Help! He’s always like this. How can we eat food?
Help me, friends. I have a screamy baby. And two other hungry children. Dinnertime is the worst. For all of us. Last week, when I found myself breastfeeding while trying to remove a 450 degree frittata from the oven, I knew I needed help. All my go-to dinners are suddenly too hard with a needy baby in my arms (too much stove, oven, or knives).
Our new morning routine involves all five of us piling into the minivan, then Sawyer and I drop off the preschooler, the commuter, the first grader, and then return home to have our baby-style day. And usually he’s screaming when we get home.
During the day, I use all my tricks to plan and prep as much as I can of dinner. Then around 4:30, Sawyer and I fetch the big boys from their respective schools. We return home around 5:30. Back in the day, the boys would watch their allotted 25 minutes of TV while I made dinner. Now, I spend that time nursing. Then 6:00 comes around and we’re no closer to dinner.
Having written this site for six years now, I have made a special effort at gaining and sharing tips about streamlinning the dinner-making process. Tips like declaring Monday crock pot night have seen me through the rookie year and two-under-two challenge.
But now.
OhMyGod.
I chopped veggies a day in advance, created the marinate during naptime, and used the crock pot to make a delicious brisket. By the time 6pm rolled around (after the scream-a-palooza-nurse-a-thon), all we had was a huge hunk of meat with not a veggie in sight. Should we just sit around with forks poking into a steaming crock pot in the middle of the table? Probably not.
I’m seriously wondering if I will ever be able to get dinner on the table again. Please share your easiest one dish meals, tricks, hacks, or tips to see me through the next few weeks (months?!)!
Will your kids eat chili? I’ve been making this one http://www.bostonmamas.com/2011/10/wicked_easy_vegetarian_chili.html because Laurel is vegetarian but it’s also nice w/ baby because there’s no splattering meat grease issue. Veggie chopping is minimal (i.e., you could do it in 5 minutes while baby is napping, and you can use frozen corn) and largely it involves just dumping various things in a pot then letting it simmer.
Sending hugs.
I am a ROLL this week with being honest in the Rookie Moms comments so let me continue.
Over the years, we have depended a lot on frozen vegetables and prepared foods to get us through rough spots. Frozen peas covered in water + nuke in microwave for 3 minutes = DONE. Frozen rolls for bread. Trader Joe’s frozen rice. My husband has been traveling for work at least 50% since my boys were born, so I have let myself have this slack. We also have eaten a lot of PB&J.
On really desperate days, I pick up a rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, and sides from the grocery store. Sometimes we eat cheese, crackers, fruit, whatever we can find in the pantry. And I have also accepted there are always going to be nights where we don’t eat as a family and the parents eat after the kids go to bed.
YES I know it is not the healthiest but sometimes you have to let certain things slide.
We’re vegetarian, so I don’t deal with big hunks of meat. But it seems to me you’d be better off with, well, smaller hunks. 😉 I’d suggest: Buy frozen veggies (“stir-fry assortment” type of thing) this saves you the time of chopping. You can also buy canned/bottled marinades, or use salad dressings as marinades. And do stir-fry instead of the crockpot. For me, all I have to do is toss the veggies, marinade, and tofu into the frying pan and then just keep half an eye on it for a bit. I can make it even easier by buying the tofu that’s pre-cut into cubes. Make rice in the rice cooker and that’s your meal.
We also do a lot of raw veggies, which is much easier. Just slice a carrot and put it on the table. If kids are picky, give them a little dish of ranch dressing for dipping.
Pancakes or grilled cheese sandwiches are also things that can be put together quickly, and only need a few short minutes to cook. My kids love “breakfast for dinner” with pancakes and scrambled eggs and fruit.
Just a few thoughts…hope they spark something helpful.
Check out thedinnerdaily.com – there’s another one, six oclock scramble…still might be too much! When i have 2 teens + one toddler I wind up relying on trader joe’s stuff, or big-batch stuff – but someone always winds up making a sandwich. When i plan a weeks’ worth of meals and sometimes it’s too much, i declare cereal/sandwich night and tell anyone who complains to suck it.
My crock-pot is a lifesaver! U can make anything in them from stew, roast, pasta sauce, chicken dinner, absoutly anything! I literally use it everyday. I just find 10-15 mins the night before to chop up veggies and throw everything into the pot, then that goes into the fridge for the night. In the morning, turn it on and I don’t have to worry about supper- just have to serve. Thy way everyone gets a healthy home-cooked meal, and the leftovers I use for the next day’s lunches. I honestly don’t know what I would do without my crock pot.
Having had my second boy in May, I for sure had those OhMyGod moments (still do even). I would say until Sawyer gets older and less screamy – making things easier through take out and prepared foods is the way to go. Whole Foods value meals? Those things help a TON and feel home-madeish. Then there’s the cooking on the weekend / freezing strategy. And I think one-dish meals like pasta bakes, hearty soups / chili, etc. are so much easier than having to do a main dish with sides. Hope this helps! Curious if the having 3 kids transition is really easier than going from 1 to 2!? Love your blog 🙂
Hang in there, Heather. Sounds like you’re doing the best you can to meet the most immediate needs in your household. The easiest recipes are the ones we can relay from memory, and it just so happens that we enjoyed what I’m going to share last night!
