ISO: Complete make-ahead shabbos for the working woman!

amother

Lime

Wed, Jan 20 2016, 5:08 pm

recently started working very late Fridays and I (and my hubby) don't get home until very close to shabbos. I need some tips. I am not pulling it together well!

I really need to have everything done by thursday night. I hate how my chicken tasted rewarmed from thursday night! I like to make veggies (try not to make kugels, and this is impossible!) any tricks/tips? if you are in this situation (I cant be the only one?!!) what do you do? what and wehn do you make everything? thanks!

ra_mom

Wed, Jan 20 2016, 5:16 pm

What time do you get home on Friday? Is it possible to throw a pan of marinated chicken ready in the fridge straight into the oven? If not, time to make a different dish that rewarms well.
Let us know so we can offer help for you accordingly.

Last edited by ra_mom on Wed, Jan 20 2016, 5:22 pm; edited 1 time in total

mha3484

Wed, Jan 20 2016, 5:30 pm

I get home two hours before and I have little kids so I try as hard as possible to not use that time to cook unless its a really bad week for me healthwise. I make somethings in bulk like soup and challah. I use a 7 qt crock pot and make chicken soup every 3 weeks. The fourth week I make an easy veg based soup like the mushroom or pumpkin from the KBD books.

I have been learning which dips freeze well and experimenting with that lately. I also use some canned and frozen veg like beets, artichokes chickpeas or whitebeans to make salads.

Fish is my easiest, I just put a loaf in a pan spice it and throw it in the oven. I also like to slice it semi frozen and bake it on a cookie sheet. You can make multiple loaves at a time and freeze them cooked.

I like to make crockpot meals for fri night. I put meat, starch and veg and turn it on before work. There hundreds of variations on the theme.

When I am having a good week, I bake Wed and put up soup. Cook the fish and main thurs. If I want dips or salads I make those Friday with whatever free time I have.

I believe that shabbos meals should be special but not gluttonous. I use nice ingredients to make food that tastes good but I dont make a patchke. A typical meal is Challah, Dips and Salads, Fish, Soup and a main, veg and starch. The only original thing I make for shabbos lunch is the cholent and green salad. The rest is from Fri Night.

PinkFridge

Wed, Jan 20 2016, 5:34 pm

I was going to suggest freezing prepped chicken raw and putting in oven but you don't have enough time. I've had hatzlacha with prepped raw baked schnitzel though.
If your budget allows (honestly, with chicken costs now they may not be too far apart) you can have beef. Sliced brisket, fully cooked and frozen, is fantastic reheated.

OR you can try a crockpot chicken and put it up before work. You might need the crockpot for cholent. Two options: get a second crockpot, or make the cholent on Thursday, refrigerate, then transfer before Shabbos.

Cooked vegetables and marinated salads can be made Thursday, prepped on Wed.
Tossed salad - make dressing early, prep add-ins Thurs. night.
Relish tray - baby corn, pickles, olives, hearts of palm, whatever.

And if your budget allows, especially during these next few weeks maybe you can get some takeout on Thursday (if your time budget allows too).

Hatzlacha!

noosheen

Wed, Jan 20 2016, 5:34 pm

I work on Fridays from 8-4 pm. On winter Friday's they let me leave early at 3. I have to have everything ready by the time I walk in the door on Friday. What I've learned to to is:
Make a list of menu and Shabbos tasks, no matter how minor.

Next to each item write when that will be done.

I divide my Shabbos prep between Thursday night and Friday morn. I wake up at 5 am every Friday.

My chicken soup cooks all night on Thursday on a low flame. It's delicious.
I prepare everything thursdaynnite ie
Put all beans, meat and spices in crock pot so all I need to do is add water and plug in on Friday morn
I put spices and carrot and onions in fish pot, just add water Friday morn and cook. U get the idea. Same with chicken. Prepare it and cook on Friday morn.
I cut paper towels, foil, prepare lachter all Thursday night
It took some getting used to ( this is my second winter I'm at this job). But when I got used to it its not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. U can get used to anything!
With organization and forethought u can do it. I leave my house at 7:30 on Friday mornings!!

ra_mom

Wed, Jan 20 2016, 5:38 pm

amother wrote:

