My dinners need help!

mazeltov613

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 12:06 pm

I work part time. Some days I’m on top of dinner and know what I’m making but other days the task just seems daunting and I don’t know where to begin. Does anyone have advice or have sample menus that are easy to tackle?
We are 2 adults and 4 kids..

Busybee5

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 12:09 pm

You can try to double up things, for example I'll boil and mash a big pot of potatoes.
Then I use it for shepherds pie, and sausages and mash. All depends on what your kids like, but I'd sit down on motzai shabbos or Sunday morning and write a menu and shopping list for the week of what you'll need.
I find that once it's in the house it's a lot of the work done, then you can put supper on whenever it suits you.

Hatzolocho!

mha3484

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 12:17 pm

I find meal planning and cooking in advance is a huge help. I used to try going through cookbooks etc on Sunday and making a menu etc but I am too ADHD and it was a fail. For me prep and rally helped alot. But if you have better executive functioning skills you can do the same just pick 4 dinners make a menu and shopping list and hang it on your fridge. You can either cook each day or cook on Sunday for the week.

lora

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 12:21 pm

I dont like menus but I make a long list of everything that my family likes and just use that for ideas, usually can find something on the list that I have all ingredients at home and fits my available time frame. I also make soup when I can, in the biggest pot I have, since soup freezes well and makes every dinner feel more planned out and complete, so I just freeze in containers and end up with a variety in my freezer. whenever I make meat balls, I make a huge batch and freeze the balls raw in small tinfoil pans, if I'm making it anyway its not that much harder, then when I'm stuck I can grab out a pan, dump it in some tomato sauce, even frozen and dinner is done. I even add the spaghetti to the same pot 15 minutes before serving.
Scnitzel the same thing, if I'm breading chicken already I bread a whole bunch and freeze them in small bags, then defrost in the morning of a busy day (fridge overnight or all day) and fry up 10 minutes to dinner.
another hack is the boxed (I use near east) rice and pilaf box that comes with a spice packet. I pour the rice into a pan, place chicken cutlets on top, empty the spice pack on top of the chicken, add some water, cover and bake on 375 for 45 min-hour. done. you can do this with regular rice and random spices to but somehow the mix feels easier.
whenever I make chicken that has a sauce, like a sweet pepper sauce or sesame chicken sauce, I always triple the recipe and freeze some sauce. that way you can still make fresh supper another day just with out all the work.

cholentfan1

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 12:52 pm

I stick to days. Monday is a meat day, so there's some kind of meat whether it's meatballs, burgers or sausages, it gives me structure. Another day is a cheese day either pizza or lasagna, then a fish day etc. It means I'm limiting my choices on a daily basis so it's not help what am I making, it's which of the 3 choices do I have in the house or am I choosing for today?
I also try and batch cook so I have in the freezer for the nights I'm too tired to make supper. So instead of 1 meal's worth, I make double and freeze 1 for another time.

Mimisimi

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 1:37 pm

I have a 8 week menu. That way I'm never writing menus again and not over and over the same foods I wont it with share with you but get a google sheet and start writing in recipes your family likes. Just don't repeat a recipe even if your family loves it.
This is basic overview of my menu:
Sunday is when all my girls are home so its Chicken bottom day with a side or salad, Or will plan to eat out as a family, or now in the summer it might change to grill night.
Monday is my soup day ( If I want to make) Then Monday is for the different kind of suppers like, Meat pizza, pepper steak, Burgers, Shawarma, Minute steak, Pulled beef sandwiches, meatballs.
Tuesday is any kind of chicken CUTLET with sides as you prefer.
Wednesday is Milchig and I usually have a small soup as I want my kids to have veggies plus pasta, pizza, calzones etc. I also do any kind of Fish and different dairy filling salads for adults. And smoothies or iced coffee is on repeat for dessert.
Thursday Is tentative on my menu as I'm usually cooking for Shabbos that day. I usually anyway make a Chicken soup so we do a Shredded chicken salad with chicken from soup pita/wraps and/or I'll cook a Cholent with Kugel. Some weeks if I have leftovers from the week I'll serve that to the kids and won't make cholent for them lets say.

enjoying kids

Wed, Apr 19 2023, 2:19 pm

What a delicious sounding menu that sounds hearty enough for my teenage boys. I would love if you could post the actual menu.
We don't have a regular rotation yet because I've been too ADHD to make it work, but for a while we've been doing Sunday sandwich night rotating between burgers/hot dogs, chicken shwarma in pita, and schnitzel sandwiches. I put out various cut up veggies for toppings and warm up some frozen French fries on the side. It's the only supper that invariably makes everyone happy.
I'm also working this week on an after school snack rotation -- one day rice cakes, one day cut fruit, one day microwave popcorn, one day rolls with cream cheese (a day when my kids hate the school lunch and come home ravenous). I hope I'll be able to keep it up!