Tomato Tortellini Soup
2 14.5-oz. cans of chicken broth
1 lb. bag of frozen tortellini (I use the beef-filled tortellini.)
1 can of tomato soup
1/2 container of chive and onion cream cheese
Add the frozen tortellini to boiling chicken broth. Reduce the heat, and let it simmer for 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk together a little bit of the heated broth and the cream cheese until the cream cheese lumps are gone. (Nuking the mixture helps get rid of the lumps, too.) Add the mixture back to the pot. Add the tomato soup, and heat it all for another 5 minutes or so. Enjoy!
One-pot crock pot dinners might do the trick. Try roasting a whole chicken, on top of veggies like potatoes, carrots and onions. Season the bird, add a splash or two of broth (or wine, or a combination) and let that cook all day. Yummo.
Having a 4 year old and 16 month old twins, I feel your pain. Frozen veggies (trader Joe’s has some good mixes) play a big part right now in our repertoire. For example, make frozen ravioli, use a jar of carrot or squash babyfood (or a couple of cubes if you make your own) as the sauce and throw in a handful of frozen peas and you have dinner. When my kids were taking afternoon naps I found that braising meats (with the veggies in one pot) worked well. It takes 2-3 hours, so timid worked for me to have it done before 5 and I had to run to go pick up the preschooler. Quesadillas are always a quick meal, which I pair with a can of black beans mixed with a can of corn for an easy side dish. Sometimes (when I have the time and energy) while I am cooking on a Sunday, I’ll make 2-3 meals and freeze 2 or just make double of what I am making and freeze half so I can just pull it out of the freezer another night. Good luck!
One of the most delicious and filling one-dish meals I’ve made lately was one we named “Scrambled Hearty”. Simple with lots of protein!
3 medium potatoes
1 lb. ground beef
3 eggs
1/2 c. shredded cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
*Pop the potatoes in the oven at 400 degrees, and let them bake for 1 hour (You can feed baby, etc. during this part)
*Brown ground beef and drain. Add chopped potatoes to skillet and cook over medium-high for 5 minutes.
*Beat eggs and salt in a bowl and pour over skillet mixture. Scramble together until eggs are nearly done.
*Add cheese, cover, and cook 2 more minutes on low heat.
Frozen veggies! No chopping and they’re just as nutritious as fresh:)
Crock pot soups are nice especially this time of year and you can spend a couple of hours when your husband is around chopping and freezing often used veggies:). I’ve been using the crock pot at least twice a week! I have a 2 yr old, a 4 month old, and my husband just went back to school….
My quick “I can make this with one hand while tending to a baby and a toddler” meal is to take a box of Annie’s Mac n cheese, add peas in at the end of cooking the pasta, heat up the milk and a few cubes of squash purée in the microwave and add to the drained pasta with the cheese powder. Sometimes I add hot dogs or a can of tuna. A meal with 2 veggies;)
I cut up apples or carrots for the kids and use that as their side dish. I’ve been known to give them yogurt and popcorn for dinner. I hate cooking dinner and just make sure they eat healthy the rest of the day 🙂
Um…..order pizza? heh heh.
Ok. Ok.
Some of my easy dinners are….
Grilled Cheese sandwiches and tomato soup
Creamy Chicken over rice….this is simply some chicken breasts in a crock pot, pour a couple cans of cream of chicken over the top and cook on low all day. Then serve over rice.
Waffles or Pancakes
Scrambled egg burritos….yes, we have breakfast for dinner a fair amount. At least it’s not cereal…
Tacos
Baked Potato Bar (hugely popular in our house)….cook some potatoes, chop up ham and bacon, warm up some chili, grate some cheese and plop it all on the table. Add some sour cream and ranch if you have it on hand
Alright, now I need to grab a shower before I spend all day on the internet….enjoy!
Here is an easy one:
1 pound ground meat
2.5 cups Penne Pasta (dry)
frozen broccoli heads (enough to fill your pan)
1 jar marinara sauce
shredded cheese
Brown the meat. Boil the pasta. Combine the meat, pasta and broccoli and put in a casserole dish. Cover with shredded cheese and cook for 20 minutes.
Keep on trying it will get easier! Subscribe to the Meals Matter blog, follow @MealsMatter and #EatBetter2Gether on Twitter for more tips, recipes and family meal inspiration.
http://weelicious.com/?s=Chicken+Chili+Verde
I just made this one a few weeks ago in the crockpot -Onions, Garlic, Chicken, a jar of green salsa and corn…served over rice. Yum!
Good luck.
Yum, Emily! I printed that one to try myself! 🙂
I am in the same boat lately. My 6 month old has gotten pretty clingy lately and my 2 yo is a DISASTER when she’s hungry and the 4 year old thankfully is pretty go with the flow, but daddy has been travelling a lot and dinner time is the ban of my existance lately.
We’ve had cheese and crackers as our main dish for two meals this week. my kids love this, so i try not to feel too bad about it.
I also am a huge frozen veggie fan. My kids love (not lying, they LOVE) frozen corn and frozen corn. I let them eat a few of the frozen ones before i cook them as a treat.
