What to do if you literally have no time to make suppers?

watergirl

Tue, Oct 26 2021, 6:55 pm

Window wrote:

I’m curious, which instant pot meals are super duper quick and easy to put up?
I have one, but I only use it for soups

- Dark meat on the bone in the IP with fingerling potatos.

- pasta and meat sauce (different varieties of this)

- chicken schwarma (which is also really easy to do stove top but in the IP you don’t have to babysit it so it cooks while you do homework with the kids)

- tons of other chicken on the bone recipes

- meatballs

And more.

amother

Daphne

Tue, Oct 26 2021, 7:31 pm

Easy meals
Eggs
Tuna sandwich
Grill cheese
Cereal and milk -
Oatmeal - I like mine savory - salt and pepper
Hot dogs
Frozen French fries and make cheesy fries

I make lots of hearty soups and freeze

In the freezer I have
Sliced meatloaf - already cooked
Lasagna ready for the oven
Eggplant parm ready for the oven
Lots of soup, lentil, mushroom barley, butternut squash,

I have 2 go to dinners that take 5 min to prep and about 1 hr. To cook

1. Shake n Bake chicken
Instant mash potatoes
Canned corn

2. Chicken and rice casserole - dump everything in and bake

DVOM

Tue, Oct 26 2021, 7:39 pm

Another vote for prepping/cooking in large quantities and freezing. Remember to label and date neatly!

I currently have in my freezer:

2 pans of mushroom and butternut squash meatballs (defrost, mix with spaghetti, warm up)

1 pan meat and rice stuffing (defrost, stuff into peppers, mini eggplant, zucchini, and bake)

Chili

Grilled mixed veg (we like a mix of tomatoes, onions, zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms) (defrost, mix with pasta, add mozzarella cheese, bake until bubbly😋)

Vast quantities of chicken soup

Several prepared pans of chicken (raw cleaned chicken bottoms and different sauces. Stick it frozen into the oven and forget about it for 2.5-3 hours)

Chocolate cake, fluff pie, apple cake

amother

Camellia

Tue, Oct 26 2021, 7:44 pm

Don't have instapot, but crockpot is my best friend. Dump everything in in the morning or prep night before and leave it to go. I usually do chicken and veggies with some broth from soup and spices or just made a beef stew (skipped the browning of meat cuz that's an extra step) and my picky 3 year old loved it all.

amother

Viola

Tue, Oct 26 2021, 7:49 pm

Frozen foods save me
Frozen pizza bagels, pizza, fries, fish sticks, latkes, blinzes etc...
Frozen broccoli with noodles
Frozen veggies with chicken stir fry - use mikee teriyaki sauce 😋
Mac and cheese
Shabbos leftovers: Schnitzel, Meat, Chicken, deli (with a roasted veggies- I buy the frozen California blend olive oil salt and pepper on 400 for 40 min)
Wraps - avocados/ tuna/ salmon etc with salad

amother

Amaranthus

Tue, Oct 26 2021, 8:00 pm

I make dinners in advance. Like when cooking for shabbos (on Thursday night) I’ll make something easy like chili, meat sauce, meat balls etc. otherwise Saturday night and Sunday is when I cook for the rest of the week. Big on ‘wet’ foods that are one pot (like tonight’s chicken barley stew with sweet potato carrot and butternut squash) so you have protein, veg and carb all in one, and wet foods heat up quicker.

amother

Amaranthus

Tue, Oct 26 2021, 8:03 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Are the adults eating same as a lot
If these kid friendly suppers or do you fix something else for yourself? A lot of these suppers ( especially frozen stuff)I am guessing the adults are not eating

We only ever do one menu. Since babyhood. No way in hell im making 2 dinners.

hellokitty

Tue, Oct 26 2021, 8:08 pm

sheet pan nachos can be super simple and pretty much from pantry/fridge staples - bag of chips, can of black beans, tomatoes (w/chilis if you like), corn, sliced olives, salsa, anything else you can trick your family into eating on a nacho 😉 then cover it with cheese and stick it in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese melts. if you want, fresh avocado or guacamole and/or fresh chopped lettuce can be added when it comes out... (chips are pretty much the same as taco shells and totally passable for dinner on occasion 😉)

watermelon

Tue, Oct 26 2021, 8:15 pm

A super easy dinner idea My family likes is wraps. Take a tray of chicken cutlets, simply put in a foil pan and cover and bake. Once cooked through, cut into cubes. Serve with wraps and a bag of lettuce and pickles. If you have time, slice other veggies like tomatoes, peppers etc. kids can put in chummus or a mayo based dressing for extra flavor.
I also do wraps with tuna and egg salad and cut up veggies/lettuce pickles. If I’m short on time, I buy ready made tuna and egg salad.

Dinner done has some amazing quick Chicken meals and fast and easy Pasta recipes, meat and dairy versions. Serve with steamed broccoli or green beans.

