toast.
I am trying so hard to make a menu for next week. And failing. We are out every night at an activity and some afternoons we leave the house @ 2pm and are not home until 8pm.
So, I need pack able, quick, healthy, low stress, easy meal ideas.
Ideas? help? How do you get through the weeks you have no time To cook?
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Anne, married to dh 16 years!, ds,(97), Little One (02), and dd (02).
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JennGM
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| Posted: May 11 2012 at 12:12pm | IP Logged
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I've entered the world of baseball and I'm finding I'm having quick, semi-healthy meals. I've had to compromise a bit. 
Crock pot seems like a good option, since you'll be out. Pot Roast or chicken thrown into the pot will be ready at 8pm. Or are you out and the family needs dinner while you are out?
Maybe someone can find that thread, I think Mary Chris started with some great meals-to-go for this kind of thing.
Right now I'm just trying to get dinner done early, and most days I have 30 minutes to an hour.
Some of my quick meals:
hamburgers, broiled in oven. Fries baked (from Trader Joes) or rice noodles, raw carrots, sometimes baked beans, green salad or "fixings" for veggies.
Tacos -- not too many fixings, just basic, shells and meat mix from scratch
Polish sausage (gluten free) and noodles/rice/or fries, carrots, salad
An easy and favorite dinner is baked chicken and rice, which is steaming a whole chicken in the oven (I use a Pampered Chef stone covered roaster) covered with salt and garlic powder, extra time I throw in carrots, celery, onions and garlic. Bake about 2-3 hours at 300-350 degrees. I keep it lower if I know it will bake longer, higher if it still a little frozen and shorter time. Makes it own gravy.
BBQ chicken -- chicken pieces covered with bbq sauce and baked in oven. Easy peasy.
Trader Joes has frozen organic Jasmine Rice and Brown rice. Cooks in 3 minutes in microwave. I use this a lot. I also do frozen veggies frequently.
Packable items:
Applesauce, get to-go packs.
Fruit easy to pack and carry.
granola bars
fruit leathers
carrots
nuts
These are all the items we do that are allergy safe for us.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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JennGM
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| Posted: May 11 2012 at 12:19pm | IP Logged
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Here's the thread on Practice and Meals.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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SarahCD
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| Posted: May 11 2012 at 12:43pm | IP Logged
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I can relate to your feelings of burn out ... But for different reasons. My  goes out to you!!
I think the slow-cooker may be a good option, so that dinner is ready at 8p when you get home. There are so many meals that can be made in the crock pot—soups, chili, shredded chicken for tacos, etc.
Do you have time to make dinner in the morning, so it just needs to be warmed up at night? This may be too much ...
How about freezer meals that you could make up over the weekend?
How about a week of easy meals like scrambled eggs, pancakes, grilled cheese and hotdogs? I also think there is nothing wrong with getting a few quick things, like orange chicken from Trader Joe's, or frozen or take-n-bake pizza, during those weeks when things are CRAZY! These meals are basic and quick! It may not be your ideal, but these crazy weeks aren't the norm. So, doing what is simple is OK!!
I ran across a blog post that listed 15 Healthy & Portable Road Trip Snacks, which may be nice to have on hand while you're out and about!
Hang in there! This is temporary!
May the Lord bless this busy time in your family, and may He especially bless your son as he receives his Confirmation!
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Sarah
wife to G
mom to dd 9, dd 8, dd 6, ds 4, dd 4 and ds 1
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: May 11 2012 at 12:55pm | IP Logged
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One hot meal that we've done for the road is hotdogs. I put them in a large mouthed mason jar and pour boiling water over and put the lid on and wrapped it in dish towels before setting it in a cooler or hamper. The hotdogs heat up and stay warm in the jars. Now that we are gluten free, my boys really like a piece of deli sliced provolone wrapped around it.
For healthy fast meals, I find that having lots of smorgasbord options helps. A bunch of sliced bell peppers, sliced cucumber, cubed cheese, and some cold cuts make a nice meal. I'll also grill a bunch of chicken breasts at the beginning of the week the same night we're having burgers or something else, and then put them in the fridge or freezer. They are good sliced up and served as "finger food" with the sliced veggies and cheese or on a salad.
Just doing a lot of prep work at once (like chopping a whole lot of peppers, cucumbers, carrots, and celery) means I can pull from the variety quickly and to change up the smorgasbord, add a different protein here or there: chicken, boiled eggs, sardines, tuna salad, different cheeses.