I’m also contemplating cooking like 3 meals on a sunday afternoon and then eating them throughout the week when i dont have time to cook. my kids dont seem to mind leftovers too much, so hopefully this will work.
Good luck and remember that ‘this too shall pass!’ 🙂
I’ve added a couple of small crock pots to my supplies, so can cook veggies in a separate pot at the same time. Potatoes can be baked in a crock pot too.
We also like the little microwave cups of rice that Minute Rice makes. The trick to them is to always cook them in the little cup. I have tried dumping them into another container to cook and it does not work well at all. Apparently the cup is magic. I think Uncle Ben’s has a microwave rice too, that serves more than one.
I think my easiest dinner, when my kids were small, was to take rice (the regular kind this time), canned chicken, some veggies, and broth. I stuck it all in a casserole dish together and used the microwave directions on the box of rice to cook it. (I used the broth instead of water.) I found that I needed to reduce the amount of liquid I used from what the directions called for, because the veggies would produce some liquid themselves. It seems like if it called for 2 1/2 cups, I reduced it to 2 cups. It just took a couple of minutes to stir together, then the mircowave did all the work, leaving me free to do what else I needed to do.
Oh, I haven’t tried them, but my mom, who has arthritis and can’t peel things anymore, loves the ready to cook frozen potatoes. Are they called Simply Potatoes? Something like that.
Oh boy, sounds like a very tough situation! There are so many good ideas here. I love the baked potato bar. I just have couple to add:
Scrambled eggs or omlette (with add-ins if you have them)
Already cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store
One-pot couscous casserole (saute up leftover chicken, veggies, can of diced tomatoes, add couscous seasonings, bring to boil, add couscous)
baby carrots are always a good veggie!
Good luck!
Beef Pot Roast/”Stew”
— 1.5-2 lbs beef roast (I use chuck because it’s cheap, but any beef with a little fat will work)
— 1 large onion, chopped
— 1-2 ribs celery, chopped
— 1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced (even easier, just use baby carrots)
— a generous amount of frozen peas (I’ve never measured, half a standard bag-ish)
— 1-2 cans broth, any kind
— Season Salt
— optional: 1-2 large baked potatoes
— optional: loaf of crusty bread
Optional: boil potatoes about 10-15 minutes (until mostly cooked, but not fully), cut into large chunks. OR, if you are baking potatoes for something else, bake a few extra, and refrigerate to use.
Put onion, celery, carrots, peas and potatoes in the bottom of a crock pot, put meat on top. Add about a can of broth (enough to cover about half the vegetables). Cover and cook for about 8 hours on low. Meat will shred and all vegetables should be very tender. Serve using a slotted spoon (to avoid too much juice/gravy). Too easy!
I add season salt to my individual serving, but just give it to my toddler. The broth and veggies add plenty of flavor.
You can omit the potatoes, and just serve with bread to soak up some of the extra gravy/juice.
Bonus! This can easily be pureed into baby food!
Full disclosure: It doesn’t LOOK like much when it’s served, kind of a brown mass of food, but is very tasty!
So easy it-s embarrassing italian beef sandwiches
— 2 lbs beef roast (i use chuck because it’s cheap, but anything this a little fat is fine.
— 1 jar pepperoncinis
— Hoagie rolls
— Shredded mozzarella
— Jarred Giardonera
Put the roast in the crock pot, and pour the jar of pepperoncinis INCLUDING the liquid on top. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Shred beef with two forks. Serve on rolls, topped with cheese and giardonera.
I know this feeling – my twins would hang at my feet the minute I walked in the door from work as I tried to cook. I spent many late nights prepping and making a dinner for the following night that could just be heated up. If the kids like eggs, this quiche is good. Can eat hot or cold. Add baby carrots, a glass of milk, and you have a complete meal! http://weeklybite.com/creat-your-own-quiche/. Another pre-prep I do is baked ravioli – boil frozen ravioli, heat precooked chopped sausage, mix in casserole dish with sauce and shredded mozzarella – next day pop in over for 30 mins at 350. Mexican is always a nice well-balanced go-to meal for us and offers something that everyone will eat – plus I cook extra meat and it can re-purpose it for another meal that week (burritos, taco salad, quesadilla). Here is a blog post I wrote about keeping the sides simple: http://www.mealsmatter.org/blog/post/2011/09/28/Simple-Side-Dishes-for-a-Balanced-Healthy-Meal.aspx.
My twins just turned 3 and now I sometimes feel lonely while I’m cooking and I’m not tripping over a small one. 🙂
I have found this amazing trick recently. Put your slow cook recipe ingredients into a freezer bag. You can do this on the week-end when you have some extra hands. Put it in the freezer and pull it out on the morning, take it out of the bag and plop it into the slow cooker. If there aren’t enough veggies, I stick in a few frozen ones in the last 20 minutes since there’s usually enough liquid by then.
Slow cooked food is easy to reheat for lunches the next day too.
Enjoy!!
Got this recipe from a mom at church with a 6th grade boy and 4-year-old triplet girls.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-chicken-tortilla-soup/detail.aspx
Super easy. I use tortilla chips instead of cooking the tortilla strips like the recipe. I also cook the chicken in the soup during the day and shred it at the end, or you could use leftover chicken (maybe from the rotisserie chicken that was suggested above).