I get home like with about an hour to shabbos Sad

Challah - buy, or make whenever you have time and freeze
Dips - buy, or make in advance
Gefilte fish - make Wednesday
Salmon - make marinated or poached versions that stay fresh for a number of days and cook Wednesday
Soup - make once every four weeks and freeze broth in containers
Noodles - make once every few weeks and freeze in ziploc bags or containers. Defrost, wrap in foil and place over cover of crockpot to warm.
Beans - soak every 4 weeks and freeze
Cholent - assemble raw in crockpot Thursday night and refrigerate. Place in the crockpot heating element when you get home, plug in and turn to low.
Green beans - roast Thursday night and refrigerate. Put on counter to reach room temperature before shabbos.
Sautéed zucchini - make in advance and rewarm over cover of crockpot right before meal starts.
Parsley red potatoes - boil until just fork tender in advance and toss with sautéed onions, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper. Put up in double boiler on plata to warm for meal.
Orzo - cook in advance and rewarm over crockpot.
Roast beef or corned beef - make in advance, cool, slice. Put up with sauce in a double boiler on plata to warm.
Meatballs - cook in advance and put up in double boiler on plata to warm.
Spaghetti - cook in advance, toss with a bit of oil, seal in ziploc without air. Wrap in foil and put on top of crockpot cover to warm.

Don't forget to defrost everything Thursday night (or put into fridge Wednesday night so it's partially defrosted by Thursday night.)
You can set up the plata on a timer, already lined with the pans of water for double boilers ready the night before. And just stick everything ready right on when you get home from work Friday.

sky

Wed, Jan 20 2016, 5:58 pm

If you make boneless chicken you can prepare Thursday night on baking sheet in fridge and stick in oven before shabbos. Only needs 30 minutes. Chicken on bone is harder.

I prepare my cholent fully Thursday night with the meat in a separate bag. I put it on the burner Friday morning and add the meat, make sure there is lots of water and cook on high all day.

Same with chicken soup, prepare with water and spices, Keep chicken separate. Put in fridge. Friday morning bring to boil and then let simmer on very low all day (if you are comfortable doing this when not home). Otherwise cook it Thursday evening.

Veggies baked in the oven can also be put in the oven 1 hour if prepped fully in advance - roasted veggies spear, sugar snap peas, green beans, etc.

I try that when I go to sleep Thursday night shabbos is 100% done (accept some food is raw) but food is in baking pans or pots and just ready to be put on a flame or in the oven.

tichellady

Wed, Jan 20 2016, 7:54 pm

Here's what I do:
I shop Wednesday
I have cleaning help on Friday
If I have time I make cookies and or soup ok Wednesday
I don't host more than one meal with guests. I usually host one meal and we have one meal out or we potluck for one meal and have one meal just family- which means simple
Aside from cooking everything on Thursday I have a bunch of good recipes that can be made on shabbos, perfect for very busy weeks when I just put up chicken and or cholent ( I have two crockpots) and then on shabbos I can throw together corn salad, tomato salad, kale salad, zuchinni basil noodles, spring rolls, etc. to make the meal more balanced and colorful.

amother

Lavender

Wed, Jan 20 2016, 7:58 pm

With out working fridays I try not to leave much for friday. Never know when something comes up. Challah I bake a months worth at a time and freeze. Gefilta fish I make six loaves at a time , let cool potion it off and refreeze. I take out as needed and defrost. Compot I make in bulk an feeze . I take as needed and defrost. Lukshen I make in bulk portion it off and freeze . I take out as needed. Kugels I also make in bulk and freeze. I take out as needed. I put it directly on plata to defrost and warm up or I put it in the oven frozen as I cook chicken. Chichen soup I make wednesday. Roasted veggies I make wednesday. Salads get cut up wednesday. Marinade gets mixed together on wednesday in seperate contaner, and mixed before shabbos/the meal . Dips get prepared wednesday. Some get prepared in bulk and frozen. Salmon I make on wednesday. Meats I bake in advance cool slice and feeze , I take out as needed. Grilled chicken I make wednesday. Liver I make in bulk and freeze in portions I take out as needed . Eggs I make on wednesday and peel. Chicken on bone gets prepared in pan on wednesday baked thursday night. Ricei make in bulk feeze in portians and take out as needed . Chulent gets prepared on thursday night and put up on low. Table gets set thursday night with candles and all. Weekly grocery shopping I do on tuesdays. We come into shabbos happy and calm mostly no last min. things to do except when they do come up but even then I know that the bulk is taken care of.

sbs

Wed, Jan 20 2016, 9:01 pm

I also work late on friday and here's my schedule

challah - I bake on Sunday every other week and have enough for 2 weeks, pull out of freezer
friday morning and heat up in oven before meal
dips - I usually buy
salads - make cole slaw, cucumber salad, purple cabbage salad, marinated pepper salad, not
necessarily all of them, but all could be made thursday, then I do fresh salad cut up
right before meal
soup - make big batch on Wednesday, freeze, usually enough for 2-3 weeks
knaidlach - make a lot whenever I have time and freeze portions for each week in ziploc bags
main course - either chicken, capons cooked halfway thursday night and then put in oven
when I get home from work for anther hour, and then stays warm in oven until
served, sometimes I bake a big roast on thursday and cut and freeze in portions
kugels - either make fresh on wednesday or thursday but I make a lot at once and freeze,
potato, apple, cranberry, broccoli
grilled veggies - make thursday and take out friday afternoon, put on blech so gets warm or
room temperature
salmon - prepare in a pan with teriyaki sauce thursday night, put in oven for 15 minutes on
350 when ig et home friday and then broil for 7 minutes
eggs - boil wenesday or thursday
liver - don't always make, if I do then I sautee it on thursday or I buy or don't have
cholent - prepare in the crockpot thursday night, put on to cook friday morning