Then there are the typical easy freezer dinners, frozen breaded flounder fillets, a bag of cauliflower spiced and baked, French fries.

Frozen falafel balls served with lettuce hummus and/or sliced veg in pitas...

Near east rice and couscous are always super easy and fast as sides.

Instant mashed potatoes with a package of pastrami cold cuts chopped in tiny pieces mixed in is one of my kids faves. Serve with sliced cucumber.

Hot dogs in buns with coleslaw. (I only buy no nitrite hot dogs so no need to feel guilty)

watergirl

Tue, Oct 26 2021, 8:20 pm

watermelon wrote:

I do all of these things too!! Especially the things in Dinner Done. That cookbook is used all the time in my house.

amother

Diamond

Tue, Oct 26 2021, 9:44 pm

Op I totally get you. When people send me there “easy” suppers I want to scream lol. Even the basics is too much for me. I work crazy hours. Here are some of my go tos that take less than 10 min to pit together

1. Pizza crust (purchased). Dump on some marinara sauce from the jar and shredded cheese (keep a big bag in the freezer). Bake in Betty Crocker pizza maker.

2. Crockpot - prep that morning or night before (and fridge till the morning)- dump in onions garlic, meat and potatoes (you can buy the tiny potatoes that don’t require peeling and just need go wash them). Add water salt and pepper. If you want to go fancy add in some frozen veggies.

3. Chicken cutlets - slap on Mayo and crumbs. Bake 15 min at 450. Put frozen fries or knoshss in at the same time

To add a vegetable to the meal you can always take something from the can

Persevere

Tue, Oct 26 2021, 9:49 pm

I try to make quick, simple, but nutritious meals that the adults will like.

If my kids don't like dinner (one or more usually doesn't), they know that they have two options:
Cereal with milk
Sandwich (usually peanut butter or grilled cheese)

Also, like other posters, I usually have hard boiled eggs, cheese, pasta in the fridge so they can also look and choose based on what's available.

Java

Tue, Oct 26 2021, 9:51 pm

I do all my prep the night before or in the morning (I have about 20 minutes of downtime, which is enough).
I work more than full time.
Crockpot chicken on Mondays, built-in sides (potatoes, bs, swt potato, carrots in with the chicken)
Tuesdays is a pasta dish which can be prepped in advance (lasagna or shells etc..., either throw in the oven to bake as soon as I get home or else bake the night before and warm up)- steamed broccoli as a side
Another option for Tuesdays is salmon- can make the night before or Sushi salad- can also prep all ingredients in advance then throw together
Wednesdays are fleishigs again:
Chicken cutlets- prep the night before then throw in the oven to bake, do rice/orzo at the same time
Tacos- super super fast- I like Danielle Renov's recipe
Meatballs- prep in advance and freeze.
Thursday night is homemade pizza but I use the frozen raw pizza dough. My husband usually preps it bein sedarim and then we throw it in the oven as soon as we get home.
That's basically my week!

DVOM

Wed, Oct 27 2021, 3:17 am

scruffy wrote:

All of the food you posted sounds amazing but this really intrigues me!

What's the recipe?

It's really yummy!!

I don't do measurements when I cook, so this is an estimate:

Prep the meat mixture:

package chop meat
1 butternut squash, cubed
1 carton baby Bella mushrooms
1 big Spanish onion

In food processor, grind up the veg into tiny diced bits.

Mix with meat and a few eggs.

Add salt, garlic powder, onion powder.

Prep the sauce:

Saute a big Spanish onion or 2
Add: 3 c ketchup, 4 c water, splash lemon juice.
Boil it up

Scoop off a spoonful meat mix, shape into ball, drop into boiling sauce. Repeat until there'sno more meat mix left.

Lower the heat and let it simmer for about an hour.

Serve with spaghetti or spaghetti squash

B'tayavon!

amother

Peach

Wed, Oct 27 2021, 9:41 am

How old are your kids? Is this a long term issue or a short term issue?
When my mother was in a masters program and on major overload, my mother told my sister and I that we were in charge of supper for the next few weeks. I was probably 13 at the time and my sister was probably 17. We didn't make anything fancy, but we managed for the few weeks it lasted. We each took 2 nights a week.

amother

Daphne

Wed, Oct 27 2021, 9:47 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Are the adults eating same as a lot
If these kid friendly suppers or do you fix something else for yourself? A lot of these suppers ( especially frozen stuff)I am guessing the adults are not eating

Why not
I’m not cooking twice
I may add more things for the adults
And if I prepped and froze (meaning not convenience food from the store) for sure the adults are eating the same
For example - kids are having fish sticks and French Fries and broccoli
My husband will have fish sticks, French Fries, broccoli, and a hearty soup I made from the freezer
And I’ll have the same
I might cut some raw veggies as well