I also make no-meat chili in the crockpot (or on the stove) – black beans, kidney beans, ranch beans, diced tomatoes in juice, tomato paste if you have it, diced onions, maybe some frozen corn if you have it. Season with chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and oregano. Add brown sugar if you like it a little sweet like me.
Ohh and also. I’ve never tried this but looks cool. http://fatgirltrappedinaskinnybody.blogspot.com/2011/10/salad-in-jar-src.html. Great way to get your fresh veggies in.
My husband is in India for three weeks and I’m shortcutting dinners too. Fortunately, no screaming babies anymore at my house.
I put out carrots, cucumber, celery, cherry tomatoes with dip and the kids will happily eat their veggies first while I finish dinner. They will also dip cooked green beans or broccoli if I have leftovers.
I also steam 2-3 meals worth of broccoli (or whatever your kids will eat) during naptime. Easy to reheat at the last minute when meat is done and I have more for another dinner a day or two later. Good luck!
For me it is all about planning. Spending 1-2 hours making a grocery list and meal plan gets me through the witching hour during the week. One of our staples is chicken enchiladas, I use roll leftover or canned chicken and cheese in tortillas and top with premade enchilada sauce, bake for 20 minutes.
Oh, I can so relate. I remember the dinner hour madness with my youngest in my arms. Often breastfeeding while attempting to cook. One strategy was to cook the next night’s dinner after they were in bed.
Try this Chili Cornbread Pie Recipe. I have more favorite recipes in my “Busy Mom’s Guide to Quick Meals” at http://www.mealsmatter.org/Cookbooks/trina/momsquickmeals/ Good luck and remember that just cooking at home is a great gift to your family. One day your kids will be cooking dinner with you and then for you!
Ingredients
1 Medium onion, chopped
2- 15 ounce Cans chili (I use the Turkey chili from Trader Joe’s)
8 ounces Frozen spinach, thawed
1 cup Shredded reduced-fat Mexcian blend or Cheddar cheese
1 box Cornbread mix (Trader Joe’s large box or two Jiffy 6 ounce boxes)
4 ounce Can green chili (optional)
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray with cooking spray an 11 x 7 baking dish.
2. Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. When hot, add onion and saute until tender. Add chili and spinach to skillet and stir well until heated through and combined.
3. Add skillet mixture to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle cheese over top.
4. In a bowl, combine cornbread mix and 2/3 cup water (or follow cornbread box direction), stirring just until smooth. Mix in can of green chili, if desired. Pour batter over mixture in baking dish.
5. Bake casserole for 30 minutes or until cornbread crust is golden brown.
Check out awesome food blogger Debbie Koenig’s site (and soon to be cookbook) Parents Need to Eat Too: http://debbiekoenig.com/
She has a whole method she calls nap-time cooking, a section on one-handed meals for breastfeeding moms, etc. I was one of her testers for the cookbook (she’s a friend of mine) and the recipes are great. Good luck!
Here’s my favorite 16 minute meal. Pasta with pesto cream sauce.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/06/pasta-with-pesto-cream-sauce/
Good luck!
French dip sandwiches: sliced roast beef frim the deli, some rolls and a package of au jus mix. Dinner is ready in about 5 minutes. If I have the time, mashed sweet potatoes are a great side, but frozen veg mix or carrot sticks work too!
If you even GET to this comment, we love Snack Dinner.
1 fruit, 1 veggie, lunch meat, yogurt, WHATEVER YOU HAVE that will fit into a muffin tin.
My go-to easy meal!
boneless chicken breast
large jar of salsa
can black beans
corn (frozen or canned)
Put the boneless chicken breast in your crockpot. (you can even use them when they’re still frozen)
Dump one large jar of salsa (for every 4 breasts)
Drain and rinse one can of black beans and dump in crockpot.
Corn- put this in right before serving it. It only needs to warm up, not cook.
Turn your crockpot on and leave it there all day. Come back 10 hours later and open the crockpot. Shred up the chicken. Stir it up good. We’ve used it in tacos, burritos, on top of rice or tortilla chips. It’s a lifesaver! (Delicious the next day, too.)
Meals that come together quickly are great, but I know that for me there are days when I don’t have time to put together AN.Y.THING. Even scrambled eggs. Nap and errand and feeding schedules collide and all of a sudden I’m spending any time I might have to prepare dinner with a hungry toddler quickly melting down and an even hungrier baby on my boob. I like meals that don’t involve any work from me between about 4 o’clock to when we actually sit down and eat. This usually means crockpot.
My favorite crockpot recipe: Taco Soup
At least 6 hours–but longer if you’d like–before dinner, throw the following in a crockpot:
-pound of ground turkey (or ground sirloin if you’ve got a picky husband:))
-2 cans of black beans
-2 cans chili beans
-2 cans of corn, drained
-packet of taco seasoning, or just a couple palmfuls of chili powder and some cumin and cayene
-anything else you want, pretty much
This makes a lot of soup. I don’t like so many beans, so I cut down to two cans total, which lessens the final amount, so sometimes I add a can of diced tomatoes or frozen onions or even Rotel tomatoes if I’m feeling spicy. I serve this usually just with sour cream and chips and shredded cheese, but I’ve put leftovers in tortillas or mexican casseroles. The vegetables are in the soup. The meat is in the soup. The dairy is in the sour cream or a glass of milk. It’s not the best tasting, but it does the job. My favorite thing about it is you don’t have to do anything when dinnertime rolls around except dish it up.