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Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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MelissaClaire
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| Posted: May 11 2012 at 1:49pm | IP Logged
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I feel your pain. Our weeks have been crazy with the spring sports schedule. My new best friend, the Instant Pot has been a TREMENDOUS life saver. It's an electric pressure cooker but also works as a slow cooker (and it has a stainless steel inset that you can also saute in.) I can put frozen chicken breasts and salsa or BBQ sauce in it and in 45 minutes you have shredded yummy chicken for tacos/quesadillas or sandwiches. It will also keep the food warm for 2 hours after it finishes cooking. You can use it for soups, stews and chilis too.
Usually once a week I'll roast a whole chicken in it (again done in 40-45 minutes and perfectly juicy each time!) earlier in the day then pick all the meat off and use it for chicken salad sandwiches, spinach, chicken and strawberry salads, cold pasta salad with chicken, or just plain chicken with cuts of veggies and cheese to eat on the sidelines.
Outside of using my "magic pot" as I call it, sometimes I'll bring tupperware containers of dry Kashi cereal and a thermos of milk and some spoons and everyone just eats cereal and fruit in the bleachers.
Cold tuna pasta salad is good too. I think hardboiled eggs would be a good option if my kids would eat them. They might eat deviled eggs though, so maybe I should try those.
I keep those Jif "snack pac" peanut butter packs on hand for really crazy nights and we might just bring those with crackers or pretzel sticks, apple slices and celery sticks.
Fried rice comes together quickly at night when you get home if you have everything already prepped. (my magic pot is also a rice cooker!)
Or if all else fails--as it sometimes does--we have cereal at home after a game and try to do better the next day!
I'd check out the Instant Pot. I was terrified of pressure cookers because I thought I'd blow up the house with it, but this electric version is so simple and safe. I've heard you can make pasta in it as well, but I haven't tried.
Melissa
dd 10, ds8, ds6, dd4, ds2, dd1
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Servant2theKing
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| Posted: May 11 2012 at 2:09pm | IP Logged
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Yogurt, string cheese, granola bars and lots of water are our go-to snacks when we have to be out of the house.
Lately, a family favorite is sugar snap peas ~ satisfies the need for crunch, slightly sweet, fast & very easy to rinse and take along!
I 2nd Lindsay's great idea for prepping one day, then having nice cut up veggies (or fruit) for several days. Containers with multiple sections are great for this. Dd has one, made by tupperware, that is shallower than most, and rectangular, which is really helpful if your refrigerator or cooler have space limitations like ours do.
Smoothies with protein powder added might be nice to whip up just before heading out the door (if your blender has an easy clean button you can even throw in some sudsy water, give it a quick whirrr before heading out, then you don't have to come home to a dirty blender)
Peanut butter and jelly roll-ups are a family favorite for young ones. Roll bread slices flat with a rolling pin, until they're pretty thin. Spread a light layer of PB and jelly, then roll-em-up! This works well with tortillas too, if you don't have time to fiddle with the bread! If we're pressed for time, we've taken jars of PB or nutella and jelly along in the car, then assembled in transit or when we get wherever we're going.
It can be very helpful to keep a special travel basket or tote always packed with shelf stable snacks and/or first aid kit, bottles of water, map, cell phone charger, etc. Saves SO much time not having to pack and unpack multiple items that you know you're always going to need when you're out and about!
Praying for your week and for all busy moms and families ~ this time of year can be challenging!
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All for Christ, our Saviour and King, servant
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DominaCaeli
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| Posted: May 11 2012 at 4:51pm | IP Logged
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For on-the-go dinners, I would probably do:
:: Sliced chicken breasts, loaf of fresh sliced bread, sliced cheese - all finger foods
:: A big batch of seven-layer dip in a tub, with a bag of tortilla chips
:: Stack of cold quesadillas
:: Big tub of pasta salad
In each case, I would have a tub of sliced veggies and a bunch of bananas as "sides."
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Blessings,
Celeste
Joyous Lessons
Mommy to six: three boys (8, 4, newborn) and four girls (7, 5, 2, and 1)
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: May 11 2012 at 5:12pm | IP Logged
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DominaCaeli wrote:
| A big batch of seven-layer dip in a tub, with a bag of tortilla chips |
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__________________
Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Could you nice ladies help me?