my table is set thursday night

Raisin

Thu, Jan 21 2016, 4:38 am

I always put my chicken in an hour before shabbos. Have it all prepped and ready, turn the oven high, like 400 or 450 and put the chicken in. When its almost shabbos turn down low (300 or so) and set timer for oven to go off before you eat the main course. This is chicken on the bone. You could also put in at the same time trays of sweet potatoes, cut up peppers, or baby potatoes. (all these can be prepped in advance). Maybe take the veggies out before shabbos and put on plata or they might burn.

amother

Lilac

Thu, Jan 21 2016, 8:08 am

I get home a half hour before Shabbos.

My menu is usually the following

Challa - dough made on Wednesday, baked on Thursday
Roasted Garlic- made Thursday, rewarmed Friday
Chicken Soup- made Thursday, rewarmed Friday
Rice- made Thursday, rewarmed Friday
green beans- made Thursday, rewarmed Friday
Chicken from the Soup or Meatballs or Salmon (for some reason chicken from the soup doesn't taste bad rewarmed.)

Challa
Dips- bought in store
Gefilta fish- made Thursday night
Salad- made Shabbos morning
Cholent- prepared Thursday night and put on the hotplate Friday afternoon

popcorn- made Thursday night
cake- made Thursday night
cut fruit- made Shabbos morning

lefty1

Thu, Jan 21 2016, 9:56 am

maybe you could do more fresh veggie/salad sides that you could make on shabbos? coleslaw, cabbage salad, israeli salad, lettuce salad with fruit and nuts, corn salad, avocado, hearts of palm salad, tomato salad. pasta salad if you boil pasta in advance. would you heat up a frozen vegetable on the plata on shabbos? could defrost in fridge in advance and add some spices. fruits also a good idea - melon or grapefruit appetizer

m+m

Thu, Jan 21 2016, 10:09 am

I work late Friday's.
All kugels and sides are from the freezer. When I make a kugel I make 6 of them and freeze. At any given time I will have 4 varieties in the freezer (noodle, potato, broccoli, squash)
I have 4 weeks of challah in the freezer
I make a huge pot of chicken soup every 6 weeks
If I get home in time to make chicken we have chicken otherwise I make meat Thursday night.
I make green beans or broccoli Thursday night.
Put up the Chulent Friday morning before work
Salads I make on shabbos.
I bake salmon Thursday night or make gefilte Thursday night
I put all the pots in the dishwasher Thursday night after I'm done cooking since I don't have cleaning help Friday.

thunderstorm

Thu, Jan 21 2016, 10:27 am

I work Fridays...not as late as you , but in my mind, EVERYTHING needs to be done BEFORE I get home from work, so that I dont have a nervous breakdown when I get home.

I bake Challah on Sundays and freeze it...usually lasts me about a month of Shabbosim
If you do potatoe kugel...you can make that on Sunday too and freeze it after it's baked...On Friday before you head to work put the oven on 200 , pour about 7oz. of water over the frozen kugel, cover with foil and let it bake on 200 all day..it comes out yummy...I always get compliments when I do this method.
Salmon....season or marinate the night before in the pan that you will be baking it in, refrigerate...when you get home you can broil it for 14 minutes or do it in the morning before you leave to work

Vegetables...Roast veggies the night before..they taste delicious rewarmed
Chicken...I always season Thursday..refrigerate overnight all ready to be cooked...at 6AM I dump the pan in the oven on 350.00 for an hour then lower oven to 200.00 and let it bake ALL day too...COVERED.
Or if we have time , we just put it on the outdoor grill till Shabbos.
Chicken Soup is made on Sundays, also I freeze enough for about a month to 6 weeks at a time.
All Salads I do on Shabbos before the seuda unless it's a marinated salad, that I do on Thursday...cucumber salad, potatoe salad, coleslaw, purple cabbage salad etc. all can be made on Wednesday or Thursday since those marinate in the fridge anyway.
Good Luck...it aint easy , but many of us do it and we manage!
Forgot to note: Dessert is usually compote, cake etc. all prepared on Sundays or any other time I have a break and I freeze it all...