I know it’s been said, but frozen, precut veggies are clutch. Go through your grocer’s freezer one day (WITHOUT the kids, or send your hubs, hard I know!) and note all pre-made options that aren’t horrendously unhealthy. Meal plan accordingly. Also, decide what your priorities are. I care more about healthy food than, say, folded towels, so if I get a few free minutes, I do some food prep rather than laundry. Also, “lunch” and “breakfast” options are great for dinner!
This is one of the easiest and yummiest things I make:
http://momadvice.com/blog/2010/05/perfectly-pulled-pork-sandwiches-with-root-beer-floats
I use Pibb instead of root beer. I think any non-Diet brown cola would be fine.
Pre-made freezer meals; make once a week or once a month or whenever you have a small chunk of time;
Meatballs: make a TON of meatballs and pre-cook them. ( baking on a cookie sheet in the oven is the easiest). Put in freezer bags in meal-sized portions. Take out as needed to make:
1. spagetti/meatballs ( just add tomato or pasta sauce–jarred or make your own in the crockpot)
2. sweet and sour meatballs; serve with jarred sauce ( or make your own) and rice.
3. mushroom meatballs; add a can of mushroom soup and some beef broth. Serve with rice, pasta or potatoes, or just veggies.
Chicken: roast a whole chicken or turkey. Eat for dinner one night. Use the bones for soup/broth. Cut up the leftover meat and freeze for soups ( add meat to chicken broth, mixed veggies and rice or noodles), add to pasta ( with jarred tomato or alfredo sauce, add some peas), quesadillas, chicken salad ( add chopped celery, apples, and mayo; serve over lettuce or on bread or crackers for kids).
Beef: roast beef one night ( good for a weekend night when you might have more time). Make lots of gravy. The next night make hot beef sandwiches; Slice roast beef thinly and place in pan with gravy to warm. Serve on toast. Roast beef also is great in pasta salad: cook up whatever pasta your family likes ( rotini, penne, shells, macaroni all work well). Add in whatever veggies are in the fridge; cooked peas, peapods ( cooked slightly), broccoli, grated or chopped carrots, chopped red or green pepper, corn, zucchini, etc, etc. Add diced or sliced roast beef, ham, chicken or sausage. Dress/toss with your favorite bottled dressing. I like coleslaw, Italian or Catalina. Ranch also works well. Plain old mayo works, too! Serve slightly warm ( as soon as the pasta is cooked) or cold from the fridge.
Pancakes for supper are great, but require standing at the stove. I make a flat pancake ( like a thick crepe) that can be easily reheated, or spread with jam, peanut butter or cream cheese, rolled up and eaten cold( very easy to take in the car) French toast is faster and takes less time at the stove!
Bags of “baby” carrots are lifesavers for fast kid snacks. Cheese strings or cheese cubes. Also peanuts or cashews from a can or jar. Cheese Whiz/peanut butter on celery, crackers or bread.
Chips and tuna: kids love this. Add some mayo to a can of drained tuna. Put some slightly crushed plain or plain ripple potato chips to each kid’s bowl. Add approx. the same amount of tuna/mayo mixture to the chips and mix together. For adults, add chopped lettuce or shredded cabbage. Sounds weird, but it’s really good! Enjoy!
A couple of our staples are Salsa Chicken – 1 lb chicken, cut into chunks…cook at least half way and then we had 1 jar of Salsa. Add in some Mustard and Brown Sugar to taste and let it simmer. We put this on top of white rice (usually cooked in the pressuer cooker).
Sausage, Potatoes, Green Beans is also a staple. Cut up potatoes into large pieces (amount is up to you), add 1-2 cans Green Beans (we prefer the french style) and put 1 lb of Ground Turkey or Ground Sausage on top and cook in the pressuer cooker. My dad does a version of this with ham in the skillet or in a crock pot…totally your call.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/ham-n-noodle-toss/detail.aspx is another quick and easy one. I just buy the ham pre-diced. A bag of stir fry veggies and ramen noodles and done.
We recently discovered Potato Pearls in our local grocery store. They are like instant mashed potatoes but way easier (I didn’t know that was possible) and taste a TON better. We found them at Meijer. I used those when I throw in a Banquet Salisbury steak in the oven. That takes longer to cook, but doesn’t require much effort at all.
Good luck!
I’m not much of a cook, but luckily my husband is! On the two days a week that I cook dinner, I usually try to do a slow cooker meal for one, and the other is usually some form of pasta. Pasta with Shrimp and Peas is my favorite. Boil pasta (my daughter likes Rigatoni cause she can stick her finger in it!), throw in some frozen shrimp, then some frozen peas. Drain it all and put some olive oil and parmesan cheese on it. Super easy, super yummy and only one pot to clean!
great 3 ingredient recipe:
http://quick-dish.tablespoon.com/2011/05/18/3-ingredient-slow-cooker-pulled-pork/
You mean, other than the meals when we pick up food, or when my husband cooks?? Ha ha… Seriously, though, I’ve found that planning for one pasta night each week, one Mexican night, one freezer meal night, etc. takes some of the pressure off when trying to plan interesting dinners. I also get a rotisserie chicken (or roast one or two), then eat it for one meal and use the remaining chicken for 1-2 more meals (casserole, chicken fajitas, etc.) My rice cooker/steamer is great because it cooks a side dish and veggie at the same time.
