I take pride in my kids having a home cooked meal most every night. Most their friends don't and I think it's a shame. My problem is with our schedule I struggle with making meals that are good and quick. I know there are people that make all their meals on sundays but I struggle with ideas to do that. Any help is appreciated in a way I can make my life easier

What things do you eat now?
Do you have a crock pot? Electric grill?

How do you feel about casseroles or soups?

We eat anything pretty much. My problem is after work and all the practices by the time I prep and cook something it takes longer than I want. Yes to crockpot but I've never been satisfied with anything in it. I think casseroles and soups would work great for what I'm looking for. Especially if summer ever ends

I am at Cub Scouts right now, but I will get some casserole recipes for you.

Some crock pot ones also that work for us.

I usually do my prep at night for the next days meals. Kids are usually getting ready for bed or are already there and it's nice and relaxing to do it without distractions. It rarely takes me more than 10-15 minutes to cook. Got home about 8:15 and already knocked out homemade marinara and meatball mix for tomorrow.

Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, Home Chef.

We used to eat out a lot, but after our second child, it wasn't feasible. Most of their meals are easy to make and taste really good. Plus, you don't have to hit the grocery store nearly as much.

Have you considered home chef, blue apron, or any others?

I think home chef meals are very solid and you can whip up their meals in 25 to 45 minutes depending on the recipe. I know families of 4 that order the 4 portion servings twice a week for 4 meals total.

You don't have to go shop for the ingredients. It works out to $8-$10/per person.


I have a bunch of free blue apron referrals you can try if you want. It's $60 I'm free meals for a week but you still have to sign up with your CC card and then cancel afterwards. Super simple process.

Crock pot!!

I haven't tried hello fresh. Which is your favorite? I used to like Blue Apron but I swear their recipes and instructions have become less clear and more involved. I think they must have switched technical writers or chefs a couple of months ago.

Crock pot meals seem to screw up any meat on the bone. I get the concept of the slow cook, but it just makes it hard to eat for me.

I think we have kind of settled on Hello Fresh. But, if any of the others have a better menu, we aren't going to complain.

Get yourself a wifi controlled sous vide, put some one bag meal in the tub with ice water, crank it from office, sear when you get home

I'd divide suggestions into categories:

Stew/Casserole dishes. Make on the weekend, freeze or refrigerate aliquots and reheat to serve with rice made in a rice cooker or instant pot.

• Chili
• Red beans and rice
• Jambalaya
• Gumbo
• Indian or Thai curries
• Something that reheats well that I often forget: frittatas.

Pasta. Make sauce on the weekend and boil noodles on the weekday.

Roll your own Blue Apron. Do mise en place chopping etc. on the weekend, mix and cook on the weekday. Chinese works well for these. But other cuisines work.

• Fried rice
• Other stir fries. Note that you can precook the meat and freeze it for food safety. The small pieces reheat fast enough so you can throw them straight into the pan/wok. This makes the prep much faster, since you're not spending time slicing and then disinfecting things on the weeknight.

Way back in the Stone Age before the pre-made ones in the supermarkets, I used to make a big batch of wontons or Chinese dumplings, freeze on a cookie sheet, bag in servings and use for quick weekday meals. Filling and folding can be a family thing. I confess that we keep the commercial fresh ravioli and tortellini in our freezer. Doesn't really count as homemade, IMO. ... but convenient.

I use this site a lot... the recipes give me ideas... however, I often use recipes as a "suggestion" and make changes based on personal preference.

My Recipes Weeknight Meal Planner

Cacio e pepe (spaghetti in butter, pepper and cheese) is probably my favorite in under 30 minutes meal. Its super quick and a make a salad while the water is boiling.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/02/spaghetti-cacio-e-pepe-recipe.html

I do burrito bowls. If we grill Sunday you can do the fajita meat then but I also buy the heb frozen ready to go stuff as well. Boil a bag of rice or normal rice if you have the time. We add lettuce, beans, pico- whatever each person wants. It seriously takes 10 minutes and most of that is just the rice.

Sheet pan meals have become my go-to on busy (or lazy) nights! Everything thrown on one pan, minimal prep, a quick and easy marinade or simple seasoning and throw it in the oven. I've found a ton on Pinterest, but I've also made my own with what's on-hand. Always a big hit with our boys.

We've done Blue Apron (really enjoyed most meals) and Hello Fresh (most meals were very mediocre). They still take more time than we care to spend during the week with sports and homework. We usually cook two nights and eat leftovers two nights.

I haven't looked into those mail in programs but i would think they are more expensive than what I spend for groceries.

They are. Especially considering you don't get leftovers for lunches and you still have to shop for breakfasts, lunches, snacks, etc. I tried blue apron but I'd rather just shop or have groceries delivered.

Steak is both quick and delicious. I have it 3-4 times per week.

Cooking isn't hard....

I cook, and like meals that are quick to make. We don't have a grill, so all our cooking is stove top or oven. Some things I do that take less than 30 minutes, prep included:

* Chicken - I cut it up into bite size pieces while raw, than cook in skillet. Cook plain or toss in any sauce or marinade that you like. Cook time is about 8-10 minutes.
* Salmon - Again, takes about 10 minutes
* Tuna/Swordfish/Steak - Broil in oven, takes 10-15 minutes depending on wellness pref
* Shrimp - Cook in skillet with butter or a sauce of choice, cook time of about 8 minutes.

Pair these with salad, pasta, veggie sides of your choice, rice, or a stir-fry of mixed veggies.

A common meal for us is salmon, a basic chopped salad, and broccoli or asparagus or green beans. All-in cook time from entering the kitchen to sitting down to eat is about 20 minutes.

My house is always full of neighborhood kids and we at the table, TV off and no devices. My kids are the only ones who complain. Everyone else loves it. They think it is some crazy new thing.

What we do a lot of, is cook one thing with the intent to make 2 meals. We also use a foodsaver vacuum seal and reheat leftovers in the bag, in a pot of water on the stove.

For example, if I grill chicken, I may grill enough for dinner plus an extra 15-20 thighs. Day 1 grilled chicken. Day 2 chicken tacos, chicken salad, or chicken enchiladas... The remainder is broken down into dinner serving portions and vacuum sealed for another day.

If there is only a little left it may become fried rice -- See thread https://texags.com/forums/67/topics/2875337

Methinks y'all are over thinking this:
mains:
Salmon in a skillet- 5mins
Shrimp in a skillet 5 mins
Bone in chicken: skillet 5 mins, oven 30
Pork chops: skillet 5 mins, oven 5 (if needed)
Starch sides:
White rice: soak/rinse 10 minutes, stove 20 or less
Wild rice: 25 minutes
Mac n cheese: 15 minutes
Veggie sides:
Oven roast broccoli, asparagus, or cherry toms w zucchini: 25 mins
Salad: 5 mins

Other:
Tacos
Spaghetti

You can be feeding 4, good food, within 45 minutes or less after walking in the door.