Mostly, though, I’ve decided cut myself some slack and recognize that during this phase of life we’re just going to eat some weird meals from time to time—things that don’t go together, or aren’t “complete” in the traditional sense. 🙂
For us tortillas are a life saver. We buy black bean dip and bags of shredded cheese regularly. Smear some bean dip on a tortilla, sprinkle on cheese and other toppings (salsa, mushrooms, frozen corn kernels) into the skillet (or in our house the only unitasker we have: a quesedilla maker) cook, flip, cook. Slide it onto the cutting board and whiz through it with your pizza cutter.
Breakfast versions are great (eggs, cheese and ham or bacon), we also love zucchini, frozen corn and cotija cheese in one, or diced up rotisserie chicken and veggies.
Or roll up the tortillas and use sandwich fixings. Great for kids on the go.
Refrigerate leftovers (or make extras!) and nuke for about 30 sec the next day or pop under the broiler to heat through. Even my 18month old will eat leftover quesedillas.
Amber said: Mostly, though, I’ve decided cut myself some slack and recognize that during this phase of life we’re just going to eat some weird meals from time to time—things that don’t go together, or aren’t “complete” in the traditional sense.
Totally agree! Maybe we can call it un-supper or something and be trendy 🙂
I totally admire your pre-chopping of veggies and marinade making at nap time, but here’s something that has saved my hugely disorganized life during the early months of my babes’ existence and is *ideal* for the screamy newborn days. Dream Dinners, girlfriend. Saved. My. Sanity. You can go spend an hour there on a Saturday or evening, putting all your dinners together in bulk, or have them made for you for an extra fee. A lot of the meals are low or no-prep and take 30 minutes or less. Here’s a link to suggestions on Berkeley Parents Network for other meal prep spots, too: http://parents.berkeley.edu/recommend/home/meals.html
I just try and make it as simple as possible and I ignore (for now) how wonderfully virtuous a homemade, sit-down, family dinner is. That is just not in the cards right now. For me it isn’t worth the trouble, especially when my daughter, who is a good eater, only goes for it about 50% of the time. Try cereal, mac ‘n cheese with sliced tomatoes or broccoli, scrambled eggs wrapped in a tortilla, sandwiches, frozen pizza with edamame on the side. Since dinner is absolutely the most taxing time of the day, if the kids have eaten moderately healthy food for the rest of the day, I don’t worry so much about dinner.
Do people have easy to go meals for the car? I have three kids three and have very little time for any meal preparation. We are sick of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but we have to eat lunch in the car three days a week…
Sing it, sister. I feel your pain on this one. I too end up making most things with one hand. We did scrambled eggs or sandwhiches A LOT. But my fav? Uh…let’s call it a ‘Trio Of Bruschetta’ to make it sound fancy:
Use either bread, sliced and toasted (snort)….or just crackers. (Guess which we use most?)
Mix up a few things for on top:
1. Stir together canned salmon, parsely, lots of fresh lemon, salt. Add red onion if you can. One dip done.
2. Mash up some canned white beans with olive oil, salt and something acidic (more lemon, or vinegar, etc.) Add whatever herb you want. Two, done.
3. Throw a huge handful of greens into boiling water (kale, chard)….OR just nuke a bunch of frozen spinach. Drain well and add a sinful amount of really high quality olive oil. Add some lemon. Three, done.
Pile these on top of crackers. It feels festive and party-like…and goes awesome with wine. This is usually our Thursday night dinner. 🙂
Lots of great ideas up there. Also, have you considered asking for help from your village? Somebody set up a meal train for Heather, stat! If I lived closer, I would totally bring you dinner 2 or 3 times over the next couple of months. Dinner delivered by a friend a few times a week has been my easiest meal and I’ve always had super sweet friends who set it up for me (and I returned the favor when it was their turn). Mealtrain.com makes it super simple.
Looks like the general consensus is that crockpots rock. I so agree. Another crockpot idea:
I take turkey smoked sausage and cut into hot link length pieces. Then I toss them in the crockpot, cover them with BBQ sauce, cook them all day, take them out, wrap a bun around them and enjoy! Makes a very good facimile of hot links with much less fat. They are absolutely delicious!
As a slight variation, cut the sausage bite size, and adda can of tomatoes in with the BBQ sauce. (Veggies!) If you want to get crazy, chop up an onion and throw that in too. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.
You’ve got more than 40 suggestions for streamlining & for some simple recipes … so I’ll refrain from adding a thought in that vein. Instead, let me just say I think it’s totally appropriate to send up a signal flare for help. Ask a friend to pitch in & help you get dinners made on the weekend. Make use of your two older kids for meal preparation. Get other family members involved. Give-and-take. When Sawyer is older & less screamy-clingy, you KNOW you’ll repay the favor, right? Heck, if I knew where you lived, I’d bring a casserole to you myself!
Quesadillas are easy, with salsa and some diced avocado. Hummus and avocado with pretzels or pita chips. Pasta too! I like the Barilla yellow box and for sauce I will reheat frozen cubes of my homemade (pre-made) veg sauce (roast any veggies you like with olive oil at 400-450 degrees for around 30 min, then puree with a box or Pomi tomato sauce so it’s not so chunky–then I freeze it as cubes and keep a bag in the freezer) mixed with some Pomi tomato sauce. Add some grated parm and fruit and it’s done. Grilled cheese (with or without tomato soup), soup and crackers, fried rice (I make rice early in the day if I can, then cook some frozen veggies and a couple eggs, toss it all together in a pan with lite soy sauce and that’s it), and breakfast for dinner. I like to cook pancakes ahead of time and freeze them so they are ready at a moments notice, or I make scrambled eggs and toast with fruit.
Wow. This is a wonderful outpouring from our community and I totally appreciate it. I’m just sitting down to the computer after a crappy dinner hour and I love reading all these tips. A-MA-ZING!
Let me add that hot dogs (fancy kosher or fearless franks) are a 3 minute meal.
I’m going to put more in the crock pot, stock up on frozen veggies, lower my standards, order pizza, do a weekly “big cook”, AND get my big boys to help. Right after I eat these Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for dinner.
http://suddenlystayathome.blogspot.com/2009/07/chicken-pot-pie.html
Chicken Pot Pie can totally be prepared ahead of time, then put in the oven when you are ready. I feel your pain!!!!!
This was my family’s super easy meal when I was growing up:
Curried Tuna over Noodles
(my mom always set aside a non-curry bit for me)
– boil water for pasta
– add egg noodles or spiral pasta or whatever you have on hand (though not spaghetti)
– open 2 large cans of tuna and drain. Even easier, get those pouches of tuna. Add to a saucepan with 2 cans of cream of mushroom or 1 can COM and 1 can cream of chicken soup. (there are many variations here … some branches of our family swear by cream of celery)
– heat over med/low heat, stirring occasionally. Add curry to taste (I use lots of curry)
– chop some fresh cherry tomatoes and English or persian cucumber. Put in small bowls so the kids can have fun serving themselves.
– here’s how to plate it: buttered noodles, curry sauce on top, cold tomatoes & cukes on top of that.
– if you are feeling really fancy, roasted sunflower seeds on top and chutney on the side.
It sounds weird, I know, but it’s yummy. Even my husband likes it and he didn’t grow up with it.
crockpot pork chops!! throw the following in your crockpot: frozen chops, 2 cups of uncooked rice, one can of mushrooms, and then fill with water. you can start this early in the morning or even the night before. this is the best dish in the world! and best of all, its super easy!
i also am a mom of 2 under 2 so i totally feel your pain. dinner time is the worst time of day for moms.
I’m only slightly ashamed to say I’ve relied on stouffer’s frozen family size Mac n cheese once a week since you know who arrived. I don’t eat beef, otherwise I’d probably throw one of their lasagnas in the rotation too.
The boy gets frozen peas on top (in smiley face or a letter shape for bonus points) and we have salad on the side.
I cook 4 chicken breasts at a time in the crock pot and eat off them for lunches and dinners.
Trader joes pizzas and salad.
Turkey chili: dump one package of turkey in pot, add two cans of stewed tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, stabbing at the meat to break it up.
Drain (but don’t rinse, takes too long) 2 cans of black beans & 2 cans of kidney beans (or pinto, whatever). Simmer a minimum 15 minutes (covered so it doesn’t dry out). I add frozen corn about 5 minutes before serving cuz I like that. Serve with shred cheese and sour cream.
Oh and I feed my kid a boatload of yummy brand chicken nuggets. I also bought a 5 pound bag of tater tots. (TOTS!) So yes, lower your expectations. You can get back to crunchy granola foodie girl in ehhh six months?
i forgot to add that you use the boneless chops because theres less danger involved! also, add 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup and some thyme when u add the water.
Frozen ravioli with spaghetti sauce, steam some pre-chopped broccoli, and you’re good to go!
Also – do you have a Baby Bjorn or sling? Something that can free up your hands while you’re still holding the baby can make a huge difference. I’ve recently broken out the Ergo to side-carry my 19-mo-old who is very clingy after daycare pick-up (which is right when I must be cooking dinner or he will explode with hunger rage by 6:30).
From the Southern Girl: put boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a crock pot (frozen is okay, too), add a jar of good BBQ sauce, and if you’re feeling particularly culinary, a sliced onion. Cook for 6-8 hours and serve on a toasted buttered bun with a bread and butter pickle. (The chicken just falls apart into shreds in the crock pot.) Side dish: peas with pearl onions in the microwave. My son likes to dip the chicken in ketchup and won’t eat the pearl onions.
A crockpot is a staple in my house. 15 minutes of prep in the morning and that’s it for the day. English muffin pizzas and Cesar salad is kid friendly quick meal in my house. Try to buy pre packaged salads and vegetables if you can,
90% of prep work is chopping and cutting. Also, make a meal plan and try to do all the prep work ahead of time. I can literally have dinner made, served, and cleaned up in less than an hour if I need to. But, there is nothing wrong with serving kid food, it’s fast, easy, and they love it.
Breakfast for supper! Scrambled eggs and toast; bowls of cereal; pancakes…all quick and easy. I did this once a week when my boys were small.
Leftovers make another quick and easy supper. Create a leftover menu (which can be a dry erase board on the fridge) and play “diner.” Let the older kids help reheat, set the table, take “orders,” serve and clean up. If you use paper products for leftover night, clean up takes only a few minutes.
It took me weeks after my son was born to get back to cooking! Here’s what helped me:
ravioli & marinara on desperate nights (add a bag of baby spinach to the sauce for veggies)
I chop up all of my salad and snacking veggies for the week on the weekend when my son is napping and/or fiance can take over childcare duties. I keep each veg in it’s own tupperware so things don’t get soggy, but it only takes clean hands, a bowl and 2 minutes to prepare a large salad (it can be a side or I usually have shredded cheese, hardboiled eggs and poached chicken or canned tuna on hand to make it a meal–this was particularly good in the summer)
Beef stew in the crockpot (with extra carrots and mushrooms for a healthy dose of veggies)
Use baby carrots and pre-prepared veggies. Whole frozen string beans, frozen broccoli crowns and frozen pepper/onion mix are great for sides or recipes because they require little effort and prep. They are also amongst the tastiest of the frozen options.
In 15 minutes, I can toss together a stir fry with frozen stir fry veggie blend and either shrimp or diced chicken, pork or shrimp. It takes longer for the rice cooker to do it’s magic or the pasta water to boil (if we decide we prefer lo mein). Use a jarred asian-style sauce.
Scrambled eggs and toast. Essential protein and carbs.
Oh wow, you sound like you have a lot going! Not to mention you have all that going on, plus this awesome blog that you are constantly taking care of. You are doing a great job!
I know its more ideal to have the “made from scratch version” but I am a huge fan of the skillet pasta dinners that Bertolli makes, the Safeway versions are great too. Pair that with a steam in the bag via microwave veggie and perhaps some garlic toast and that it usually my go-to dinner for when I just don’t have the time or energy to make a full on meal. (These meals also got me through my first trimester when I was too sick to smell the food for too long and had zero energy because they only take about 10 mins or less to cook.)
Good luck!
Try crock pot lasagna (which i think that I originally found through a link on your site?). No cutting, slicing, oven opening, etc.
ricotta cheese
pesto sauce
parmasan cheese
raw noodles
pasta sauce (I prefer tomato basil)
shredded italian cheese
fresh spinach
Mix ricotta, pesto and parmasan. Set aside. coat the bottom of crock pot with sauce. Layer noodles, spinach, ricotta mixture, shredded chese, sauce. Repeat. Cook on high for 2 hours.
Good Luck!
I didn’t see anyone else write about this, forgive me if someone has, but someone just told me about this wonderful site and I am signing up for it: e-mealz.com. You pay $5 a month for an easy menu each night-they give you the recipes and the shopping list and you can choose what kind of meal plan you want to sign up for: Walmart Family Plan, Kroger Family Plan, Lowfat, Vegetarian, etc. The recipes are quick and easy and make going to the grocery store and getting dinner on the table less of a nightmare. Check out their site–I was impressed!
2 of my favorite things to do:
1) Spend one afternoon on the weekend and just chop up veggies of various sorts and put in a couple of ziplock bags. We love broccoli, asparagus, sweet potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, grape or cherry tomatoes. Whenever I need veggies for dinner, throw one of the bags on a cookie sheet, toss with olive oil, salt & pepper and roast for 20 min at 400 degrees. EASY! Or throw in a frying pan and saute.
2) My favorite easy go to meal is to take some of these roasted veggies, pasta and parmesan cheese. Easy and can be done, start to finish in 20 minutes.
* I have also found that soup/stew/chili is a great thing that makes TONS of leftovers for hurried nights.
With my new work schedule, I’ve had to plan for dinners that we can either completely make in the slow cooker (like Turkey Chili) or come together faster than fast. Our new favorites are:
Mexi Bowls (we bought a rice cooker to make this even easier)
Scrambled eggs
Quesadillas
Sausage in a Blanket
Pasta
I try to keep some bottled marinades in the pantry as well as the 60 sec microwave rice pouches (TJ’s has a good one). Then I just have to pour the marinade over chicken or fish, stick the rice in the microwave, and cook some frozen veggies. That covers me for dinner once a week usually with leftovers.
Easy Meal #1: (1) Make ravioli (or any stuffed pasta). (2) Cook a protein…I usually sautee sliced chicken sausage, but any cooked ground meat can work. (3) Put ravioli plus meat plus a jar of sauce in a casserole dish (add a veggie too if you’d like). (4) Top with mozzerella cheese. (5) Bake in oven until cheese is bubbly.
Easy Meal #2: Take about 1/4 of a large jar of salsa and cover the bottom of a baking dish. Put chicken on top (I prefer the tenderloin cut for this, but any boneless chicken cut would work). Cover with remaining salsa. Pop it in the oven until the meat thermometer says it’s at 165. Take it out and serve over rice or with beans.